Ruth

Tonight a worker and friend from OBG came home to spend the night and hang out with our team. She is a beautiful and lively girl…Ruth is the daughter of the pastor whose church we visited and worked with while in Nakuru a few weeks back. I want to tell you the story of Ruth and how she came to live in Nairobi. Ruth comes from a Christian home and was raised as a pastor’s daughter. Ruth was in high school during the last presidential election and has a testimony of forgiveness that is amazing. After the election results came out Ruth remembers being in her house alone while her father was out looking for her sister who had gone to the market to buy some needed supplies. Fighting had broken out so quickly Ruth’s sister Lana didn’t even realize she was in danger when she left. While her father was out searching, the power and phone lines were cut off and Ruth fell asleep on the couch in her family home right on the compound of the church and school. She remembers being awoken by a mob of men who pulled her off the couch and out the door. They had machetes and arrows with poisonous tips. These men were in search for a young man who was of the tribe they were after. They had seen him come through the compound fence and thought Ruth was hiding him. In these moments Ruth’s life was threatened…as they went to kill her for not revealing the young man’s hiding place someone found him so he ran from the kitchen in hopes to escape. In that moment God saved Ruth’s life. Instead of killing her, the men fled after the young man trying to escape. In the process, the man ran into the church, grabbed onto a post because they wouldn’t kill him in the church, and was nearly beaten to death. Ruth says there are still marks on the floor of the church from where the timber they were beating him with hit the floor. The police eventually came, rescued the young man, and the mob of men vanished into the crowd. Many of the sought after tribes died or fled from their homes. Ruth’s father again would not let her or her siblings leave for fear of them being shot or raped in the aftermath of the election. I cannot image living in that type of fear. After Ruth’s experience she could not handle living in Nakuru so she came to Nairobi to go to college. It took her 1 full year to gather her courage to return to Nakuru. When she returned she didn’t see familiar faces, and realized that many of the people who were once a part of the church were no longer there…some of them died while others fled. Her church is now filled with many women from the tribe of men who threatened her life and killed many people. At first she was so angry, but God, after 3 years, is teaching her to forgive. She says she must forgive as Christ has forgiven her. Although you could still see the fear on her face and hear it in her voice, Ruth is learning to not fear evil…she knows that God is with her and comforts her. To hear her tell this story with so many haunting memories and terrible details was a chilling experience. As I sat and listened I was thankful for God’s mercy and goodness towards her. As she ended, she said that God allowed those men to threaten her and almost kill her so that young man had the chance to escape. If they had not been with her, all of them would have been searching the compound and found this young man. Here she lived through a terrifying experience and she was thankful because God used it for good…to save the life of another. What a precious heart she has. I am thankful for both of their lives and thankful that He is bringing healing to Ruth’s heart and life. I ask that you pray for her during the upcoming voting. She must return to Nakuru to vote and is very anxious about it. It is here where yet again the outcome of this vote will again greatly affect the lives of many people. If the new constitution passes, then land will be taken from a tribe and given to another. Many people are afraid that this will again cause unrest and fighting in Rift Valley which is where Nakuru is located. Please pray for safety and peace for the people here in Kenya.

Crazy Matatu Driver

Today I turned to my matatu driver and actually gave him a high five…why you might ask…to start with I knew it was going to be a fun ride because right before I got on the matatu I bought myself a half of roasted corn on the cobb for 5 shilings….yummy…I called it my corn popsicle. Next, the conductor over packed the matatu so I had to sit next to the conductor in what I like to call the butt seat. It really isn’t a seat at all, just a space to put your butt in between the conductor’s seat…space…for your butt…then your neighbor’s seat…yes, I got the butt seat. The driver drove like a mad man, which made the staying in the butt seat that much more fun and challenging…how do you stay balanced and not fall through the hole. J Next, we drove more on the sidewalks and dirt paths along the side of the road than we did on the road. We were trying to get to Karen during rush hour and apparently our driver didn’t want to wait in traffic so we drove on the side of the road…even almost ran people over once or twice. The Kenyan lady next to me kept putting her head on the bar in front of her and looked ever so much like she was going to throw up at any moment. When we weren’t driving on the side of the road we were: 1) off roading it on an actual dirt road next to our road (we were the only car on this I would like to point out) 2) riding down the middle of the road in between our lane and the lane next to us…we just made our own lane on the two lane road or 3) which happens to be my favorite…driving on the sidewalks and walking paths on the oncoming traffics side…not even our side. By this point the conductor had put me in the very front with the driver. This was exciting too because you were able to see so much more. While riding on the path on the wrong side of the road a man on a bike yelled at us and waved 4 fingers at us…don’t know what that means…A man walking on the path that we were driving on made the slit your throat or your going to die gesture…which after that I actually did say a prayer and close my eyes for awhile. Once we actually made it to our destination, I turned to the driver and said, “That was the craziest matatu ride I have had yet!” I gave him a high five, said thanks for the ride, and hopped out. I think I made his day…I think he made mine. J

A Day in Kenya

7:00 alarm sounds…7:15 unlock back door to go find laundry hanging on the line…attacked by crazy dog…he’s still in the puppy stage, but I hate it when dogs bite you…realize clothes are not dry because it has been dreary and rainy for the last two days…put on skinny jeans (yes, I bought a pair of skinny jeans here in Kenya) for the 4^th day in a row…really wish the laundry would dry…so cold you can see your breath this morning…can’t wear flip flops cause it’s in the 40’s…put on sneakers with skinny jeans…got a mental picture??? (in case you couldn't visualize my look well enough I posted a lovely picture) get on matatu with flashing lights on the inside and posters of rappers on the roof…suck in breath as we come within centimeters of hitting other matatus…my knuckles were turning white this morning from gripping the seat in front of me…arrive safe and sound at OBG…dance and sing with student to “I’m a Barbie Girl”…work with students…send students home…pull up chairs to let the henna party begin…get a henna tattoo around my upper arm…call a taxi from Karen to home because we all can’t fit on a boda boda and it’s too late to make the 40 minute walk…really wish I rode the boda boda…love those things…arrive home…Ruth, our Kenyan friend accidentally hits the panic alarm…Alfred runs to the “rescue”…paid security company comes to investigate, again…eat dinner…time for bed…just another day in Kenya

