America in the Eyes of a Kenyan

Well it has been raining the past few days and I have been thinking it is still the dry season, but I was corrected today by my friend Esther. She said that now we are in the rainy season and what stinks about that is the rain sometimes prevents us from going places in the slums. As you can see from this picture, the roads and pathways get extremely muddy and it makes our plans change (more than they already do haha). Like today we were supposed to go back to Joska, but since the road out there was most likely pure mush, the drivers did not want to risk getting their vehicles stuck. So instead, Leann and I followed Isabella to Area II of Mathare in order to do some training on prejudice and judging. 

Time here is so different, and since we were planning on teaching a younger crowd, it was expected they wouldn't be on time. So we waited around for awhile and eventually will have to come back tomorrow to complete the training! While waiting though, the three of us had a great conversation with one of the young leaders, Teddy. We were just talking about life and then he started asking Leann and I about America. He was amazed to find out that we have thieves and that people murder other people. He was under the impression there are policeman everywhere and that prevents crime from happening. I admitted to him that yes we have a stronger police force than Kenya, but we still have corrupt cops and people will still commit crimes even if we have more "protection". 

He also said Kenyans believe that when one moves to America, they instantly become rich. I told him that we have poor people in America too, and a majority of the rich people have had to work hard to get where they are. It is not just handed to them. I was starting to get very frustrated by all the lies that have been thrown at these people, making them think they are so inferior to us. He was honestly shocked that people steal in America and we explained to him that we are no different than Kenyans. We have bad people too! We are all the same...human. But what broke my heart the most was when he said, "I have heard people say, 'I would rather be a dog in America, than a human in Kenya.'" And his response to that was, "I tell them,' Be grateful that you are waking up in the morning and that you have a job! You are healthy. Live where God has put you today!'" 

His comments only reinforce what I have been reading in Walking with the Poor. Myers explains many causes of poverty, but what I want to focus on is the mental causes. The identity of the poor, how they view themselves, is marred. Because they see what the non-poor possess and the fact that they lack those things automatically drives a specific negative thought process. The begin to tell themselves the lies like "Yes, I am uneducated, dirty, lazy, and powerless." Eventually, if not corrected, they live their lives like that. Ugh! It makes me so frustrated how Satan has such a tight grip on their mindset! They are just as capable as any non-poor person!

Finally, I want to share a quote from Myers' book that gave me a new perspective and reminded me of some of life's dangers. He states, "It seems as if having too much is as bad for us as having too little. too little food makes us weak and susceptible to disease; too much food makes us overweight and susceptible to heart disease and cancer. The water in the Third World is dirty and bad for our health; the water in the West is bad for our health because it is increasingly polluted with chemicals. The poor have inadequate housing; the non-poor are often slaves to their houses" (89). This is why it is so important for us to pray Proverbs 30:8-9 which says,

Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who

is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

What have you cluttered your life with, things that make you forget how much you actually need the Lord? I know I have some de-cluttering to do! Thank you all for being supportive and reading through my blogs :) I hope that you are still enjoying them. Thank you also for your continued prayers; I truly appreciate them! Love you all, and praying for you as well!