...The Weary World Rejoices...

Today we had the opportunity to experience a side of Nairobi that we hadn't had the chance to see before on a personal level. Vincent, one of the guards here at Rosslyn, invited us to his home in Mukuru Kayaba, one of the sections of the Mukuru Slum.

We hesitated to post these pictures; we don't want people to look at them as "poverty tourism," but since our blog audience is pretty much limited to friends and family, we hope that you understand that our intent in sharing them is the same as our intent in taking our girls there:  to expand their definitions of 'home' and to help them appreciate the honor of being invited into somebody else's circumstances.

It was a good day. At no point did we feel unsafe. Vincent has lived in the area for more than 10 years, and everybody knows him. We were welcomed by everybody that we passed, and it's amazing the difference that being able to say a few words in Swahili makes. The girls had fun with his five year old daughter, and we're thankful to Vincent and his wife for being so willing to invite us into their lives.

Vincent and his wife, and two neighborhood kids whose
curiosity got the better of them.

Both girls insisted on holding Vincent's hands.

Ainsley said, "I want hair like her!"

Checking out the chickens.

Shosho (Kikuyu for grandmother) told us to remember her
and to come back soon.

Looking upstream on the Nairobi River. This is the farthest
downstream point in Mukuru, so a lot of trash collects here.

Looking downstream from the same bridge.

We attracted a large crowd of kids.

While Kirk was taking pictures, a lot of kids crowded around
to watch.

The local laundry and seamstress shop

What do you see here?

This is what the residents choose to hold on to.