Kibera Slums of Joy?

Zaheer and young girl

My overachieving physician/attorney fraternity brother, Zaheer Shah, and his lovely wife, Christine, spent Thanksgiving overseas. One of their destinations was Africa's largest, urban slum: Kibera. I suspect their visit there has changed their lives in a significant way.

At the very least, I'm sure it made them incredibly thankful for the lifestyle they lead here in America.

What I know for sure, is that after reading what he said about Kibera and its inhabitants, I am even more thankful for my life precisely as it is. Yes, I intend to make some changes to it, but flaws and all, I'm thankful for everything it is. And everything it isn't.

And I'm thankful that Kibera's dwellers still know joy while in the throes of immense poverty.

This is what Zaheer had to say about Kibera:

"Today was the highlight of our trip abroad. We visited the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa. In twisting, narrow alleys reside anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million of the less fortunate inhabitants of Nairobi in an area known as Kibera, located only 4 miles from Nairobi's vibrant downtown. As we walked into the slum on our way to an orphanage, my wife witnessed for the first time streams of raw, open sewage running alongside the walkway in the alley. Many of the dwellings were made of mud and the rooftops mere sheets of tin. As we moved deeper into the slum, the scent of burning plastic and garbage hung heavy in the air only to be intermittently punctuated by the smells of raw sewage. And the children. Everywhere. Laughing, running, playing. Their eyes bubbling with curiosity and a friendliness towards strangers that you no longer see in children in the West. My initial impulse was to withdraw a bit. To become concerned about my risks of exposure from the apparent lack of sanitation and to worry for my personal safety...But those children. And the way that they so authentically engaged us. I looked over to see my wife holding hands with some of them, even kissing a little girl and I began to feel myself letting go as well. Embracing the moment. And I am so grateful that I did. I lived a day ,today, that was so pungently alive, that I literally stopped in my tracks on at least three occasions to ask myself, "Is this really happening?". I am no photographer, but the images that I share with all of you in this post are a gift. A literal shadow of the gift that God granted me today by allowing me to share a day in the lives of such magnificent human beings. The amazing people that we met at the Stara rescue orphanage and the work that they are doing to feed, educate and assist the most vulnerable of the children of Kibera left me humbled, grateful for my life, and inspired in ways I cannot fully enunciate at this time. I suspect pictures may do what my words currently cannot."