Day 66

About one month ago Simone mentioned that it would be fun to have a Super Saturday Outreach event at Vipingo and Bomani. I thought that was a great idea! We met with Paul at a coffee shop and started planning. Simone’s mom Michelle started gathering supplies. We made an announcement at church to find volunteers and we all started asking people we knew if they would like to help. Many of the Vipingo staff and members at Crossroads church happily committed to help out.

Today was the day! We had a very successful day. The children had so much fun. They learned songs, played games, listened to a story, worked on art projects and ate snacks. We had five stations. Two people lead each station. There were five groups of 40 kids. Each group of 40 children had 2 team leaders that stayed with them all day as the children rotated from station to station. By the end of the day all the children memorized two songs. Those songs will be performed tomorrow for their parents.

Day 65...I love these kids!!!

This has been a wonderfully busy day. To start the day I went to Ingili center to take pictures of the building that is under construction. When I first came here, the building was just in the beginning stages. Now, they are almost complete! The building looks great. It will be for middle school children as the grades progress.

When I was done with the pictures, Paul and I went to purchase juice, water and sweets for the upcoming event this Saturday. We waited at the shop while the order was on its way. Then, we dropped it off at Vipingo. The children were on break while I arrived. This gave me a good chance to play with them for a while. There is this girl named Mwanamisi. She is mostly deaf.
However, I am amazed at how well she communicates. She is such a smart girl. Today she took my arm, held it out and walked her fingers up my arm. I was wondering what she was doing. Then she took me by surprise when her fingers went all the way up my arm, she went to tickle me. It was the sweetest thing! So, I did it back to her and some of the other kids. She also showed me a game that is similar to hop scotch. Then she took me by her classroom. I greeted the teachers as we went for lunch.

On my way home I stopped at the Tumaini orphanage. The children were all in school when I arrived. I spent time with baby Michelle and Lillian until the children came out to play. I am amazed at how well the staff know the children there. They treat the children so good. They know everything about the child the way a mother knows her own child.

The Tumaini Orphanage always has visitors. There are helpers that come from all over the world. I see new visitors almost every time I go there. It is wonderful to see not only how much the visitors bless the children, but also vice versa. The kids brighten up the minds of all the visitors. They are always so happy to see new people coming in. The staff and children welcome everyone. The children are a great example. They all come from a challenging and rough background. They have no family; however, it is easy to see their grateful hearts for the people that are in their lives. They love each other, the workers and the visitors. They are happy regardless of their challenging backgrounds.

The children are bright lights and reminders of how to live life to the full.

ROSIE! These are the shoes you bought for Amina! She was so happy to receive them! She was showing them off to her teachers and other classmates. It was the sweetest thing!

Just thinking....

As I was standing by the ocean today, I contemplated how little I know, how much I need to learn, and how much I will not know in this life time. The universe is too vast for me to even conceive of knowing all…

I am reminded how important it is to be content in the moment that I am in. Not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Right now, this moment, is what matters the most. The past is a memory, the future is unknown, right now living to the full, is where I need to be. Wherever I am presently is where my mind ought to to be present…

Living life to the full requires keeping a grateful heart. Though I fall immeasurably short, I strive for gratefulness to be a continuous state of mind regardless of circumstance.

As is stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be grateful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will…” and John 10:10 Jesus says, “I came that you may have life to the full.” Phillipians 4:12 says, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty, or living in want.”

As I look around myself I observe many different lifestyles. While some are living in plenty and some living with next to nothing. Regardless of material possessions or lack thereof, each man has their own struggles and their own joys. What is on the inside is unseen, but is the most important. Reaching a state of contentment in all circumstances requires Gods grace and is found in noticing his goodness and living for life to come.

Day 64

I was so blessed today from the kids in Bomani. I went into 4 classes to teach the children a song and a bible story. They also drew pictures at the end of the lesson. I am so proud of these kids. They learn very well and have extremely creative minds. The pictures they drew were cute! They made people, huts, animals, cars, trees and all sorts of other things. It was so adorable watching their little minds at work as they concentrated intently on their drawings.

I spoke with Anne today. She asked me about Pat as she always does! She calls Pat her sister… Anne is one of the lunch ladies at Bomani. She heads up the kitchen area. She is a very hard worker and takes much pride in her work. She makes sure everyone is fed well. She is a great host to the school! As we were talking she asked about my family. She wanted me to say hello to my family and invite them to meet my friends in Kenya. She told me to wish them all well. She asked specifically about my dad, mom, brother and sister. She offered encouraging and inspiring words.

Day 63

I went to Vipingo to finish picture taking there. Upon arrival, I sat in on the teachers Bible study. The topic was about maintaining a good attitude in relationships with people, even when they may be difficult to deal with. Part of the application of the message says, “For one week treat every person you meet, without a single exception, as the most important person on earth. You will find they begin treating you the same way.” That is always a great reminder!

