Kenyan Students - Shining Example

gems of oneness, gleaming with radiance, eagerness to learn, purity of heart, hopeful of spirit.. these are the young souls of St. Luke's Educational Center in Dagoretti Market, a distant neighborhood of Nairobi where there is rampant alcoholism and endemic poverty.  inside the school yard there is almost nothing to depict it is an educational institution except for the obvious benches and chalkboards with some hanging sacks hung by nails that have grammar words written on them.  there are no bookshelves, no posters, no computers, no cafeteria, no sports field, no music room, no pool, no auditorium, etc.  the students use one notebook for most subjects, taking notes from the board instead of books because only the teacher has a workbook to read.

what shines as a gem is the students' volition to learn.  despite the physical and material obstacles in their life -- such as being orphaned, or having no shoe laces, or going to bed hungry -- they come to school by 7am with joyful and dedicated hearts to advance as much as they can so they are prepared for secondary school.  their entire attitude is positive toward learning, and striving to learn.  they don't get to be surrounded by clean, colorful walls with all kinds of stimulating materials; they don't get to have enough light in their classrooms because there is no electricity to light the rooms; and they don't have any of the typical embellishments to a school that make it a desirable environment to be in.  yet they are there for six days a week of their own volition and they actually desire to learn.

when i think of schools in America with computers and sports programs that have metal detectors and fear within the halls from all sorts of societal ills for many reasons, i think how fortunate these kids at St. Luke's are.  they are like a family.  they are a community.  they don't fight each other and bring the ills of the society around them into the school.  in fact all of them will profess how wrong it is to drink alcohol.  they know it is killing their community.  the 14 year olds at the school are mature for their age; they are focused on education to get them beyond what surrounds them.  these gemful souls shine in the ways of loving God, of desiring to do service, and of striving to learn.  i am illumined in their presence..

children's class playing the game 'Giants' to practice the principle of unity

children's class drawing a picture and writing a sentence from the board

Joan, a 14 year old jr. youth - contemplating an answer to a question

working on a lesson in Walking the Straight Path in the field behind the school

playing 'monkey in the middle' - boys against the girls

Gardener of Hearts

for seven months i have been quietly taking in Nairobi, unable to express the journey of connecting with the Oneness of the human race, in all that pertains to experiences, emotions, circumstances, difficulties and joy.  my life is completely full and yet ever-evolving into absorbing more and more people and activities into our lives.

World Religion Day devotional

it feels like the world is always opening itself with more and new wonderful opportunities to serve, love, readjust the lines that keep people socially separated, and most of all learn how to be a better human being.

with every new soul who crosses my path i am treading a path of justice, letting my heart burn with loving-kindness, and thinking of a way to be of service to him/her..

nairobi is a city in which to thrive.  many kenyans are involved in social action.  many ngo's are here with good intentions and high-minded endeavors.  many inter-racial couples and adoptions lend to it feeling progressive and integrative.  and many hard-working, humble souls imbue our lives with radiant acquiescence.

singing at the Baha'i Center

i haven't quite found the words in all these months to depict my own experience here.  it's definitely different than living in Cape Town or Accra yet in some ways it's the same -- because i am the same:  i love the heart of African people.  i look into eyes and see the Beauty of God emanating therefrom.  i see worn shoes and shoes that do not fit properly while observing the long journey taken each day.  i feel the pain while listening to story after story of people being orphaned at a young age.  i am never tired of seeing someone's face light up when greeted with a simple 'Jambo!' and at the same time i am disturbed that they are still surprised that an mzungu (white person) is greeting them.  and i desire for every child to grow up knowing they are 'a mine rich in gems of inestimable value'..

