Beacon of Hope is situated within a stone's throw from the Kware slum. We visited a few of the homes of families working with Beacon on Tuesday. Out of respect for the community, we took few pictures, but I'll do my best to post a few when I get access to them. The squalor is pretty startling: piles of trash rotting at every turn, fetid ruts of filthy water, terrible smells of every type, small fires in the middle of the street, goats roaming and snacking on refuse, and ramshackle, rickety low-hung aluminum structures that hold a sofa and maybe a bed.
For all the squalor of the neighborhood, the people were beautiful beyond belief. We met Doreen, a single mom with 3 kids, including 6-month old Brian. She lives in a tiny, dark square of metal, but her spirit and smile are beautiful. She hosted our team of about 8 in her 1-room dwelling with kindness and courtesy. She told us about her life and how Beacon is working with her to help her develop independence and raise her kids healthily. She has a heart-knowledge of how she relies on God every day to fulfill our needs. She is under no illusion, as I and many in my posh suburban community are, that she's got it all under control. She is deeply, deeply grateful for what she has. She knows what it means both to give fully and receive fully. In these ways she is much closer to the truth than I am. We were also privileged to be asked to pray for her. It was a humbling experience, as we fumbled to find the right words to bless this woman in a way that wasn't blind or arrogant or just ignorant and insensitive. God was graceful to us all, though, as we shared a sweet, emotional prayer together. If you are the praying type (and maybe even if you aren't!), say a prayer for Doreen, Susan, Elijah, and the myriad other people in Kware who know what it means to suffer, and therefore, as Jesus said, know courage and comfort.
PS Some good news: after this visit, 2 team members decided to sponsor 2 of Doreen's children to attend Beacon's academy! Some prayers get answered quickly...
Doreen's dwelling. She and 6 month old Brian are on the right.
We will keep Doreen, Susan, Elijah and all of you in our prayers. Let us know if there is a way folks on this side of the pond can sponsor kids to go to Beacon's academy.
ReplyDeletePS - I tried the link and could not see the photo. It returns a 404 error, saying "We’re sorry, but your Gmail account is temporarily unavailable."