Prayer

My heart is a mixture of emotions right now. First, my heart is still raw from The Good Samaritan Orphanage a few days ago. Second, today was our last day with our students from OBG. Third, I am beginning to realize that my time here in Kenya is quickly coming to a close. Fourth, I am getting excited about heading back and beginning school. I am very emotional right now and feel as if I could cry at the drop of a hat. The mourning stage is beginning, and I’m not ready for it. Please pray for my heart and emotions. Over the summer, I didn’t really think I was bonding that well with this place… But as I think about being back in less than 2 weeks my heart hurts over leaving the people and things that are now so familiar to me. I feel as if I am finally settling in to Nairobi and working on building relationships just in time to leave. I am also sad because God has been doing amazing things in my heart and life this summer, and I don’t want to see that change…life is always different when you return to your regular routine. So pray that God would continue to change and challenge me at home…pray for continued growth and fellowship with the Lord.

I would also appreciate your prayers regarding this upcoming weekend. The team, including Lois and Mesh, is flying to the coast on Saturday for a three day debriefing/retreat time as a team. This weekend means the trip is really coming to a close. Please pray that God would draw us closer as a team and give us refreshment to our weary bodies and minds. Pray that God would help us process all we have done, seen, and learned this summer. Pray for safety as well.

Big prayer request…3 years ago was the presidential election where things did not go well. Many lives were destroyed and many lives were lost. On August 4^th there is to be a Referendum. This is a major ordeal and is the first major vote that has taken place since the election 3 years ago. Kenyans will have the opportunity to vote on a new constitution come August 4^th. Please pray for peace before, during, and after this time. Already the streets are filled with police. Matatus are less abundant because the drivers want to stay off the roads due to the police and some are even fearful of violence. Pray that the voting would be fair and that no violence will take place…pray for hearts and mindsets…pray for wisdom. Pray that we as a team would be safe. Pray that come August 8^th we will be able to safely get into the city to board our plane. Pray for Kenya as they undergo changes.

The Good Samaritan

I do not even have words for what my heart is going through right now. Our team just arrived back to where we are living for the summer and I have the urge to vomit and weep. Maybe if I type my thoughts I will begin to process some of what I saw today. As we entered the gates of our home away from home my anger also begins to rise. We are staying in a home that is what I would consider the Ritz Carlton…it is nicer than my apartment in the US. We have just returned from the worst slum I have ever entered and the worst conditions of an orphanage I have ever seen. My mind couldn’t have even started to fathom what we encountered today. How is it these two places can be such different worlds yet only miles apart? Today we journeyed across town to The Good Samaritan. This is an orphanage in the middle of a slum, which was started by a Kenyan businesswoman who felt the call to help the children of this slum. Mother Mercy is probably in her 50’s and she is poor as ever when it comes to money, yet ever so rich in Christ. I have never met someone with her passion and courage. Mother Mercy now runs an orphanage with over 300 kids from infants to high school students. There are around 5 or 6 bedrooms…one for Mercy and the babies…she wants to stay with them because she doesn’t trust anyone else to get up and feed them properly in the middle of the night…thus, Mother Mercy runs on about 4 hours of sleep a day. She gave Jenny, Emily, and I a tour of the compound. The 1^st room she took us to consisted of a total of 20 beds all pushed together, which sleeps 60 girls…that is 3 girls per bed in beds that are smaller than a twin bed. There were also two other rooms similar to this for boys. Next we were shown the high school boys’ room. The beds were so close to the wall I had to walk sideways to make it through…70 boys stay in this one very small room…even now it is unfathomable. As we were taking the tour we passed by 2 school aged kids holding a very precious baby. Mother Mercy stopped, pointed to George, picked him up, and gave him to me…if you remember back to my post from Imoni Orphanage I named Haboti at first George…funny, now I really got to hold and cuddle with George. George is one of the reasons why my heart cries out today. Mother Mercy rescued him two days ago from somewhere in the slums. George is two years old, yet he looks like he is maybe 8 months old. Mother Mercy placed him in my arms and he wrapped his tiny arms around my shoulders and neck and gripped on like nothing I have ever experienced. He laid his precious head on my chest and just rested. I couldn’t help but feel the quiver of my bottom lip and tears begin to swell in my eyes. Life isn’t fair. Life is hard…my life is easy and right now I just want to cry, scream, or be sick. I will never forget the site of this place, let alone the smells and the flies. My heart is so thankful for this courageous woman who is trying to save lives…not just physically, but spiritually as well. But my heart also cries out for God to bring justice and to love these kids in a way that brings joy to their hearts when nothing else will because people and the world have failed them. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, “Why doesn’t somebody help them!?! Why God, Why God…It’s not fair God!” I have so much and these children literally are living in their own filth in shambles with rags on their precious bodies. I want to give all that I have, but what will that do? Wealth helps, not that I am wealthy, but wealth isn’t the answer. Love is…the love of Christ conquers this…Satan has not won…hearts are being transformed and I pray with all my heart that people like Mother Mercy would not give up the fight…that they along with many others would rise up and fight for the hearts and lives of the children of the world. So now I sit typing on my Mac sitting in a cozy room across town from these children…I’m in the same country, same city, but I might as well be another world away from them. My heart doesn’t understand, maybe it never will, but I will not loose hope. I will not allow Satan to cause me to doubt my God, for God is my God. I will put my faith and trust in Him even when life is not fair and when situations in life make my heart and mind scream out. Here in Africa my heart longs for Jesus. I long for heaven…for no more suffering and sickness…for redemption and for sin and evil to be no more. For today, I will weep and cry out to God for mercy and love. Forgive me Lord of living so complacently…teach me to live for you…teach me to pray for the nations and for your kingdom to come.

Today I ask you, as my brothers and sisters in Christ, to cry out to God on behalf of His children. Don’t forget to pray for justice, compassion, mercy, and love…for Christians to rise up and give their lives (wherever they may be) for Christ to advance the kingdom of God. I beg you to not become so wrapped up in your own lives that you forget to cry out to God on behalf of the nations. Never forget the power of prayer…for we serve a powerful and merciful God…let our hearts not forget God’s goodness, love, and mercy.

