For Esther and her children, sleeping on the floor wasn't a one-time inconvenience. It had become part of daily life.
Known by many as Mama Francis, Esther works hard to care for her family. She sells bread by the roadside, doing what she can to meet their needs even when business is uncertain. Her husband also takes casual work when it is available.
"This business is unreliable because sales are never guaranteed," she says. "Some days I don’t even sell enough to buy food."
For years, one of the family’s everyday challenges was having a comfortable, dry place to sleep.
Making a Home in Limited Space
Esther and her family live in a small, one-room home in Mathare. Space is limited, and the family’s old bed was in poor condition. Its frame was held together with sisal rope to keep it stable, while the children often slept on the floor.
During rainy seasons, water could seep into the home, leaving the floor cold and damp.
"My children would sleep on that same cold and damp floor."
Two of Esther’s children attend a MOHI school, connecting the family with MOHI’s ministry. Through relationships like these, MOHI staff have opportunities to walk alongside children and families in ways that respond to needs both inside and outside the classroom.
One day, that support took a very practical and unexpected form.
An Unexpected Visit
Esther was selling bread by the roadside when someone told her she had visitors at home. She hurried back, wondering who had come to see her.
Waiting outside were MOHI staff and short-term mission team members with a brand-new double-decker bed, mattresses, warm blankets, chairs, storage containers, kitchen utensils, and a food basket.
"I couldn't believe it. I thought they were lost," she says with a laugh. "It was a complete surprise."
The visit was part of a home support project, carried out through MOHI in partnership with ministry partners. These projects respond to practical household needs in ways that can help families make better use of their living spaces and create healthier, more comfortable homes.
Together, the group got to work. The broken bed was removed, and the brand-new double-decker bed was set in its place. Clothes were organized into new storage containers, household items were arranged, and the family’s limited space became more functional. The food basket also helped provide meals in the days ahead.
That night, for the first time in years, the children climbed into a warm, comfortable bed instead of settling onto the cold floor.
A Night the Family Still Laughs About
The next morning, the family discovered just how comfortable their new sleeping arrangements were.
They overslept.
"We didn't want to wake up," her son Francis shares. "The mattress was so soft and the blankets so warm. It was nothing like the floor we were used to sleeping on," he adds.
Esther remembers the rush to get everyone ready for school.
"We were so comfortable that we forgot about school," she says, laughing. "I had to take the children to school at 10 o'clock that morning. Normally, they arrive at 6:30 a.m."
The memory quickly became a family joke.
"That bed took us to Singapore," she jokes. "We slept so well, it felt like we had traveled to another country."
Her laughter captures something simple but meaningful: the joy of being able to rest comfortably in your own home.
There was one more surprise that day.
Esther’s husband had been working as a casual laborer with MOHI, helping transport home enhancement supplies to other families. He did not know that his own family was also receiving one. When he returned home, he found the new bed, storage, household items, and food waiting there.
Practical Care, Ongoing Hope
Today, bedtime looks different for Esther’s children. Instead of preparing a place on the floor, they can climb into their bunk bed each night.
And the family now has a story they continue to tell with laughter: the night the new bed "took us to Singapore."
Their experience is also a reminder of what partnership can look like. Through the generosity and participation of ministry partners, MOHI is able to walk alongside families like Esther’s with practical care while children continue their education through MOHI’s holistic ministry.
For Esther’s family, a bed became more than a piece of furniture. It became a place to rest, laugh together, and experience a tangible expression of the love of Christ.
Ways to Walk Alongside Families
Please pray for Esther and her family as they continue working, learning, and caring for one another. Pray that their home will remain a place of rest and encouragement, and that God will continue to strengthen them in the days ahead.
If you sponsor a child through MOHI and feel led to offer practical support, you can also purchase a mattress for your sponsored child through the MOHI mobile app. A simple household item can help meet a real need and be one tangible way to walk alongside a child and family with care.
You can also continue learning about how MOHI’s holistic, Christ-centered ministry supports children and families in many areas of life. Through education, spiritual care, family support, and practical assistance, MOHI walks alongside communities as they pursue opportunities, face challenges, and experience God’s faithfulness along the way.
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