Alvin & his little brother who came for a devotional

we were living in an area of Nairobi for the first 6 months.  we used to walk our children to the school bus each morning at 6:30am.  we greeted people in kiSwahili.  at first they were skeptical and a bit unsure of our intention -- how could we be so friendly and happy they must have wondered.  this is true of the children as well.  but after a short time they knew we were genuine and they, too, started greeting us, sometimes even before we greeted them.  after a couple of months we would stop and meet people, getting to know their names, walking with them if we were going the same direction, and sometimes hugging each other with great warmth and joy.

sometimes i brought a little something to give the kids, like a notebook or a pencil.  they were so grateful and received it in a humble manner.  once we knew their names well they welcomed our affection and even looked forward to seeing us!  when we told them we were moving they were saddened.  by this time i had one of the boys' mom's number and they had come to our home for a devotional.  they expressed hope of seeing us again on 'their side' of the city -- we hope to cross their paths when helping a youth with his proposed service activity in the area where they live, Kawangware, one of the slums of Nairobi.

before we moved, i coordinated with the kids to come by during Ayyam-i-Ha to receive some cookies.  they didn't stay for a visit but were happy to come inside the compound and take some homemade cookies with them on their long walk home.   one of the boys who came by is an orphan.  he lives with his older brother.  i had noticed early on how torn his school sweater was. i let him know that when he came for cookies he could leave his sweater with me to mend and that i would give it to him the next morning.  the next morning i caught up with him before he was about to pass the bus stop.  he was indescribably happy to receive his mended sweater.  he kept turning around as he walked ahead; we continued to wave goodbye to him.  it was the last time we saw him before moving.  i have received sms's from 2 other kids since we've moved.  each time they want to know when we are coming to visit them.

i am still settling in to the new neighborhood.  i haven't met any local children but am developing relationships with neighbors and workers in the area.  life for me is about building community, thinking of 'rendering some service to every member of the human race' and taking care of my family.  it is also about planting seeds, both in the earth and in human hearts -- seeds that are destined to sprout and create more beauty in this world.  i'm concerned just as much about the soil of the human heart as i am mother earth upon which our feet tread.  i hope in time to be working with children, visiting their families' homes, having more gatherings in our home, and nurturing the seed of the human heart with the soil of my love.  i feel like a gardener of hearts..

the spirit of subduing self-love

"..self-love is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own present material good. That individual, however, who puts his faith in God and believes in the words of God -- because he is promised and certain of a plentiful reward in the next life, and because worldly benefits as compared to the abiding joy and glory of future planes of existence are nothing to him -- will for the sake of God abandon his own peace and profit and will freely consecrate his heart and soul to the common good."

 ~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 96

we are all gems, unique and precious.  we are all full of spiritual, gem-like qualities.  we are all born with the potential to shine with the light of godly qualities and make this world a better place. if this potential is not continually cultivated and enabled to flourish, we easily succumb to the gravity of self which pulls us down into the darkness of material traits, extinguishing that light and bringing harm to ourselves and the human race.  the Teachings from God provide the spiritual energy to ultimately overcome our selves, to subdue that lower nature molded within us..

as much as each of us is on a never-ending, ever-evolving, inter-generational progression of spiritual progress -- not merely material progress -- it is made inexplicably difficult to transform our lives unless we exert conscious, tireless effort toward overcoming our ego.

"..the spirit is the bounty of God, the water is knowledge and life, and the fire is the love of God. For material water does not purify the heart of man; no, it cleanses his body. But the heavenly water and spirit, which are knowledge and life, make the human heart good and pure; the heart which receives a portion of the bounty of the Spirit becomes sanctified, good and pure -- that is to say, the reality of man becomes purified and sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature. These natural impurities are evil qualities: anger, lust, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud, self-love, etc.

Man cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the Holy Spirit.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 92

our ego is that self-love which can overtake our sense of humility before God as His servant.  we begin to glorify ourselves and basically fall in love with ourselves.  our talents, achievements, opinions, physical beauty, wealth, class, status, etc. all become aspects of our ego that we worship.  we neglect to be truly humble and carry ourselves in a dignified, selfless manner before God.

if we are not making a conscious effort toward subduing our ego, we adorn ourselves with layers and layers of self-conceit, pride, and vanity.  godliness and purity are soiled or nowhere to be seen or felt.  daily life becomes all about one's image or attention received from others.

