I went back to visit this lady before I left Kenya. I have yet to get her name (I just call her mom) and she simply refers to me as "her girl". She took me inside her small home made of mud and sticks and we sat on her bed which was also made of sticks and had a few torn blankets on it. There is another small bed for her grandchildren and a small fire burning where she cooks. The roof is so low that you cannot stand up while inside. She doesn't really seem concerned by any of this. She is simply delighted to have a visitor to sit and chat with.
It had been six days since we first visited with her. Her husband who had already been gone for a week at that time still had not returned from Mt. Kenya. There had been no rain. She began to share a little with me about her needs and those of the community. She showed me her empty water jug. No food in the house. She said they used to have cows for milk but lost them in the last drought. I think they still have goats which is why her husband has taken them to Mt. Kenya is search of water and land to graze. We were interrupted by a woman with 2 children who came in to show me that the children's feet were clean after having the jiggers removed last week. She seemed to be indicating that because the jiggers were gone the children could attend school now and she asked us to help send her children to school. The closest primary school is more than a 2 hour walk away. Children are required to wear uniforms to attend school and these children didn't even have adequate clothes. Some had shirts but naked bottoms while others had random clothing torn and rotting. We visited for a few hours and then left them with corn flour and beans promising to return as soon as God provided a way back.
I am sitting in my office now watching the rain outside with a renewed sense of blessing. I am wondering what my Kenyan grandmother is doing right now and how her day was. I am praying for God's provision.... for her.... her family.... her community. I am praying that the LORD of the harvest will raise up the workers who will go there. I am praying that He will send those who can provide to Project 82 so that we can continue with relief efforts during this severe famine while exploring opportunities for long term solutions. I am praying...
