Visit to Jamii Outreach Centre - Kibera, Nairobi

Mr. & Mrs Mwangi - Founders of Jamii Centre

Today, Monday, November 25, 2019 we visited Jamii Home, as it is known locally. Jamii is a shelter, haven and informal school for street children in the Kibera slum. Often Jamii is the only protection these pre-school-aged children have against homelessness, violence and hunger. The children come to the center daily where they receive clean clothes, food, a safe place to play, some basic medical care and school-readiness activities.

Walking between homes.

Kibera is the largest and poorest slum in Africa! Many of the homes are led by single mothers who live well below the poverty line. Jamii is a locally-led organization whose founders are a husband and wife who were moved by the plight of the children living in dire poverty.

Muddy path to Jamii Centre

Our day began when we arrived at the section of the slum where Jamii is located. We had to leave the car along a muddy road and walk through a row of homes made from pieces of wood and corrugated iron sheets. Jamii serves as a school where children come to get rudimentary schooling. The dedicated teachers are more like volunteers from the community. Jamii is a prayer-focused ministry and the Word of God is priority. So the children are taught the Word of God alongside their educational curriculum. Mothers bring their children to Jamii knowing their children will get some food to eat even as they are being taught to read and write. Many of the children have learnt to speak English at Jamii Home because of the books they read during the school year.

Teachers

All schools in Kenya closed for the long Christmas holiday earlier this month.This is their equivalent of summer break. Pupils move to the next class when school resumes in January. So the children and their parents/guardians and the teachers came this morning to hear Leah's teaching on the Ruby and to fellowship with us as we visited with them.

RUBY – Total Transparency

We live in a world that exalts perfection. It pushes an image where flaws and imperfections are unacceptable. However, as we dig into the formation of Rubies, we find that God sees things very different.

Translation during Q&A

English is a third language for the ladies and gents who were there this morning. They do not have a strong command of the language and so we ended up having an interpreter. I found myself speaking in Swahili and English as I introduced myself, Leah and the study. When Leah began to teach, I realized that the concept of the ruby or jewels for that matter was foreign to them. They are so poor, they have never seen or heard of the precious jewels that were being presented. So I started praying as Leah was talking, asking the Holy Spirit who speaks ALL languages to open their inner understanding and to arrest their attention so that they did not miss what the Lord was saying to them. After Leah's teaching we opened it up to Q&A. The ladies at first were shy

Leah

to speak up and we found out that they considered Leah like a preacher and "you never ask a preacher questions about the sermon!" So one of the founders eased the tension as he explained that although Leah had come to bring the Word, she was also a teacher and we wanted to engage with them and hear their questions, and takeaways. There was a visiting pastor in the audience and he stood up and asked the question that was clearly in the minds of everyone of the women and men - "what is a ruby?" It is at this point we had this pastor who had a better command of Swahili as a preacher interpret Leah and my responses to that question and other questions that came after. The Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of these ladies and they began to speak up

Noni

as they began to understand that they are precious gems in the eyes of their Creator despite the names people have called them, and the poor treatment they regularly receive because they are the poorest of the poor. My heart was so moved I began to tear up as I watched and listened to this women express gratitude for the hope they now had as they saw themselves in a totally different light. They were authentic rubies - flawed yes, but dearly loved. Loved so much that God sent His Son to die in their place so that they may live their lives with a renewed sense of hope - a complete assurance of who they are in Christ. 

One lady then asked about salvation and right there and then we presented the gospel.

Praying with Lillian

Another lady wanted to know if a Christian who does not display any fruits of the Spirit particularly love and kindness is really a Christian. At first we thought she was questioning her salvation but after a lengthy conversation, she finally revealed that she and her four very young sons are victims of cruelty and brutal unkindness from the oversight manage in their slum quarter which is located on land owned by a church. This man claims to be a Christian and is a worship leader in that church. She received godly counsel and we had an opportunity to pray with and for her. 

Lovely children

We presented school supplies, books written by local authors in both English and Swahili and we distributed candy for the children among other things. Leah and I blessed Jamii financially so that they were able to serve some tea with bread (which was dry because butter and jam is a luxury) and some tea biscuits (cookies). Jamii will also make food baskets for the women so that they have some food for Christmas day.

It was another amazing day as we saw the embrace of God in the smiles of the children and their moms. As the meeting came to an end a few of the children who stayed for the meeting sang for us. Jamii serves about 120 children and this was a small representation of the children who come to Jamii centre in the hope of being fed physically, academically and spiritually. It also started raining very hard and even though the meeting had come to an end the kids could not leave, so Leah read a book to them. We then asked them questions about what the story they had heard and their responses were articulate and well thought out for young children.

  We thank God for this opportunity to experience the LOVE of Christ in this unique and moving way. I am delightfully astounded at the intensity and diversity of God's love to His people. 

Children singing their songs

We thank everyone who has partnered with us on this endeavour. May God continue to bless you and reward you for your kindness, your love, your prayers and concern for people you have never me - and may never meet. They were all surprised to hear that there were people in America praying for them, that Leah and I had prayed for six years for them even though we did not know them. That moved many of them and they expressed deep gratitude and respect. They do not take this kindness for granted because it is a rare experience in their world where majority of the time people are looking down on them because they are economically under-priviledged.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Leah and Noni

Inside the Centre/School

Jamii Library

School supplies donated

Leah, Jayne and Noni

Reading to the children

Green classroom doors