_The following is written by *Sara Fischer*, a Mocha Club member who recently visited the *Calvary Youth Hostel* that you are helping us support in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya…_
Suffering And Blessing
Erick’s story is like that of so many people living in Africa – in the 15 years of his life, he has experienced more outward challenges and heartache than I can imagine. In contrast to the mentality of a Westerner, Erick does not pity himself. He is not self-focused on his individual situation in life. He does not continually analyze his level of spirituality or size others up. To Erick, trusting in God is a matter of survival and sustenance. Trusting God is a matter of simplicity, comfort, and the intimate relationship of Father and child.
The physical circumstances of Erick’s life have been difficult. He grew up in Western Kenya. When he was little, his mother left. His father took two more wives and then became ill with HIV. His family moved to rural Kenya and his father died shortly thereafter. Erick and his older brother George then came with their uncle to Nairobi. The uncle was involved in a devil-worshipping church, and one night he tried to cut George. George left for the night, but came back in the morning to get Erick and some belongings.
When Erick and George left their uncle, they were not yet Christians, but God certainly protected them with His Holy Spirit during this time. There is no explanation for what happened next, except that God’s grace covered them, and pulled them out of darkness into His light. They attended a camp in 2002 where they were both saved. Erick did not tell many details about this camp, only that God made his path straight instead of zigzag. The boys found a church building that doubles as a school, and they started sleeping on the floor there. That church and school is called Calvary, and it is in the slum of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Other boys were sleeping there at the time, and once the administrator of the school found that out, thus began the Calvary Youth Hostel.
I say that Erick has faced “outward challenges” not because he has not struggled internally with the truths of God and the promises of Scripture, but to emphasize that his circumstances have been so difficult that they have forced him into a place where he can’t NOT trust the Lord. All true followers of Christ experience trials and suffering-that is a promise Jesus gives in Scripture. Often in the West, we are skeptical of those who suffer outwardly, not realizing that our faith and trust in God suffers constant abuse from a culture of wealth and prosperity (among other things). The truth of God is covertly assaulted by cultural conventions, and we are so embedded in the lifestyles to which we have become accustomed that we mistake prosperity for blessing.
Speaking of blessing, I asked Erick what his favorite verse was. He quickly went to get his Bible and opened it to Psalm 41:1-2, which says, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.” It was odd to me that this verse was Erick’s favorite. Why not some verse in the New Testament about how Jesus has destroyed the powers of hell and has brought His believers into His everlasting Kingdom? But Erick’s favorite verse concerns how God blesses others-not himself. This verse shows Erick’s praise of a God who blesses others; it shows Erick’s gratitude to God for you who consider him joyfully through prayer and finances. The verse also says that God’s blessings are ones of deliverance and protection from the will of the enemy. He blesses us that we might live together with Him in His Kingdom—one people who simply trust in Him while loving and supporting each other.
~ Sara Fischer
_Photo by Micah Kandros._
