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Annie Sixbey shares insights from Maasai land

"Thank you Annie for sharing you heart. It helps us understand the world that many children come from who are being cared for at ABC Center. It helps us all gain better understanding of the value of a supportive family and God’s call to serve even when it hurts and is hard. Keep pressing on. "

-Melody

How are so many children homeless?

Why are people starving to death, addicted to drugs, raped, abandoned, beaten, and killed?

December 18, 2013

Before I left Little Rock my sweet mother also offered advice, “If you ever miss home, look up to the moon and remember we are looking at the same one”. It seemed a bit cheesy to me at the time, but it has stuck with me. Even now, meeting people from cultures different than my own, I am comforted knowing we all gaze at the same moon above. No matter who we are, where we came from, or where we are going, we are able to learn from one another and be diverse while keeping a sense of unity.

I am treasuring every second I spend on Kenyan soil, and I dread the day I leave my African family. I am torn between two homes, but more than ever I am thankful for the opportunity to explore my passion. The students at ABC have opened my eyes to a brighter side of life. Even though many things the students have experienced sadden me, I am even more so amazed by the strength they have found through their pain. They continuously stretch me as a person, forcing me to grow and live outside of myself. I am 8,000 miles from my family, and yet, they are just down the road.

Traditionally, the young girls are circumcised when they hit puberty and are immediately married to a man who, often times, is older than their father. Young boys are raised to watch after the goats and cattle until they are old enough to be married. A Maasai wife is expected to provide everything (food, water, clothes, shelter) for an average family size of 12. You will most commonly find the men sitting idly, expecting the wives to provide the necessities of life. I had heard of such absurdities before coming to Africa, but walking by the traditional huts, sitting with the children, talking with Maasai elders, and experiencing the culture forced me to confront reality. The corrupted culture is embedded into history and time. Even though positive changes are in progress, the culture of Loitoktok and Nairobi has taken a toll on my heart.

Before I left Little Rock, my dad warned me after a month I may begin to feel burdened by the differences in culture and may miss home. What can I say? He hit the nail on the head. The corruption revealed to me thus far can be overwhelming. How have so many things gone wrong? How are so many children homeless? Why are people starving to death, addicted to drugs, raped, abandoned, beaten, and killed? The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know, and there have been days I wish I was a naïve little girl, oblivious to global devastation. There are days I wish I didn’t feel responsible for fulfilling a never-ending need, and there are days I miss my family and home… The familiarity and comfort of every day life. I have been in Kenya over a month, which means the “honeymoon” phase is over. I have finally allowed myself to miss the people and things I am living apart from for the first time in 19 years.More than ever before I am missing my wonderful family and realizing the depths in which they love me. They have raised me in such a way that has allowed me to dream and live my life how it is meant to be. Despite opposition through the years, they have supported me and believed in my capability regardless of my many failures. I am 8,000 miles from my family, but having their constant support has made me a happier person in Kenya. I am not typically considered a warm, loving person, but because of the way my sister, mom, and dad have loved me, I am able to love the students at ABC deeper and better every day. The students are excited to meet my family in January, but I doubt it can compare to my own anticipation to have the people I love most in the place I love most.

After finishing helping students at the ABC School make Christmas cards for their sponsors, we spent our time completing initial reports. We sat individually with a child and translator asking routine questions concerning home-life, family, and living conditions. I sat with the first child and struggled to hold back my tears as he told me horrendous tales with no emotion. I had assumed this particular child was experiencing an exceptionally difficult home life, but as each child sat and answered my questions, I was struck with a harsh reality. The first child I had sat with wasn’t experiencing an exceptionally difficult life… it was normal. Every single child, hardened by their past, talked about death, torture, rape, circumcision, starvation, addiction, and neglect with no emotion. Why? Because it is all they know to be true.

The Maasai tribe is full of vibrant culture. I have enjoyed aspects of the culture, but shutter at others.