Day 18

Life is wonderful! Tonight I felt the ocean breeze as I was looking at the moonlight water. I absorbed every second. Life is full of amazing moments that cannot be described with words. It’s so easy to live a busy life and not take in what’s happening around us. Today I tried to notice and capture all the things happening around me. I looked for meaningful, joyful and loving things.

As I was helping out at Super Saturday (equivalent to VBS), I paid special attention to the children’s reactions. Some kids were shy and kept their true selves inward. Some let their characters shine. I caught very many genuine smiles and lots of laughter. Laughter and smiles are some of my favorite things in life. I like to catch a glimpse of as many smiles as possible in a day. The more smiles I spread the more that come back. The best moments I captured today were moments of watching individuals care for each other with hugs, touches, words and looks.

James at the airport with Auntie Kristen

Fox River Sunday School Class!

6 Boys sitting on Dad's truck

Dad, Daughter and Dylan

My sister is the best! Love you Karla!

My wonderful family

Thinking of you brother...

Day 17

Today the power has been turned off. There has been a drought in Kenya; therefore they need to conserve energy. All of the power is off until night time. This may happen every day for a while.

This morning as reading my bible study material I came across a scripture that I struggle with. Matthew 6:31-33 says, “Don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food and drink, or enough cloths to wear. Isn’t life more than food and you body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you more valuable than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about clothing?... So don’t worry about these things, saying ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

I understand the concept of this verse; however, I wonder how this applies to those who live in poverty. I look at pictures of my nieces and nephews and think of how much I love them. Then I see pictures in my mind of some of the little children I've met here in Kenya living in poverty. They are just as precious to God as my nieces and nephews. God loves them with a deeper love than I can imagine. I struggle with the idea of how they live. I wonder why it has to be like that for them. The thought of a child crying because he or she is hungry just crushes me. Or thinking of the little huts they live in. These children are talented and smart, but not all of them have an opportunity to develop their skills and talents because of a lack of resources.

The beginning of the verse says not to worry about everyday life and that life is more important than your body and clothing. The verse goes on to say that God provides for the birds and will also provide for humans because we are even more special to him. Worrying about food, clothes and so on won’t add any time to life; therefore, it is useless. At the end the verse concludes to seek God first and he will give all that we need. My struggle and question is about those that don’t get what they need. What about the children that dies from starvation? What about the mom that has to deal with her child being sick without medical care? What about the dad that knows he cannot provide a house for his family? The only conclusion I can come to with this verse is summed up with the words, “Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?” In other words, even though not everyone has the luxury of food, clothing and shelter, life itself is more important. And during this life we prepare for eternity. 2 Corinthians 4:18 states, “So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (Thanks for this verse Deb F.)

Life here on earth is so easy to focus on circumstances and things such as food, clothes and shelter, but God has a much bigger vision and wants me to see it. If I am only focused only on our circumstances, it’s a distraction in preparing me for eternity. Perhaps that scripture is a testament that even though some may end up with nothing in a physical sense, they have something wonderful called life, to prepare for eternity.

A verse that comforts me is, “God blesses those who are poor and realizes their need for him, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Thanks Kurt K. for this verse) Because of this verse, I can know that the poor who suffer on earth have something wonderful to look forward to.

Day 16

Today I went to Bomani and worked in the kitchen with the cooks. They are very hard workers. The kitchen staff starts work fairly early. They have to cook for over 150 kids. They are cooking and cleaning all day. When they make rice or beans they have to go through all of it to clean it out. Everything is made from scratch. These women are such solid workers. Their hands and feet look very strong and rough from their hard work. I am amazed by their uplifted spirits through all the hard work they do. These women are the real deal. They raise kids, work hard and remain grateful for what they have even though it is so little.

One of the lunch ladies was telling me about her very small house. She said that when it rains hard the water comes in through her roof. Everything gets wet. The children end up with nowhere to sleep because it’s wet everywhere. I tried to imagine what that would be like. If I had children that were awaken by a storm. If the stormy waters flooded through my roof into my entire house; the children would start to cry. They would be wet and cold. I would try to comfort my children with no success, because the discomfort would be a physical discomfort for the children. At that point I would be in tears because I would know that I could not provide for my child. I would surely hope that someone would come to help me.

Day 15

Today I was able to go to a center called Gospel. Bobby and Lisa started this center. Just like the others, it provides food for the children, education and spiritual guidance. I spent the day writing questions to ask staff and teachers. I’d like to hear their stories and bring them back to America. They will return the questionnaires to me when they are completed.

After visiting that center, I went to feed giraffes. They are so cute! In addition to the giraffes, I saw many other amazing animals at the zoo. The animals are all in their natural habitat.

Today I felt a bit uneasy because I don’t have a specific schedule set up. Though I have been very busy thus far…I don’t have a specific schedule and am used to a structured routine. So far, I know what this week and next will bring. The rest is in the planning process. I have an idea of what I’d like to do; however, it’s not set in stone because details have to be worked out. So, a little worry set in as I was pondering that today.

When I opened up my day 15 letter from my friends at University of Phoenix I found a note that stated encouragement for me. “The Israelites had been traveling through the desert wilderness to the land of promise… God had promised that he would guide them and provide for them. However, like many of us they became discouraged. If only they had trusted God’s promise that he who had led would continue to lead, if only they had believed that he who supplied would continue to supply, instead of being discouraged, they would have been encouraged. Discouragement turns to encouragement when we look away from our circumstances and focus our eyes on the Lord.”

