Hello all,
Check out the press release to see what we're up to this week...
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Shhhh, don't tell my momma!
Tuesday at Nyahera. Ok, so I absolutely cannot contain my excitement about writing this blog. The only problem is, it may be difficult to explain the hilariousness of the day- or may not even be humorous outside of the Kenyan culture... but oh heck, here it goes:
First of all, even before the day began, we found out that our Care & Compassion volunteer, Dorine, came down with malaria, so she wasn't able to come with us to translate. But God provided along the way and we made it through the day quite swimmingly.
Our first stop was George's house. George was the patient we brought on last week and took to Masseno hospital and found out he had TB and thrush. Well, Praise God! He's doing so well!!! I hardly recognized him when we pulled up to his house. Last week he could barely walk and it was obvious that speaking was painful for him. This week, he's walking with strength and was speaking to us with a renewed voice and new energy. I just can't thank God enough for leading us to George last week, for a good hospital that can diagnose so accurately George's infections, and for the proper medications to strengthen and heal his body... and I'm so thankful for all of you readers who kept George and his wife Maureen in your prayers last week. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
The next stop was Joseph. This was my first week seeing Joseph- he was a patient of ours who despite only being 30 something, had a severe stroke. He spend about 1 1/2 months in the office where Robert is now so that he could get the proper physical therapy needed to recover from the stoke. Now, he can walk very far, and has almost full mobility, except with his left arm and hand... but it's for sure getting stronger slowly! His wife left him the moment she found out that he was very down with AIDs and moved to Nairobi with his children. However, he has decided to find a new wife... beginning with looking in the church... and have a real wedding! The majority of Kenyans here are not married. The benefits of not being married is that it costs much less and the bride's family doesn't have to worry about the dowry. The downside is that it has resulted in a culture in which the family unit is a complete mess. I remember Julie telling us a few weeks back that more and more people are having a real wedding, to make the commitment in front of friends and family and God. Even though Julie wasn't married when she had all her children, she and her husband had a church wedding with the hopes that her children will go through the formality and choose a wedding as well.
The hilarious moment of this visit was that besides the fact that Joseph and his momma were beyond thrilled to see us, the momma let Desmond know that some bananas were ready for us but we'd have to cut them down. Thinking nothing of it, we walked to the back of the house and there was a HUGE bunch of bananas in one tree. I never expected the momma to give us that many bananas, and then, instead of just cutting down the bunch- the whole tree needed to be cut down! So down went the banana tree with the machete and we'll probably be eating banana bread until we die.
The next stop was Kennedy and just as we were pulling up near his home, the car completely stopped- no power, no gas, nothing. So we lifted up the hood and figured it must be the battery because the Land Cruiser had been having battery issues. Anywho, we asked one of the mommas as the house we parked at if she had a "spanner"... which is a wrench... I think? She said she didn't so we decided to do the visit with Kennedy and then figure out the car. It turned out that he had to show us a potential new patient, so he came back to the car with us, but it still wasn't working. Kennedy didn't have a spanner either- so he sent someone off looking for one. We were at the broken down Land Cruiser for over 2 hours... in the hot African day. But we had bananas to eat :) I ended up reading my Bible for most of it and taking a nap, which was just so lovely. But in that 2+ hours there were many hilarious moments. Firstly, at one point before the mechanic crew got there, we thought about push starting the Land Cruiser. Honestly, I have no idea what that means... but in order to push start it, we had to push the Land Cruiser out of it's spot so it would have more room to start. So- Kennedy, the momma, some other guy, and I tried to push the Land Cruiser slightly uphill. It didn't go so well. We pushed it about 5 feet though! and I think all of us faceplanted at some point while we tried to push out. Secondly, when the mechanic crew got there, the head mechanic was slightly intoxicated. He tried to "clean off" the battery by pouring water on the fuses. The last time I heard- "Water and Electricity DON'T Mix!" Thirdly, we once again tried to push the Land Cruiser back to push start it... however this time it was a success! But after we sweated and pushed the Land Cruiser to the appropriate push starting location, we realized that if the battery isn't working whatsoever, that push starting the car will be useless. Fourthly, the mechanics had no idea how to fix the car so then we had to wait for the other mechanic to get back from his outing in Kisumu. Fifthly, before the mechanics got there, a random man came with several "spanners" and pliers. But the spanners were not the right size, and the pliers were frozen stuck... so the momma dumped oil on them and they were still stuck and no use to us. And Lastly, it turns out that the problem was the battery. A matatu driver came randomly and fixed the Land Cruiser in 2 minutes time... and he did the same thing to the battery that Desmond had done before we even went into Kennedy's home.
So back on the road, our next stop was "Potential New Patient" who was supposed to be very down. As we pulled up, a nearby school was releasing the children for lunch break, so it was an adventure getting through the mob of children screaming "Mzungu" and then trying to park the Land Cruiser away from the mob. Then, just as I was rolling up the window, a very old, very drunk Kenyan man came up to the car and greeted us and said "Mzungu, I'm so hungry"... so Desmond told me to give him a banana then he'd go away. Ok, well, he didn't go away. Instead, he said, "Oh I love you! OOOO AAAAAA OOOOO AAAAAA I love Mary" Creepy- he heard someone say my name. So we quickly walked into the patient's home. The patient looked very healthy and very well. Her only qualm was that sometimes her chest hurt. Desmond suggested she get an X-ray at the clinic... so she chimed in by saying that she didn't have the money. Well, we know that the X-rays at the clinic are completely free. So at that point we realized that she wouldn't be a good candidate to be a Christ's Hope patient... but also by this point, we'd attracted quite the crowd in the house... including creepy drunk Kenyan man. He sang us a song about the Bible, and then it was clearly time for us to leave. And yet, the drunk man followed us all the way back to the car. It was a very interesting visit...
After that crazy adventure, we were quite ready for a craziness break. So after we took our Coke and Mandazi lunch break, we went to see Julianna. I had been waiting for this moment all day! She is doing fine! She was walking around and playing with the children at her house. Steven was very helpful and was clearly looking after the other 6 or so children at the house. Pray for him, he has so much responsibility at home I'm just hoping and praying that he can learn at school and not have to stay home all the time to look after the younger children. We then walked down the lane to see Little George. His whole family have been patients of ours in the past, but now they are all stronger, except little George. George is 2 or 3 years old, but he barely looks 1. He's so tiny and so unhealthy looking. But, he's in a good home, with lots of love and care. It was nice to meet their family, even though they have a troubled past and a lot of burdens to share. I loved seeing these children :)
From the children's homes, we picked up Lydia to help us translate for the last 3 patients who speak nearly no English at all. We went to Marilyn's house... and that's when I almost fell out of the Land Cruiser... Shhhh, don't tell my momma! This is the 3rd consecutive week I've been to her home, and so every week I've wanted to take pictures of the "road" because it really is more like a walking path... and more like a leisurely hike that we take the Land Cruiser on. So this week, I took a video... which will be posted soon, I promise! Well, at one point, the most dismal point on the road, Desmond hit a bump and I don't really remember it, but stuff was flying off the dash, I was flying out of my seat and I didn't know which was up and which was down and that's when I almost fell out the window. We were all fine... but it's quite funny because since the video was running, everyone was trying to be quiet to not mess up the video... but really I was just cracking up that we got it on tape and then our reactions to the incident.
When we arrived at Marilyn's house I was so excited to see all the kids- Esther, Emmanuel, and Geoffrey. Geoffrey's legs still weren't looking great, but today we had more bandages for them. Pray that they continue to heal. Emmanuel was very excited to see us as always. Marilyn was complaining of a headache... which if it's the back of the head/neck headache can be meningitis, which can be very dangerous and deadly. We warned her of this and told her that if her headache gets at all worse, she needs to go to the clinic immediately. She lamented that it's tough for her to get to the clinic, and I don't blame her... but pray that her headache does not worsen, that it goes away, and if need be, she'll take the steps necessary to get to the clinic and get proper treatment. What thrilled me from this visit the most was Esther. When we got there, she didn't scream or shrink away from us, but instead shook my hand confidently and smiled. Yes, this little girl who was terrified a few weeks back met us with a smile. Not only that, but she reminded Emmanuel to give me the gift they gathered just for me! The gift was a type of fruit, not to sure what it is, but it looks like a long grape but tastes like badly processed lunch meat. I was still grateful and so appreciative of this gift from the children. At the end of the visit, Geoffrey set her on top of a large rock and like a good big brother, he left her there. And I was so thrilled when she reached out for only me to help her off. I think it's safe to say that Esther and I are good friends now :)
Our last 2 patients were Arthur and Angeline (who I thought was named Evelyn in last weeks blog). Arthur made it to Chemotherapy last week, and was looking better than last weeks visit. He's still very weak but his hope is in the Lord for sure. When I read scripture to him, Lydia translated, and then he repeated out loud each word. It was a really special time. Angeline is pregnant and we have no idea when she is due. She is going to the clinic regularly, but in Kenyan culture, people don't acknowledge pregnancy until the baby is born. So she was very private and wouldn't even disclose when the baby should be due with us. So not only pray that Angeline opens up to us so that we can best help her, but pray for the culture to shift so that all babies get the proper care and mothers get the proper education before the baby is born.
