Day 49 - Black & White

August 29, 2012 (Sam)

      The problems that we, as Americans, struggle with on a day-to-day basis are so different from what the people here in Kenya are struggling with. It’s really black and white.

      Matthew Sleeth recalls an instance in which he asked a room full of 6th graders if they thought they were rich. None of them did. After further questioning, it was revealed that they all lived in houses their parents owned, their families all owned at least one car, multiple computers and televisions, and all but two had ridden in an airplane. And yet none of them considered themselves to be rich. But, Sleeth points out, “At the point at which people have their own home, enough food to eat, clothing to wear, running water, a sanitary sewage system, a television, a computer, and the ability to ride in an airplane, they are in the top 20 percent of the world’s inhabitants.”

      Today, as I was walking around Ongata Rongai, I ran into a lady who Christina and I have come to know fairly well over the last month or so. She is a hard-working, dedicated, and joyful mother of four. I asked her how her day was going. One thing that I love about Kenyans is how they can be brutally honest without ever once complaining. Her eyes rolled up to meet mine and a huge smile spread across her face. “Not good.” She replied, “There’s no food. I am hungry. I’ve not eaten all day. I didn’t eat last night. Before Anthony (her 3 year old son) went to bed, he kept asking me if he could have something to eat. What could I tell him? We have no food. What do I do? I can’t do anything. There is no food.”

      And the crazy part about it is that this woman is not lazy; she works every day until her feet blister and her shirt is soaked in sweat. She doesn’t want or expect handouts; she wants to work to earn a living. But what can she do? When there’s not enough money for food, then there is no food.

      If I were to compile a list of the last 5 complaints I’ve verbalized, they’d probably go something like this:

1. My computer’s battery doesn’t last for more than an hour when the power goes out
2. Before drinking water, I have to make sure it’s been boiled
3. My socks get so dirty here I have to change them twice a day
4. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night outside the bug net with a hungry mosquito exploring the inside of my ear
5. I hate writing blogs and yet here I sit, writing another one

      I think that an honest evaluation of the “hardships” that I endure quickly lead me to the conclusion that I have been blessed. Immensely. There is no doubt about the fact that I have been given much. Or to put it better, I have been entrusted with much. Now the question remains, what will I do with what I have been entrusted with? Because based on what I’ve read, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Jesus speaking).

      So, what do I do about this situation? I think the answer is pretty black and white.