it is in this place of self-love that a soul never finds inner peace -- there is always a desire for more from the material world, more things, more attention, more physical adornments, more degrees, more money..  at its worst, self-love is a place where addiction, obsession and suicide reside.

this very materialistic world feeds the ego instead of nourishing the soul.  as we strive to raise our children to be spiritual human beings, we are bombarded by the excesses of self-love that pervade most areas of life.  this is especially true in the world of music and entertainment to which children are much attracted.  these industries bombard us with vulgarity and indiscretions of all kinds. it is a very difficult task to help them find anything worthy of their spirit.  they are easily enticed, also, by what they see people wearing, saying and doing in public, on advertisements and at school, most of which, even in sheltered environments, give them messages of loving themselves.

parenting plays a crucial role in influencing how their children develop and strengthen their spiritual capacity while learning how to subdue their material nature:

"The forces at work on the hearts and minds of the young...are pernicious indeed. Exhortations to remain pure and chaste will only succeed to a limited degree in helping them to resist these forces. What needs to be appreciated in this respect is the extent to which young minds are affected by the choices parents make for their own lives, when, no matter how unintentionally, no matter how innocently, such choices condone the passions of the world—its admiration for power, its adoration of status, its love of luxuries, its attachment to frivolous pursuits, its glorification of violence, and its obsession with self-gratification."   (December 28, 2010 Universal House of Justice)

we are constantly striving, through our own example, to bring out the light of a good character in our children.  through counsel, we are helping them develop their capacity to attain moral and spiritual excellence which subdues this self-love.  as they make progress in their efforts, we remind them that their abilities and talents are gifts from God, not from themselves; they are to be developed and used to serve humanity in ways that are conducive to the spiritual advancement of civilization.

we encourage them to utilize all of their God-given potential and capacity with humility before God to protect their egos from swelling with pride and vanity.  we also encourage them to discern the destructive nature and emptiness of how self-love affects people in this life.  educating a soul to know itself as a noble human being is the most significant job we have in this life if we care to bring about a spiritual civilization.

"O God! Enable us to conquer self and overcome desire. O Lord! Deliver us from the bondage of the material world. O Lord! Quicken us through the breath of the Holy Spirit in order that we may arise to serve Thee, engage in worshiping Thee and exert ourselves in Thy Kingdom with the utmost sincerity. O Lord, Thou art powerful. O God, Thou art forgiving. O Lord, Thou art compassionate."

 ~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 458

leaving. friends. Ghana

"God has created man lofty and noble, made him a dominant factor in creation. He has specialized man with supreme bestowals, conferred upon him mind, perception, memory, abstraction and the powers of the senses. These gifts of God to man were intended to make him the manifestation of divine virtues, a radiant light in the world of creation, a source of life and the agency of constructiveness in the infinite fields of existence."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 352

Emil Ampong (aka World Peace) with his keyhole garden

if anyone has moved from one country to another, it involves more than packing and arranging one's necessary documents.  there is a much deeper process at work.  it involves reflecting on all that was experienced, the highs and the lows, the good and the bad, while constantly wondering about the new land and culture about to be discovered..

as i prepare to move once again, this time from Ghana to Kenya, my thoughts and actions are centered upon those souls with whom i have been blessed to meet and know well.  despite the difficulties i faced living here, and the challenges which came from everyday life in a developing country, i met many beautiful gems of souls who i will miss and remember with gratitude and joy.  these souls enabled my journey in Ghana to be woven with a thread of joy..

while sitting on a small, wooden chair with the children's class recently, i began observing the young souls sitting around the table.  they are a sample of what life is like here for most children.  one child had his toes hanging over his sandals and the other had very worn sneakers without socks.  two were tending to their younger sibling like parents instead of being able to be just children.  they struggle and bear their difficulties quietly.  they take a broken pencil tip and use a plain razor to carve out a new point.  they all have the sweetest smiles but need a lot of encouragement and ability to make them laugh before they will smile for a camera.  they are taught to respect adults in a way of always deferring so they find it difficult to speak what they think or feel.  most attend public schools which are shamefully inadequate in every way, so their educational experience falls far behind those of the middle and upper classes of the world.  as the girls become jr. youth, they are expected to help with their mother's work (usually selling goods) so their free time is very limited, while the boys are mostly free to roam around and play football most of the time (making it easier for boys to attend jr. youth groups than girls no matter how much the mothers agree to a time that is supposed to be best).  they all wear uniforms to school and feel proud to attend school.  they share and take care of each other most of the time because adult supervision is not a common reality..

