On Monday we went to Eastleigh and I joined Derek, Mike, and Trenton to visit the bases with our “protectors” Evans, Nancy, and Joel. At first I was feeling pretty confident walking the streets, but then Trenton goes on to tell me how about 90% of the population there is Muslim, that people can rent guns, and that terrorist groups actually go to Eastleigh to recruit. After hearing that I was a little uneasy, but I trusted that the Lord would protect and provide for us. I also found out that white people almost never visit, most likely for those reasons… Many children that run away from home end up finding themselves at Eastleigh with no place to stay. They have no money, no job, no home, and no family. They end up being forced to join one the “bases” for safety. The bases are pretty much just gangs that literally live right on the streets. They have nothing. Because the kids can’t afford food they instead spend whatever money they can get on glue that they keep in little bottles and sniff to get high. They try to escape the pain of hunger and the worries of life by getting high instead. Even worse, in order for a girl to join a base she has to first sleep with every member of the base, and the age of kids ranges from around 7-25. I can’t imagine what the kids my age, and even younger, have gone through. Thankfully, last year the staff at Made In The Streets gathered up all the base bosses to try to resolve some problems, and ever since then violence between bases has died down.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the people at the first base to be very friendly and welcoming. They were called “Base Under a Tree,” but when we got there we found that the tree wasn’t quite what we were expecting. Trenton actually asked “So where’s the tree?” All the kids wanted to shake your hand and bump your first. Some would actually grab your hand, make it into a fist, and then bump it :P Everybody’s clothes were so dirty that they all had the same worn-grey look. It was very obvious which ones were high…well they all were high, but it was obvious which ones were very high. Joel asked if there was anything we wanted to share with them, and as I looked from Trenton to Derek, then Mike, I offered to share. I shared a very simple message: that Jesus knows each of them individually and personally, that he knows their hearts; Jesus knows all of their sufferings they have gone through and ever will go through because he suffered their sufferings himself; Jesus took their sufferings upon himself; Jesus will also love them know matter what; there is nothing they could do to make him stop loving them; Jesus knows their sins, and he took their sins upon himself so that they may be forgiven, and Jesus wants them to follow him. I was really surprised because as I was sharing I noticed that all of them were actually paying attention to me, even the ones who were really high. They actually looked at me as I spoke, even though Joel was translating for me. It was an awesome experience sharing and witnessing to them, and it was also awesome to see how they reacted to my message. They were glad for us to pray for them, and eager for us to take a picture with them. Afterward the boys joined us for awhile as we began walking to the next base. I felt much safer walking with them, because most of these boys were older and intimidating looking. For awhile one of the boys named Bobby and I tried talking to each other, but it was pretty difficult seeing that we only spoke bits and pieces of each other’s languages. We parted ways at one point so that Joel could buy them some food.
The next base was Lillyput (pronounced li-lee-poot?). Again, they were very friendly and welcoming. The first two boys we saw were extremely skinny, and so high they could barely move properly. The Lillyput kids just sit out front of an apartment complex all day. Every other place they tried staying they would always get chased away from. But the kids have been blessed because the people at this complex haven’t chased them away yet. The Lillyput kids seem to struggle with drugs more than anything. You could tell that many of them were very high, and you could tell one of them is hooked on glue pretty bad. He literally looked like a walking skeleton, and he could barely walk. He struggled just to stand up. When you looked into his eyes you could only see emptiness. Emptiness in his mind, and in his soul. This time Joel offered me to share again, and so I shared the same message. Once again, all of the boys listened to me intently. After I shared I believe Joel asked if any of them wanted to follow Jesus, and I was so shocked and filled with joy when several of them actually raised their hands. After Joel talked to the boys about Jesus a little longer two of them stepped forward saying that they wanted to take the next step in their faith, and that they would like to be prayed for. After praying for them we also prayed for the group as a whole. I was so touched when I saw that all of the boys would take off their hats during prayer; people at church don’t even do that. Before we left we handed out some food to everyone and took some pictures, and then we parted ways.
The next base was called High Rise, and was actually really far away. We had to walk through downtown Eastleigh, which was really sketchy. The streets were crowded and our guides warned us to check our pockets if anybody bumped into us. Trenton hid his camera under his shirt, and I just kept my hands in my pockets so nobody could take anything. As we were walking we would occasionally pass people speaking to a big crowd, and Evans translated for us telling us that they were essentially just bashing on Jesus. High Rise was a much bigger base than the others, having around 30 members (we only saw around 12 people at each of the last two bases). Yet again, the people were very welcoming and friendly. I was horrified when I saw some people laying on the ground that looked dead. They were covered in flies, and you couldn’t even tell if they were alive until they shifted around a little or got up to meet you. This time Joel didn’t even ask if I’d share, he just announced that I would. Again, I shared the same message, and again everybody intently listened to me. I was especially shocked because they had several Muslim members who were also listening to me with interest. People actually started to join the crowd to hear what I was saying! And again, several people showed interest in finding more out about Jesus. At the other two bases the base bosses weren’t there, but we were blessed to meet the base boss of High Rise. He was very big, and very strong. We found out that he was actually a new leader, and he seemed very nice and like he legitimately cared about the well-being of “his kids.” He talked to Joel about how they needed food, and the things they struggle with. Joel got a chance to share with him the ministry work that MITS does, and hopefully the base boss will end up visiting and talking with the MITS staff members. Handing out food was more difficult because there were so many people, but I was so happy when I saw that their base boss was making sure that nobody took more than they were supposed to, and that everyone got a fair share of food. Again, all the kids asked for us to take pictures of them and with them. The age range was much more drastic in this base. One of the kids looked so young that he might actually have been born there in the base, on the streets. Several girls that go to MITS were actually born in bases. I just felt so blessed that everyone at the bases was always so welcoming to us.
Before arriving in Kenya I thought I was going to have a tough time dealing with everything, and that I would be very emotional. Surprisingly, this has hardly been the case. I can’t quite understand why, but I think it may be because I just see so much joy in the people; mainly in the kids but also in some adults. Their joy in the fact that they have been saved and are with the Lord makes me rejoice. But still, I feel as though I should be broken and left in tears at the sights I have seen. I wasn’t definitely touched the most by my time in Eastleigh though. The lives the kids live are just so different, and so horrific; I can’t even imagine what they have gone through. There is no comparison. All I can do now is continue to pray for them, and that they may somehow come to Jesus too. I already miss all my brothers and sisters in the streets….
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