Pastor Karau and Edith, his wife, have been dedicated to the Mathare Valley Slum in Nairobi, Kenya since 1983. Pastor was making a good living for his family as an accountant but then he was called by God for purposes he never dreamed. Edith and their four kids joined him on this challenging assignment.
When you look at the slum the obvious needs are overwhelming but Pastor was called to the subtle, unseen by human eyes, needs. The impoverished spirits of the people. The greater need for purpose not just a few shillings for basic necessities. And so he was led to found Mathare Worship Center, located in the slum, to address those needs. He knew he couldn't begin to meet the physical needs but he knew a God who could and who would show him how to speak hope to the greater needs.
The first time I met this powerhouse was in the summer of 2006. He and Mrs. Karau visited our church, who partners with them in Kenya. One would almost imagine that such a powerhouse would be larger than life in stature, yet I looked him straight in the eyes to shake his hand. I welcomed him, shaking a bit from excitement and nerves. The next time I would see him it would be on his turf ~ in the valley slum of Nairobi.
The cadence of Pastor's tongue is oddly comforting. Before he left that summer I got to hear some of his adventures in this life that he too calls faith. On more than one occasion Pastor and Mrs. Karau have admittedly asked the Lord to release them from ministry in the slum. To let them return to a less challenging, less heart wrenching life. It is not for the faint of heart. As you can see, God's answer has been, "No, my grace is sufficient for you." And so for 25 years they have served and loved the people of Mathare Valley slum. In that time Pastor's life has been at risk. His ministry has not come without hard work, commitment, and a few tears along the way.
During the years spent in the valley, Pastor and Mrs. Karau have seen where the cycle begins and how it can end. Generations have lived in the slum but they see hope if the cycle gets interrupted, diverted, broken. So, in addition to their duties as Senior Pastor to a thriving church they became the Kenya Country Coordinators for Hope's Promise ~ a non-profit headquartered in Colorado that provides adoption services along with a "rescue" program of sorts in the countries of Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Vietnam. To get the program started Pastor and Mrs. Karau (Mama to those of us who have met her, worked with her, and love her) have handpicked 11 kids from Mathare Valley who, for a variety of reasons, aren't being cared for and live with them in an area of Kenya that is removed from the slum. The idea is to take the kids who are forced into the cycle of poverty and give them an opportunity to get out on a different path, in hopes that one day they will reach out and do the same for others in the valley. Then a new cycle can begin to emerge. Breaking the cycle starts with just one - or in this case 11 - kids at a time. It has been so successful in the two years since the home opened that a second home has now opened with 10 more kids from Mathare and a house mom that the Karau's have prayerfully chosen. To date the kids are all under 10 years of age, giving them an even better chance of escaping the vicious cycle of poverty and neglect.
Back at Mathare Worship Center Pastor has a dedicated group of people who have felt the call of God to join him and Mama in ministry to the slum. A lot of them come from the slum, in fact they still reside there, and have answered the call of God to make a difference right where they are at. Identifying the physical and spiritual needs, the church has many outreaches designed to address those needs at little to no cost to the people. Currently the church has these outreaches in place:
Saturday Kids Club, HIV Mom's Group, Nursery and School, Medical Clinic, Curio Shop, Loan Program for congregation members, and an organization called Lepta (training for young girls to gain employment).
The second time I met up with the Karau's I had just landed in Nairobi. They met us at the airport with hugs and handshakes and made Kenya feel like home. In the 10 days we spent with them, their influence in the community and with others became very evident. MWC stands out as a lighthouse projecting a beacon of hope into 6 square miles of darkness.
In April 2008 we had the privilege of Pastor and Mama visit us in Colorado again. We had the honor of hearing him exhort us in this life of faith. Hearing his voice brought back Kenya to me in such a vivid way that I felt homesick for it! One afternoon, at a reception for Hope's Promise, he asked his wife, Edith (Mama), to join him to speak and he called her "honey". Not uncommon in American culture but very uncommon in Kenyan culture. He explained that they don't speak to each other that way in Kenya. But with a shrug of his shoulders and a smile on his face he said, "But when in Rome do as the Romans do..." and held out his hand for Mama.
Pastor and Mama Karau are true giants of faith in this life. I am so humbled by the Lord that he would allow me to know them, work alongside of them, and learn from them. I thank God for them and for their hearts to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6 (NIV)
No comments:
Post a Comment