After a long day, but a hilarious day, we made our way back to Kisumu. Last week, we had Roger (a previous volunteer from the Netherlands) and his 4 friends over for dinner while they're on holiday. So this week, they offered to cook for us, which of course none of us would ever pass up! Unfortunately, we ran out of gas for the stove... and Kisumu pretty much ran out of cooking gas entirely. Instead of figuring out the Jiko cooker (the grill type thing that most Kenyans use) like we did last night to make pancakes, the guys decided to bring us take out Chinese food. It was very nice- and it still boggles my mind to think that I'm in Kenya, in a house full of Dutch people, eating some of the best take out Chinese food I've ever had. Internationalness rocks.
And throughout the whole day- I just couldn't help but see how the prayers that you blog readers are praying are being answered weekly. Thank you for your faithfulness in reading the blog and praying. Thank you for remembering Jessica and I and the work we're doing for the Lord. And thank you for responding to the whisper of God to pray for Kisumu and Christ's Hope ministry.
Lala Salama,
Mary
First of all, even before the day began, we found out that our Care & Compassion volunteer, Dorine, came down with malaria, so she wasn't able to come with us to translate. But God provided along the way and we made it through the day quite swimmingly.
Our first stop was George's house. George was the patient we brought on last week and took to Masseno hospital and found out he had TB and thrush. Well, Praise God! He's doing so well!!! I hardly recognized him when we pulled up to his house. Last week he could barely walk and it was obvious that speaking was painful for him. This week, he's walking with strength and was speaking to us with a renewed voice and new energy. I just can't thank God enough for leading us to George last week, for a good hospital that can diagnose so accurately George's infections, and for the proper medications to strengthen and heal his body... and I'm so thankful for all of you readers who kept George and his wife Maureen in your prayers last week. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
The next stop was Joseph. This was my first week seeing Joseph- he was a patient of ours who despite only being 30 something, had a severe stroke. He spend about 1 1/2 months in the office where Robert is now so that he could get the proper physical therapy needed to recover from the stoke. Now, he can walk very far, and has almost full mobility, except with his left arm and hand... but it's for sure getting stronger slowly! His wife left him the moment she found out that he was very down with AIDs and moved to Nairobi with his children. However, he has decided to find a new wife... beginning with looking in the church... and have a real wedding! The majority of Kenyans here are not married. The benefits of not being married is that it costs much less and the bride's family doesn't have to worry about the dowry. The downside is that it has resulted in a culture in which the family unit is a complete mess. I remember Julie telling us a few weeks back that more and more people are having a real wedding, to make the commitment in front of friends and family and God. Even though Julie wasn't married when she had all her children, she and her husband had a church wedding with the hopes that her children will go through the formality and choose a wedding as well.
The hilarious moment of this visit was that besides the fact that Joseph and his momma were beyond thrilled to see us, the momma let Desmond know that some bananas were ready for us but we'd have to cut them down. Thinking nothing of it, we walked to the back of the house and there was a HUGE bunch of bananas in one tree. I never expected the momma to give us that many bananas, and then, instead of just cutting down the bunch- the whole tree needed to be cut down! So down went the banana tree with the machete and we'll probably be eating banana bread until we die.
The next stop was Kennedy and just as we were pulling up near his home, the car completely stopped- no power, no gas, nothing. So we lifted up the hood and figured it must be the battery because the Land Cruiser had been having battery issues. Anywho, we asked one of the mommas as the house we parked at if she had a "spanner"... which is a wrench... I think? She said she didn't so we decided to do the visit with Kennedy and then figure out the car. It turned out that he had to show us a potential new patient, so he came back to the car with us, but it still wasn't working. Kennedy didn't have a spanner either- so he sent someone off looking for one. We were at the broken down Land Cruiser for over 2 hours... in the hot African day. But we had bananas to eat :) I ended up reading my Bible for most of it and taking a nap, which was just so lovely. But in that 2+ hours there were many hilarious moments. Firstly, at one point before the mechanic crew got there, we thought about push starting the Land Cruiser. Honestly, I have no idea what that means... but in order to push start it, we had to push the Land Cruiser out of it's spot so it would have more room to start. So- Kennedy, the momma, some other guy, and I tried to push the Land Cruiser slightly uphill. It didn't go so well. We pushed it about 5 feet though! and I think all of us faceplanted at some point while we tried to push out. Secondly, when the mechanic crew got there, the head mechanic was slightly intoxicated. He tried to "clean off" the battery by pouring water on the fuses. The last time I heard- "Water and Electricity DON'T Mix!" Thirdly, we once again tried to push the Land Cruiser back to push start it... however this time it was a success! But after we sweated and pushed the Land Cruiser to the appropriate push starting location, we realized that if the battery isn't working whatsoever, that push starting the car will be useless. Fourthly, the mechanics had no idea how to fix the car so then we had to wait for the other mechanic to get back from his outing in Kisumu. Fifthly, before the mechanics got there, a random man came with several "spanners" and pliers. But the spanners were not the right size, and the pliers were frozen stuck... so the momma dumped oil on them and they were still stuck and no use to us. And Lastly, it turns out that the problem was the battery. A matatu driver came randomly and fixed the Land Cruiser in 2 minutes time... and he did the same thing to the battery that Desmond had done before we even went into Kennedy's home.
So back on the road, our next stop was "Potential New Patient" who was supposed to be very down. As we pulled up, a nearby school was releasing the children for lunch break, so it was an adventure getting through the mob of children screaming "Mzungu" and then trying to park the Land Cruiser away from the mob. Then, just as I was rolling up the window, a very old, very drunk Kenyan man came up to the car and greeted us and said "Mzungu, I'm so hungry"... so Desmond told me to give him a banana then he'd go away. Ok, well, he didn't go away. Instead, he said, "Oh I love you! OOOO AAAAAA OOOOO AAAAAA I love Mary" Creepy- he heard someone say my name. So we quickly walked into the patient's home. The patient looked very healthy and very well. Her only qualm was that sometimes her chest hurt. Desmond suggested she get an X-ray at the clinic... so she chimed in by saying that she didn't have the money. Well, we know that the X-rays at the clinic are completely free. So at that point we realized that she wouldn't be a good candidate to be a Christ's Hope patient... but also by this point, we'd attracted quite the crowd in the house... including creepy drunk Kenyan man. He sang us a song about the Bible, and then it was clearly time for us to leave. And yet, the drunk man followed us all the way back to the car. It was a very interesting visit...
After that crazy adventure, we were quite ready for a craziness break. So after we took our Coke and Mandazi lunch break, we went to see Julianna. I had been waiting for this moment all day! She is doing fine! She was walking around and playing with the children at her house. Steven was very helpful and was clearly looking after the other 6 or so children at the house. Pray for him, he has so much responsibility at home I'm just hoping and praying that he can learn at school and not have to stay home all the time to look after the younger children. We then walked down the lane to see Little George. His whole family have been patients of ours in the past, but now they are all stronger, except little George. George is 2 or 3 years old, but he barely looks 1. He's so tiny and so unhealthy looking. But, he's in a good home, with lots of love and care. It was nice to meet their family, even though they have a troubled past and a lot of burdens to share. I loved seeing these children :)
From the children's homes, we picked up Lydia to help us translate for the last 3 patients who speak nearly no English at all. We went to Marilyn's house... and that's when I almost fell out of the Land Cruiser... Shhhh, don't tell my momma! This is the 3rd consecutive week I've been to her home, and so every week I've wanted to take pictures of the "road" because it really is more like a walking path... and more like a leisurely hike that we take the Land Cruiser on. So this week, I took a video... which will be posted soon, I promise! Well, at one point, the most dismal point on the road, Desmond hit a bump and I don't really remember it, but stuff was flying off the dash, I was flying out of my seat and I didn't know which was up and which was down and that's when I almost fell out the window. We were all fine... but it's quite funny because since the video was running, everyone was trying to be quiet to not mess up the video... but really I was just cracking up that we got it on tape and then our reactions to the incident.