Slumber Party

It literally has been years since I have been a part of a slumber party, let alone a slumber party weekend. This weekend our team has invited Ann, a sweet friend from church, over to hang out…along with 3 energy filled young girls. Justine is a tall 11 year old that lives with her mother Mary not far from our house. Mary is a good friend with Lois and we met this sweet family early in our arrival to Kenya. Mary makes beautiful beaded jewelry along with delicious peanut butter to support her family. I could tell you a lot about Mary and her life, but for now I want to focus on Justine and the other girls. The other day, Heather, Lois, and I went to visit Mary and asked if Justine would be willing to come for a sleep over at our house. Justine was so excited, as was her brother who wished he could come too. J There is also a young girl who is staying with the pastor and his wife from New City Fellowship that is coming over to our house for the sleep over. Anishima is a 13 year old Asian girl who is only able to come to the sleep over on Saturday night. Last, but not least, is Christine. Christine is a precious 12 year old who Lois and Robert Carr have somewhat taken in. Lois found Christine and her brother James while out on one of the ministry sites many years ago. Although they do not live with Lois and Robert, Christine and James would consider the Carr’s their family.

On Friday night Ann, Justine, Christine, and the rest of us girls all curled up in the living room to watch a movie. Here movies are very much a luxury so the girls were very excited about watching one. I don’t know if I have mentioned this, but the house we are staying in literally has hundreds of movies in it. I am not exaggerating. They have two cabinets full of movies. One cabinet has movies more for adult audiences while the other cabinet plus binders and binders full of movies are hundreds of kid’s movies. Again, I am not exaggerating when I say hundreds. Before our new friends came, myself and 2 other girls from the team went into what we call the “movie room” to pick out pre approved movies for our girls to choose from. O the delighted laughter and quick chatting in Swahili as they looked through their pile of movies. The girls chose to watch The Pacifier and during the movie Justine said, “Let’s jump in and go help them”. It was one of those priceless moments. She was so into the movie, especially since it was a very suspenseful part to her and me for that matter…let’s face it we all know I get scared very easily…and she truly wished she could jump in to help the characters out…I wish I had that on video.

Saturday morning dawned bright and early. I awoke to lots of giggles from girls who were trying to laugh quietly but hadn’t quite gotten the hang of it. I actually enjoyed waking up to that noise. After breakfast, another movie, a little bit of water coloring, and then we headed out to the trampoline…Yes, I said trampoline! I have not jumped on a trampoline in years. I also have not laughed so hard in years! Emily, Jenny, and I bounced and jumped with Justine and Christine until I thought my legs would fall off. Christine had never jumped on a trampoline before so it was fun to see her with her “sea legs”. After our laughter filled trampoline experience the girls wanted to watch another movie while in their bed. So we popped in Winn Dixie and I lay in there with them during the end of the movie. Since it is so cold here our house is very very cold. I had bundled the girls up with blankets and was now lying next to Christine without any covers. Christine was in the middle and Justine had her arm thrown over Christine so she could hold my hand and we cuddled and watched the end of the movie. I wish I could have paused that moment and grabbed my camera so precious were they. While we were all snuggled up I made the comment that they sure did feel warm and toasty. Justine sat up and looked at me and said, “Kate, Christine is burning up with a high fever.” I pulled down the covers and she was burning up. I forgot to mention that Christine is HIV positive and I can’t remember exactly, but some level was either high or low so for her to feel so hot to my touch scared me. I quickly jumped off the bed, called Lois, found my thermometer, grabbed Emily, the nurse, and as soon as I popped the thermometer in Christine’s mouth the temperature began to skyrocket. The thermometer wasn’t even all the way under her tongue and her temp read 104.6. Now I’m no nurse, but that is high…even for me that is high. Lois said she would be over in a few minutes to take Christine to the doctor.

While Christine and Lois headed to the doctor the rest of us girls made more crafts, painted toenails, and did a little bit more jumping on the trampoline. That afternoon Lois brought Christine back from the doctor. She has pneumonia so we had to give her lots of medications over the weekend. My favorite part of the day was when I returned from a meeting with Lois and Robert to discover Emily and the 3 girls on the trampoline again. The girls didn’t so much enjoy jumping around, but being bounced…I could hear your thoughts…you let a you girl with pneumonia jump on the trampoline…no, she just really sat on the edge with a huge smile on her face. Alfred was also around so we asked him if he ever jumped. He said yes, so we asked him to join us. Apparently Anishima had already asked Alfred to jump earlier that day and she testified that he could jump really high. He climbed on up and started to jump. I joined in and began to fly. Let me just say, I grew up jumping on a neighbor’s trampoline and I have never in my life gone this high. We would always try and launch people to see how high they could go. Well, let’s just say Alfred must have had practice as a child launching people. While jumping and launching on the trampoline with Alfred and Emily I have screamed like a school girl and belly laughed more than I have in years. It really was one of the best times…and I think we have finally won Alfred over. J As you can tell our weekend with the girls holds precious memories for both them and us.

Overcomers By Grace

Over the last several weeks, we have been going as a team to OBG (Overcomers By Grace). Here we are placed with a student who is physically or mentally (or both) disabled. The students range from 5 or 6 to a lady who is probably in her 60’s. Each day there are around 10 students who arrive at Sabia and Shafkat’s home. These precious people are members of the church New City Fellowship here in Nairobi. They have opened their home to disabled people within the community. Here at their school they have employed around 6 teachers to help these students learn eye hand coordination, their colors and numbers, different motor skills, as well as social skills and many other things. These women are absolutely amazing. First of all, these women love the Lord with all their heart. It is evident that they have a deep relationship with the Lord and desire to serve Him. Second, they love their students. Each teacher knows what will make their student laugh, what they enjoy doing, what will challenge them, and how to encourage them. These students get hugs and high fives all throughout the day. Every morning, they start with praise and worship time where the students are given drum sticks to make music. They all sing along and some of them even dance with the music. Next, a student is asked to recite the Bible verse they have been learning, which leads to a student closing the time of worship with prayer. It really is a fun time for all!

