If you’ve followed me for long, you’ve heard me mention Kristen several times. As God would have it, our journeys have been in sync with one another for some time. Though we are world’s apart in bloggerdom, we were each similarly affected by the Compassion Bloggers trip to Kenya. Kristen did the going and I did the seeing. It was through her eyes that my heart was ripped open to the people of Africa. Not long after, I discovered that she was reading Radical the same time I was, and was equally impacted. So, though we have not met, I feel a kindred spirit with her. I picture us being in different lanes of the same highway and I am encouraged to glance over and see her going the same direction.
So you can imagine my delight when Kristen hinted that God was doing something big in her life. Really big. I thrilled for her when the big reveal finally came. Thrilled at how God had worked through her and her family. Thrilled at what He is going to do through them. Thrilled for the girls in Kenya who will be blessed beyond measure. Thrilled that I would be able to help make it happen. And I am thrilled to bring it to you. Introducing…
The Mercy House – A Maternity Home in Kenya
Imagine you are 13 years old, the oldest of 5 children. You live in a slum without electricty, clean water and most days, food.
You watch your siblings starve. Your mother drinks to forget.
Maybe she asks you to give your body to a man in exchange for food or maybe you choose to do so because you cannot bare to hear the hunger cries of your baby sister for another night.
Or maybe you catch the eye of the man in the next shanty over. He rapes you in the dark alley and no one cares. *A woman is raped every 30 minutes in Kenya.
Either way, you get pregnant.
Your problem just got worse. You cannot continue to “work” and you cannot feed another mouth.
Abortion is illegal, but you think it’s your only choice. You have a backstreet abortion in the slums of Africa with a bottle of alcohol and a knitting needle.
Ten days later, you die of an infection, just like *26,000 other women do every year.
Why a maternity home?
A loving home will offer a second chance, another option for these girls. It will be a loving, safe place for them to get prenatal care, counseling, and to have their baby. It will give their baby a chance at life, to be raised by a mother who is learning skills and self-sufficency or by a local Christian orphanage, whichever she chooses.
Why a maternity home? Because it’s what Jesus would do.
He would simply love them.
The Issue
- Annually, 26,000 women die from having an illegal, unsafe abortion in Kenya. (Center for Reproductive Rights)
- Abortion is a volatile topic in Kenya.
- 13,000 Kenyan girls are kicked out of school for being pregnant. (Center for Reproductive Rights)
- Every 30 minutes, a woman is raped in Kenya. (Nairobi Women’s Hospital)
- Mothers often force their daughters into trading sex for food in the slums (CNN)
- More than 20,000 children are sex trafficked in Kenya (Human Trafficking)
The Vision
- Provide a safe place-a guarded home with six maternity beds
- Prenatal Care-vitamins, checkups
- Proper Nutrition-protein and regular meals
- Counseling-post abortion/prostitution
- Ministry-prayer, Biblical teaching
- Skills-jewelry, soap, sewing (future products will be sold here)
- A nurturing environment in-which to give birth
- A safe place to stay and learn and heal until they graduate from the program
- A fund to start small business or go to school
The Need
Obviously a lot of prayer, work, and money must go into an undertaking of this size. Kristen and her family, and Maureen (the Director of the Mercy House in Kenya), have been working diligently to see this vision come to fruition. Having watched Kristen across that lane in the highway, I am confident of their faith, their integrity, and their willingness to labor for the Lord. I am honored to be able to partner with them and invite you to do so as well.
I encourage you to visit The Mercy House website and learn more about their vision. They are in need of monthly pledges and offer a variety of products through their etsy shop to raise funds. They are also accepting donated items to be sold in their shop, so if you are a crafter, please consider using your talents to serve this worthy ministry.
In hope,
Shelli
(Quoted content and images used with permission.)
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About Shelli Bourque