Eburru is a small town located alongside Africa’s Great Rift Valley. It is located about three hours northwest from Nairobi. The community is extremely deprived and is plagued with poor infrastructure, impassable roads, and a water supply mainly from condensing steam from hydrothermal volcanic fissures.
But there is an indescribable joy within the community that continues to attract visitors from around the world. Pastor Steve pastors a church of close to 300 and his wife Mary serves as a nurse; they both epitomize what is best of Eburru—selflessness.
During the Kenya Team’s 2009 visit, we were greatly moved by the love demonstrated by the community. We were working with the community to build a mud hut to serve as a kitchen for Pastor Steve’s church. The community rallied behind the project and dedicated an entire day for “mudding.” The Kenya Team joined in and helped where we could: plowing the dirt, fetching the water, and finally stacking mud “bricks” into the frame. After the project was complete, many of the children ran up to us laughing and began washing our feet a true moment of selflessness.
We also witnessed a grandmother carry her teenage grandson for miles on her back—seeking the medical assistance Mary was able to provide through the help of the Kenya Team and the medical supplies we brought. The teenage boy was mentally handicapped and didn’t understand what was happening, and began biting his grandmother in resistance as she continued to walk. The grandmother persevered—walking hours in order to seek help for her grandson—another moment of selflessness.