the children i have come to love dearly have that indescribable African spirit which radiates through them in gentle and all-pervasive ways.  in a similar way amongst the Xhosa children, it took many months of being ever so patient with their quiet, non-responsive manner of engaging in dialogue before the friendships were able to blossom.  in addition to being able to trust me, i feel that most of the children growing up in poverty have not been able to develop their self-esteem well enough.  the complexity of the relationship involves me being white, but more than any other factor, i believe they haven't received unconditional love from the society around them.  this is the magnet and glue which has served to bond us.  my love for them is what brings out the joyful radiance when we are together.  i truly see the Beauty of God in them; when i look into their eyes and connect with them at the soulful level they can feel it..their soul responds to it.  this is how i live here: spreading the love of God from my heart to others' hearts, one soul at a time, until relationships turn into friendships and eternal bonds of spiritual unity..

from left to right: Jude, Magdelene, Emil, Eunice & Gideon

hanging out with the junior youth is pure delight.  we have shared so many moments of joy and laughter, of thoughtful reflections and sharings, as well as devotions full of singing, drumming and reciting.  i am in the process of interviewing each of them on the camera video, asking them what they remember most about our 2 years together.  when we had our last group session, i asked them what they have learned since being in the group.  their comments included responses like: it is better to prefer others before yourself;  be more kind to everyone, not just people like yourself; and strive for excellence.  one told me a story of how he now had a good friend who was Muslim (he is a Christian).  listening to their responses was quite touching; i felt as if they really are learning the principles of spiritual education even though they didn't talk too much in most of the sessions.  i recently received a card full of hearts and expressions of love from Magdelene; she is one of the most amazing girls i have ever met because of her love for God, purity of heart and insightful mind...

saying goodbye to the Kayanja family

our family was also blessed to meet 2 families at school who are from Uganda.  our 3 families supported each other through the difficulties we all faced from how Ghana functions as a whole.  we developed friendships that will last a lifetime.  meeting them was the best part of attending BIS Ghana.  we lifted our spirits by encouraging each other through tests and difficulties, reminding each other of the blessings that come when we bear and endure.  i would listen to their stories and no longer feel alone in my struggle to deal with how things occur here.

our family grew much closer together these past two years because we spent most of our time at home after work and school.  when we first moved here we felt adventurous.  we drove out to the 'botanical gardens', up the coast to a beach 'resort', and on the other side of the city through hectic traffic to visit a junior youth group.  after experiencing congested roads and poor quality attractions we lost our interest in exploring further throughout the regions of Ghana.  except for a weekly trip to eat at a restaurant, we found nothing to do in Accra.  there were no parks with grass to have a picnic, or a clean and free stretch of beach to enjoy the ocean.  it has been only recently that we discovered DUNK, the NGO dedicated to improving the lives of kids through basketball.  we started bringing the kids and enjoying the community spirit of our boys playing basketball with the local kids who were part of the program.  those experiences are my favorite because it's all about relationship building, character development and having fun together.

