What is success?

Priscah Kerubo is baptized by Francis Mbuvi
in December 2011. Not long after this she
ran away.  The team allowed her back, but she
ran again.  Then they decided not to allow
her to return.  Sometimes we think success at MITS
is having kids finish our skills program and get an ID card
and a job and apartment.  But read Joel's story about
how it ended up for Priscah.  It is great success when
a family comes together. 

The light at the end of the tunnel

When Priscah Kerubo took off from MITS, our hearts were heavy and sad.  We could not understand why a young lady who was doing well would want to go away from a place where she got very good care.

This week I met her parents and they were happy to see me. The parents have been struggling to provide for their family.The mother said that initially before Priscah came to MITS she would normally not stay at home for more than one week and she would always come back late at night drunk and high, leaving the mother guessing and wondering what might have happened this time to her oldest daughter with all the evils that take place in Nairobi. It always made her stressful and wished that she died. They really love her so much and it was painful to see her waste her life.

This week when I met the father and the mum, they were happy to tell me that  they are very grateful to MITS for all the help we have given them with Priscah. They happily reported that Priscah now stays at home and helps out with work in the house, and that she is willing to go to cooking school and learn something new that will help her. The parents say that, "it’s like having a brand new daughter".  They had never imagined that their daughter would transform to this. They will be forever grateful for our help and patience with Priscah. This reminded me that in the midst of all the discouragement and pain that we go through, these children are transformed and given new hope and they also listen to the advices that we give them, and Priscah's story is a testimony that we are influencing their future in a positive way. Parents like Priscah’s parents are happy that even though poverty has brought a lot of difficulty, there is still hope  and opportunity for their children, so the MITS family should continue with the work and never never give up!