Mathare Valley

Have you been following Kristen at all?

This mother-of-three writes a popular Christian blog, We Are That Family. She is currently in Kenya for her first trip with Compassion International. I have faithfully followed her documentation and wondered if any of you would like to follow along as well.

By the way, she is in the very same slum that my parents are very involved in (Bridge Ministries), along with Compassion International and Compassion Canada. The footage of Mathare Valley is too much for me to grasp, and these photos don't even come with smells or sounds! How does a rich American like myself make sense of this reality? And how do I talk about recipes and haircuts and Curious George (my reality)?

As I threw away the leftovers on my childrens' plates (and let's be honest, my own plate), I am again stuck with that terrible, perpetual question: "What do I do for these children of God?!!" What are we as a family doing? Not enough. I know that. We pray for them. We force ourselves to read current articles no matter how uncomfortable they make us feel. And we sponsor a Compassion child who we have all grown to love, to pray for by name as our "little sister." And most importantly, we walk in His strength and allow Him to reveal other areas where He wants to use us.

But do we do these things because we want to be used by God or because our guilt is so big that we must allay it somehow? Perhaps, in my own case, a little bit of both.

On one hand, I am so thankful that we get to ask, "What are we going to eat for dinner?" instead of "Will we eat dinner?"

How does one rest spiritually in the midst of footage of such physical suffering? It must be in seeing the one Source of true hope, even in Mathare Valley, who never leaves His own. "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him." (Ps. 103:11) This family, tucked into Him, are praying that He sees us as available and willing.

Resting in Him Who Hears,
Karen