We went to visit a couple of the members of the church today at their houses. That was a great experience for me, as I have really never seen that kind of poverty. Both the houses had no electricity, and were about 10x12 ft. The first house had nothing in it but a bed, a couple of chairs, a box with some personal things in it and a pile of dishes in one corner. There were clothes draped over the end of the bed. The man who lived there was a brother named Lawrence, who was formerly a Maasai who came to the city in search of a job. He works a night job as a guard, and is a really nice man. He had had a drinking and smoking problem, so he came to the church to get saved from all that.

The second home we went to was home to a couple, Kennedy and Dorris. This house also had very little in it, but it was divided in half by a couple of sheets hung up. One side had their bed in it and the other side had everything else. The entire house was the same size as the other one, but with the curtain divider it seemed to be even smaller. Dorris was eighteen and had a little girl who was four (which I'm told isn't that uncommon over here.) The girl lived with the grandparents in a different town, while Kennedy and Dorris worked in Nakuru.

Kennedy worked as a taxi driver, but his taxi is a bicycle. He was just mugged and robbed last Tuesday night. He told us his story, and apparently he had a very rough life. His parents split up when he was young, five I think, and they both wanted him to live with them. When he went to stay with his mother, his father thought he was siding with his mother and would be angry. When he stayed with his father his mother thought the same thing.

Now he lives in a tiny house in Nakuru with very little to call his own. He was blown away that we would come visit him, which I found to be a little surprising. Here is a man who had gone through more than I might ever go through, who works hard for very little, and who probably has more with God than I understand, and he is honored that we would come see him because we are white and rich.

Anyway, I walked away from there realizing for the first time I think just how much I have. I think I have always known that I have been exceptionally blessed, but I didn't realize just how much till I came here. I have had an easy life, surrounded by people who love me and love God. I have always had money for the things I needed and a little extra for the things I wanted.

I don't ever have any reason to complain about anything. I am having an easy time seeing all this now, but I know that, being human, I'll probably begin to forget this as soon as I get back to the states and am suddenly surrounded by wealth again. It is going to take a miracle to keep me in reality about all this, but I think that God will do that for me. Anyway, I'm really grateful for everything I have been given, and I am determined to keep this mindset.

I would post pictures, but it is using up all my megs. I think the others will post them though, so make sure to check out the other blogs. I think we are going to go visit people every Monday and I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone here. So far everyone I have met has been really nice. I think I have a lot to learn from them about being friendly.

I never know how to end these things, so I guess this is the end. I'll post some more tomorrow.