From Geoffrey to You; Pancakes and High School Drop Outs

Thursday May 14, 2009

Pancakes and high school drop outs

Today was repugnantly long. I spent over eight hours on the back of a motor cycle literally climbing up a mountain and going to the other side, which left me with a sore butt. I have mastered the John Wayne walk, the one that makes you look like you have been riding a horse all day.

As I returned home from the long days journey I scurried up three flights stairs with my John Wayne walk to grab my bible and rushed over to a bible study I was leading twenty minutes later. Lacking the opportunity to rest, I made my way to the small group only to find myself being one of the only people there actually early; like every Kenyan event, the bible study started late and lasted twice as long as it was supposed to. As we closed out in prayer I almost fell asleep from exhaustion, walking like John Wayne tuckers me out. We stopped at Esther’s shop to take tea on the way to my home, I really wanted to ditch the tea and go home to snooze. I painfully plopped down in a chair as her son began to pour us our tea and pancakes, apparently I had it wrong all these years and we are supposed to eat pancakes with tea not crumpets. As I dunked my pancake into my tea I noticed Esther’s nephew sitting alone in the corner with his head hanging so low I thought he was going to bump it on the ground. I didn’t take long for me to find out why he was by himself and why his head was sunken so low.

James had a rough childhood to say the least. His parents aren’t able to provide for his basic needs so his benevolent aunt Esther cares for him. She has opened her home to him, provides him with food and clothing as well as covering his school fees. Most children in this situation forget about school and try to contribute towards the family until later on in life if money becomes available; I know a few people who weren’t able to start high school until they were twenty years old. Esther is a godsend for James and he has been given opportunities that millions upon millions of children will never get. The fact that he is able to go to school makes him richer than many children in Masii and throughout the world. The fact that he is able to eat each day and wear a different pair of clothing each day, makes him rich in the eyes of so many. This young man held his head so low because he had an overwhelming abundance of shame. This tenth grader ran away from his home, dropped out of school, started seeing prostitutes and fell into a rough crowd. He threw away the opportunity to go to school for free and to actually make something of himself, he gave up everything for sex and wild living. He threw away those opportunities that his neighbors can only dream of… and for what? A few nights of partying and a few different hookers that may have STD’s.

I believe in generational curses, the idea that addictions and unhealthy problems can be inherited from parents. Abuse passes from father to son to grandson. Alcoholism and drug addiction are handed down from one generation to the next. Unfaithfulness to a spouse or financial burdens seem to be inherited by children and then passed to the next generation. I have come across countless cases of people who follow in their parents footsteps in a negative way and I still can’t seem to fathom it.

How is it that someone can grow up watching their parents suffer and copy them? How can you watch your parents throw their lives away and then do the same thing? How can you watch your mother prostitute her body, contract AIDS, and die at a young age alone and poor and grow up and start hooking? How can you watch your father overdose and then live a life of drug addiction? You would think that we would learn from our parents mistakes, but we don’t.

I sat and talked to James. I tried to tell him that he doesn’t have to follow his parents footsteps and that their fate doesn’t have to be his. I told him about the fact that he had an opportunity to make something of himself and to stop his families curse. He doesn’t have to get AIDS and die at a young age. He doesn’t have to drop out of school and work dead-end jobs for the rest of his life. He doesn’t have to live a life of poverty. He doesn’t have to be put in a situation where he isn’t able to provide for his children and pass them off to family who can. He doesn’t have to throw his life away… he can make something of himself. Tears streamed down his face. He said he wanted to change… we will find soon enough.

I just don’t get why we do this.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
I am going to the city to buy the wheel chair for Stacy. I have been having some difficulties buying it…
Funds for different projects for Tumaini
Carro’s recovery

Randoms:
You can get an oil change on a motor cycle for two dollars
When you are on a motor cycle and it starts to rain the rain drops feel like little needles
I almost pooped my pants today from holding it in ha ha ha
Everyone seems to know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is
I went into an office today that had been made out of a water tower
We were going over prayer requests tonight and a little boy farted really loud… we all started cracking up
This last week I have gotten two packages and a letter. My mom sent me some rad stuff and my friend Tovah sent me candy, magazines and PEANUT BUTTER…. I don’t think she realized how much I absolutely love peanut butter… PB and J for life!
I also got a deck of cards in the care package…. I mentioned them the other day and I was told they are illegal. I am trying to think if I should bust out my duck shaped children’s playing cards and break the law… ha ha
I went to spit today and totally spit on myself
I think I found the number one worst toilet today…. After this experience I decided to take enough immodium to plug me up for the rest of the trip

Word of the Day
Kabolalu (not sure about the spelling on this one)
Cuh-boo-la-lou
Bottle cap… this is a fun one to say. All of the children always run up to me and tell me to say it cause I say it really funny.

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