The Eyes Have It.

Mathare Valley. The largest continuous slum in Africa. Home to 1.5 million of God’s precious children.

Wandering the dirty, trash strewn streets, ducking under low, tin roofs while trying to avoid the drips of waste water falling from the mud building above, you are only looking at your feet. But, gradually, you look up and around as you hear the first tiny whisper “’Ow are you?” and you look into the tiny, dirty face that is the source of the question. The wide eyes that belong to the small one are smiling as they hold out a miniscule, wrinkled hand to shake. They don’t actually know what they are asking, and rarely do they understand your answer, but their eyes express the joy and wonder they’re feeling at having visitors, and they light up when you shake the proffered hand.

These little blessings are some of the many examples of the joy people in Kenya show in the face of extreme poverty, unconquerable situations, and uncertain futures. Constantly, I am reminded of my ignorance of every little gift from God. My new goal is to show joy in the face of every “adversity” in life – although those adversities seem pretty menial nowadays.