It is Christian Aid Week from 9^th to 15^th May and this year's focus is the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Two million people, half of Nairobi's population, live in informal settlements crammed into just one per cent of the city's residential land. They have no access to adequate housing, clean water, sanitation facilities, schools or healthcare, and live in constant fear of eviction. It is hard to reconcile the reality of such poverty with life in these slums.

In Revelation 21 we have a picture of the wonderful kingdom of God - a new heaven and a new earth, where God himself will be with us, where he will wipe every tear from our eyes, where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain and where all who are thirsty will receive without cost from the spring of the water of life. It is a kingdom that God always intended for us, and which has now been made possible for us through Jesus' death and resurrection. It is a kingdom which is for the future, but which is also for now.

Catherine Kithuku from Matopeni slum in Nairobi lives in the context of poverty - she sees illness in her family, overcrowding in her home, sewerage outside her door and sometimes flooding into her home - and yet somehow she is able to see beyond this poverty to a vision of how the community she loves could be different. She does not fall into despair, nor feel sorry for herself - she sees a vision of her community where there can will be clean water and proper sewerage.

Christian Aid shares this vision - that although we see poverty around us, we long for the Kingdom of God to be realised on earth as it is in heaven. We are not willing to accept injustice and poverty but will stand with the marginalised and powerless and have hope and take action for change to come about.

In Revelation the Holy City is described as a ‘beautiful bride', white and shining and perfect. In Matopeni slum the houses are small, cramped and dirty. John's vision was of a place with no death, mourning crying or pain. In Matopeni the lack of sanitation systems cause health problems, especially for children who suffer from typhoid and skin infections. To those of the new city God promises drink to all who are thirsty. But in Matopeni many drink dirty water as there is nothing else. In the new city there was a river of life that flowed through the middle of the city. In Matopeni the sewerage system runs through the slum under the walkways, in front of people's homes.

It might be easy to see these differences and feel disillusioned and despairing. But, like ourselves, John who wrote Revelations, also saw despair and hopelessness in the world, yet was able to see a world as it should be and will be one day.  The real beauty in this passage is to face adversity and challenge, to see poverty and devastation, and still hold the vision of what God can do and will do.

Another Catherine from Kaimbiu, a neighbouring slum, has seen the fulfilment of vision and hard work through Christian Aid partner Maji Na Ufanisi (‘Water and Development'). They now have sanitation blocks where people can use toilets, take a shower and collect clean water. A visitor said ‘if the will is there and the vision is there, then there is no measure to the difference it can make in people's lives.'

As Christians we must grasp God's heart for justice, peace and fullness of life - not just in the future, but now! To see God's kingdom come and his will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven. We have seen a glimpse of heaven in Revelations, and we have seen a glimpse of poverty some people face daily in places like Nairobi - let's get involved to bring heaven to earth in every way we can.

• Pray for the slums in Nairobi and those facing daily poverty
• Act to make a difference, by making others aware of poverty
• Give of your money, time and talents to Christian Aid who can work with local partners to make a real and lasting difference.

Anna Burden, Regional Coordinator, Christian Aid.

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/