Hungry People

Yesterday, we were scheduled to visit Masharu to check on a place for the mission trip clinics coming up in July. Also to work on getting custody of little Gracie for MDP lay pastor, Julius Mooke, who has been caring for her.

As we were nearing Mashuru, we found Julius walking along the road, he was out on visitation. He joined us in the vehicle and all was fine until we came to the riverbed that is dried up about 50 yards wide and now just a sand bed. As we ventured out, we got stuck, not just a little stuck, but STUCK. Soon we had about 10+ Maasai men who showed up to help, plus about 4 women. We collected tree branches to put under the tires as they dug the sand away from them. I'm trying to think how to give a word picture, but can't come up with one, you would just have to be there to see it. About 45 minutes later, the vehicle was free and we were on our way again.

One of the men that had come to help was introduced to me as Gracie's father. When she was first rescued 5 years ago, she had been sitting along side the road, starving. Her feet were badly burned and infected from having walked across hot coals. At that time, her grandmother who later died, had full care of Gracie because her parents had deserted her. Imagine my surprise when introduced to her her father,on the day I was there to get legal custody for her.

Even though the family has returned,Gracie is still living and being cared for by the Mooke family. I asked the father what he was wanting to do about Gracie. He said that he was willing to give up all rights to her, the Pastor could keep her. So I wrote up a paper saying such and he signed it, along with Julius Mooke and two witnesses.

We added the father to our bulging vehicle and went to the nursery school where Gracie is now attending. She is a happy little girl in school. After taking pictures of her with her classmates, we left to do other errands in the area. When we were finished the father asked us to please visit his home and have a cup of milk. When we arrived at his home, we met his wife and three more children. The youngest, a four month baby is so malnourished that he looks like a living skeleton. The mother is not mentally stable and unable to care properly for her children. It was difficult to leave them knowing that the baby could possibly die in a short amount of time.

Upon our return to Kajiado, we visited the Child Services Department in regards to Gracie's situation. Next week, they will officially grant 3 years custody to the Mooke family.

Starving People

While the rains have fallen in many areas of Kenya now, there are still areas where the drought continues and people are starving. A few of our stations in the interior area past Kajiado, are included. The cattle and goats have died and people are starving. MDP coordinator, Patrick Muyia, reported that one church family was especially having a difficult time with no food. I went to a shop and purchased a week or two worth of food to send down to this family, a bit frustrated knowing this is just a temporary fix. Such a small drop in such a vast ocean. It was a feeling of almost hopelessness.

As I was finishing my purchases, another lay pastor walked up. I asked him where he was coming from. He informed me that the East Central Division had set up a feeding program and he was just returning after pleading for food distribution in his station area. They asked him to bring a list of starving people from the area with the number of people in each family. They would then see about getting some food to them. We are praying that food will get to this area soon.

My mind is reeling, what can we do? How can we do it? I feel guilty eating a meal, knowing that two hours away, people are starving. Yesterday, the man I bought food for had sent a message to me, "please don't you have any work that I can do for you"?

Often times after years, a person can become a bit hardened to certain situations. On this trip I asked God to let me see through His eyes with a broken heart the adversities that I may have become so used to that I no longer was affected. He has done just that. These are not people somewhere that I hear about on TV, these are my neighbors. I pray that God will help me find a way to add drops of water into the vast ocean, drop by drop by drop until it is full.

Jan Meharry
Founder/Executive Director
Maasai Development Project - www.4mdp.org

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