Through Paulsen's Eyes

"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping it together is progress. Working together is success."- Henry Ford. 

​One of the ingredients of coming together, keeping together and working together is establishing good relations. Here are a few of the relationships that have made Paulsen Asitiba's summer internship meaningful. 

DARLENE COULSTON 
Darlene and Charles Coulston are the founders of made in the streets. Since I came here, Darlene has been acting as my mom. Every morning after chapel she greets me with a smile on her face and that really boosts my morale. In almost every conversation we have I learn something new from her. One day she came to the skills centre computer lab and told me that made in the streets set up the computer lab just this year because they realised how much the skills kids need to know about computer. She went ahead to tell me about the importance of them learning the positive things they can do with computers today, those words ring in my mind every time I teach and try to advise the kids. This adds that extra burst of motivation to work harder. 
As a result of the good relations with Darlene, one morning she told me that my family was more than invited to come and see what we do here in MITS. I certainly arranged for that and when they came, they passed by her home. We had a good time, new friendships were created (my family, Charles and Darlene). That makes me feel at home in MITS. 
Darlene always tells me that if I need any advice from a mother, she will definitely be there for me……I consider that highly valuable. 

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MOSES OKOTH AND STELLA WANGARI 
Moses and Stella are both IT team members. My first few days here I had to learn from them because I worked with them in the IT department. Stella took me to a couple of her classes to see how she teaches. The step by step explanation, the way she answered the students’ questions and her desire to help them set the pace for me. I always use her class as a template when I teach. She also gave me a very good orientation and that’s why it didn’t take long for me to settle here. She is such a blessing. 
Moses Okoth is another great friend and teammate. One day he walked me through the MITS internet infrastructure to explain how it worked. The theme of our conversations was how we can we work together to improve the IT department. It was a positive conversation. I learned that Moses always looks to improve MITS from the IT department and soon we are having an internet upgrade, can't wait for that. Moses is a great team member. 

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BRANDON (JUNIOR) AND JEREMIAH 
Brandon and Jeremiah are both skills students. They are both great friends. They would spend most of their time in my room every evening before Jeremiah left. During supper time Jeremiah would try and make sure we eat together and later have a conversation with them. That made me learn much more about their lives. Brandon loves football and his greatest footballer is Lionel Messi. We train together and he works hard on the training ground. I can tell how good a player he can be from the dribbles he makes during a soccer match. One day after a soccer training session, Brandon told me that he thanks God for made in the streets because it provided a platform where he can play football and practise catering as his skill and dream career. 
He loves playing against me because he knows dribbling past me is easy for him!! 

SHARON MUSONGA 
Sharon Musonga is another great student who is in her final year in doing catering. One day during the students and teachers home visit, Sharon came to me and told me she would like me to escort her to her home to see where she comes from. I accepted to help her home and I met her guardians. They were so happy that her mum asked me to spend a few hours at her small kiosk where she cooks and sells food. 
The few hours I spent there were so good, we created a good relation and she said she had much expectation in her daughter. I could see the hope she had from the way she talked, she said "judging from the way MITS has helped change my daughter’s life I pray and believe that she is the one who will help her siblings in future.” 
That serves as a reminder to me that I should always work hard in my internship to help the kids reach their expectations in life. 

BRADY BATES
Brady Bates is another intern who came in the summer to help out in street ministry. It was my first time meeting him less than four weeks ago and he is certainly one of my best friends now. He works hard and is committed to his internship. Some evenings we meet to talk about how our days have been. We share what we did on that day and how best we can work to be of help in this ministry. 
Above all, we always end our conversations with a word of prayer asking God for more wisdom to be able to help this ministry as much as we can….Great lad!!