WHO AM I?

It’s the twilight of yet another busy dusk. The cars are stuck in the jam and crowded in disorganized orientation. This is my home town

. Our bus is stuffy, and all windows are closed. Someone sneezes from the back, the stench is humiliating. I use my fingers to block my nose but that is no panacea. I looked at the lady seated next to me, she is blocking her nose too. I feign a smile and ask her to kindly open the car windows. She instantly frowns and twist her lips in contempt then she looks away. A few moments pass, the traffic jam is still in stagnation. “The stench is too much in here, tafadhali fungua dirisha!” I yell back at her after a few moments of impatience.

“Are you blind?” She replies. “Can’t you see these “mongrels” are all over the window? Or do you want to be robbed by their filthy hands?” she exclaims with a disoriented attitude before twisting her lips in contempt ones again.

Just then I decide to look beyond the tinted window panes. I see them, “the mongrels” scattered all over the drizzling evening rain. They are carrying bags or rugs and wearing tattered clothes. Some are sniffing glue while others gazing into the windows of the cars pleading for coins. Some have falling asleep along the alleys, maybe out of hunger or out of distaste. Just then the road is cleared, and the bus begins to move. The passengers seated next to the driver throws some coin through the window. It rolls over and falls in front of our bus, in flash-light they scramble and fight for the coin, like vultures in a carcass. It’s a game for survival, some are knocked down, some give up and some keeps fighting. The passengers are bored with this drama, it’s a usually drama in my home town. The driver hoots in an impatient frequency but the loud sound falls on deaf ears. The scramble persist, but the driver must go. The engine is ignited and the bus starts to move.  “These kids are very rude and silly, they lack manners!” Someone exclaims from the back as we drive home.

 That was last year.

It’s the dawn of a calm Sunday, at Kamulu Church of Christ. A tranquillizing worship can be heard echoing from a distance. The title of the hymn is “Who Am I?’’ by Casting Crowns. I am part of the congregation and I meet them again! “The mongrels”. They are carrying hymn books but reading the song from within their heart. Their voices are harmonized and they are exalting Almighty for what he has done in their lives.  But this time round, they don’t look filthy, their faces are glowing with precious joy. Their hair neatly kept and their clothes are well furnished. They are under the courtesy and tender care of Made In The Streets (MITS).

Just then, a trigger of my past memories are evoked from my mind. My mind wanders away from the church. I remember when I saw them last year. I juxtapose these two scenarios and wonder if I am a dreamer. A sense of guilt hits my mind, was I wrong not to stand up for them? They look so normal and human. How comes it took me awhile to feel their plight. How comes the passengers in that bus could not see them with this new perspective? What blocked the mind of the driver who was busy hooting and shouting at them? They are children, our children, innocent children. “Not because of who I am, but because of what You’ve done. Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are.” That is the   chorus of the hymn, it touched my inner most heart and brought my wandering mind back to church.

If you look at people and judge them, then you have no time love them. That was the message of Christ, he lived and taught us how to live with one another in harmony and eternal love. So where did all these street kids emanate from? Who brought them here? If we truly love them and cherish them then our streets will free them from the bondage of turmoil and slavery. When we reign in the tendency of judging these innocent souls and classifying them as “mongrels” we forget to remember who we are. But for today, the sun will rise and set both for the kids and the kings, and in the end we are all human beings dying and desperately in need for love. 

I am just saying. 

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 George Asimba is an intern at MITS, he is a sophomore student at USIU-Africa. He is currently doing community service and intern-ship at Made in the Streets (MITS) in Kamulu, Kenya. He heard about MITS through a friend and a brother in Christ, Greg Williams. His passion for charity and love for the less privileged was born after his sudden paralysis in 2008. Being a wheelchair user it has created in him a heart full of care and vision of love to the destitute people since he understands and feel the pain and struggles they strive to surmount. Above all, he believes that all things work together for the good of those who believe and trust in God. 