When we arrived at Marilyn's house I was so excited to see all the kids- Esther, Emmanuel, and Geoffrey. Geoffrey's legs still weren't looking great, but today we had more bandages for them. Pray that they continue to heal. Emmanuel was very excited to see us as always. Marilyn was complaining of a headache... which if it's the back of the head/neck headache can be meningitis, which can be very dangerous and deadly. We warned her of this and told her that if her headache gets at all worse, she needs to go to the clinic immediately. She lamented that it's tough for her to get to the clinic, and I don't blame her... but pray that her headache does not worsen, that it goes away, and if need be, she'll take the steps necessary to get to the clinic and get proper treatment. What thrilled me from this visit the most was Esther. When we got there, she didn't scream or shrink away from us, but instead shook my hand confidently and smiled. Yes, this little girl who was terrified a few weeks back met us with a smile. Not only that, but she reminded Emmanuel to give me the gift they gathered just for me! The gift was a type of fruit, not to sure what it is, but it looks like a long grape but tastes like badly processed lunch meat. I was still grateful and so appreciative of this gift from the children. At the end of the visit, Geoffrey set her on top of a large rock and like a good big brother, he left her there. And I was so thrilled when she reached out for only me to help her off. I think it's safe to say that Esther and I are good friends now :)
Our last 2 patients were Arthur and Angeline (who I thought was named Evelyn in last weeks blog). Arthur made it to Chemotherapy last week, and was looking better than last weeks visit. He's still very weak but his hope is in the Lord for sure. When I read scripture to him, Lydia translated, and then he repeated out loud each word. It was a really special time. Angeline is pregnant and we have no idea when she is due. She is going to the clinic regularly, but in Kenyan culture, people don't acknowledge pregnancy until the baby is born. So she was very private and wouldn't even disclose when the baby should be due with us. So not only pray that Angeline opens up to us so that we can best help her, but pray for the culture to shift so that all babies get the proper care and mothers get the proper education before the baby is born.
After a long day, but a hilarious day, we made our way back to Kisumu. Last week, we had Roger (a previous volunteer from the Netherlands) and his 4 friends over for dinner while they're on holiday. So this week, they offered to cook for us, which of course none of us would ever pass up! Unfortunately, we ran out of gas for the stove... and Kisumu pretty much ran out of cooking gas entirely. Instead of figuring out the Jiko cooker (the grill type thing that most Kenyans use) like we did last night to make pancakes, the guys decided to bring us take out Chinese food. It was very nice- and it still boggles my mind to think that I'm in Kenya, in a house full of Dutch people, eating some of the best take out Chinese food I've ever had. Internationalness rocks.
And throughout the whole day- I just couldn't help but see how the prayers that you blog readers are praying are being answered weekly. Thank you for your faithfulness in reading the blog and praying. Thank you for remembering Jessica and I and the work we're doing for the Lord. And thank you for responding to the whisper of God to pray for Kisumu and Christ's Hope ministry.
Lala Salama,
Mary
Monday, July 19, 2010
Momma Bear Mode
Saturday: I LOVE Saturdays. I adore the Nyahera children. Each child is so special and so unique and so lovable in their own way.
And if anything happens to them- apparently I have a mild to moderate emotional reaction... and it may be fierce. I call it my momma bear mode.
I never had this instinct before last summer- when I was the counselor to the female service staff at my camp... aka about 17 teenagers. They were all so amazing and were so inspirational. I learned so much through observing their work ethic and love of the Lord. And not gonna lie- I miss them all extremely--- but back to momma bear mode- I realized this weird reaction when one of them was going through boy issues. I just wanted to slap that boy across the face and say- "hey now, what are you doing?" For the rest of the summer I recognized the same reaction when I found out the crazy things they were doing--- which weren't even crazy. Like when they went on the zipline- I freaked out a lot on the inside... even though I had sent campers off the zipline hundreds of times and everyone was fine.
Back to this summer- On Saturday- my emotions hit Momma Bear Mode.
Last week, little precious Julianna was sick. We talked to her brother Steven and he said that she was doing well, she just wasn't feel too well. Kids get sick all the time, right? I didn't worry too much. Now for a little more info on Julianna- she is our care & compassion patient. A couple months back, she was very down. But now, she's running around with the other children and you can hardly tell the difference between her and the other 100% healthy children. So this week, she was again sick and missed the MCP. When I saw Steven without his sister, my stomach flipped and I hit Momma Bear Mode. I talked with him and he said that Julianna is still sick. She's laying in the bed. She is getting better. She's eating. She's still not strong... I just wanted to drop EVERYTHING and run to her house to make sure she was ok. I'm so thankful that I get to follow up with her tomorrow when I do care & compassion and I just pray that her sickness isn't serious again and that she'll soon be well.
Julianna wasn't my only Momma Bear Moment- Geoffrey [eldest son of our patient Marilyn and brother to Emmanuel and Esther] had pretty bad wounds on his shins a few weeks ago. We've given him bandages and cleaned the wounds out, and they were almost healed! At the beginning of the day, I checked the wounds again and they were really just looking very good... later in the day, he was nearly curled up and in tears because of the pain of something. I couldn't figure out what so I called Lillian to translate. He was hiding his legs, and when he showed me, I realized what happened. The wounds opened back up... blame it on the futbol. Unfortunately, there was not a whole lot I could do for him, except joke around with him, wipe away his tears, and get a smile out of him. Momma Bear Mode is not pleasant when there's nothing that can be immediately done to help these children.
The one child I was able to assist in any medical way on Saturday was Emmanuel. The whole group was playing an intense game of cat and mouse... which can get very violent very quickly... and at one point Emmanuel, Steven, and Evans collided. Steven jumped up like nothing happened, Evans screamed and so Lillian took him, and Emmanuel got up wincing in pain with a strawberry on his knee. Luckily, I happened to have a Bandaid in my wallet [thanks Dad for teaching me this trick!] I cleaned of his knee with a tissue and water, and put the Bandaid on. Nearly instantly, the Bandaid used it's special magical powers and Emmanuel's teary-eyed frown turned into a big grin.
Overall the MCP was nice this week. 2 of the guys from the Netherlands came with me to Nyahera, and the other 2 went to Manyatta with Jessica. It was so amazing to see both the reactions of the kids and our new friends. The boys were able to play futbol with the Dutch guys who can actually play futbol... unlike my awful attempts. And I think it was really important for the Dutch guys to be able to see the kids and connect with them as well.
Sunday: We skipped church. Yes, we did. Instead, Jessica and I stayed home and listened to a couple sermons from Francis Chan's series on Revelations. Learning to rest is a tool that is really keeping me going while we're here, and so that's exactly what Sunday was.
Monday: We held the babies. I love the babies so much! I know I've said it over and over again, but I just really do love them.
However, the most special moment from this visit to New Life was with a little toddler named Isaiah. Jessica and I were with the babies during their "outside time." I was sitting just on the edge of the play mat when I heard a scream from the direction of the sidewalk. Isaiah had faceplanted, and as soon as we made eye contact, he came running over to me and jumped in my arms and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. It was a profound "God moment" in so many ways. Briefly, God longs for us to make eye contact with him and run into His arms in any trial or struggle or bad day. Secondly, if I came to Kenya only to be there in that place at that exact moment to console Isaiah, it would have ALL been worth it. God's timing and plan is so perfect and I needed Isaiah to need me in that moment for me to really remember that.
So then tomorrow is Tuesday and I can only imagine what lies in front of us while we work in Care & Compassion. I look forward to specifically visiting Julianna and Geoffrey, and maybe that will put my Momma Bear Mode at ease.
Mungu Aku Bariki,
Mary
And if anything happens to them- apparently I have a mild to moderate emotional reaction... and it may be fierce. I call it my momma bear mode.
I never had this instinct before last summer- when I was the counselor to the female service staff at my camp... aka about 17 teenagers. They were all so amazing and were so inspirational. I learned so much through observing their work ethic and love of the Lord. And not gonna lie- I miss them all extremely--- but back to momma bear mode- I realized this weird reaction when one of them was going through boy issues. I just wanted to slap that boy across the face and say- "hey now, what are you doing?" For the rest of the summer I recognized the same reaction when I found out the crazy things they were doing--- which weren't even crazy. Like when they went on the zipline- I freaked out a lot on the inside... even though I had sent campers off the zipline hundreds of times and everyone was fine.
Back to this summer- On Saturday- my emotions hit Momma Bear Mode.