Yesterday, three of us plus Mesh went to OBG to help out for the day. The students arrived by bus and we all chose a student to work with for the day. My student was a little boy around the age of 7 or 8 named Yasif. He has a mental disability along with very poor eye site. I think one of Yasif’s best qualities is that he is full of life. He loves to sing and dance and tell people with a sing song voice, “Your beautiful.” He is beautiful. Yasif is such a happy child with such an easygoing spirit. I really enjoyed getting to work with him yesterday.

I am so encouraged by the things I have seen at OBG. God’s hand is truly at work in this place. Please pray for the teachers that God would give them wisdom in how to educate their students. Pray that God would fill these teachers with continued patience and love for their students. Please also pray that God would continue to protect and provide for each student. I know that God is faithful and will continue to work in the hearts and lives of his children.

AIDs Clinic

Today part of our team traveled to the slum of Kibera to work with Robbin at an Aids Clinic. We were not going to be a part of the medical team, but to play with the kids that were being assessed. There were around 20 kids anywhere from age 20 to 6 or 7. Before leaving for the states, a sweet coworker, Tammy, made about 60 packages of a weaving craft. She thankfully left plenty of yarn…therefore we made them into necklaces. These kids were very excited about making a craft and then getting to wear it. Not only did we make crafts, but we also painted fingernails and toenails. The girls’ faces lit up when we pulled out all the bright colors and started to paint their nails. After lots of brightly colored nails were dried, we pulled out the crayons and fish coloring sheets. After the morning was over, most kids left with a beautiful necklace, fun picture, painted nails, and stickers all over their faces and hands. These kids were adorable…as you can see from the pictures.

Shopping and Matatu Rides

On Monday we had Bible Study at our house as a team…with Mesh…who is, as far as we are concerned, a part of the team. After Bible study, Mesh took us to Toi (Toy) Market. This market is mainly for Kenyans where poeple can by discount clothing from the US and other countries. In order to get there we had to hop on one of the crazy Matatus (van system…without a system…more like chaos!). On our ride to the market a man got on with a large brown envelope which usually signals a thief. They try and use the big envelopes to cover up the area while they pick pocket you under the envelope. Needless to say we were on high alert and very aware of our purses and bags. One of the girls, Heather, who truly is fearless, kept turning around to look him in the eye like we know the system and I’m watching you…priceless. In the matatu there is the driver and a conductor. A conductor sits at the seat nearest the door to let people on and off the matatu. When someone wants to get off, he hits the window, door, or roof to signal to the driver. I honestly don’t know how the drivers hear the tap because the music is so loud. I can really feel the vibration of the music in my chest every time I get on a matatu. Once a matatu pulls off to the side of the road, you check to see if it is the one you want and then hop on to the nearest most empty seat you can find…you better do it quickly because they will start going while you are trying to get on. I managed to get a seat right next to the conductor and one other Kenyan. The conductor has a seat to himself by the door, then there is a small gap and then two more seats to the row. The Kenyan next to me, and closest to the window needed to get off the matatu. Therefore I filed out to let him off and then had to quickly hop back on. Now there was an empty seat so I slid all the way over to get away from the weird conductor with pink toenail polish…strange I know. Then he started to lean into the empty seat with his body. The next thing I know his head was just about in my lap! Talk about inappropriate! Ha…Mesh and the rest of my team died laughing as soon as we get off the matatu. Once at the market, we began to wander through shack after shack looking for discount clothing. It really was a fun experience and I did find a really cute shirt. While walking through the maze of shacks we stopped to get oriented and this child around 1 or 2 ran up to me, threw his little arms around both my legs, and looked up to my face and just smiled a precious smile. It really was one of the most precious things I have ever seen…I looked at the rest of my team and said, “Can I get that? I would like to take that cutie back with me.” Onward we went though, and after a fun afternoon of shopping we hopped back on a matatu. This time a different conductor told my teammate, Stephanie, she was beautiful…matatu rides are never dull.

Today, we went with Mesh to visit her sister in Westlands. On our way there, I had the most fun I have ever had on a matatu! This time I chose the front bench of the van and sat on the seat closest to the door. Now on matutus just because every seat is taken does not mean the matatu is full. Often times the conductor will pack 5 people each on the front and 2^nd bench with him standing with his butt out the window…wouldn’t that make a fun picture. There are also a 3^rd and 4^th row of benches plus the 2 people that sit up front with the driver. So I climbed on and off as we made stops to let people off the matatu, and even had to jump on quickly at one stop because the matatu was starting to leave without me. It actually made me happy because conductors only seem to do that when they have faith the person can jump on…1 point for me. At the next stop, a man with a cooler and ice cream cones squeezed in next to me. He immediately started talking to me in English…asking me what kind of ice cream was my favorite favor, telling me he really was an intelligent man but that there just isn’t a lot of work to be found so he sells ice cream. He told me his name and more about his life…he even asked me a few questions which I think I managed to answer correctly…you never really know 100% what someone says on a matatu because of their broken English and the deafening blare of the music. The entire time we were talking, mostly him I might add, the conductor, driver and every Kenyan other than Mesh was laughing. My “friend” said they were laughing at him…I corrected him and said they were laughing at me…this brought even more laughter…from them and me. Next, he asked me to hold his ice cream cones because the conductor wanted one. Because this guy, the conductor, and the driver were all such good sports and seemed to know each other well, I ended up being “in conversation” with all of them most of the trip. Every time I looked back at the laughing conductor he would point to my “friend” raise his eye brows…like what do you think of him…then give a hearty laugh, which in turn made me bust out laughing. After the conductor got his ice cream, my “friend” asked me if I wanted one. My immediate response was no…his response was raise eyebrows…the conductor wants to buy one for you…my response… crack up laughing, say no again, continue to laugh with my “friend” and all the other Kenyans on the matatu! Once we got off the matatu I was told some of my team was taking bets on whether or not I would take the free ice cream…I didn’t…It would be just my luck (excuse the phrase) to take the ice cream and be sick for a week.

My favorite part of the day was when a Kenyan man walked up to Mesh as we were changing matatus and offered her a deal. He said he gave safari tours and that if she would help him rip us off with the prices he would split the earnings with her. Of course our sweet Mesh did not take him up on it! As you can see, traveling in Kenya is always interesting. I really will miss these rides when the summer is over!