Recap (Phyllis and Taylor)

Back in the spring of 2014 one of our students, Phyllis, who had given birth to a baby girl named Taylor while at MITS, decided it was in her best interest to run away from MITS. There were a couple of different factors that led to this decision (which we won’t talk about here), many of which come from mitigating circumstances from living on the streets. Suffice to say, many of us at MITS were terribly disappointed with Phyllis’ decision for the ramifications it would have on her life and on her baby’s life. It broke our heart! Despite our best efforts and best intentions to love and encourage Phyllis, we just could not convince her to stay at MITS. Our initial thoughts about this situation were that Phyllis was a lost cause. That eventually we would find her on the streets again cold, hungry, high from drugs and regretting the choice that she made. The worst of this decision was again that we would also find baby

Taylor in worse shape than her mother, hurting because of the choices of her mother. We figured it would only be a matter of time before my worst fears were realized and Phyllis would ask to come back even though she knew we would not be able to do that. Sure enough, months later we found Phyllis back on the street and she was definitely not doing as well as we would have liked. We encouraged her to come to our mother’s program and to come to church at Eastleigh on Sunday. We especially started to encourage her when we found out that her MITS sponsor from the states (Kori) would be coming for another visit in December. Right before Kori arrived in December we saw Phyllis at the Eastleigh center and told her to come to all the programs because Kori would be coming and wanted to see her.
Well sure enough after Kori arrived we got to visit Phyllis and Taylor on the streets and they seemed OK. They came back to the center with us and Kori got more time to visit and encourage Phyllis. Our thoughts though were that after Kori returns back to the states, Phyllis will return back to the struggles of the streets. A few weeks later we were worshiping at the Eastleigh church and I looked up and noticed Phyllis and Taylor sitting in the front row. We watched for awhile and couldn't help but smile as we watched Phyllis singing and praising God as we worshiped. This just reminded me of one thing that we have found to be true in our life . . . God is never through writing our stories! To us, Phyllis’ story was done. Her poor choice had led her back to the streets, to a life of poverty addiction and hopelessness. But to God, every choice can be redeemed. Everything that happens God can use for a greater purpose and to His glory. W don’t know where Phyllis’ story will go but we pray that wherever it leads, God will guide her every step of the way.
We never understood Phyllis’ decision and still don’t. And I (and the rest of our staff) also would never condone our street kids in making the same decision she did. But,we are reminded that although Phyllis' decision was terrible . . . God can use it for good purposes to achieve His will in hers and others lives. Please pray with us that God will protect Phyllis and Taylor while they live on the streets and that He will guide their every step. Also pray that God will give me (us) the ability to see through our (and others) mistakes and trust that God can still use me (us) for His glory!

Radical change!

The other day down in Eastleigh we had a team discussion about some of the bases in the Eastleigh.    At many  of the bases we visit we can generally point to students or former students  that  have  successfully left  the streets  and are in the process  of  learning  to  live  a very different  life than the one they found  on the streets.  That is one of the beautiful things we can point to at MITS, that God is changing lives  and  we  have  a front row seat to view this amazing change everyday.  At MITS we have the privilege to  witness  God  raising  “the poor from the dust” and lifting “the   needy   from   the   ash heap.”  And as the Psalmist says . . . God be praised!

Our   team   in  Eastleigh   does many, many things to help older street people that are too old for our Kamulu program.   For instance, they  assist many of these street guys in getting a national ID card that is virtually a  requirement   in  acquiring  a job.  Also, at the Eastleigh center  they  offer  first  aid  every day, a place for them to take a shower and clean their clothes and a place they can relax with- out being harassed  by the police.   There is also a mother’s program every week that teaches mothers different things and encourages  them in their  relationship  with  the Lord.  Every Christmas we have a  clothing  give  away  for  our adult street people and we also have a worship service every Sunday that is predominantly populated  by adult street people.    Our  discussion  in  these regards had to do with one of our  bases  that  has  only  older guys.  We visit this base at least once a week and see many of these guys at church on Sunday. The  problem is that we can point to no changed lives at this base that can be a positive influence for the others. Many of these  guys  have  been coming  to church for years  and they still carry their glue and alcohol, they are still violent  on the street and they still have problems with stealing even though they know the  truth  of  God’s Word regarding all these things. Some of our team is discouraged that our teaching, preaching,  serving   and visiting this  base  is making  no  difference and that we are making no dent in the stronghold that Satan has made out of this base. They  are  discouraged  even  to the point  of saying  we should stop  visiting  this  base  so  that they will see the seriousness of our words that we want to see life change in some of them. So I want to ask you to be praying for our MITS team.  That we will continue to speak thetruth of God into the  hearts  of  those  who  will  listen. That we will continue to serve and love no matter the discouragement  or obstacle  that  might  stand  in the way.

Please stand with us as we humble ourselves and as we pray  and seek God’s face so that

God will hear us and begin to heal this beautiful land!