After 12 incredible days with the GCR group visiting the WBS orphanages and spending a few days on safari, I am now back at "home" in Kumulu with the Mbuvis. I truly feel like when I am here, I am home. This is my home away from home. When we got to Kumulu with the GCR group before going on safari, I walked in the Mbuvi's house and within two minutes of us being there Mauryn called me in the kitchen, handed me plates and silverware, and told me with a smile, "Take these to the table. You're home now, time to work!" I, too, smiled as I turned to go and set the table.
Twice, sometimes three times a year the students at Made in the Streets get to take a home visit. These usually happen during breaks from school. Since the students have been on a two week holiday from school, it was time for home visits. The students were split into two groups, and one went on Wednesday, and the other group on Thursday. I went with the group on Thursday.
Mauryn's brother-in-law, Joel, drove us all into an area in Nairobi called Eastleigh, where the other Made in the Streets center is located. Each of the students went their separate ways, with anticipation and much excitement to see their family and friends whom they have not seen in several months. I went with Joel and a 15 year old girl, Damaric. We walked around Eastleigh and caught a city bus, and were on it for probably 30 minutes. We then got off the bus, and hopped on a matatu, which is a 15 passenger van that they use as one of the main means of public transportation. Their white matatu is our yellow taxi. We rode that for a while then traded that for a ride on a pikipiki. A pikipiki is a small motorcycle, and these motorcycles are a means of public transportation as well. The pikipiki drivers took us on dirt roads, leading us to the area Damaric used to live. We were greeted by her brother-in-law who then walked us to their home, about a 10 minute walk.
Damaric's mother passed away two years ago, and since then her sister and brother-in-law have taken care of Damaric and her little brother, Stephen, as well as their own two children. Damaric came to MITS in January of 2011, so she is one of the newest students. Joel explained that when she came to MITS in January she was still very bitter and very angry about her mother's death. She let the bitterness and anger become such a huge part of her life, and it caused a lot of confrontation at MITS when she arrived. Joel was able to tell her sister, Monica, that he has seen much improvement since her arrival at MITS, and Monica was very pleased to hear this.
It was so neat to see the family reunited after 7 months of Damaric being away. Her brother and niece ran up to greet her with smiles spread from ear to ear, hugging her, overjoyed to see her. Joel and I sat in their home with Monica and her husband, as Damaric was outside with her brother and old friends. This "apartment" was probably 15X20ft. and was home to five people, once six. A dining room chest, 2 small couches, a chair, small coffee table, bunk beds, and a small counter were all crammed into this tiny area, and they were very happy to welcome us in.
Damaric's brother-in-law asked a lot about MITS and they told us how happy they were that Damaric was now there. They said if she wasn't at MITS, they worry about where she could be, or what could have happened to her by now. They told us about her best friend who is now serving jail time for stabbing someone, and they know Damaric could have easily been in that same situation by now if it weren't for MITS.
When it was time for us to leave, we walked through a different ghetto on our way out, so she could show us where she used to stay. As we walked on the narrow, muddy paths in between buildings made of simply sheet metal, my heat broke, but was also filled with joy at the same time, knowing where she was, and how far she has come. Not just in the sense that she has a nicer place to stay, but that she is at Made in the Streets where she has been given opportunity to turn her life around and go on to do great things, whereas she probably wouldn't have had those opportunities if she had stayed where she was. I have never been to the Mathare Valley slum, but from what I've heard, and the pictures I've seen, this particular ghetto she used to live in was very similar.
After returning to the MITS center in Eastleigh, we all loaded up the bus and headed back to Kumulu. These kids love home visits, but at the end of the day, they truly look forward to returning to Made in the Streets.
Damaric is just one story, but what a powerful story it is. Her best friend is in jail, as she very easily could be, too. However, because of Made in the Streets, God has changed her heart and her life. What a powerful testimony of the work God is doing through this ministry! Praise Him for that!
