Still Hopeful

I was recently in Vihiga county at a place called Lusengeri. It is such a beautiful place on the kapsabet road that connects to Kakamega. My friend from church had invited mission team from church, Levis Nguku and I for an outreach. As we walked around and chatted with people, we had an enriching experience. It is such a vast community. We saw a palatial mansion and then less than a kilometer away , you see smaller mud huts. What a contrast. We visited a sick person at home. She was really suffering and very thin. Her house was a mud hut and she said she hadn't eaten a proper meal in days because she lacked the appetite and also lacked money. She desired to eat beans but didn't have them. She may not have the energy to farm but there were young people in the home who were not working. There was nothing in her garden but weeds. She lives on top of a ridge that has a stream less than 100m from her house. This brook never runs dry and the neighbours say they occassionally use it for irrigation during the dry spells. Her dream is to get well and work.Right outside her home is her neighbour who has a lush garden with lots of fruits- bananas, avocados, mangoes and pink guavas. The neighbour, a nice young man wearing a 2 Corinthians 5:17 shirt. He had planted lots of napier grass and had healthy cows. He also had several tree seedlings that he plans to plant and eventually get money for college. He was a hardworking chap , though he didn't have much money, he had a plan to lift himself out of poverty through agriculture. In such green abundance I saw abject poverty but with such hope.

On the last day it rained heavyly .There were lots of hailstones. Though it looked beautiful like snow, I could only think of the destruction that the hailstones caused. I thought of the young man and prayed that the hail didn't totally shred his crops and shatter his dreams.

Many young people with fractures are unable to work. Young men dream of a stable source of income. They are unable to get jobs so they get Bodaboda's to ride. At least they can put food on their plates. When they get involved in an accident, are admitted for several months, they are unable to work and get some income. My hope is that with affordable surgical care we can help these young men dare to dream again.