Panic Alarms and Electric Fences

As many of you may remember from a previous email, we set off our panic alarm in the house the 1^st week we were here. The alarm for our house was very loud and our dogs went absolutely crazy with ferocious barking and growling. Well, last night we had a new experience with an alarm. It was around 4:30 am when our whole house was awakened by an alarm…granted once we were all awake and oriented we realized it was not our own alarm, but it was loud enough that it woke us all up from a deep sleep. Here in Kenya, neighbor’s houses are not close together so you know this was a loud alarm. Once we were all awake enough to realize it was not our alarm, we noticed another unusual noise…a loud clicking somewhere right outside my bedroom window. Now mind you the alarm is still blaring, our dogs are quiet as can be, and there is a strange loud clicking noise happening right outside the window in Africa at 4:30 in the morning. First of all, for those of you who don’t know, I am not a brave person…more of a scaredy cat to be honest! So when a panic alarm goes off at 4:30 in the morning at our neighbor’s house, let’s just say my blood is pumping. First of all, who is up at 4:30 in the morning?!? Second of all, who accidentally trips a panic button at 4:30 in the morning…Therefore, my only logical thought at 4:30 in the morning is that something made our neighbors panic and push that panic button…not a very comforting thought at 4:30 in the morning when you are a house full of young American girls. Now back to the clicking noise. We finally get up the nerve to look out my curtains only to see that our electric fence is going a little nutty. Why in the world is it sparking and making a loud noise? Our electric fence is within 15-20 feet of our house so for it to be “going off” at 4:30 in the morning while the neighbor’s alarm is screeching gave us no warm and fuzzy feelings. J Right past the fence is where our guard, Alfred, lives and we notice his light is on so Stephanie tries to call him…several times…no answer. We all know what this means…good ole Alfred is searching our property. So we stand at the window for a few more minutes (I know not the smartest decision ever, but by this time the alarm is off which meant the neighbors had to physically turn it off with a code) and wouldn’t you know we see Alfred return to his house. Poor guys looks at the house to see all us girls standing at the window looking at him. Now I don’t mean this in a rude way, but it is still dark outside and well, Alfred is African…therefore, his skin is really black and the next thing we know all we can see is those pearly white teeth. Alfred could not stop smiling/laughing at us…I’m sure we were quite the sight. One of the girls hollered to see if everything was okay and he responded with, “It is okay…everything is okay… okay…everything is okay.” He really is precious and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite people here in Kenya.

This morning I woke up and went to open the back door so our house girl, Ruth, could get in. Wouldn’t you know there was Alfred turning off the electric fence…he asked me if we were all okay and if it scared us last night. I said yes, and he said one of the dogs touched the electric fence. Thus the overly active fence…poor dog…they all seemed okay this morning though. He also apologized for not answering his phone last night, but in his haste to look around our property to make sure we were secure he left it in his house…still this morning he had laughter in his voice and a HUGE smile on his face...we must have made one funny sight last night!

Fun times in Africa…fun times indeed!

CORRECTION: Later today while talking to Alfred, we asked him if everything was okay at the neighbor’s house. He looked so confused…we said you know the alarm that went off last night at the neighbor’s house. No, he said…the alarm went off at our house!! What?!? Remember that dogfight I wrote about on the 4^th of July? Well, because the head dog, Elo (the meanest and most fierce of the bunch) is so mean to our sweet German Shepard, Jedi, Alfred has been having to keep Jedi outside the electric fence with him at night. Apparently, the electric fence wasn’t going to stop Elo from getting at Jedi and Elo tried to attack Jedi through the fence!! Crazy I know…that dog is vicious! So we are safe, but it was our fence alarm…at least know we know what it sounds like!

Imoni Orphanage

Honestly today was the hardest day of being in Kenya. Not only was it hard, it was also the best day I have had since being in Kenya. Today, I was able to hold lots of babies…abandoned babies to be exact. Our team left early this morning to go and help a nurse and another couple in an orphanage here in Nairobi. We were told we would be helping with the children that were not old enough to go to school. I was pumped, because we all know I LOVE to hold and play with the babies and toddlers. Sadly, as we were on the road I realized I forgot my camera…sad day I know. But, once we arrived we learned you were not allowed to take pictures of the children…orphanage policy. As we filed out of the car everyone followed Lois to find out what the plan was. While they found out the plan, I quickly meandered over to the 1-2 year olds, sat down in the middle of them and began to cuddle, kiss, and play with these precious children. Who needs a plan, right!?! Since I am not medical, I was assigned to work with Grandma Grace in the 6-12 month class. Perfect! There I was given an apron, head scarf, and shoe covers…let the play and cuddle time begin. These children were so precious and I loved making faces and sounds at them. Every one of them that I picked up went straight for my glasses…they loved them. J After about 45 minutes with the 6-12 month olds, another worker or “aunt” came into the room and asked me and two other “aunts” to help her take the babies (newborn to 6 months) to the nursing station. I thought we were just going to drop them off...earlier when I had said I would love to hold the babies an American man, who volunteers there twice a month with his wife, told me they rarely let outsiders hold the baby babies. That was fine, but boy did my heart jump when the “aunt” put a tiny bundle of joy into my open arms. The four of us took the cute babies upstairs to the nurse and the “aunt” turn to me and said, “Katie, you stay in this back room with the 4 babies…okay?” “Yes”, I said, with a silent, “Thank you, Jesus” prayer! It was here that I fell in love.

The first baby was Destiny… one of her eyes is glossed over, she has a cleft lip, and heart problems. As the nurse examined her, she whisper, “ You will probably see Jesus before us all.” Gosh, that tears at my heart. I am so thankful for heaven where there will be no more suffering and injustice. Come Lord Jesus come is the cry of my heart tonight.

