Kibera Slum Day 3.

I don't really know how to put the past two days into words, but I am going to try. First of all, let me just say Lauryn is getting better. No hospital for her. Praises to God. Thank you to my family and friends. I love you and am grateful in new and deeper ways!

Yesterday, Jessica and I got to visit the ladies of Jacaranda sewing ministry in the Kibera slum. This slum is possibly the largest in the world. The guess is somewhere around 3 million people in relatively small area. Brenda has meet the sweetest ladies and connected them with a building just outside the slum where they go sew. They were very excited to see Brenda and to meet us. These woman were smiling and laughing, happily sewing and planning what next to learn to make and dreaming of open markets to sell their goods locally.

These woman are all HIV positive. Some feeling fine, some not. But they were excited to take us into the slums and into their homes. Walking through that slum is truly unbelievable. Brenda was disappointed not to get me to the worst part because we ran out of time. But I was relieved. I lasted several hours and then felt like I might puke.

What was beautiful in that horrible, horrible place was joy. Joy these woman have found in the Lord. At Jacaranda you wouldn't know they live in such terrible conditions and they actually have to pay to live there. It is difficult to find the words to describe. Their homes are a room...a room that they try to make a living space, a kitchen and bedroom. They could have any number of children in them...3, 4... Mostly the women are widowed or abandoned. The abuse in that setting of women is grotesque.

We visited 3 women's homes and each shared their stories. Stories of job loss, stories of growing up in the slum, stories of abuse, hunger, death of sisters, death of babies, death of 11 year old children. It is too much for me to write and feel like I have even explained well.

I will say that for these women who love the Lord they are full of joy and hope. Their eyes sparkle and they smile bright. They tell stories of His provision, yet they have lost so much and they do not know where their food is coming from the next day. I, however, at one point stopped on the railroad tracks, turned around 360 degrees and felt trapped, felt despair, felt no hope, no way out. I felt lost and confused walking with them I don't know how they know where they are going. I almost panicked until I looked again at these women. They have peace in a wicked land.

Praying for them was an opportunity I will not forget. Hearing Jessica pray in one of the women's home was worth every difficult step to get here.

Can you hold on to Jesus when you feel all is lost? We sure need to, because in the eyes of many in Kibera there was a such a blank look and in others just plain crazy look.

But hold on... you have to hear about Kevin and Beatrice I met today in the Maruri slum.