Last week, little precious Julianna was sick. We talked to her brother Steven and he said that she was doing well, she just wasn't feel too well. Kids get sick all the time, right? I didn't worry too much. Now for a little more info on Julianna- she is our care & compassion patient. A couple months back, she was very down. But now, she's running around with the other children and you can hardly tell the difference between her and the other 100% healthy children. So this week, she was again sick and missed the MCP. When I saw Steven without his sister, my stomach flipped and I hit Momma Bear Mode. I talked with him and he said that Julianna is still sick. She's laying in the bed. She is getting better. She's eating. She's still not strong... I just wanted to drop EVERYTHING and run to her house to make sure she was ok. I'm so thankful that I get to follow up with her tomorrow when I do care & compassion and I just pray that her sickness isn't serious again and that she'll soon be well.
Julianna wasn't my only Momma Bear Moment- Geoffrey [eldest son of our patient Marilyn and brother to Emmanuel and Esther] had pretty bad wounds on his shins a few weeks ago. We've given him bandages and cleaned the wounds out, and they were almost healed! At the beginning of the day, I checked the wounds again and they were really just looking very good... later in the day, he was nearly curled up and in tears because of the pain of something. I couldn't figure out what so I called Lillian to translate. He was hiding his legs, and when he showed me, I realized what happened. The wounds opened back up... blame it on the futbol. Unfortunately, there was not a whole lot I could do for him, except joke around with him, wipe away his tears, and get a smile out of him. Momma Bear Mode is not pleasant when there's nothing that can be immediately done to help these children.
The one child I was able to assist in any medical way on Saturday was Emmanuel. The whole group was playing an intense game of cat and mouse... which can get very violent very quickly... and at one point Emmanuel, Steven, and Evans collided. Steven jumped up like nothing happened, Evans screamed and so Lillian took him, and Emmanuel got up wincing in pain with a strawberry on his knee. Luckily, I happened to have a Bandaid in my wallet [thanks Dad for teaching me this trick!] I cleaned of his knee with a tissue and water, and put the Bandaid on. Nearly instantly, the Bandaid used it's special magical powers and Emmanuel's teary-eyed frown turned into a big grin.
Overall the MCP was nice this week. 2 of the guys from the Netherlands came with me to Nyahera, and the other 2 went to Manyatta with Jessica. It was so amazing to see both the reactions of the kids and our new friends. The boys were able to play futbol with the Dutch guys who can actually play futbol... unlike my awful attempts. And I think it was really important for the Dutch guys to be able to see the kids and connect with them as well.
Sunday: We skipped church. Yes, we did. Instead, Jessica and I stayed home and listened to a couple sermons from Francis Chan's series on Revelations. Learning to rest is a tool that is really keeping me going while we're here, and so that's exactly what Sunday was.
Monday: We held the babies. I love the babies so much! I know I've said it over and over again, but I just really do love them.
However, the most special moment from this visit to New Life was with a little toddler named Isaiah. Jessica and I were with the babies during their "outside time." I was sitting just on the edge of the play mat when I heard a scream from the direction of the sidewalk. Isaiah had faceplanted, and as soon as we made eye contact, he came running over to me and jumped in my arms and cried until he couldn't cry anymore. It was a profound "God moment" in so many ways. Briefly, God longs for us to make eye contact with him and run into His arms in any trial or struggle or bad day. Secondly, if I came to Kenya only to be there in that place at that exact moment to console Isaiah, it would have ALL been worth it. God's timing and plan is so perfect and I needed Isaiah to need me in that moment for me to really remember that.
So then tomorrow is Tuesday and I can only imagine what lies in front of us while we work in Care & Compassion. I look forward to specifically visiting Julianna and Geoffrey, and maybe that will put my Momma Bear Mode at ease.
Mungu Aku Bariki,
Mary
Friday, July 16, 2010
As cool as the Jo Bros
What a week! [... I think I start off every blog entry like that...]
And Praise God- little baby Aaron that I talked about last week is in the adoption process... he'll get to grow up with a loving family :) I'm so happy for him!
One of our patients, George, passed away Monday night, so we started off on Tuesday with his family. The mourning process here is so different than in the U.S. When we got to the house, there were many family members gathered, but no one was crying. In fact, no one even seemed sad. That really confused me and sent my emotions on a roller coaster ride. Sitting with the wife, praying with her, reading her Psalm 23... my heart was heavy with sorrow for the widow, and for the children... but the atmosphere just didn't align with the emotions of sorrow and sadness.
But as we've learned in the Kenya society, people rarely open up. People don't share their emotions. Ask anyone how they are, and they are always "fine." It's just not in the culture for people to share their struggles, their sorrows, their burdens... very unlike America.
Throughout the day we saw a lot of patients that were doing better than last week: Marilyn is looking well, Claudie is doing very well, and Samson was discharged from Christ's Hope services. And a couple patients who are still very down: Arthur underwent his first chemo round on Wednesday, and he could barely sit up to ride the Piki... pray for his treatment and his health, and Evelyn is pregnant but still malnurished, and Irene is a new patient who says she's 30 years old, but barely looks 16 years old. But we ended the day in a bittersweet way with a new patient... whose name is, can you guess it? George. He was very down and barely walking. So we took him to Masseno hospital. It turns out that he has thrush and TB. Praise God that we found him when we did and were able to get him the help he needed. But please continue to pray for George and his lovely wife Maureen as they continue to battle out the health crises that come their way, and pray that they will seek God and recognize His hand in their lives.
Ramba is always a breath of fresh air. The small children always greet us and swarm the Tuk-Tuk. They LOVE being taught about God's word. They LOVE learning who Jesus was and is. They LOVE memorizing the Bible verses we give them. And they LOVE coloring and playing games with us. Even though communication isn't great, and more often then not I feel like I'm at a zoo as they stare at me, put their hands on my arms [and feet... sorta gross and I don't understand the fascination with my feet?], and play with my Mzungu hair... these children are just too precious for words and I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with them every week.
Mount Carmel is fun. I really can't describe it any other way. We sing with them, and this week they sang to us. The girls sang and did some dances, and the boys recited a poem. It was very sweet. What struck me this week was the amount of kids who swarm the outside of the building to see what's going on, to hear the lesson, to sing the songs, and to check out the crazy Mzungus.
It reminds me of the verse in Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." There are so many children who are eager for the gospel, but people power is needed. We see this over and over again here, the needs are so great but the amount of volunteers are so small. With prayer and people power, Christ's Hope would be able to expand VBS programming and add more ministry care points while still developing the existing ones. Pray for workers for the plentiful harvest.
Pandi Pieri is just across the street (or opposite) from Christ's Hope. It's a HUGE school. When we walked in the gate, already in a joyful mood because of coming straight from Rock, I heard in the distance, "Mary!" Such a warm welcome! Kids line the halls to shake our hands and give us a high five. It's so much fun. And as I walked into the corridor our classroom is in, a group of girls grabbed my arms and led me the rest of the way.
The lesson was good- but the music was fabulous!!! These kids praise God with all their hearts and use their voices so LOUDLY. I'm pretty sure if you listen closely, you'll be able to hear them in California or New York or wherever you're at. Now, at some of the primary schools, the kids enjoy shouting more than singing- but these older kids SING. I get chills every time and it sets the mood for the rest of the week and I look forward to hearing them so much leading up to Thursday afternoon. Also- like Mt. Carmel, a crowd of students hangs outside the door to the classroom and outside the window. I love it.
So just as we were leaving the class- we got swarmed. I don't mean people hanging on to my arms... it became a mob. Am I Elvis? Since when did we become as cool as the Jonas Brothers? [is it ok to make an Elvis reference and Jo Bros reference in the same example?] It was crazy. People were pulling me in all directions and hanging on me and screaming and saying my name and eventually I made it out of the mob but oh man, I have no desire to ever become famous if this is what they have to go through.
I took some video of the group singing- and I'll post it as soon as I can find my camera chord... pray that I find it?
Thank you all for following and reading these blogs. It's so encouraging for us to read the comments and know that people are joining in prayer for our patients, the children, and us.
and tomorrow is the full day of Ministry Care Points in Nyahera and Manyatta. Pray that the children are spiritually (and literally) fed, and that we'll be able to recognize the needs of each child and have wisdom of how best to meet those needs. We also have 4 guys from the Netherlands here on holiday joining us tomorrow--- I'm sure it'll be something to write about within the next couple days :)
Kwa heri,
Mary
Monday: New Life
Oh the babies. I just love the babies. I love loving the babies. I love that I know many of the babies names and personalities. Next Monday I'll try to take some pictures of the babies so you all can know how adorable the babies are :)And Praise God- little baby Aaron that I talked about last week is in the adoption process... he'll get to grow up with a loving family :) I'm so happy for him!