This was very helpful to me. I know what my mission is here in Kenya. Though my plans are not laid out specifically, I can still trust that God will guide me through this journey if my eyes are looking up to Him. Since I committed my life to him a couple years ago, he has directed my life. I can continue to trust that he will do the same now. That quote is just what I needed today. How refreshing!

Innocent Love

The children in the orphanage have been brought from difficult and dreadful circumstances. Some of the children have deceased parents… or were abused in many ways…many are HIV positive and so on. Yet, they have shown a joy that is difficult for most to find. The staff, children and volunteers are a family. They work together. They love each other and show it in their acts of service to each other.

The girl you see in the picture above was brought in by her grandmother. Lillian is her name. Lillian's mother died of AIDS. She was left in the care of family that could not take care of her properly. At first her grandmother did not want to bring her to the orphanage. However, she or the other family could not care for her well. Lillian was almost dead. At that point her grandmother knew that she had no other choice but to bring her in. Lillian went to the hospital for medical attention. The orphanage is taking good care of her. She is doing very well. However, since Lillian was so malnourished when she came in, she cannot be cured from AIDS.

Day 14 At the orphanage!

Another day at the orphanage! I love being there. Today we started with all the kids jumping around, playing and getting ready for school. Once they went off to school we started washing the walls down. The employees used soapy water to scrub the walls. I used an old t-shirt for a rag and water to rinse off the walls. The ladies working were very kind and joyful. Some of them would sing songs while working, as did I.

When we were done cleaning I asked Elizabeth to share some stories with me of the children there. Elizabeth has worked in the orphanage since it started in 2006. She enthusiastically shared information with me about the orphanage and the children in the orphanage. There are 2 regular volunteer workers, 18 staff members and 31 children. Many visitors come from around the world to volunteer their time to the children and the work that needs to be done there. The youngest child is around 6 weeks and the oldest is 13.

Most of the children are HIV positive. However, babies that have never been breast feed by their mother have the chance of testing negative if they are treated properly. Children with AIDS can live for a very long time if they receive proper treatment. The children at the orphanage are treated with outstanding medical care. They receive a mild antibiotic to help prevent sicknesses. The antibiotic also helps the child recover from a sickness when they do get sick. There immune system is boosted by the medical treatment they receive.

A typical day for children starts at 6:00 a.m. The boys sleep in one room and the girls in another. The rooms are wonderfully painted with bright colors, cartoons and cute sayings. There are bunk beds for the children to sleep on with cozy sleeping bags and pillows. The three babies have cribs to sleep in. When the children wake up they take showers, get dressed for the day and brush their hair. When they are ready for the day all the children gather together to sing church songs and say the Lord’s Prayer. Then breakfast begins. All the children fill their tummies with a freshly prepared meal. By 9:00 they are off to school! At 12:00 they take a lunch break and have play time until 2:00. From 2:00 till 4:00 they are in class again. Directly after class they play, or watch cartoons and take a shower. By 6:30 they are all ready for their yummy, well prepared dinner. After dinner they have a choice to finish the movie or tell fun stories! Right before bed they have prayer time and singing time. By 8:00 all of the children are in bed. Although not all of them fall asleep right away.

The happiness of the children is very apparent. They are constantly smiling, laughing and playing with each other, or with the visitors. They are full of life and energy. All their characteristics bounce off of each other! They are very well taken care of at the orphanage. Listening to the staff and volunteers, I can see and feel how much they all love the children. As Elizabeth said, “We are all one big family here.”

Day 13

I spent part of my day at the orphanage today. First I cleaned the bathrooms. Then I cleaned the medicine room and folded some laundry. My favorite part of the day was holding baby Michelle. I fed her with a bottle as she fell asleep in my arms. I did not want to put her down, so I held her for a long time while she was peacefully sleeping. What a beautiful baby ~ my goodness! I Love her to pieces.

Day 12

My day was started at Crossroads Church. What an amazing church! I greeted guests this morning. Everyone is so personable and friendly. After service I mingled among the crowd. During that time I was asked out on a date! He seemed a bit nervous, but thoughtfully asked if I’d like to go to a Christian drama with him this evening. I kindly declined because I know nothing about him. However, it was a sweet gesture.

On another thought – I have 5 huge mosquito bites. They are swollen, itchy and painful! My heart sure does go out to the kids that have to deal with this in the villages. They have it much worse than I, because they don’t have the option to be protected from mosquitoes with nets or bug spray. They also don’t have malaria medication to protect themselves from sickness.

The Kenya group raised the idea to start a fund for mosquito nets for our kids in the centers. I think that is a fantastic idea. The children that get sick with malaria have difficulties during studying. They cannot learn in that condition. Malaria is a terrible sickness. According to http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=61000 Malaria is the number one killer in Africa. “Three million people die of the disease every year worldwide, most of them in Africa.”

The swelling has gone down quite a bit on my ring finger. Another one of the bites was 3 times this size on my other hand. Imagine a little child dealing with that all over his or her body and then getting sick. It's a sad thought! :(