Day Two

I woke up around  three am.

So excited to be back in Africa that I couldn’t sleep any longer!

I grabbed my bible and devotion

and made my way into the other room.

Since time wasn’t an issue I got to read one of my favorite books

in the bible, Proverbs.

It was so good just to spent time in the word and get rejuvenated through being reminded of truths that I tend to forget in the craziness of daily life.

Some of my favorite truths . . .

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

Do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.

Guard them, for they are the key to life.

Proverbs 4:13

Guard your heart above all else,

For it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23

Better to live humbly with the poor

Than to share plunder with the proud.

Proverbs 16:19

My child, eat honey, for it is good,

and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste.

In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.

If you find it, you will have a bright future,

and your hopes will not be cut short.

Proverbs 24: 13-14

It crazy how you can be reading something and then that day God gives you opportunities to walk in what he is teaching you.

Some days its hard. Real hard.

To watch what we say.

To choose to live in a way that is good.

That is fruitful.

And full of blessing.

Maybe not right away but eventually.

This morning I read a devotion that talked about praying little prayers before you respond to people.

To learn to bring the Holy Spirit into daily conversations.

For patience, grace and forgiveness.

I’m still working on it and some days are better than others.

So after my devotion time we got to go down and have breakfast!

It was delicious and yet so familiar.

Coffee with fresh milk, cocoa and raw sugar.

Omelets with fresh fruit.

The sky is cloud covered and for the first time

 I’m happy I packed a sweatshirt for the trip!

After breakfast we meet for a small team devotion time and we get on the road to HOREC.

 Jesse and I 

The Team with Thomas 

The drive is bumpy and windy as we arrive at HOREC we drive through these two metal gates and a swarm of children start pouring out of everywhere and running towards us!

After many handshakes and hugs we start to make our way around the orphanage.

I find this small hand in mine.

She walks with me and as she looks up at me with her big brown eyes.

She looks to be maybe four or five. 

She walks with us as we do the tour of the whole area.

A few time the guy doing the tour would say something to her in Swahili and she would look sad let go of my hand and walk back to the area where other kids were.

But the second she could see me again she would sneak back and put her hand in mine.

We went through this routine two or three times.

She made me laugh at her silliness.

Her name is Regina.

She is five and she is a goofball.

Everyday we were there she was with me.

Here is a little glimpse of her . . .

From The Start :)

Day One

We arrived in Kenya after about 24 hours of flying as we went through immigration we were met with warm smiles of Thomas (our trip coordinator), Phillip (our taxi driver), and Daniel (our other taxi driver).

We were so thrilled to be in Kenya.

As we came down to baggage claim we were met by these two signs, which we couldn’t help but smile at!

Our drivers helped us carry and push all of our luggage outside we all brought two checked bags one with our ministry stuff in it and another personal. So total within the team we had 32 suitcases!! Wow, praise Jesus they all made it there!

The drivers loaded all but a few carryon items into a land cruiser which I was incredibly impressed at how many full size suitcases could fit into the car but they squeezed all of them in!

We went to the hotel that night and went straight to bed!  We were really looking forward to meeting the kids at HOREC orphanage the next morning! We were so thankful for warm showers and comfy beds!  

How does this happen?

Today we worked in Spring Valley Slum again

In the morning we got split into three groups

those who would paint, those who would teach and a crafts group.

Sometimes when there is to many people in one area I volunteer to go take photos of everyone serving instead of being in a group.

So as I did this I came through the church and went past the kitchen when I looked up and heard little squeals of excitement as the “babies” the three and four year olds ran out of their classroom and wrapped their arms my legs.

They smiled and said, “take my piccctttuuurrreee”

I would take it then say, “Murainbo” which is beautiful in Swahili.

Their eyes would light up as they smiled from ear to ear.

Oh how my heart melts for these children.

Considering their at home circumstances their joy is overwhelming.

So as I rounded the corner past the other classrooms I capture the beginnings of new clotheslines going up.

Before they had some cheap blue string and they hung the rest of the clothes on the outside fences.

Now they had a place for their clothes to dry.

Then I went upstairs in the girls dormitory which is called “Talitha kum” which translates to

"Little girl, I say to you, get up."

On the third floor we were doing bead work.

I sat down with a group of girls and just started asking them questions and getting to know them better.

I found out one of the girls lost her mother when she was a baby and she lived with her great grandmother in Tanzania for a few years. But her great grandmother hated her so her aunt her moms sister fought her for custody and brought her back to Kenya only to put her in HOREC orphanage/boarding school.

She is now enrolled in the school and lives in Talitha Kum.

Its such an incredible place because since the dormitory was built the girls moved in test scores have increase by 20% which is incredible!

They are now safe and the are feed three meals a day.

Its sad what we take for granite in the states.

After we had lunch we had the opportunity to visit homes in the slums, pray with families and leave them with a food basket.

The second home we came to what a bunch of scrape metal awkwardly nailed together.

As we squeezed into this house no bigger than my bathroom at home we saw a little girl around nine years old holding a baby.

The mom and dad had left the children.

The older sister would sell herself in prostitution to feed her siblings.

Since the older sister who was sixteen had to “work” today the nine year old girl had to stay home and watch the baby.

My heart broke over and over again and watched these children taking care of children.

The second youngest was a boy, Meshach, who was seven.

Meshach got to attend school today so as we walked to his house that morning he tightly gripped Jesse’s hand as we winded through the streets.

The smell of sewage and burning trash fill your senses as you walk in and out of alley ways.

Children are everywhere. Everywhere.

There are 3000 children that are on the waiting list to get into Spring Valley School.

3000.

Most of these small ones we saw today.

It breaks my heart to know that home is not a safe place for them.

And yet until they have more space/ funds they really cant take in more children.

It breaks my heart again.

How does this just go on everyday all around the world and we just ignore it.

Small children are sold by their parents into prostitution.

Ugh.

How do you even begin to tackle this issue and how do you enter a home and pray for blessings on the home when you know what goes on there.

Im continuously reminded of this scripture.

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

James 2:16

While we did bring food with us today it still felt empty saying the words stay healthy, safe and bless this family. 

Our Adventure

We have been here almost five days now.

Which feels so unreal right now.

It has been hard to write.

The first day we were here we arrived at midnight so we went straight to the hotel to get some rest.

The next morning we woke up to the beautiful people of Kenya we enjoyed an amazing breakfast and loaded our taxi bus to head to HOREC orphanage.

As we swerved in and out of traffic the team yelled and shrieked as they experienced African driving for the first time.

I smiled as I thought of how “normal” this seamed to me.

It felt like just yesterday I was here.

On this continent I love so much.

As we drive on these muddy roads our driver tells us how the Chinese are coming in and buying their land and building new roads.

The land is rich in minerals.

Instead of hiring Kenyans and giving them work they are bring over Chinese people to do the work.

It breaks my heart that this economy is hurting so bad yet the work is being given to another country.

The sides of the streets are filled with trash and small businesses as well as live stock.

Familys gather at small wooden businesses trying to sell enough to make it by.

This poverty is all to normal for me.

The smell of trash burning fills the taxi and is all to familiar.

I feel at home here.

Apart of this culture feels like home to me.

I can’t imagine my life without Africa.

As we pull up to the orphanage we see smiling faces come running at us.

The hesitate at first but then once we get down to their level their little hands and arms wrap around us.

Oh how I have waited for this moment. 

I’ll continue this when we get home today :) 

Thank you for all the continued prayers and support that has been given to make this a reality for us!!