One of our last days in Kenya, we were invited to visit the home of a local family. As we sat under the tree overlooking their garden, we shared life with one another.
In the circle were five Americans, a few neighbors, an older couple who owned the home and property, a daughter-in-law, and several children. One teenage boy named Benjamin was in a wheelchair due to contracting polio as a child.
The couple shared that they had nine children who had all moved away from home. Four or five lived close by and the others had gotten jobs in Nairobi. The husband and wife beamed with pride while talking about their family.
We were shown how they prepared a staple food as the daughter-in-law ground corn and taught us how. Then we went to the kitchen, which was a free-standing little hut where the fire was built. The cornmeal was mixed with beans and onions and soon we enjoyed a tasty snack.
As we were getting ready to leave, I thought of little Wilkes, our three-week-old grandson in Atlanta. With the help of an interpreter, I asked the older couple how many grandchildren they had. They talked it over for a couple of minutes and I saw them counting on their fingers. Finally, they came up with the answer: nine children, thirty-six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Susan and I have a ways to go…
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise up early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat – for He grants sleep to those He loves. Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127