Tuesday: C & C
Emotional day from start to finish.One of our patients, George, passed away Monday night, so we started off on Tuesday with his family. The mourning process here is so different than in the U.S. When we got to the house, there were many family members gathered, but no one was crying. In fact, no one even seemed sad. That really confused me and sent my emotions on a roller coaster ride. Sitting with the wife, praying with her, reading her Psalm 23... my heart was heavy with sorrow for the widow, and for the children... but the atmosphere just didn't align with the emotions of sorrow and sadness.
But as we've learned in the Kenya society, people rarely open up. People don't share their emotions. Ask anyone how they are, and they are always "fine." It's just not in the culture for people to share their struggles, their sorrows, their burdens... very unlike America.
Throughout the day we saw a lot of patients that were doing better than last week: Marilyn is looking well, Claudie is doing very well, and Samson was discharged from Christ's Hope services. And a couple patients who are still very down: Arthur underwent his first chemo round on Wednesday, and he could barely sit up to ride the Piki... pray for his treatment and his health, and Evelyn is pregnant but still malnurished, and Irene is a new patient who says she's 30 years old, but barely looks 16 years old. But we ended the day in a bittersweet way with a new patient... whose name is, can you guess it? George. He was very down and barely walking. So we took him to Masseno hospital. It turns out that he has thrush and TB. Praise God that we found him when we did and were able to get him the help he needed. But please continue to pray for George and his lovely wife Maureen as they continue to battle out the health crises that come their way, and pray that they will seek God and recognize His hand in their lives.
Wednesday: Ramba & Mount Carmel
Back to the kiddos.Ramba is always a breath of fresh air. The small children always greet us and swarm the Tuk-Tuk. They LOVE being taught about God's word. They LOVE learning who Jesus was and is. They LOVE memorizing the Bible verses we give them. And they LOVE coloring and playing games with us. Even though communication isn't great, and more often then not I feel like I'm at a zoo as they stare at me, put their hands on my arms [and feet... sorta gross and I don't understand the fascination with my feet?], and play with my Mzungu hair... these children are just too precious for words and I feel so blessed to be able to spend time with them every week.
Mount Carmel is fun. I really can't describe it any other way. We sing with them, and this week they sang to us. The girls sang and did some dances, and the boys recited a poem. It was very sweet. What struck me this week was the amount of kids who swarm the outside of the building to see what's going on, to hear the lesson, to sing the songs, and to check out the crazy Mzungus.
It reminds me of the verse in Matthew 9:37 "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." There are so many children who are eager for the gospel, but people power is needed. We see this over and over again here, the needs are so great but the amount of volunteers are so small. With prayer and people power, Christ's Hope would be able to expand VBS programming and add more ministry care points while still developing the existing ones. Pray for workers for the plentiful harvest.
Thursday: Rock & Pandi
We're connecting with people. We're making friends. At the Rock Bible Study with the teenagers, we all had a chance to share our testimony and why/how we first trusted the Lord and made Jesus our savior. The moment we ended this time- they all seemed to open up a lot more. And they even held me accountable to singing for them... which I promised them the first time we met... not only that, and I don't remember how exactly it happened... but they also convinced me to play guitar. Ok- so I am learning guitar, but I only know how to play a couple songs, and it's really bad... and I couldn't remember like any of the chords when I had the guitar in my lap anyway. I don't think they were that impressed... And now this week, they want Jessica and Anne to sing for them... so we're going to write a rap song for them :) I'm soooo looking forward to it!!! One of the girls, Whitney, joined our group this week, and man, can that girl sing! She also knows so many Christian artists and bands, her knowledge boggles my mind... and now we really have something in common which is a great place to start a good friendship. All the kids at Rock are so amazing and I can't wait to spend more and more time with them.Pandi Pieri is just across the street (or opposite) from Christ's Hope. It's a HUGE school. When we walked in the gate, already in a joyful mood because of coming straight from Rock, I heard in the distance, "Mary!" Such a warm welcome! Kids line the halls to shake our hands and give us a high five. It's so much fun. And as I walked into the corridor our classroom is in, a group of girls grabbed my arms and led me the rest of the way.
The lesson was good- but the music was fabulous!!! These kids praise God with all their hearts and use their voices so LOUDLY. I'm pretty sure if you listen closely, you'll be able to hear them in California or New York or wherever you're at. Now, at some of the primary schools, the kids enjoy shouting more than singing- but these older kids SING. I get chills every time and it sets the mood for the rest of the week and I look forward to hearing them so much leading up to Thursday afternoon. Also- like Mt. Carmel, a crowd of students hangs outside the door to the classroom and outside the window. I love it.
So just as we were leaving the class- we got swarmed. I don't mean people hanging on to my arms... it became a mob. Am I Elvis? Since when did we become as cool as the Jonas Brothers? [is it ok to make an Elvis reference and Jo Bros reference in the same example?] It was crazy. People were pulling me in all directions and hanging on me and screaming and saying my name and eventually I made it out of the mob but oh man, I have no desire to ever become famous if this is what they have to go through.
I took some video of the group singing- and I'll post it as soon as I can find my camera chord... pray that I find it?
Friday: Nanga Primary
Not the most exciting day today- but satisfying none the less. Jessica, Lillian, and I went to Nanga Primary school at the crack of dawn, well, 8:00 this morning to do the lesson. It was nice and a great way to energetically begin the day. When we got back, I got to make banana bread- my first baking experience in Africa and it's another adventure entirely to figure out how the oven works and how to cook the food evenly in it. Right now, I'm off to buy some food for tomorrow's MCP at Nyahera... and then later tonight the rumor is that we're going to Simba Club for some amazing Indian food!Thank you all for following and reading these blogs. It's so encouraging for us to read the comments and know that people are joining in prayer for our patients, the children, and us.
and tomorrow is the full day of Ministry Care Points in Nyahera and Manyatta. Pray that the children are spiritually (and literally) fed, and that we'll be able to recognize the needs of each child and have wisdom of how best to meet those needs. We also have 4 guys from the Netherlands here on holiday joining us tomorrow--- I'm sure it'll be something to write about within the next couple days :)
Kwa heri,
Mary
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Speechless
God is listening and answering prayers.
We have been praying for Fiona and her charcoal business. We were planning on getting her another bag of charcoal, but still trying to do it in a way that would really benefit her. As Marieke and I were discussing it more in depth today we approached her house and saw three bags of charcoal. When we went inside and Fiona told us that the people who sell the charcoal gave her the two extra bags and are allowing her to pay them back when she gets the money. Julie our national volunteer says that never happens because people are not trusting and she could just run off with it. I can't even believe how God answered that prayer. We COULD NOT have asked for a more perfect scenario to benefit her and her business. Praise God.
Marieke and I got the pleasure of going to Russia hospital to do visitations. Last time we were there Sharon said she wanted a Fanta orange (a favorite over here). I was very excited to go see her and bring her the soda. When we got there someone else was in her bed. We talked with other patients then checked in the other room. We didn't find her so we asked a nurse. Sharon finally got to go home. Last time we visited her all she wanted to do was go home. That was another one of our prayers and it was a big one, because no one was visiting her. It is likely that they waved the bill. Praise God! And the really awesome thing is that she is one of our patients in Manyatta so I will be able to visit her each week.
We couldn't leave without seeing Samuel. He was SO happy to see us as always and even more happy that we brought him milk. We prayed for healing for his leg. He was discharged, but his leg was still not in good shape. Now his leg is starting to heal to the bone and they are keeping him in the hospital to do a skin grapht. Praise the Lord. It is amazing HOW he is answering these prayers. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Praise Him!
Jessica
We have been praying for Fiona and her charcoal business. We were planning on getting her another bag of charcoal, but still trying to do it in a way that would really benefit her. As Marieke and I were discussing it more in depth today we approached her house and saw three bags of charcoal. When we went inside and Fiona told us that the people who sell the charcoal gave her the two extra bags and are allowing her to pay them back when she gets the money. Julie our national volunteer says that never happens because people are not trusting and she could just run off with it. I can't even believe how God answered that prayer. We COULD NOT have asked for a more perfect scenario to benefit her and her business. Praise God.
Marieke and I got the pleasure of going to Russia hospital to do visitations. Last time we were there Sharon said she wanted a Fanta orange (a favorite over here). I was very excited to go see her and bring her the soda. When we got there someone else was in her bed. We talked with other patients then checked in the other room. We didn't find her so we asked a nurse. Sharon finally got to go home. Last time we visited her all she wanted to do was go home. That was another one of our prayers and it was a big one, because no one was visiting her. It is likely that they waved the bill. Praise God! And the really awesome thing is that she is one of our patients in Manyatta so I will be able to visit her each week.
