#arewetogether
You may have noticed that I use the hashtag “#arewetogether” a lot. I did not create it. It came from an encounter with a remarkable individual in the small town of Embu in Kenya, a couple of hours outside of Nairobi. In my 62 years on earth, I have met some remarkable individuals. They were not always the most prominent people but they had a profound impact on my life.
Those words, “Are we together?” belong to Mr James Nyaga Kibathi. He was the owner of the Modern Green Junior School, an institution he founded to educate the children of underserved communities in Embu. Mr Kibathi and his wife supported (and his wife still does) the school with their own means.
I had the greatest time serving at the school for two weeks in August 2019. I went there with my daughter Priscilla and a group of 30 amazing volunteers. Mr Kibathi would always urge us with these words: "Are we together?". In every other sentence, he would utter those words, “Are we together?” just to make sure we were indeed together in heart and spirit, and to remind us to stick together. I loved that question. I have used it as a hashtag since then, especially in view of everything this world is going through right now. Mr Kibathi passed away in 2021, two years after I met him, but his words will stay with me forever.
In a world where people are divided, where churches are often filled with strife, where racism and discrimination, and dare I say hatred, raise their ugly heads, the idea of sticking together and holding up one another’s arms is so needed. Wars are raging, genocides are spreading, and human suffering is omnipresent. The question comes, “Are we together?”.
For those of us who claim to follow Jesus, are we imitating the way he wrapped his arms around the children, the poor, the oppressed? Do we step out of our comfortable bubble, out of the familiar, to learn about the lived experience of our neighbors in need?
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4: 18-19)
Mr Kibathi, yes, we are together!!! We will stay together and we will remember you always.
#arewetogether