Bags of Food

And the King will answer them,"Truly I say to you, 

as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

Matthew 25.40

Friday was my day off. John picked us up along with Samantha (a family physician from Pennsylvania) and we drove a few miles north to Old Kijabe Town. It hasn’t changed much since we were last there in 2010. There are a number of mud and stick huts surrounded by fields of maize with occasional cows, sheep, and vegetable gardens.

John provides help to a number of widows and orphans in Kijabe Town. In the back of the Land Cruiser were bags of food for these women, each bag containing maize meal, rice, beans, a kilo of butter, and an assortment of cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. These monthly bags of food are life-giving to these women and the children they care for.

First we visited a grandmother named Mary. Mary is blind and frail, and cares for her 2 granddaughters with the help of a few neighbors. Her struggles are substantial. Her granddaughters Susan and Mary are in grades 5 and 8 at the local primary school. The term started last week, but the girls were sent home for nonpayment of school fees. Each of them needs 3,500 Kenya shillings (about $35) to stay in school this year, but the family has no money.

At the end of grade 8, Mary will take the national exam for placement in secondary school. John thinks she is pretty smart and will do well on the exam, but secondary school fees may range from $250 to $500 per term. Through the generosity of those who support John’s ministry, we’re hoping to help get these girls back to school and keep them there.

Mary has other challenges. With her blindness, it’s a long walk to the family outhouse, so John has started building a new one close to the house so Mary can get there easily.

Then we visited another Mary. Also elderly and frail, she too cares for her grandchildren. In many Kenyan families, the middle generation has died of AIDS or simply disappeared to the streets.

Mary had an operation earlier this year to help correct a spinal condition, and it’s quite a bit better, but she still walks bent over and uses a walking stick.

A group of 8 women greeted us at the next home. They are more able-bodied, able to carry a heavy bag of food with the strap across the forehead. One is nursing an infant, while the others are older.

Each woman shared with us some of her burdens – illness, family struggles, and so on. One woman’s husband had a knee operation but cannot pay the remaining hospital bill of 10,000KSh (about $100). A few others have no teeth, and are saving to afford dentures so they can chew again.







We took turns praying for each woman, and each one took her bag of food home.

Finally, we drove on down to the Rift Valley floor, crossed the highway, and made our way on bumpy dirt roads to a tiny house in the middle of dry fields of maize. Virginia was there, and we left bags of food for her and her neighbor Victoria. Both are widows who have come under John’s care.

The bags of food are life-giving for these women and their families, and sharing them is life-giving for us as we help John with his work.

- Doug