Simba, Simba, PUMBA!

Jambo Sana!

So far, my work in Kisumu has been primarily in the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) ministry. Last week the team visited 3 nursery schools and 2 Saturday ministry care points. At each place, we have the opportunity to teach a Bible lesson, sing songs, color, and play games. My favorite "new" game that we played was "Simba, Simba, PUMBA!"... more commonly known to us as "Duck, Duck, GOOSE!" As the week progressed, I couldn't help but realize more and more how kids, no matter what culture they are a part of, are kids. Their giggles, smiles, and love are the same no matter where in the world they may be.

Working with children here is of course also very different then my previous children ministry in the U.S... and in particular, ~The Language Barrier~

Even though most people here speak enough English to communicate, their primary languages are their tribal language (mostly Luo here)... and then Kiswahili. Some children speak English pretty well, but a lot of them speak very very little. The first school we went to was quite the experience! The kids immediately rushed our Tuk-Tuk (3 wheeled golf cart vehicle) yelling "Mzungu!" and each swarmed us for a handshake and greeting. They fooled me when they said, "Hi. How are you? I am fine" which led me to think that they spoke a descent amount of English. But, with this group, I quickly realized that this phrase was nearly the extent of their English. There was a breakthrough with this group tho when one of the boys came up to me stomping and saying "Feet! Feet!" I jumped on the opportunity to teach them more words and even taught some of them ♫Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes♫. To me, the most precious moment of the visit was when I was sitting on the porch stoop surrounded by between 10-15 children and we were going over colors. One of the boys pointed to someone's collar and said "white"... and then a little girl crawled on my lap and ran her little hands from my forehead to my chin and said in the softest most little voice "...white..." I'm not exactly sure why, but it just really struck a chord with me. Children are so eager to learn about others and are curious about what is different. In the same way, they are so eager to hear about God and curious to understand His ways. *Lord, Give me a childlike heart!*

On Saturday, most of the team went to the ministry care points. These are the programs run by Christ's Hope (most of the places OVC goes are existing schools). These places have a slightly different feel than the others. We have the opportunity to really invest in the lives of the children we meet every Saturday. And these "kid loaded" days are full of joy! Playing with the children and teaching them the love of God and sharing a meal with them is so special! One little girl, Christine, really captured my attention. In the beginning of the day, she was shyly sitting under a tree alone with a ball. I went over and began to play catch with her... which turned into bouncing the ball... which turned into me making goofy faces when I dropped it... which eventually turned into a smile from her. When we played with animal finger puppets, she stood back and let the others play while she watched, and when I gave her a butterfly puppet, she held it and looked dazed until I showed her how to play with it. By the end of the day, this shy little girl who wouldn't smile was laughing and running around with the other children and even caught on to my keep away game I was playing with a lot of kids... when she caught the ball, she would giggle and run from me until I could catch her and scoop her up in my arms to get the ball back. This is not an uncommon story. Many children have a difficult time letting go and laughing and running freely and being the kids they are supposed to be. In a culture plagued by HIV, many of these children are left with a single parent, or are living with relatives or neighbors or are being raised by older siblings. To give these children a safe place for them to feel loved, valued, and cared for is so meaningful... even if it is only for a few hours each week.

This is exactly the work I came here to do... and little Christine's smile spoke into my passion for this ministry so much.


Mungu Aku Bariki,
Mary