Next, was a sweet bundle of pink who I assumed was a girl, but later found out was a boy. After Destiny left, I picked up this precious bundle that was starting to whimper. I soon rocked “her” to sleep and picked up my next bundle. “He” was wrapped tightly in a blue blanket with a baby blue outfit on. I had been watching him since the moment I was put in charge of these sweet babies. “He” was very malnourished looking everything like the children you see on tv that are overly malnourished. "He" was sucking on his two middle fingers with his big brown eyes taking in everything. I quickly picked “him” up after I had rocked the pink bundle to sleep. This is when the tears began. “He” watched me as I rocked him singing “Sleep Sound In Jesus” by Michael Card. “His” eyes never left my face and I eventually chocked back sobs as I prayed for and looked at this precious orphan. I know you are not supposed to do this, but I didn’t know “his” name, so I named “him” George…why George I don’t know, “he” just looked like a George to me. J I held and cuddled with him for about 45 minutes before the nurse was ready for him. My heart couldn’t give him to somebody else, so I unwrapped my blue bundle to be weighed and examined only to discover George is really Georgina! J She is two months old and weighs 3 kg. Her skin hung off her little body and she screamed a hoarse scream as we weighed her. I learned from the Kenyan nurse that she has been at the orphanage for 2 weeks now and her name is Haboti. I held her as Robbin, the nurse, examined her, gave orders, and assigned medicine. Since I had not met Robbin earlier that day because I plopped myself right down with the babies, she did not realize I was with Lois’ team. As I sat there holding Haboti, Robbin asked me when I arrived and how long I was staying. I looked at her and said, “Oh, no, I’m here with Lois and we are only here for the day.” Robbin said since I was in my apron and head scarf and I knew the babies she just assumed I was volunteering at the orphanage…heart sigh. J After Haboti had her exam I took her back to the baby class to get her formula so I could put her medicine with it. She drank that formula up in no time. Since she has a spitting up problem I had to hold her up right for 30 minutes in the baby class. She still fell asleep in my arms even though she was sitting straight as a board. Those were the most precious moments of the day.

After Haboti’s 30 minutes were up, an “aunt” came in the baby nursery to ask me if I would help her take two of the 6-12 month babies to see Robbin... delighted yet again. She handed me Abigail while she took Emmanuel, which is her favorite baby at the orphanage…he was precious I must say and she really does love that kid. Right off I could tell something was wrong with sweet Abi. She was 1 ½ years old and something in her features and not being able to hold her head up well made me think something was up. Sweet Abi has cerebral palsy, but boy is she loved by all! She is one happy and content little girl. I loved making her laugh and getting to hug her close. In the end, I was able to give her a breathing treatment, which she sat contently through.

I am so thankful for my time at Imoni Orphanage. In the end, it gave me a bigger picture of who God is and how we are know longer orphans rather children of the living God. My time truly was precious there, but seeing God's overwhelming love for His people was even sweeter.

Zapped...yes, I screamed!

No, I did not get shocked by our electric fence, but a shock did I receive! So today after we returned from our weeklong trip to Nakuru I took a much needed hot shower and then went to dry my hair. As I was unplugging the piano in the room I am staying in, I received the shock of my life. I literally have never felt anything like it. I was frozen in place for a brief moment, which was then followed by me rolling backwards screaming and clutching my arm. Emily and Stephanie come running to the doorway asking me what is the matter. I honestly could not speak for a minute and just screamed, rolled on the ground, and clutched my arm. Finally, I was able to get out I got shocked so they both come running into the room to console me and see if I am okay. Yes, I am fine…just had a tingle in my hand and arm for the rest of the night. Funny thing is neither Emily or Stephanie wanted to enter my room because they thought I was screaming because of a bug! That tells you how many screams we have around here do to bugs! Fun times in Africa! :)

Traveling...

While in Nakuru we did a bit of site seeing while outside of the city. Nakuru is about 2 hours away from Nairobi and is surrounded by the hills and valleys of the Rift Valley area. Our first site seeing adventure was to a resort that was nestled in the hills of a non-active volcano. Many, many years ago the volcano erupted and now there is a massive crater next to the volcano. We traveled here for lunch on Sunday and were amazed by the sites of this place. There were many lodges hidden in the side of the cliff that overlooked the crater. The lodges were fancy tents with concrete floors, toilets, and running water. My teammate, Stephanie, went and peaked in one so of course I wanted to see the inside. She assured me no one was inside so I bounded up the steps onto the deck and was making my way inside when I noticed A MAN TAKING A NAP ON THE BED!! Jeepers, Stephanie…How could you miss the man right there in front of you! Needless to say I made myself scarce really fast! Before we went looking around the OCCUPIED lodges we first made our way to the pool. It was too cold for me, but apparently it wasn’t too cold for some of the worker’s children. There was a boy and girl around the ages of 8-10 who were very excited to swim but didn’t really know how. The girl jumped in with her small float only to have her feet get tangled on it. I run for the pool and am about to hop in clothing and camera in all when a worker jumps in and saves her. Jenny, my teammate, also a lifeguard, looks at me and says, “I thought you were going in.” My response was, “You’re the lifeguard!” Her response, “Yeah, but if someone else is willing to jump in there is no need for me.” Thanks, Jenny…J

After our time of wandering around the resort, we head in for our steak dinner with mashed potatoes. Yes, it was wonderful…different but wonderful.

On Monday we headed out for Lake Navashia, and I must say I have never experienced such beauty. No words can adequately describe the beauty of the land or the resort we stayed at. When we arrived, we were told the only rooms they had available for us were the rooms in the Presidential Suite…would that do?...I think so!! I hope to be able to upload some pictures from our place. That afternoon we hopped on a boat, which by the way looked as if it may or may not make it across the lake, and headed to our safari. We took a guided land tour by Mumo (he was absolutely hysterical with some of his stories which included motions…priceless). We were able to see lots of different animals, my favorite being hippos, giraffes, and zebras. I am hoping to go to Java House, a coffee house with free internet, tomorrow so maybe there will be pictures of my safari…just depends on how long it takes to download.

Needless to say, traveling through Kenya has been an amazing experience…one I will not likely forget!

IDP Camp

Our second day of being in Nakuru was by far my favorite. The team headed a little out of town to an Internally Displaced Persons Camp. Lois has had the opportunity to work with a school there for the last several years. While the last Presidential Election was taking place a struggle broke out between two tribal groups because it seems both parties tried to rig the election. One man became President while the other more powerful man became the Prime Minister. The tribe of the Prime Minister was not happy about the election thus the fighting. Many people in both tribes are without homes. Today we rode past burnt down homes, heard stories of house burnings, and killings. People were said to be pulled off the matatus and asked their name or tribe and if they were of the certain tribe they were shot on the spot. Our translator said she didn’t leave her house for a month. In Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, the worst of the fighting took place. It was so bad the police even refused to go in…once they finally did, they went in with tear gas, which seeped into the shacks of all the people living in the slums. I cannot even fathom.

