It Was a Dark and..........

I am tempted to begin this story ….it was a dark and stormy night. That in fact is true. A few nights ago I ventured into Madoya Slum village to attend (and teach -because a visitor never gets to just attend – you become the “guest teacher”), a New Believer’s class. Madoya is called “a slum within the slums”. Some 80,000 – 100,000 people live in Madoya.

Fanuel leads this class which gathers in a meeting room built above the public toilet block. Faunuel is one of the men who I have an opportunity to disciple and befriend here. I usually meet with Faunel on Monday and we go through the lesson together and then he takes it to his group in Madoya later in the week.” Faunel is a very sincere and Godly man.

I went with few reservations, Anne Marie had many – the main concern being that it would be dark when it was time to come home. It is not always a good idea to be in the slums or rather trying to get out …at night. The study was “supposed” to start at 5:00 and go to 6:00. At 6:00 is when the attendees would want to be back to their small businesses – as that is when business picks up. People coming home will stop to buy their food items or necessities at the end of their day.

I drove my Pajero to the Madoya/Huruma school building. From there we would walk to the meeting hall. Once we arrived at the school – we of course had to have tea with our friend Jennifer the head teacher of Madoya School. I met up with Boaz, another one of the men I study with and who was attending the meeting also. The rain stopped as we sipped our tea and we took advantage of the break to start off. Boaz walked with 4 white plastic chairs on his head. (Seats were needed for our meeting.) Before I could leave the school, one of the helpers from the school insisted that I take her umbrella. I declined – but she would not accept my answer. So, I set off with a bright pink umbrella! About 5 minutes into our walk – the rain started down in a deluge. We quickly found a small overhang of tin roofing to stand under and wait out the rain. We, along with literally hundreds of people scrambled for any spot out of the direct rain – but the water coming down splashed mud all over us as we waited. After a good long rain – a small break occurred and we started off again. Within a few yards from our first protected spot – we were hit again and ducked into a nearby Duka with a dozen others crowded into an 8 X 10 shop. While we waited for the rain to pass I watched the activity outside the shop. A lady who makes her living roasting ears of corn to sell was trying to gather her corn and hold an umbrella over her enterprise. Another man was selling charcoal to passers- by to do their nightly cooking on a small jiko or barbeque. He was trying to hold a stick with plastic over his charcoal as wet charcoal is hard to sell. Another long wait for the rains to take a break, and we could begin again.

At this point it is hard to express what the slum area looks like. In dry weather it is dirt and dirty with garbage and sewer ditches running throughout. In rain – it becomes moving mud and sewage. The hard packed ground becomes standing water. Unfortunately the meeting room is at the bottom of a slope – and much of the run off was headed downhill. The sewer ditches were running over and the sights and smells though familiar, are shocking to me. Yet – this is normal life during the rainy season.

As we finally approached the meeting hall building (remember the downstairs is a toilet block) the building resembled an island sitting in the midst of a lagoon; a sludge and sewage lagoon! After carefully maneuvering the high side of a ditch, we manage to make it to the steps of the building.

Despite the rain and terrible conditions to be traversed to attend this meeting, 14 new believers made it! We spent some time singing and had about 45 minutes to study before it became too dark to see enough to even read my bible or my notes. We fought the waning light during the last 10 minutes – until we literally had to give up. The group was upbeat and I was so encouraged by the faithfulness of these new believers. While there was not enough light to read by, the group stayed on to visit and shake hands for some fellowship before heading back out into the night.

As we left the building and climbed back up the hill – the air was clear and cool. People were everywhere coming out from undercover to buy their food for their evening meals, greet their neighbors and complete the details of the day – come rain or shine.


When we visit someone in the rural areas of Kenya - and if it rains, they thank us for bringing the blessing of rain to them. I am not sure it looks or feels like a blessing in the slums of Nairobi when the rains are falling down. These new believers are wanting to build their lives upon the rock - so that when the rains come down, the streams rise, the winds blow and beat against the house - it will not fall because it has a foundation ON THE ROCK! Matt. 7:24-27