DUNK tournament

looking back at how we felt limited in terms of traveling throughout Ghana i can see how it benefited us; we were able to develop closer relationships with our neighbors because we were around all the time.  i would take a walk to buy groceries and hang out.  before long i was known as 'aunty Pamela' instead of 'obruni' (white person).  i became a part of the neighborhood.  this is where most of the acts of service to God were shared -- singing with children, building trust with the jr. youth, playing soccer with everyone, bringing baked goodies to share, offering devotions in our home, listening to stories and the hardships of life, and developing a garden to grow food.  i enjoyed driving and riding my bike on the terracotta-colored dirt roads, buying local dishes on the side of the road, watching the goats play, having children run up to our car window and give us a pounded fist with a bright smile, and being surrounded by beautiful patterns on clothes and in the stores all throughout the city.

these memories are what i'll remember most about Ghana..

enjoying academic success of our children with the Kayanja family at the BIS graduation

Nwando, our next door neighbor from Nigeria, and our guards, Melvyn & Uncle Fred

Baha'i friends

kids building a keyhole garden

hanging clothes to dry

kuri kuri

inside a ripe cocoa pod

Ama with Sholomite sleeping on her lap

Augustin, our driver, and Uncle Fred, our guard

sister Grace and her family - they owned the local grocery store down the road

Boadi Ampong - last time together saying goodbye, in front of the maize field

Emil being silly wearing his sister's glasses

we shared such a kinship; it was very hard to say goodbye to Monica

Joshua Ampong, one of the cutest boys in the world :)

Gideon, our first neighbor friend who became part of our family

Eric and Joshua on the compound wall where they live

little Joshua in his jammies feeling proud of their keyhole garden

Monica showing me what was growing in the garden

Emil took care of Joshua with kindness and joy all of the time

Catherine Ampong getting her hair braided

just before leaving Accra

our last hugs

though it was difficult living in Ghana most of the time, it was never difficult to share these friendships.  God puts people on our path wherever we live.  i feel most blessed to have met these friends because i am a richer person for knowing them..

A day with DUNK

Our son, Dyami, was invited by DUNK (Developing Unity, Nurturing Knowledge) to play in one of their tournaments for the 12 and under team.  This was such an exciting invitation for Dyami because he loves basketball and wishes that he was able to be a part of what DUNK is doing.  Since we are leaving Ghana soon, it was the perfect opportunity for him to experience being part of a team and playing a competitive game.

In between games the team sometimes warmed up by passing the ball to each other.  The boys on the team were very kind and brotherly to Dyami.  The coach played him a lot even though he wasn't as good as some of the other players because he knew this was Dyami's only chance to play with the team.  The team won both their games with ease, and Dyami went home feeling like he made new friends and is ready to be on a team in Nairobi when school begins this autumn.

Ihat i loved about hanging out at the DUNK tournament was the infectious spirit of joy that pervaded the event.  A dj played all kinds of good Ghanaian songs that made the kids sing and dance.  The speakers were so big and so loud that it felt like a basketball party instead of just a competition.

team spirit is always such a beautiful thing

sweeping the court, Ghanaian style

mother's day ~ a surprise gift

    "If the mother is educated then her children will be well taught. When the mother is wise, then will the children be led into the path of wisdom. If the mother be religious she will show her children how they should love God. If the mother is moral she guides her little ones into the ways of uprightness.

    It is clear therefore that the future generation depends on the mothers of today."

    
 ~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 161

i woke up yesterday not expecting anything special for Mother's Day.  my husband is out of town and the kids are not inundated with media marketing here in Ghana so they forget these kinds of things.

all i felt throughout the day was gratitude for our family.  we have built a foundation of love that surpasses all of the temporary tests of life and it made me deeply happy and thankful..

my heart was focused on bringing joy to the mamas down the road by baking them a heart-shaped cake to share.  i found myself thinking of my Xhosa mama friends whose lives are full of hardships and i sent them all an sms to wish them a happy Mother's Day.  my heart was full of thankfulness for my mom, my step-mom, and my dear friends -- all from whom i have been nurtured and loved, supported and inspired, uplifted and enriched.  to me, it was a day of feeling interconnected with all mothers in the world and remembering the exalted station we have in the sight of God.  i called my mom and step-mom, wrote a few friends and reached out to many of my African sisters..it was a good day.