The IDP Camp is a place outside of Nakuru where many displaced people came to leave. First, they moved to the campgrounds for safety and now they have bought a section of land so they can live and begin to rebuild their lives. At first I didn’t understand why after so many years they didn’t want to try and move back to their homeland, but after talking to a teacher, Helen, I now understand. Helen is one of the strongest most beautiful people I have ever met. She is so full of joy. Her smile lights up her face and you cannot help but smile in return. Being in her presence made me long for heaven so full of joy and love she was. After our morning with the 150 primary kids Helen invited us to her home. Of course we took her up on it. As we walked hand in hand with some of the school kids through the sea of tents I caught a glimpse of the Old Testament…living in tents and not having a home. It gave me a new perspective on Isaac and Jacob. J As we walked into Helen’s tent I became immediately aware of the sights and sounds around me. The stench was so overwhelming I had to breath through my mouth or else I would have fainted or vomited. The heat was brutal and we were there in “winter”. But worst of all were the bugs. I was afraid to stand upright for fear my head would hit a pole or the top of the tent and bugs would start crawling in my hair. But it was in this place that my heart truly broke. Here was this woman who was so proud of the home she had made for her family. She was so thankful for all she had and loved the Lord with all her heart. She was grinning from ear to ear as she showed us around. Then the question of how she got to the IDP Camp came up. Her countenance changed in an instance. Her smile was gone and the tears began to flow. Helen was from a place about an hour away from Nakuru when her home was burned down. Thankfully no one was killed in the fire, but her family was forced to move to the camp in fear of their lives. Once they arrived, her husband left her with their 3 kids to fend for herself. What keeps these people here in this place is fear. Fear of moving back…Fear because it was your neighbors that burnt your house down and you now have know home to return to. Can you imagine? I cannot…

After our time in the IDP Camp, my heart began to struggle. Poverty is everywhere, disease runs rampant, women and children are raped…often times by their own family members, and children are left to fend for themselves in the streets…yes, my heart struggles. I want to scream and shake people and say wake up, change, make a difference…I want to cry out to God...don’t you see this!! Why does it seem the evil are prospering while your people are living in what I would consider hell on earth? But I am reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness. I know God is sovereign in all, but in the moment my heart and mind don’t meet up. I want to cry out for justice to be served. But, God is so good. He gave me this verse today. It is from Psalm 10 verses 12-18… “Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’? But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take in your hand. The victim commits himself to you: you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked and evil man; call him to account for his wickedness that would not be found out. The Lord is king for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defend the fatherless and oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” Praise be the Lord…

Imoni School in Nakuru

On Wednesday, my team, Lois, Mesh (our translator) and Abby (she was with WHM a year ago in Nairobi and came back for a visit this summer…she is staying with us until she has to return mid July…she is a God send and we all wish she could stay until August) all left Nairobi to head to a smaller city called Nakuru. Once we arrived in Nakuru we went straight to Imoni School where we planned to get the heights and weights of all 300 plus students. While Lois, Heather, Stephanie, and Abby worked on the “medical” side of our day, Jenny, Emily, Mesh, and I all prepared to tell the story of Moses asking Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. I told the story from the Big Picture Storybook Bible while Jenny and Emily asked questions with the puppets. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. I think most of them could understand me…some of the younger kids didn’t get all of it, but that is okay. We also taught them some new songs…they were very cute trying to do the motions.

This school was very different from any other place we had visited. These kids were captivated by us. We arrived at the gate only to have our car surrounded by around 150 kids chanting, “How are you…How are you..” That is how they great us in English with their little British accents. I for one could not stop smiling as we got out of the car only to have several hundreds of kids want to greet you with a hand shake and “How are you?”…precious…My favorite part of the day had to be when we were playing with the kids out in the courtyard. We brought out the bubbles and I literally have never seen anything like it! I don’t care how long it takes, I am going to download the video I took of Emily blowing the 1^st set of bubbles for these kids…it really was one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

As I sit here and reflect over the day I am tempted to think, “Katie, what did you really do at that school…blew bubbles, played games, sang, told a Bible story…doesn’t seem like much does it? But then I am reminded of the circumstance most of these kids live in (the school is located in the middle of a slum)…this was a day I was able to serve some of my younger brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you serve these children? By loving them, hugging them, playing and singing together, but most of all laughter is something that is the same in both cultures. For many, they were able to spend the day in a safe place doing something they rarely have the opportunity to do…they were able to freely be children where the worries of the world could subside for a brief moment in time. It truly was a joyful day!

4th of July

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! The team here enjoyed not only celebrating the 4th together, but we also got to celebrate Robert's birthday. The day began by going to a small church in Ongota Rongi where we were asked to teach Sunday school. I had talked to the pastor the day before and he said he was teaching the shorter catechism to the adult Sunday school class. We had a book at our house which provided lessons for children's catechism so I thought it would be great if we worked side by side. Ha! What was I thinking! Well, I was thinking it was a great lesson, it was pretty basic, and I was thinking I WOULD HAVE A TRANSLATOR!!! Nope, that was not so. We arrived and some of the children spoke/understood English. For those of you who have never been to Kenya, Kenyans speak British English not my wonderful southern drawl American English. Oh, what a fun time that was. But in the end they did know that God made them and God made everything...2 down a 100 and some to go. :)

