What are their stories?

The little girl, a lonely woman, and a lost lamb – Due to moving too quickly, bumpy roads, or battery malfunctions, none of these were captured on film during out trip to Kitale, but they all remain captured in my heart – all reminders of the ongoing drought as once again, the rains came for a few days and stopped.

It was mid-morning and the little girl was standing on a brown hill side surrounded by scrawny goats. I read recently that these smaller grazers are less affected than cows by drought as they are better foragers and less picky eaters. The animals tended by the young shepherdess disproved this theory. A simple dress hid her small body, but looking at her lean face, it is likely that her ribs were as exposed as that of her charges. Did her family depend on goat milk for nourishment? If so, she was hungry. Why was she not in school? Could the family afford the needed uniforms, pencils, etc? Or did survival require that all the family work?

At noon, we traveled on a dirt washboard road under repair. It was a forsaken area with no homes, grazing animals, or even farmers tilling the parched soil. Then, as the dust from a passing truck cleared, I spotted a young woman sitting on the side of the road. Two small pails of potatoes set beside her. Based on the heat we felt in an air-conditioned car and the wee size of the top potatoes, if she had sat there for long, the potatoes were roasted to perfection – which I’m certain was not her desire. As we traveled on, the writer in me thought of many different endings for the woman’s story. Did she sell the potatoes? Why didn’t she have the customary umbrella to deflect the sun rays? Was it a costly luxury item? Did she get sick from the dust she inhaled while waiting for a buyer? Why was she desperate enough to sit in that deserted equatorial area during the hottest time of the day? Did she have hungry family members? If she sold the potatoes, how much could she purchase with the few shillings she received? When did her family last eat something other than potatoes? Were her children in school?

We shouldn’t have seen the lamb, but late in the afternoon, we made a wrong turn and spotted the little lost lamb as we back-tracked – and yes, this is when my batteries died, but to arrive at our destination before dark there was no time for switching batteries. The small lamb was standing alone in a recently ploughed field, more truthfully a field of dust ripples being swirled by the windy mountain air. I thought of the person who was searching for this lost little one – fearful of all that could happen with cars whizzing nearby and the total absence of any food or water. Was the lamb’s mother also searching frantically?

I also thought of scriptures that refer to shepherds. I know my heavenly Father loves the little goat-minder, the potato seller, and even the baby lamb. I know he expects those of us who are receiving His love to also care about those who are suffering. He wants us searching for the hungry, thirsty and lost. He wants us to minister to them – meeting their physical, mental and emotional needs, especially their spiritual needs. Please continue praying for rain in Kenya and that the suffering from drought will soon end. Pray that the leaders of the country will end their political wranglings and focus on meeting the needs of their people. Pray especially that God’s children will find ways to share His love with those who are suffering in Kenya and in other parts of our world. Bert Yates