tonight i received an unexpected surprise from my 12 year old son: a belated Mother's Day card.  he decided to make me a card with these words inside because he didn't remember yesterday:

i couldn't be more thankful for my son's reflections today.  what a gift from his soul to mine.  certainly i have many moments of doubting my words of good counsel, or regretting my tone of voice, and becoming impatient when the moments become overwhelming.  these words are a sign of how the love and grace of God is all-pervasive in our lives as we continually strive to be better as mothers and fathers.

opposing forces within man

"There are two contrasting forces working within man, the animal nature and the spiritual one. Self and passion may be described as the expression of the animal nature in the life of man, that nature which tends to drag him down into the abyss of material existence. On the other hand, the soul, which emanates from the spiritual worlds of God, becomes, if illumined with the light of faith, the motive power for the elevation of man into the realms of the spirit. One brings about his perishing on this earth, the other confers eternal life in the realms of God.

"These two opposing forces within man are similar to the force of gravity pulling down a bird and the force of its wings lifting it upwards. As long as man turns away from the Manifestation of God -- in this day Bahá'u'lláh -- his soul is in darkness and devoid of the necessary power to lift itself up from the fetters of this mortal world. The animal nature becomes victor and the soul a bond-slave of self and passion."

 ~ Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 3, p. 35 

after getting the kids off to school, i sit down with a french-pressed cup of black coffee to relax and read some news before a full day of activity begins.  i peruse the headlines of the BBC, the New York Times and Aljazeera on my iGoogle page.  i overlook the political ones and try to find ones that look worthy of attention or interesting..

today i was attracted to a headline highlighting '10,000 political prisoners jailed in Eritrea'.  i immediately wondered how and why such a large number of people could be imprisoned.  after reading about the elusiveness of how Eritrea governs itself, my eye was drawn to the chilling and unthinkably devastating and deplorably horrendous headline about Congolese soldiers raping children.  this is the moment when serenity left my heart and the coffee lost its flavor..

as a Baha'i who feels like a cell that's intricately connected with every other cell in the body of humanity, this kind of atrocity against people, especially children -- and rape being of the category of the most despicable of crimes violating the dignity of a female -- leaves me in that state where my stomach feels sick.  humanity is sick with these spiritual diseases; it needs every cell to be healthy and to strengthen the body like the immune cells work together to combat disease.  when i feel that aching and disgust of our fellow human beings treating the human family in unimaginably terrible ways, i draw upon my spiritual powers and resolve once again to do my part -- to banishing ignorant prejudice from hearts by demonstrating unconditional love to all i can in every possible circumstance; to explaining to boys and men how humanity is like a bird with one wing being the women who must be respectfully treated and just as able to help the bird soar; to validating every person who feels less than others who are materially and usually educationally more advanced than they are; and to touching every girl and boy i meet and know with the love of God in order to infuse such love into their own hearts so that they will never want to hurt anyone..

in the scheme of humanity's evolution we are experiencing a phenomenal emergence into all that is possible to ultimately achieve world peace -- the purpose underlying all that is enabling humanity to become one beautifully diverse human family -- but before that cherished dream is attained, the ravages of rape, war and other atrocities against human beings proliferates because there are still too many people without the divine Teachings from God for this Day..

i am living at this extraordinary time for a definite purpose of which i ponder and strive consciously to fulfill each day.  i am investing as much energy as i can toward the betterment of the world, upon which depends each of us making choices that are worthy of our high station as human beings.

the world has become so known, so full of information, of media and images, which provides us limitless opportunities to connect, to learn, to build bridges of understanding, etc.  but it also provides a darkened heart a vehicle for evil to spread.  i search for the good, the social, educational and economic advancements, the ecological restorations, the progressive discoveries, the interesting innovations, and the spiritual victories.  i immerse myself in the world with the intent that it will not harm or hurt my spirit, cloud my judgment, steal my energy, darken my outlook, or disturb my mind.

as much as i consciously make decisions to protect my spirit from the impact of all that pertains to the disintegration and degradation of humanity, each day i must put on my spiritual armor of prayer, recitation of the holy Word of God, selfless service and striving to exemplify a high standard of conduct to combat those forces which pollute my spirit and weigh down the wings of my soul..