We couldn't leave without seeing Samuel. He was SO happy to see us as always and even more happy that we brought him milk. We prayed for healing for his leg. He was discharged, but his leg was still not in good shape. Now his leg is starting to heal to the bone and they are keeping him in the hospital to do a skin grapht. Praise the Lord. It is amazing HOW he is answering these prayers. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Praise Him!
Jessica
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Mt Carmel is one of our schools that we teach VBS to on Wednesday. It was our second week there as a team and my first week there personally. The kids are about 10-12 years old. I did the review from the week and then started our new subject, God is Never-Tiring. Instead of a story, Anna went through some passages with the kids about how God sustains us. (Psalm 3:5, Matthew 11:28, and Hebrews 1:3) That was our lesson but God had a much bigger lesson prepared. We then asked the kids if they had questioned. We normally teach nursery schools so we could not have even planned what happened next. All the kids started asking so many questions about the Bible. Almost every question had nothing to do with our lesson, but the kids completely opened up to us. The questions ranged from "How tall was Goliath?" to "Is God and Jesus the same person?" They were asking so many amazing questions. Teaching this age group really shows us the importance of VBS. The kids are at a crucial point in their life and I feel so honored to be able to answer these critical questions for them now. At the end of our time one kid came up to me and said in a timid voice, "I am black and you are white and there are people of different color, so what color is God?" It was so precious.
Each week we make a poster with the name of the lesson, the memory verse and the key points. When we were leaving one of the kids ran out and asked us if they could have the poster to hang in there classroom.
It is so amazing to me that these kids can't get enough of the Lord and they are the age of our middle-schoolers. After the teacher had thanked us multiple times he told us that other teachers in the school were wondering why HIS class gets to have us come teach VBS and none of the other classes get it. :) Enough Said
Oh and by the way we teach these kids during their recess/ break. This is how they would like to spend their time. As we say here: God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good. And that's his nature.
Each week we make a poster with the name of the lesson, the memory verse and the key points. When we were leaving one of the kids ran out and asked us if they could have the poster to hang in there classroom.
It is so amazing to me that these kids can't get enough of the Lord and they are the age of our middle-schoolers. After the teacher had thanked us multiple times he told us that other teachers in the school were wondering why HIS class gets to have us come teach VBS and none of the other classes get it. :) Enough Said
Oh and by the way we teach these kids during their recess/ break. This is how they would like to spend their time. As we say here: God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good. And that's his nature.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sa Sa
Tuesday
Tuesday was a blessed day because I got to and get to do Care and compassion. I went with Marieke one the Dutch volunteers and Julie a local volunteer. We went to Manyatta which is an area that is about 15 minutes away by Tuk Tuk. We did home check ups and brought patients their weekly food.
Moreen was our first patient. She is 4 years old. She is also in our ministry care point in Manyatta with her cousins Faith and Neema. When we got there she was outside washing her clothes. Moreen is a total orphan and lives with her aunt. There are 4 other children who live in the house and 2 more children who are away at boarding school. She is a very sweet silly girl. She has the funniest tendencies and she is the most unpredictable girl I have ever met, but absolutely unbelievably precious! I had a children's Bible with lots of pictures. I was trying to tell her a story but she loved the pictures so much she just wanted to look at the book. I brought her and her cousins crayons and color sheets and she was thrilled. The whole time we were there she played hand clapping games with Marieke and I. It was so great to see her sweet face more then once a week. It also opened her up to me more at the MCP this week.
Our next stop was Pamela. She used to be one of our patients, but she also has 5 children and 4 of them are in our Ministry Care Point. Pamela was not there but her oldest daughter Macerin was. She has been home from school because she has not been healthy. Macerin has epilepsy and her whole life has not been able to get the proper medicines to control it. She is extremely bright but does not have full function of her leg and arm. Macerin and I connected the first day that we met which is not always the case with our MCP kids. She got a huge smile when she saw us. Marieke was talking to her grandpa about her health so I pulled out a pocket mirror. Macerin loves to just stare at herself in the mirror. Most of the kids laugh and go crazy when they see their reflection. Something to think about....
We then went and saw Fiona. She is a current patient who is doing extremely well. She sells charcoal outside of her house. Her husband passed away and she has a two year old son. Her house is so beautiful and she has done an amazing job of decorating it and making it a home. She lives in a house with four other women. They have a merry-go-round with their money. Each week they put 100 shillings (about $1), which is what Fiona profits from her charcoal. The person who collects the money each week buys the groceries and the things for the house. They do this so no one spends money on things they don't need. It is really amazing how they all work together and rely on each other. While we were talking with Fiona she starting crying because she really wanted to buy another bag of charcoal so she could profit more. The only problem is she profits 100 shillings per bag and she puts that towards her merry-go-round. One bag of charcoal costs 800 shillings (about $8) It is so hard not to just give her the money to her then and there, but it is SO important here not to just give Kenyans things and also to have it be from a Muzungu. Markieke and I are talking about different ways that we can get Fiona another bag of charcoal. Pray that we will come up with something that will benefit Fiona in the best way possible.
Veronica was our next stop. She used to be our patient. We were just stopping by to check on her. She is no longer in our Care and Compassion program anymore, because Christ's Hope assisted her in recovery to the point that she is able to work and provide for her family. While we were there God sent us a new potential patient, Caroline's husband. Caroline was a friend of Veronica. She was there with her 9 month old son Trevor. She had not talked to her husband in over a week. He was visiting his family in the village. They are both positive. Marieke let Caroline use her phone to call her husband and see how he was doing. When she talked to him she found out that he was sick. He was supposed to go to the AIDS clinic in just a few days and she was really praying that he would make it home. Caroline was so excited that we were there and able to assist them. She even wanted to take us to their house right at that moment, so that when her husband came home we would know where they lived. Pray that Caroline's husband will make it to the clinic to get his ARV's and that we will be able to care for and encourage their family.
Jane was our last patient. She also has children in our Ministry Care Point. Two of them were home from school, so we were able to sit and pray with the three of them. Jane's health is doing great. She was having pain in her feet due to her TB meds, but after some vitamins she is doing much better. She has her own business selling candy and other different foods. It is so obvious by just being in there house that Jane takes such good care of her children. Her husband is not alive and has to take care of the girls on her own. They are all sweet precious people and Jane loves the Lord. Pray for Jane's health, her business, and her children's health and spiritual growth.
Russia (Hospital Visits)
One of my favorite things to do here is hospital visits. It is an experience that cannot be duplicated. It is almost as if you walk into one of the wards and immediately feel the presence of God. The patients hold on to every word of the Lord and are so encouraged by prayer. I cannot even fathom how strong, courageous, and tough these people are.
Our first patient that we saw was Sharon. MY Sharon. She has been discharged but cannot pay the bill. That is extremely common. She was sleeping when I walked up but opened her eyes and got a big smile on her face. She doesn't speak much English but she told me she missed me. I spent lots of time with her. I gave her some bananas, which she really enjoys. She told me over and over that she wanted to go home. That again is another circumstance cannot step in and pay the bill. Her bill is probably only about $75-$80 after being there for a month. She loved my scripture and prayer. She teared up. I told her Jesus loves her and is always with her. Then she said "I am very happy." Pray that Sharon will get out of the hospital. Pray that she will be encouraged even if she has to stay longer and she will continue to trust in the Lord.
We then went and saw Samuel who has a very bad leg injury. He has a wound all the way to the bone and the bone is dead in some parts, but he has been discharged. He also is not able to pay. We gave him some bananas. He speaks great English and is always SO happy to see us. No one could be in a bad mood around Samuel. I read him scripture and every time I would finish a sentence he would smile and say thank you. It was such a sweet time of worship. He is a new believe but he loves the Lord and the word so much. We had extra bananas so we gave them to all the men in the room. The man next to samuel did not have full function of his hands and he seemed to have a mental disorted. he tried to put the whole banana in his mouth and Samuel reached over and kept saying his name and was trying everything he could to help his friend out with his banana. It was so sweet. Pray that Samuel's Leg will heal. Pray that we will be able to visit him even when he leaves the hospital. Pray that he will continue to grow with the Lord even when he is out of the hospital.
The best part of the day was sharing scripture and praying with each patient/household. Even though most people did not understand me I made sure Julie translated even the prayer. I shared Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" and Isaiah 40:28-31"The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint." Giving encouragement through the word of God gave them hope and strength that we could not. We could literally see there body language attitude and face change after that special moment. That is why this is all worth it.
God is SO good and SO Faithful!
Jessica
Tuesday was a blessed day because I got to and get to do Care and compassion. I went with Marieke one the Dutch volunteers and Julie a local volunteer. We went to Manyatta which is an area that is about 15 minutes away by Tuk Tuk. We did home check ups and brought patients their weekly food.
