How does this happen?

Today we worked in Spring Valley Slum again

In the morning we got split into three groups

those who would paint, those who would teach and a crafts group.

Sometimes when there is to many people in one area I volunteer to go take photos of everyone serving instead of being in a group.

So as I did this I came through the church and went past the kitchen when I looked up and heard little squeals of excitement as the “babies” the three and four year olds ran out of their classroom and wrapped their arms my legs.

They smiled and said, “take my piccctttuuurrreee”

I would take it then say, “Murainbo” which is beautiful in Swahili.

Their eyes would light up as they smiled from ear to ear.

Oh how my heart melts for these children.

Considering their at home circumstances their joy is overwhelming.

So as I rounded the corner past the other classrooms I capture the beginnings of new clotheslines going up.

Before they had some cheap blue string and they hung the rest of the clothes on the outside fences.

Now they had a place for their clothes to dry.

Then I went upstairs in the girls dormitory which is called “Talitha kum” which translates to

"Little girl, I say to you, get up."

On the third floor we were doing bead work.

I sat down with a group of girls and just started asking them questions and getting to know them better.

I found out one of the girls lost her mother when she was a baby and she lived with her great grandmother in Tanzania for a few years. But her great grandmother hated her so her aunt her moms sister fought her for custody and brought her back to Kenya only to put her in HOREC orphanage/boarding school.

She is now enrolled in the school and lives in Talitha Kum.

Its such an incredible place because since the dormitory was built the girls moved in test scores have increase by 20% which is incredible!

They are now safe and the are feed three meals a day.

Its sad what we take for granite in the states.

After we had lunch we had the opportunity to visit homes in the slums, pray with families and leave them with a food basket.

The second home we came to what a bunch of scrape metal awkwardly nailed together.

As we squeezed into this house no bigger than my bathroom at home we saw a little girl around nine years old holding a baby.

The mom and dad had left the children.

The older sister would sell herself in prostitution to feed her siblings.

Since the older sister who was sixteen had to “work” today the nine year old girl had to stay home and watch the baby.

My heart broke over and over again and watched these children taking care of children.

The second youngest was a boy, Meshach, who was seven.

Meshach got to attend school today so as we walked to his house that morning he tightly gripped Jesse’s hand as we winded through the streets.

The smell of sewage and burning trash fill your senses as you walk in and out of alley ways.

Children are everywhere. Everywhere.

There are 3000 children that are on the waiting list to get into Spring Valley School.

3000.

Most of these small ones we saw today.

It breaks my heart to know that home is not a safe place for them.

And yet until they have more space/ funds they really cant take in more children.

It breaks my heart again.

How does this just go on everyday all around the world and we just ignore it.

Small children are sold by their parents into prostitution.

Ugh.

How do you even begin to tackle this issue and how do you enter a home and pray for blessings on the home when you know what goes on there.

Im continuously reminded of this scripture.

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

James 2:16

While we did bring food with us today it still felt empty saying the words stay healthy, safe and bless this family.