WE NEED TO TALK
“We need to talk.” Those were the words I heard coming from the soft, sweet voice of my friend Purity Wekesa as she sat in the chair by my desk one afternoon in January. Over the years, we’ve had a number of conversations, but the tone of her voice was different this time.
Purity had Blount’s Disease, a debilitating condition which caused her legs to bow. Without treatment, they would continue to bow with increasing severity. Purity would eventually live a life of excruciating pain, crawling on her hands and knees.
Purity lived near one of CRF’s schools in Bungoma, Kenya, and was brought to our attention by our program director Wesley Namunyu. Purity’s mother had taken Purity’s younger sister and abandoned the rest of the family, leaving nine-year-old Purity with her octogenarian father and two older brothers. Purity’s life became one of servitude and abuse. She had no foreseeable hope for change.
But that all changed when Purity learned of Wesley’s school. In spite of her painful condition, she made a treacherous four mile trek and asked Wesley to admit her. He introduced me to Purity in 2018, and she soon had a CRF sponsor. This would eventually change her life.
Fast-forward to September 2021, Purity underwent the first surgery to correct her severely bowed legs. Through the heroic efforts of “Mama Cristi” Clapp and the generous gift of medical care at the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, Purity was on her way to a complete physical transformation. Over the next year, she spent months at Scottish Rite. Where she had more surgeries and a very painful rehab. But Purity persevered and her recovery exceeded all expectations. As she put it, “we have fun, but we work hard too.”
When she wasn’t in Dallas, Purity stayed with “Mama Cristi” and “Uncle Shan” Clapp in their Amarillo home. And Purity became a regular visitor to the CRF office. She would often sit down in my office, and we would chat about her recovery, life back in Kenya, or plans for the future. But this time was different. After our initial conversation, Purity visited several others in the office before returning and plopping down in my chair – “We need to talk.”
Purity told me “I know I have many sins, and I want them to be washed away. I want to be clean and live my life as a true believer. I want you to baptize me.” Wow! Not exactly what I was expecting to hear. After several seconds of silence and a few deep breaths to gain some measure of composure, I managed to push out “Purity – it would be my privilege to baptize you.”
We talked about how she came to that realization, the fact that she had been surrounded by people who loved her and poured into her, showered her with God’s love and modeled His grace. Purity not only had Bible classes at her school in Kenya, but also the Clapps, as well as her sponsor and others here in Texas who brought the Good News to life for Purity. I told her I believed she was ready, and she quickly retorted “I know I’m ready!”
I honored Purity’s request the next Sunday morning. In just a few days, she and Mama Cristi would return to Kenya. Purity is now thriving. She and her younger sister are now under the custodianship of our Kisumu program director Kotieno Thomas. Purity lives with him, his wife Irene and their family.
I’ve had a front row seat to Purity’s physical healing and most importantly to her spiritual transformation. Our accounting team member, Karen Talley, said it best. “Jesus met Purity’s needs, and then she saw her need for Jesus.”
That’s what we do – CRF uses your faithful sponsorship and generous gifts to meet the needs of children living in desperate situations. We have many more children, who like Purity, are waiting for transformation.
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About Christian Relief Fund
CRF is a non-profit relief organization based in Amarillo, Texas with a focus on holistic programs to rescue orphans and vulnerable children from poverty.
CRF operates child sponsorship programs in over 25 countries and is dedicated to providing food, clean water, healthcare and disaster relief to the glory of God worldwide.