Moreen was our first patient. She is 4 years old. She is also in our ministry care point in Manyatta with her cousins Faith and Neema. When we got there she was outside washing her clothes. Moreen is a total orphan and lives with her aunt. There are 4 other children who live in the house and 2 more children who are away at boarding school. She is a very sweet silly girl. She has the funniest tendencies and she is the most unpredictable girl I have ever met, but absolutely unbelievably precious! I had a children's Bible with lots of pictures. I was trying to tell her a story but she loved the pictures so much she just wanted to look at the book. I brought her and her cousins crayons and color sheets and she was thrilled. The whole time we were there she played hand clapping games with Marieke and I. It was so great to see her sweet face more then once a week. It also opened her up to me more at the MCP this week.
Our next stop was Pamela. She used to be one of our patients, but she also has 5 children and 4 of them are in our Ministry Care Point. Pamela was not there but her oldest daughter Macerin was. She has been home from school because she has not been healthy. Macerin has epilepsy and her whole life has not been able to get the proper medicines to control it. She is extremely bright but does not have full function of her leg and arm. Macerin and I connected the first day that we met which is not always the case with our MCP kids. She got a huge smile when she saw us. Marieke was talking to her grandpa about her health so I pulled out a pocket mirror. Macerin loves to just stare at herself in the mirror. Most of the kids laugh and go crazy when they see their reflection. Something to think about....
We then went and saw Fiona. She is a current patient who is doing extremely well. She sells charcoal outside of her house. Her husband passed away and she has a two year old son. Her house is so beautiful and she has done an amazing job of decorating it and making it a home. She lives in a house with four other women. They have a merry-go-round with their money. Each week they put 100 shillings (about $1), which is what Fiona profits from her charcoal. The person who collects the money each week buys the groceries and the things for the house. They do this so no one spends money on things they don't need. It is really amazing how they all work together and rely on each other. While we were talking with Fiona she starting crying because she really wanted to buy another bag of charcoal so she could profit more. The only problem is she profits 100 shillings per bag and she puts that towards her merry-go-round. One bag of charcoal costs 800 shillings (about $8) It is so hard not to just give her the money to her then and there, but it is SO important here not to just give Kenyans things and also to have it be from a Muzungu. Markieke and I are talking about different ways that we can get Fiona another bag of charcoal. Pray that we will come up with something that will benefit Fiona in the best way possible.
Veronica was our next stop. She used to be our patient. We were just stopping by to check on her. She is no longer in our Care and Compassion program anymore, because Christ's Hope assisted her in recovery to the point that she is able to work and provide for her family. While we were there God sent us a new potential patient, Caroline's husband. Caroline was a friend of Veronica. She was there with her 9 month old son Trevor. She had not talked to her husband in over a week. He was visiting his family in the village. They are both positive. Marieke let Caroline use her phone to call her husband and see how he was doing. When she talked to him she found out that he was sick. He was supposed to go to the AIDS clinic in just a few days and she was really praying that he would make it home. Caroline was so excited that we were there and able to assist them. She even wanted to take us to their house right at that moment, so that when her husband came home we would know where they lived. Pray that Caroline's husband will make it to the clinic to get his ARV's and that we will be able to care for and encourage their family.
Jane was our last patient. She also has children in our Ministry Care Point. Two of them were home from school, so we were able to sit and pray with the three of them. Jane's health is doing great. She was having pain in her feet due to her TB meds, but after some vitamins she is doing much better. She has her own business selling candy and other different foods. It is so obvious by just being in there house that Jane takes such good care of her children. Her husband is not alive and has to take care of the girls on her own. They are all sweet precious people and Jane loves the Lord. Pray for Jane's health, her business, and her children's health and spiritual growth.
Russia (Hospital Visits)
One of my favorite things to do here is hospital visits. It is an experience that cannot be duplicated. It is almost as if you walk into one of the wards and immediately feel the presence of God. The patients hold on to every word of the Lord and are so encouraged by prayer. I cannot even fathom how strong, courageous, and tough these people are.
Our first patient that we saw was Sharon. MY Sharon. She has been discharged but cannot pay the bill. That is extremely common. She was sleeping when I walked up but opened her eyes and got a big smile on her face. She doesn't speak much English but she told me she missed me. I spent lots of time with her. I gave her some bananas, which she really enjoys. She told me over and over that she wanted to go home. That again is another circumstance cannot step in and pay the bill. Her bill is probably only about $75-$80 after being there for a month. She loved my scripture and prayer. She teared up. I told her Jesus loves her and is always with her. Then she said "I am very happy." Pray that Sharon will get out of the hospital. Pray that she will be encouraged even if she has to stay longer and she will continue to trust in the Lord.
We then went and saw Samuel who has a very bad leg injury. He has a wound all the way to the bone and the bone is dead in some parts, but he has been discharged. He also is not able to pay. We gave him some bananas. He speaks great English and is always SO happy to see us. No one could be in a bad mood around Samuel. I read him scripture and every time I would finish a sentence he would smile and say thank you. It was such a sweet time of worship. He is a new believe but he loves the Lord and the word so much. We had extra bananas so we gave them to all the men in the room. The man next to samuel did not have full function of his hands and he seemed to have a mental disorted. he tried to put the whole banana in his mouth and Samuel reached over and kept saying his name and was trying everything he could to help his friend out with his banana. It was so sweet. Pray that Samuel's Leg will heal. Pray that we will be able to visit him even when he leaves the hospital. Pray that he will continue to grow with the Lord even when he is out of the hospital.
The best part of the day was sharing scripture and praying with each patient/household. Even though most people did not understand me I made sure Julie translated even the prayer. I shared Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go" and Isaiah 40:28-31"The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint." Giving encouragement through the word of God gave them hope and strength that we could not. We could literally see there body language attitude and face change after that special moment. That is why this is all worth it.
God is SO good and SO Faithful!
Jessica
Friday, July 9, 2010
Power Outage and Lil Beasties
Laura prepared us very well for this trip. I didn't go through all the team meetings prior to the trip and I still felt very prepared for this trip. One thing she told us was "Make sure to take a flashlight to the shower with you, because you never know when the lights will shut off." Pretty sure I also recall reading in the volunteer manual how the power can be dicey.
We've been here in Kisumu for 33 days. No power outages... that is... until tonight.
Just as we sat down with an amazing treat of Mocha Chip ice cream, the power shut off. No one was caught suddenly without a light, but it was a nice transition into a nice evening.
Anne got the candles out and we began our debrief. As each of us shared about our days, the ups & downs, the funny stories- I just couldn't help but feel the peace in the room while my heart rested. Each of us in the house: Anne, Marieke, Jessica and Myself, we're all getting to know each other more and more and love each other more and more. We're building that sister bond that doesn't only connect us for this one summer, but for eternity. And that is such a beautiful thing that cannot be taken away by anyone or anything.
And then to seal the deal- we heard a strange noise from the kitchen. I half expected a raccoon to be in the kitchen [now that I think about it... Kenya doesn't have raccoons?]. Marieke is a brave soul and decided to take the flashlight and investigate. No raccoon. The noise we heard was our freezer opening up and a few things falling out. BUT- we did find another "animal" as Anne calls it, but I would call it more of a monster. A cockroach. After screams and lots of running away, Brave Marieke went got the cockroach-killer-spray and began to attack. She killed it... at least to a point of it twitching on it's back. After reassembling the freezer's contents and after I examined the dying cockroach body [the science kid in me], Marieke informed us that like spiders, there's always more than one. Peace out kitchen. I'll be more content at night hanging out on the couch without any of my body touching the floor. Ever again.
All to say- I love it here. I love my sisters. I love the laughter and screams. I laughed a lot today. I'm thrilled and so excited that I get to continue the special memories of candlelight debriefs, and hilarious memories of cockroach attacks.
Just thought I'd share a glimpse into our non-ministry lives.
Lala Salama,
Mary
We've been here in Kisumu for 33 days. No power outages... that is... until tonight.
Just as we sat down with an amazing treat of Mocha Chip ice cream, the power shut off. No one was caught suddenly without a light, but it was a nice transition into a nice evening.
Anne got the candles out and we began our debrief. As each of us shared about our days, the ups & downs, the funny stories- I just couldn't help but feel the peace in the room while my heart rested. Each of us in the house: Anne, Marieke, Jessica and Myself, we're all getting to know each other more and more and love each other more and more. We're building that sister bond that doesn't only connect us for this one summer, but for eternity. And that is such a beautiful thing that cannot be taken away by anyone or anything.
