God is Faithful

Hello everyone,

Things in Kenya continue to go very well. We are continually blessed by the people that we encounter here, so much so that I feel like I am the one being served and they are the servants. However, by God’s grace, we have been able to be a part of many good things that, I believe, have been glorifying to our Father. It is very difficult to begin to describe all that is going on here or the emotions that come with those experiences, so I will just relate a story of God’s faithfulness that we were able to witness while being here.

At the church that we go to in Kibera there are many children. In fact, the majority of the congregation is children and many do not come to church with their parents; they simply come, which has boggled my American mind. Two of these children are named Alfonz and Wilkens (I hope that I spelled their names right). Wilkens comes from a home in Kibera where his stepmother is very abusive. Child abuse in Kibera, both physical and sexual, is unfortunately common in Kibera and it leads to a plethora of problems. One day, Wilkens could not take the abuse any longer, so he decided with Alfonz to try to get from Kibera to the compound where our intern team was staying. Our compound is located outside Kisiera (once again, pardon my spelling errors). The boys made it all the way to Kisiera and then lost their way. Please bear in mind that these kids are only nine years old and the distance from Kibera to Kisiera is just shy of 20 miles! At that point they were picked up by the police and held till the parents came to pick them up. By the time we arrived, Alfonz had already been taken back to Kibera, but Wilkens parents did not come by the time we arrived. We would have taken Wilkens back to the compound with us, but custody belongs to the parents, so we were unable to take him back with us for the night. He stayed overnight at a shelter for children and apparently was absolutely loved by the workers and other children there. They actually said that they were sad to see him leave. The father came to pick up Wilkens the next day, but they would not give up Wilkens without the stepmother there and she was not willing to come. So, through a bunch of work by the Pastor, his wife and other members of the congregation, custody has been obtained for Wilkens. He is now is part of the Pastor’s family and will be dearly loved, receive an education and grow up freed from the bonds of Kibera slum. God is so good! We have been able to see him the past two days and he is a wonderful child. I am excited for what God will do in his life!