The Slums.....

Two days ago the girls and I had our worlds rocked and our hearts changed. We went and visited the 2nd largest slum in Kenya. Words cant describe what we witnessed, pictures cant either. Out of all the countries I have traveled too this is THE saddest place I have ever seen. there are over 500,000 people living in a place maybe as big as flat irons mall there sewage runs directly in the middle which is also used as water. There is one toilet for all these people that you have to pay 5 shillings to use. The houses fit 4 to 9 people and are about as big as a americal closet. We visited there school which was on a cliff when I story drop into garbage. In one classroom about the size of a one car garage had roughly 60 students, one teacher and one lightbulb. They were so excited to see white people in different classrooms we they would sing us songs, rap for us or read us a poem. In one classroom they sang a song about the hope of Jesus to get out of the slums, and it brought us all to tears. The smell was one that we will never forget that burns the eyes and makes you gag. Our tour guide was a Man name moses who runs a free daycare for parents who are trying to get jobs so they can provide schooling for there kids. He sat us all down and asked us to reflect on what we saw. We were all speechless. He asked us for advice on how to help these people and he had nothing. We left feeling completely hopeless and discouraged because nothing is being done ot help. SO we sat as a group and we have decided that we are going to make something happen, we are not sure what, or how big, or when. But we arent going to be like all the other white people who tour the slums like its a zoo and then move on, we are going to do something.

The girls are all going to come back with there own stories of this day and there own hopes and dreams, I pray that you all ask then to tell you! Support them! and join them to make a difference!!

Eunice's son jason was with us that day, he has been our tour guide for the last month. He saw how upset we were and left us with this story

there was a fishman walking up the beach, he saw that there was hundreds of fish washed up on shore slowly dying. He started throwing the fish back one at a time. He was question by a person watching "why are you doing that, you cant save them all" and the fisherman picked up one fish and said "it matters to this one" and threw it in the water.

We are going to figure out a way to throw the fish back in the water. even if it is one at a time and the problem seems so huge. He have hope that it matters to "the one fish" look at the 57 kids at tumaini, it matters to them.

One of our goals is to help get the rest of the Tumaini kids sponsered. Eunice cant get more children out of the Childrens home and out of the slums until the kids she has now are all fully sponsered. SO we are going to be asking YOU to help and do your part as well. We learned that some of our kids that we have fallen in love with were taken out of the slums as well, so its even more of a reason to get them sponsered.

We love you, we miss you. we come home in FIVE days!! we say goodbye to all the kids at tumaini today. I dont even know how this is going to be possible because they are our family. Thinking about leaving Joy brings tears to my eyes

we leave for safari tomorrow!! we are excited to have this adventure and some down time to figure out what has happen in the last month.

cant wait to tell you about all the animals we see!!!!!!