After church we headed back to our house to get the salad and birthday dessert for Robert's birthday party/4th of July celebration. We arrived back only to discover our security guard, Alfred, had gone to church and would not be arriving back to the house for at least another hour. So we headed to the Carr's house to help Lois only to arrive there and learn from Alfred that we had a key to the gate to get in...just be careful with the electric fence he said. That warms your heart don't you think?!? So we called a cab, and 3 of us head back to the house to figure out the gate thing. We arrive and learn our taxi driver can't take us back but will send someone else to come get us in 15 minutes. Perfect...now the gate. 2 girls try and get the gate unlocked while trying to keep the meanest German shepard at ease only to determine we cannot get the gate open. Who do we call...good ole Alfred. He is quickly become our favorite person and I'm sure we are quickly becoming his most annoying nightmare. :) He was headed home and laughs when he uses our key to unlock the 1st gate...of coarse right?!? Next he shows us how to unlock the electric fence so that we don't get the shock of our life. Thank you, Alfred. As we head towards the house here comes the rest of the pack of dogs only to have them break out into one massive dog fight! Yes, I screamed...all of us girls did. Alfred picked up rocks to throw and break it up...which it eventually did. For those of you who have never been near a full blown dog fight be thankful. It was not fun...
We finally made it back to the Carrs just as the chicken was coming off the grill. After lunch we sang Happy Birthday to Robert ate delicious homemade strawberry icecream made by Andrew with our Brownies and No Bake Cookies then set off a few 4th of July fireworks. It really was a great way to spend the day. Hope your 4th was great as well!

PS...I typed this fast so ignore any typing errors! ;)

Makuru

Makuru was my first experience being in the slums of Nairobi. As 7 mazungus (people with white skin) and 1 Kenyan walked single file down the narrow paths of the slums we were silent. My silence was due to two things. First, I was taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of this slum. Secondly, I did not want to draw any more attention to our group as we made our way into the slum. I have never experienced such poverty…not even during my times in Uganda. This was unimaginable…the trash and black dirt are mixed together to form a very uneven path through the shacks of homes and stores. A stream of water made as small rut in the dirt and trash we were walking along. I think the most saddening sight was of the children that looked to be 1 or 2 years old that were sitting in their rags amongst the dirt and trash playing in front of their homes. How does your heart not tighten at that? Our team was traveling to the school of El Shadi. This is a nursery school with 3 different classes…one class of around 30 4 year olds, another with 30 or so 5 and 6 year olds, and a class of around 15 seven year olds. Let me tell you the shouts and laughter that greeted us at the gate was music to our ears. These were not shy kids. In fact, they were the most wild and loud group of African students I have ever been around. In all my previous African school experiences the students have been excited to see us yet had a reserved and shy personality. They also tended to be very obedient and orderly…this was not the case for the school of El Shadi. Granted when we were in the classrooms they were really good, but the amount of energy these kids had blew me away. Now don’t forget that I am a school teacher so for me to say this means they REALLY had A LOT of ENERGY. It was a blast! These kiddos went crazy over the puppets wanting to touch them, shake their hands, but most of all they wanted to put their fingers in the puppets mouths to see if they would bite them. Oh the squeals of delight and surprise when the puppets actually did try to bite their little fingers…gently I might add.

We had a great morning of teaching Bible stories, singing with the puppets, doing a craft, as well as weighing and learning the heights of all the kids. My favorite part of the day was when the 4 year olds were being weighted and needed help putting their shoes back on. I would plop those precious children down in my lap, work on putting on their ragged shoes, give a smile and a hug, and send them to lunch. They were absolutely adorable…it made my heart smile.

I am so grateful to be able to go back several times a week to help out at this school! I am sure I will have more fun posts about these sweet kids in the future.

PS...Mesh is our translator who is a God send. She goes everywhere with us...We love her and her sweet spirit! She is in the 1st picture.

Mwingi

Sorry, I have not been able to blog like I thought I would be able to. The nearest Internet café is a 30 minute walk and by the time we get home in the afternoon it is hard to walk to town, check emails, type stories, shop for needed supplies, and make it back home before it gets dark. Therefore I am going to try and be more diligent to type up my blogs at home so all I have to do is copy and paste them…we will see how that goes.

As many of you know, my team, along with Robert and Lois plus Mesh, our translator, traveled to the district of Mwingi for about 4 days. As we were traveling along pot hole filled roads, we finally saw the town of Mwingi sitting nestled on a hill in the distance. It was a lot larger than I was expecting. I knew the health center we were going to was not right in the mist of town, but what I didn’t realize was how far out our destination really was. We were not really going to Mwingi, but to the small village of Gui in the district of Mwingi. After two, laughter filled, hours of bumpy roads and beautiful scenery we finally arrived at our destination. The car ride was so dusty we looked as if we had a really good orange tan. J

Gui consisted of puppet shows for children at the health clinic and nursery school. For our puppet show Solomon and Ruthie (our puppets) sang a song and shared the gospel with the kids. We also blew bubbles, made animal balloons, sang songs, and took the weight and height of all 60 some school kids. We also were able to spend a good bit of time in the children’s ward at the hospital. I showed pictures of my family (which they loved), read books, made balloon animals, and prayed with the mothers and children. Most of the children in the ward were there due to Malaria. These children and mothers were absolutely precious. It was such an eye opening experience to be in this hospital.

The afternoons were filled with laughter, games, dance, and my favorite London Bridges Falling Down with the 8 or so kids that lived on the compound. Gui was hot so in the afternoon we would sit in our guesthouse courtyard and wait for the compound kids to come out and play. One day we were sitting in the courtyard and heard their laughter as they tried to get our attention. Jenny, one of my teammates, looked up and there sat several kids sitting in the chicken coop trying to make us laugh and come out to play. Some days their songs and dance lured us out to the compound grounds where we shared lots of laughter and smiles. On the last day of play we heard Mwende (the oldest of the kids) trying to sing in English, which she didn’t speak, London Bridges Falling Down that we had played in the days before…it was absolutely precious.

Night time…because of the heat and open courtyard our nights were often filled with "friends" that came out to visit. When the massive roaches began to come out I’m sure our screams were heard around the village of Gui…good times. My favorite nighttime adventure took place during our praise and worship time after dinner. We were all sitting in the living room area that came off the courtyard when something like a bat flew in. You have never seen so many people hit the floor or go face down on the couch to get away from this thing. It flew in for just a moment and then flew right back out. Sweet Lois asked what was going on and we all said, “Didn’t you just see that bat fly in?” She said, “No, I was worshiping with my eyes closed.” Jokingly she asked weren’t we all…My response was, “Yes, Lois, didn’t you see us all face down on the floor!” Good times, good times...

Although our time in Gui was short, I greatly enjoyed it!