Andrew and Eric

Stunning post by Andrew, Ember 2010 intern.

When I first met Eric he greeted me with big handshake and a hug. It was clear that he would be somebody I was going to get to know better during my time here. He basically showed me the ropes of how the feeding program works, and answered every question for me that I could think to ask about Kibera. What I didn't know at the time was that he lived in Kibera himself. I didn't find this out until a few days later when he was showing me through all the streets and alleys of the slum. I think what struck me the most was that he was so overly giving, caring, and hard-working. Sometimes its easier to assume that people who are in poverty got there by their own means (i.e. they were lazy, addicted to drugs/alcohol, a criminal, etc). But I've found through the example of Eric and a lot of other people I've met in Kibera that this is simply not true. Some of the hardest working people can be found in the slums, but their efforts simply don't equate to what our efforts do because of their circumstances. What amazes me every day is that Eric keeps such a positive attitude about life, and he still gives out of his poverty, something absolutely biblical (Mark 12:41-42).

Four summers ago, he was an average suburban high school kid. Three summers ago, he traveled with a team I lead to Europe to hang with some cross cultural church planters. Last summer, his internship culminated with working with a stateside church plant and spending a week in the desert.
Captivate a high school kid early enough with how the world looks and how they could contribute and eventually, they might make decisions that will affect humanity.