It Happened on the Way to Ngong

“It Happened on the Way to War,” by Rye Barcott, is a novel that chronicles Rye’s journey from college student and aspiring US Marine to that of humanitarian working with youth in Kenya’s largest slum. I was thinking about that book as I sat down to write this blog. His book details the relationships he encountered along the way.

 Thus the title of this blog: “It Happened on the way to Ngong.” Is about the relationships navigated in a single day. (Sorry for such an unimaginative rip off, Rye!)

Last Monday as my mother and I were walking back from Kibiko to Ngong a taxi pulled over in front of us. Grace King’atua, the woman I work with came out of the taxi and asked if we would like to go to Joseph Kiranti’s home with her. Joseph is a Maasai boy with spinabifida who had both his legs amputated. He is sponsored through Wezesha By Grace to go to a special school called Joytown in Thika, Kenya. Grace was on her way to pick him up and take him to school. Mom went with Grace and I continued on foot into Ngong to attend some prearranged meetings.

Joseph and his mom Hannah at their home in Kibiko as Joseph gets ready to go to school

On the way I received a phone call from a pastor/taxi driver, Francis, who is a friend of mine and the previous week had taken Nancy and her daughter Cecilia to school. Nancy is HIV-positive and Grace and I are looking for a sponsor for Cecilia so she can go to school. I paid for her first term of school because I didn’t want her being idle at home in the slum. However, I cannot afford to subsidize her education indefinitely. Because Francis had taken Cecilia to school he knew Nancy’s story and so he called to see if I could assist an HIV positive woman with a 5-year-old son who attends his church. I had just talked to a friend on FB the night before about helping Nancy and how I assumed that as soon as word got out that I had assisted one HIV-positive person, others would follow! The gaps in assistance for people living with HIV are huge. Aid organizations specialize with their assistance, but there are no organizations that I know of that fill the gaps. My FB friend works for the World Bank and said they were looking into the same issue! Helping others is about standing in the gap - being there, listening and assisting when possible. I haven’t had a chance to sit down with Francis but will let you know what happens.

Pastor/Taxi Driver Francis with his wife at his church in Kibiko

When I arrived in Ngong I met up with Nancy and Cecilia. Cecilia was headed back to school after the mid-term/elections break. The school had listed the wrong brand of Bible on the sheet they gave out to students and Cecilia had already written her name in that Bible so we couldn’t return it. I mentioned to Grace that I had an extra Good News Bible and one of the other children in the WBG program had recently lost theirs so I walked down the street and left the Bible at King’s Supermarket for Grace to pick up when she returned from Thika. King’s is our version of the pony express!

Cecilia at her home in Ngando slum

Cecilia is a delightful child. She is so thankful and so excited to be in boarding school! There is seriously nothing better than seeing a child so excited about education!

My next meeting was with James Sui, Rebecca’s husband from Ilkiloret. James doesn’t speak any English so his nephew Silas came along to translate. Because James asked to see me in Ngong, I seriously thought he was going to ask me for money for something. He didn’t. We talked about Rebecca’s nephew Rayio who is 10 years old and needs to be sponsored because both his parents are dead and Rebecca and James can’t afford to take care of him and his education indefinitely. Rayio is a great kid…and I have been trying to find him a sponsor but have not had any luck yet. To them I’m sure it feels like ages since we collected a photo and story about Rayio last October. I wish I had better news. I tell them he is young…that we still have time to get him into a better school. That he is a bright boy and he will catch up…but in the pit of my stomach I still feel like I am failing him, failing them. And then James goes on to tell me that they have been praying for me. That because I live with them and teach them and share with them, I am one of them. “Your white skin doesn’t matter,” he says, “you are part of our family!” That relationship has been built over so many years, I can’t even remember the first time I met James or Rebecca. I also can’t imagine my life without them. So I will eventually find a sponsor for Rayio because this is my family. I won’t let them down. They need me and I need them.

My favorite picture of Raiyo in his school uniform

Silas is James' nephew and often interprets for me and James. Silas is studying at Daystar University this year. James' family and friends raised two terms worth of fees for him. He will have to raise one more terms worth of fees to complete the year and be eligible to apply for a scholarship.

James is an attentive father. I can't comment on all Maasai father's but James is a hands on father, who will tie shoes, take out splinters and shower his children with love.

Janet helps James with as assignment in the old school room. James reads at a first grade level and at 44 years of age has trouble learning, but he is determined to become literate.

All this happened on the way to Ngong before noon on a single day. So for those of you who ask me what I do every day…here’s the simple answer…I navigate relationships. God has created infinite links where the gaps exist. So I keep my eyes and heart open and when a gap appears, I look for a way to fill it. Sometimes I ask for your help and sometimes I find people and organizations here that can assist and sometimes I stand in the gap, because after all, that’s why I came here, to be Jesus’ hands and feet. It is my relationship with Him that sustains me in every way.

I leave you with one of my favorite bible verses:

1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.