My first trip to Kenya was in 2006. We were a team of nine, with the rest of the team working primarily at the orphanage, and me spending my time teaching at the seminary. Even though we had received very experienced training to prepare us for the Kenyan culture, we were still tripped up at almost every turn with something new and unexpected. We often misunderstood the situation, what was said, or what something meant.
Most of the cultural differences were just plain interesting, even fascinating. One of the most interesting ended up being one of the most painful.
If there is a guest visiting when a baby is born, it is the custom in this part of Africa to name the child after the guest. The guest is then expected to pay special attention to the child, even help out financially, if possible. It's a tremendous honor, and a responsibility.
The pastor of the orphanage, Chris, and his wife had their second baby just as we were leaving. The named the baby "Colby." I was humbled by the privilege.
Months later, we heard that Baby Colby had some sort of skin disease. Lots of kids there have skin diseases, so we didn't think much of it. But it wouldn't go away, and the sparse emails we got seemed to slowly grow more concerning. However, we never had a proper diagnosis.
Lynne and I considered sending some money over for them to afford to take the baby to the doctor. As we were considering it, we got word that Baby Colby had died. We had no clue it was that serious. We still don't know what disease it was - they could never afford to visit the doctor once.
We were crushed, and went through no little guilt. If we had only sent money sooner, maybe it all could have been avoided. We didn't know it was life-threatening, but we might have been able to make a difference.
The great honor had become a great shadow. The following year, I finally met Pastor Chris' wife. When she heard my name, you could see the pain in her eyes. I was the namesake of their tragedy. But she and I ended up with a good friendship - she's an amazing woman of faith, and now with two more children.
Don't hesitate. I'm not just talking about our personal projects in Kenya, but whenever needs are brought to you, don't hesitate. You can't do everything, but if you can do something, and it seems like you're the one to do it, don't hesitate. Don't rationalize. Don't be selfish. Don't be lazy. Don't miss out on helping someone when God has enabled you to be the one to help.
As an act of grace, a baby was born during my third trip to Kenya. They named the baby after Lynne (whom they have never met).
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