Shortly after Bible study I started taking pictures of the children. The Vipingo picture taking is complete with the exception of a couple absent students. There is one picture of each child holding signs that have their names written on it.

After the visit in Vipingo, George and I took a matatu into town. We stopped at the post office to pick up a package. We went to a copy store to make flyers for the Super Saturday event. I just came home a few minutes ago.

Now, I’m on my way to Tuesday night Bible study….

Day 62

Today was a national holiday for the Muslims. All the children were off of school. The Tumaini children had free time to play on the beach. I met them at Joan’s house. Joan is the lady who started the Tumaini Orphanage. She lives on the beach. She loves having all the children over for fun in the sun!

While on the beach, we started a float train. The kids were on their float toys and I took Antony’s hand. He had someone grab on to him. More and more children joined the train. They floated along as I pulled them through the water. We did that almost the entire time in the water. It was a nice workout! As they were floating through the water, they saw a man surf sailing and admired him. They called him the ‘cool guy.’ It was so cute; they kept giving him thumbs up.

This afternoon I skipped jogging because of a blister on my foot. Later on in the evening I took a close look at the blister. The blister is about an inch long. I realized it needed to be cleaned out because there was a lot of dirt underneath the dead skin. However, the skin was closed up. I used a needle to cut open the skin, then a scissors to assist cutting the skin. Then I took the dirt out. Yuck!

You know... this foot thing is a lesson in and of itself. If a person has sin inside them... they can either keep it there or clean it up. If they keep the dirt (sin) there, they risk the chance of getting an infection and their problems worsening. A person can save themselves a lot of pain by removing the sin. Though it takes time, effort and perhaps a little pain to remove sin, it is worth it in the long run. If they take the time to clean out the sin... they are free from the pain getting worse and infected in the future.

Day 60... Kenya is a Beautiful Country!!

I am amazed every morning I wake up and see all the beauty in Kenya. This morning I saw a beautiful sunrise. The pictures cannot describe how amazing the scene is in real life. As I was walking down to the beach, there was a camel just standing there eating leaves off a tree. I laughed because he was so cute just standing there by himself eating and I was surprised to see him there. Usually I see camels on the beach with their owner taking them around. This camel was just standing there alone. Very interesting!

Day 59

My mind was distressed today as I thought of the slums. I just cannot imagine living that way. A friend offered me good advice. He told me to think of what is in front of me now because worrying about those that are thousands of miles away won’t change anything. Therefore, focus on what is in the ‘here and now.’ He said the people in the slums are not suffering in the way that I might imagine because they are used to living that way. I agree with what he is saying. We are all a product of our surroundings. Anything individuals have grown up with as the norm is exactly that; it’s normal to that person.

For me to imagine living in the slums is a different perspective than the how the people that have always lived in the slums perceive it. On the other hand, no matter how much a person is used to living in the slums, it cannot possibly be okay in my mind. Though they may not know the difference, I do know the difference. I know that there is a way to live without starvation. I know there is a way to avoid sleeping under the heat of a metal roof in 100 degree weather. I know of places to live that are not filled with garbage, dirt and mud. I have nieces and nephews that I love with all my heart and I can’t possibly imagine them having to live that way. As my sister said, “It brings me to tears just imagining what these little people go through; because I cannot even begin to imagine to have my precious babies live this way”

Needless to say, just the thought of a life with such struggles is hard to think of… I will be processing this for a long time.

Day 58

This morning I woke up to the news of Kenya. Joel Weaver informed me that thousands of individuals did not make it to work yesterday, or were late because of a new law that is being enforced. Kenyan police were instructed to crack down on defective matatu’s and busses. About 500 vehicles were impounded. Passengers were left stranded on the side of the streets. Here is a You Tube link on the news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ8E4akN7yU
I contemplated taking a plane back to Mombasa instead of the bus line, just in case! The bus company I was going with probably would have been okay and within compliance, but I decided to take a plane because it was easier and safer.

Before the plane ride home, Mary and Joel Weaver took me to do more sightseeing in Nairobi. First Mary and I grabbed a cup of coffee. Then we stopped at a beauty shop to do our nails and hair. They did great work! Mary and I also stopped at a couple of stores. I was able to find some children’s books that will help me with the Super Saturday coming up next weekend.

Mary and I had a great time together. I loved seeing the city of Nairobi. There are many beautiful buildings, plants and trees. The traffic is extremely busy and the sidewalks are filled with people. While driving on the streets, Kenyans are walking down the lanes trying to sell items such as fruits, vegetables, sunglasses, maps and many more odd items. The city is similar to major cities in the US; however, there are slums plotted all around.

Mary and Joel dropped me off at the airport. I checked in and sat in the waiting room. When the time came I loaded up with the other passengers on the plane and set off to Mombasa. The flight home was perfect. George met me at the airport when I arrived in Mombasa. We took a taxi from the airport back to home.

I really enjoyed my day today!!!!