Karibu in Nairobi

“Karibu” means “welcome” in Swahili.  It’s a word we have heard often during our time in Kenya.  Better than that, we have experienced it.  In general, Kenyans are hospitable.  Kenyan Presbyterians excel even further in their hospitality.

Our hosts this week have been our wonderful friends Edward and Serah Karanja, and their two kids Mercy and Gregory.  A friendship that began in Sacramento has been solidified here in Kenya as this family has worked their way into our hearts.  It is no small thing to open your home to seven live-in guests but the Karanjas have done so and made us feel as if we are family.  We’ve shared delicious home-cooked Kenyan meals (love the chipati!), many laughs, and personalized tours around this vibrant city.

I asked if I could take a selfie from the pulpit.
See if you can spot our family.

Our first full day here we worshiped at the Kasarani West Presbyterian Church where Karanja has been pastor for several years.  I (Jeff) preached in all three services, the second of which overflowed to nearly 1,000 people.  Esther and Noel also offered a special music (“Your Glory/Nothing but the Blood”), a song they had sung when Karanja was in Sacramento and so he asked that they sing it here.  It was our first opportunity to experience a Presbyterian worship service in Africa.  Much of the liturgy was familiar, although the music was distinctly African in flavor.  Though they have three services, each service never really ends, as the closing song for one service immediately transitions to the opening song for the next service as people come and go. 

Esther, Isabel and Bereket attended one fellowship
 group, while I and the boys attended another, below.

Much of our week consisted of opportunities to participate in the life and mission of this vibrant congregation along with other neighboring congregations. We attended local parish fellowship gatherings during the week. The groups, divided by neighborhood, are each led by an elder and create an extended family atmosphere for prayer, Bible study and community.  We visited a local public school where Presbyterians have instituted a feeding program for students who are so impoverished that otherwise they might not eat during the week.  Learning (evidenced by test scores) has significantly improved since the program began.  The men of our group even had a chance to attend a Friday evening men’s fellowship gathering of about 150 men who listened to challenging teaching, slaughtered and then feasted on a couple of goats, and then sat down together to watch the AFCON soccer finals between Senegal and Algeria.  In every gathering we experienced generous karibu.

Godebo pours porridge into the cups of schoolchildren,
a program provide by the local Presbyterian church.
The porridge is made of healthy, filling grains like millet,
sorghum and wheat. For some of these children, it is
the only reliable meal they will eat during their day.

One experience we will not soon forget was a visit to the Kibera slum.  Right in the heart of Nairobi, this is the largest slum in Africa and is home to over 1,000,000 people.  The living conditions are unlike anything you would find in the States.  It was not safe for us to venture too far into the neighborhood, but some leaders from the Kibera Presbyterian Church toured us through two schools they run, which provide a vital potential lifeline to young students hoping an education may one day lead them out of this desperate situation. 

Looking out over the homes of the Kibera
slum in Nairobi.

It has been such an encouragement to witness firsthand the vibrant ministry of Christ happening here in Nairobi in and through our Presbyterian brothers and sisters.  Their commitment to serving the needs of the poor is unquestioned.  Their passion in worship and prayer is infectious.  And, of course, their demonstration of genuine karibu has blessed us richly and beyond expectation.