Kayole Slum: Starfish

Many people know the familiar “Starfish story” about a young boy walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish are stranded. He picks one up and rescues it by throwing it back into the ocean. A man passing by criticizes the boy by telling him that, with so many dying starfish, he couldn’t possibly expect to make a difference. The boy stooped again to pick up another starfish and tossed it into the sea. He then replied to the man by proclaiming, “It made a difference to that one!”

I recently had lunch with the leaders of orphan ministry for Focus on the Family, Vision Trust, and Children’s Hope Chest. Somebody mentioned that it isn’t just about the starfish story, the rescue of one child at a time, but about how we should work together to mobilize the multitudes to rescue the millions.

The “starfish” are stranded and dying all over the world – on the streets of Lima, in the garbage dumps of Guatemala, and in the slums of Calcutta. Millions upon millions of orphans are in need of saving, of being submerged into a sea of love and care. Likewise, hundreds of thousands of churches are uniquely located amongst them. Only the local indigenous churches of the world are strategically positioned to reach out to these children. They have the heart, call and geographic dispersion and saturation. What’s more, they don’t just pluck these children out of the mire; they pluck them into a spiritual understanding of everlasting life.

The destitute Kayole area in Nairobi, Kenya, is home to a couple of our church partners that run orphan homes. Candlelight Ministries, headed by Pastor Fred Afwai, saves and educates children from the surrounding neighborhood slum district. His wife, Alice, took us on a tour of their school. As we went into each classroom, we were greeted by dozens of children that recited their specific class motto. At the final class, all the children articulated the starfish story to us in perfect unison. One child, Margaret, then shared the story for the benefit of our film crew.

The sound of Margaret’s soft voice was a melodious resonation of a Swahili accent interlaced over impeccable English. Her eyes were gentle and engaging. Her smile was true and heartwarming. As she told the story to the camera, she drew me in. She related to the story. She was the story.

The collar of her school uniform was frayed and tattered. But the heart it covered was full of strength and vitality. This was a young girl that was grateful for salvation and education. She will grow up to impact and change her world. She is a starfish that will work to save other starfish.

I look forward to sharing the video with you when it is produced. You will then hear the soft cry of the orphan through Margaret...and know that millions of them are ready to be saved; ready to be saved through native churches.

These indigenous churches can grab up the starfish by the bucketfuls and plunge them into an eternity of belonging.

Comments

[Sarah]

It is so true how much one child is impacted by his/her rescue by the church. It makes is all worth it. For the "one" Jesus died.

[Cheri]

I thank God for pastors like Fred and Alice who take up to the challenge and are changing lives one at a time.