A Multisensory Kenyan Experience
After 9 days away from home in Kenya, and after 27 hours of travel from Nairobi to Paris to Atlanta, and finally Wichita, to walk down the stairs at Eisenhower Airport and see my wife, Staci, waiting for me, was the best feeling in the world. I was thankful to God for what the Kenyans call “journey mercies”, and I must admit that sleeping in my own bed last night felt like a gift from God. I am still trying to process what our team saw, smelled, tasted, touched, and heard while in Nairobi, but I will give some examples of each.
What I Saw – a lot of crazy traffic! I have driven in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other big U.S. cities, but what I saw in Nairobi traffic was something between the old video game “Frogger” and a Nascar race! Merging in and out of lanes was amusing, confusing, and at times, terrifying! Thankfully, Nairobi has put in many speed bumps that force the traffic to slow down in intervals.
I also saw a lot of big smiles, or what Kenyans would call “banana smiles”. I have never seen people smile more than in Kenya – especially the children. It was a joy to simply look into the eyes of the students and give and receive a smile – so good for the heart!
I also saw a lot of animals. We were able to go on a short safari in a national park, and I saw rhinos, giraffes, impalas, zebras, ostriches, elands, crocodiles, lions, baboons, and warthogs. Let me know if you want to see pics!
What I Smelled – the foul smell of poverty. Walking the slums of Nairobi was heartbreaking and difficult. Smelling garbage, rotten food, and human excrement all mixed together was the norm. Small streams of sewage ran into the small river, which was disease-ridden and ruined. Visiting families of four or more living in tin-covered rooms of maybe 150 square feet with one lightbulb, no water, no toilet, no fan, no refrigerator, was tough on the soul. It is instructive to note that while suicide rates in the U.S. continue to climb, Mary Kamau, the founder of MOHI, reported that she has never dealt with a suicide in her 30 years of working within the slums. What does this say about hope in our “advanced” culture in the West?
What I Tasted – a lot of great food. We stayed at MOHI’s guest house, which is really a motel-like compound on the edge of Nairobi. We had a large dining area to eat, meet, and debrief each night, plus a personal chef, Nelson, who prepared many amazing dishes. When we arrived around midnight, he had fresh rolls and soup ready for us, and we were told that if we didn’t eat at least a little, it would be considered impolite. Kenyans love chai tea with milk, which is served each afternoon. Nearly every meal included rice with something to add on top. I tried duck stew, which I was cautious about – but was pleasantly surprised, as it was delicious. Of course, the papayas, bananas, pineapples, watermelon, and mangos were outstanding. I am confident that I did not lose weight on this trip!
What I touched – many, many, many little hands. MOHI serves over 28,000 students in grades K-12, but many of them are elementary students. To touch hands and receive hugs from small children made my grandfatherly heart very happy. I was also excited to put my arms around my teammates as we prayed together, to shake the hands of the directors of MOHI, and put my hand on the back of a young girl who was sick to pray for her. One of my favorite moments of the trip was when a little boy in the slums, maybe two years old, walked up to Matt Swank with his arms open. Despite the child being filthy, Matt picked up the little boy and held him close for a long time, speaking quiet, loving words to this little one.
What I heard – the sound of hope. Missions of Hope International is bringing the hope of Jesus to not just Nairobi, but the entire country of Kenya. Girls in northern Kenya, who were being sold for camels or cattle in marriage at the age of seven or eight years old, are now attending school and going to the university to study medicine. Boys in eastern Kenya in a fully Muslim community, are hearing about Jesus in their MOHI school. Young adults in Nairobi are learning trades such as plumbing, electrical, sewing, hairdressing, cosmetology, automotive, and cooking at MTTI (MOHI Technical Training Institute). These young people, many of them young parents, can increase their wage earning by 3000 percent when they finish their training.
From little children, to MOHI staff, to young adults, I heard words of hope for not only a better life on this earth, but a sure eternity because of the hope that Jesus had brought to their hearts. Hearing little first graders at the Mabatini school quote John 3:16 was precious. At the Joska Girls School, over 1,700 girls gathered for a chapel with us, and a student, who I am guessing was 15 to 16 years old, came on the stage, took the microphone, and prayed this prayer:
“We glorify his name because he is worthy to be worshipped, he is worthy to be adored, he is worthy to be given praise, he is worthy to be our God. We worship you, God, because you are highly lifted, and I glorify your name because you deserve all of the glory. We thank you for who you are, we thank you for giving us this day.”
At Outreach Hope Church in the Nairobi slums, we were able to experience a true Kenyan worship service. Let’s just say that Kenyans are more expressive than most U.S. churches! Pastor Fanuel gave a powerful sermon on obedience from Luke 5:4-6. He preached his message in English and another leader translated into Swahili. Pastor Fanuel prayed something that we never hear in the U.S., but I’m sure is prayed often in the Nairobi slums – he said, “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for keeping us alive this week.”
I have only scratched the surface of what I experienced in Kenya, and I thank the CCA School Committee for allowing Matt Swank and me to represent CCA on this trip. Thank you, again, to all of you who prayed for us throughout our time in Kenya, we felt protected and blessed the entire time. I loved the trip, but, as I said, I am so glad to be home with my family and all of you! Have a great weekend!
David Landis, Superintendent