Photo Gallery: Problems or People?
Posted Jul 27, 2011 by 3 Comments
I have now spent ten weeks of my life living in Kibera Slum.
Those ten weeks have been some of the best and most difficult weeks of my life. Struggling against the realities of poverty surrounding me and awestruck by the selfless compassion of my hosts, it has been, in a word, phenomenal.
But if there is one thing that I have learned in my time in Kibera, it is that we in the West have a lot to learn about helping the poor and marginalized in the world…
- Pray for Tumaini Church. They have an amazing ministry, but life continues to be difficult within the slum. Small weekly offerings, insufficient pay for their school’s teachers, ongoing health problems within the congregation… They need our prayers!
- Pray specifically for Pastor Fred. Although I haven’t ever met someone with such boundless reserves of energy and compassion, he inevitably wears thin from time to time. Pray that God would continue to give him life in the midst of the daily struggles his congregation faces.
- It is possible to support Tumaini Church financially (and it should happen since they are the ones who are in it for the long-haul), but at this point it is a bit complicated. If you’d like more info on some possibilities, shoot me an email (barry@worldnextdoor.org) and we’ll talk.
Barry Rodriguez
About the Author: Barry Rodriguez is the director of World Next Door. He is a writer, photographer, actor and teacher with a heart for social justice and a passion for travel. Well then. It’s a good thing he’s got this job!
Sharon said...
July 27th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Amen! Amazing pictures and powerful words–all the more following Laura’s comments yesterday about these slums being home for the ZanaA girls. Perhaps, if we approachjed these men, women, and children as people made in the image of God and worthy of respect and love (just as they are) and their communities as homes, rather than projects to be fixed, we would see more progress against injustice. Thanks, Barry!
Dave Rod said...
July 27th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Tumaini. Maybe that is the shorthand name of World Next Door too! Thanks Barry and team for always leaving us on the doorstep of hope and not despair.
Catherine Bell said...
July 27th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
I think you have hit on a profound truth, Barry – even for us in our own community here. After all, was this not Jesus’ heart? Catherine Bell