Their shoes are worn, but they still dance.

We left our hotel and drove for about 1/2 hour through the city of Nairobi.  Eventually, we ended up in a slum; dirt roads, goats,
skinny dogs,visual signs and smells of sewage and garbage, and little feet that look like this. As we drove deeper into the slum, I heard the sound of singing, then I saw the dancing and realized we had arrived at the light in this slum; we were at the church.

We drove into the driveway of the church and were greeted with the singing and dancing of mothers and their babies.

I could feel the lump in my throat and my eyes swell with tears as I saw the women dancing for us. I remembered at this moment why I love Kenya so much.  The joy, the dancing, the singing in a land blanketed in poverty.

I heard the stories of mothers who have had life altering experiences from being involved in the Child Survival Program. These moms, who once lived in the despair of poverty, now have hope.  Through this Compassion program, these dancing moms were given medical care, education on nurturing their babies, support from other moms, job skills, and the love of God.

We met this mom today.  

If we lived in her shoes, we would have four kids and a husband, and live in a very poor area.  We would be different than our neighbors because we would have a dream.
This amazing woman had the opportunity through the Child Survival Program to start a micro-business.  She now cooks peanuts (like dry roasted peanuts) and sells them in the market.  She has made enough money to grow a garden that feeds her four children and her husband.  She wants to expand her peanut business and believes it will happen.  She, and the other mothers from the Child Survival Program, share their ideas and resources to help one another.  Their community is amazing.  In her shoes, we would have deep friendship. We would have community.

Finally, I met the woman who runs the Child Survival Program.  She is “the social worker.”  In her shoes, we would find a woman with passion for others, we would find a heart that genuinely cares for babies.  We would find someone who loves Jesus.

I asked her, why do you do this?  What makes you passionate for the Child Survival Program. She said this, “Jesus is a social worker. He visits people in their homes, he cares for the sick, he lets the little children come to him, he brings hope. I want to be like Jesus.”

Their shoes are worn but they still dance. My heart is encouraged by meeting some beautiful moms and babies.