And then to seal the deal- we heard a strange noise from the kitchen. I half expected a raccoon to be in the kitchen [now that I think about it... Kenya doesn't have raccoons?]. Marieke is a brave soul and decided to take the flashlight and investigate. No raccoon. The noise we heard was our freezer opening up and a few things falling out. BUT- we did find another "animal" as Anne calls it, but I would call it more of a monster. A cockroach. After screams and lots of running away, Brave Marieke went got the cockroach-killer-spray and began to attack. She killed it... at least to a point of it twitching on it's back. After reassembling the freezer's contents and after I examined the dying cockroach body [the science kid in me], Marieke informed us that like spiders, there's always more than one. Peace out kitchen. I'll be more content at night hanging out on the couch without any of my body touching the floor. Ever again.
All to say- I love it here. I love my sisters. I love the laughter and screams. I laughed a lot today. I'm thrilled and so excited that I get to continue the special memories of candlelight debriefs, and hilarious memories of cockroach attacks.
Just thought I'd share a glimpse into our non-ministry lives.
Lala Salama,
Mary
This is why I'm in Africa
Jambo Sana!
This has been a packed week. In every way shape and form. There's a lot I could say about the whole of the week, but I want to focus on...
Tuesday: Nyahera
My favorite day of the week. Hands down. I couldn't help but think as we walked into and out of each home, "This is why I'm in Africa." Walking through bushes, avoiding snakes. Sitting in homes made of sticks and clay. Digesting breathtaking views in any direction. Children chasing the Land Cruiser as we were driving on the most remote roads. Every experience was so special to my time in this lovely country.
Christ's Hope is setting up a community and child sponsorship program like that of Compassion International. So Jessica and I get to spend our time here connecting with the different families and really getting to know the children because at the end of this journey, we're writing their biographies. It is such a blessing to be able to really learn about the ins and outs of the lives. Their favorite colors. The chores they have to do- ranging from fetching water and firewood, to caring for all the children of the family. Their hope and dreams for the future. Their parental situation. Favorite animal. Everything.
So for part of the day, I was with Mama Joskey and Lillian going to each of the homes of the children involved in our Nyahera Ministry Carepoint. It was so neat to see where they live, and put the names and faces and homes all together. Most of the kids were in school, but we had the chance to speak with whomever they were living with- dad, mother, aunt, grandmother, and ask them how the children are responding to each Saturday spent together, and how they are progressing and changing at home. We got some really solid feedback. It seems like all the children really love coming every Saturday. They go home each week with full bellies smiling and sharing with their families what they learned, the Bible story, the memory verse, and of course proudly show off their color sheets. Character-wise, a few people that said that their children are more respectful around the home, and more punctual and motivated to go to school and get there on time. Those are all encouraging things to hear- but the comment that sank in the most was from Claire's father. Even though Claire lives with her grandmother who has dementia, Claire's father stays just a minutes walk away. He said that he's seen wonderful changes in Claire- but then he stopped and with all sincerity in his heart, he thanked us for what we're doing. He said that he didn't know how to raise a daughter, and it's great that we can come along side him and be a mother-figure to Claire, especially as she is quickly approaching her teenage years. I'm glad we can step along side Claire's father to guide her in this time.
Even though I was doing OVC stuffs most of the day, I did get several opportunities to go on Care & Compassion visits with Desmond and Dorine in Nyahera. It actually worked out quite nicely- we ALL went there in the Land Cruiser, then the OVC team would be dropped off to go to a few houses, while C & C went to do a couple visits... then we'd all meet back together and drive to another area of Nyahera. This was only my 2nd time out on C & C... and I just can't get enough of it. I love it so much. My heart is so in it. Walking in to these homes, praying with patients, checking in on their health, sharing an encouraging word from Scripture- I'll say it again, "This is why I'm in Africa."
I will share with you one story that's very dear to my heart, and on my mind constantly. At the Nyahera MCP, we have 3 children who've captured my attention; Geoffrey, Emmanuel, and Esther. I had the chance to go to their house without Mama and Lillian for Care and Compassion. Their mother, Marilyn, is not doing so well. She's one of our patients who is very physically weak, but her spirit is strong! She loves her children very much and I just want to see her healed and restored so she can just continue to be there to love and care for her precious children. She has 6 children total- the older three live with relatives. So Geoffrey has stepped into the role of the oldest child- responsible and makes sure to provide in any way he can for his family. He even makes sure Esther eats her lunch and has enough to eat before he eats. Emmanuel is such a happy boy. He is always one of the first to greet me each Saturday, and when we got out of the car at his house, he gave me a warm welcome. Esther is a different story- she is quiet and reserved... always aware of her surroundings and looking for ways to keep order. I've noticed that even though she is one of the youngest and smallest of the children at the MCP, she makes sure everyone is where they need to be and doing what they need to be doing. She even walked over to another boy whose pants were falling down and hoisted up his pants for him. It made me laugh for a long time. Even though Esther always warms up to us by the end of the day, she's very very shy and weary of our attention at first. I always thought this was her personality until we went to her home. After Emmanuel greeted us, I went to shake Esther's hand. She screamed and ran away. I was surprised at her reaction, because she's never acted as afraid of us as she did that day. We went inside and started our visit with her mother and Emmanuel and Esther came too. Esther was sitting with her mom and wouldn't make any eye contact while she stared at the ground. As our visit continued, I took my sunglasses, or "stunna shades", off my head and gave them to Emmanuel- as I always do on Saturdays. Esther walked outside with him and then returned my "stunna shades" to me. It was after that point that she relaxed and was friendly with us.
I didn't think much of this until Denise filled me on on her behavior. The very first time that "Mzungus" went to her house, they took her mother away to go to the hospital. So now, Esther associates "Mzungus" with the absence of her mother. She now has a lot of stress- and it is really displayed around us "Mzungus." Mama Joskey also told me that Esther was one of the most friendly and lively kids before her mother got very ill. Clearly the condition of her mother is having tremendous effects on little Esther. I later realized, after talking to my wise psychologist Dad, that when we did our sunglasses routine at her house, she recognized it was me, not just any "Mzungu" there to take her mother away again. That was encouraging because it means we are slowly building trust with her, and slowly warming her back up to us again.
Please continue to pray for Esther, Emmanuel, Geoffrey, and their mother Marilyn. My heart goes out to their family in this difficult time, and I know that with prayers, the Lord will continue to give them strength and provision.
And thank you for all the prayers going into this day of Care & Compassion. God really gave me words and scripture fore each patient, and was definitely leading all day.
Mungu yu Mwema!
Mary
This has been a packed week. In every way shape and form. There's a lot I could say about the whole of the week, but I want to focus on...
Tuesday: Nyahera
My favorite day of the week. Hands down. I couldn't help but think as we walked into and out of each home, "This is why I'm in Africa." Walking through bushes, avoiding snakes. Sitting in homes made of sticks and clay. Digesting breathtaking views in any direction. Children chasing the Land Cruiser as we were driving on the most remote roads. Every experience was so special to my time in this lovely country.
Christ's Hope is setting up a community and child sponsorship program like that of Compassion International. So Jessica and I get to spend our time here connecting with the different families and really getting to know the children because at the end of this journey, we're writing their biographies. It is such a blessing to be able to really learn about the ins and outs of the lives. Their favorite colors. The chores they have to do- ranging from fetching water and firewood, to caring for all the children of the family. Their hope and dreams for the future. Their parental situation. Favorite animal. Everything.
So for part of the day, I was with Mama Joskey and Lillian going to each of the homes of the children involved in our Nyahera Ministry Carepoint. It was so neat to see where they live, and put the names and faces and homes all together. Most of the kids were in school, but we had the chance to speak with whomever they were living with- dad, mother, aunt, grandmother, and ask them how the children are responding to each Saturday spent together, and how they are progressing and changing at home. We got some really solid feedback. It seems like all the children really love coming every Saturday. They go home each week with full bellies smiling and sharing with their families what they learned, the Bible story, the memory verse, and of course proudly show off their color sheets. Character-wise, a few people that said that their children are more respectful around the home, and more punctual and motivated to go to school and get there on time. Those are all encouraging things to hear- but the comment that sank in the most was from Claire's father. Even though Claire lives with her grandmother who has dementia, Claire's father stays just a minutes walk away. He said that he's seen wonderful changes in Claire- but then he stopped and with all sincerity in his heart, he thanked us for what we're doing. He said that he didn't know how to raise a daughter, and it's great that we can come along side him and be a mother-figure to Claire, especially as she is quickly approaching her teenage years. I'm glad we can step along side Claire's father to guide her in this time.
Even though I was doing OVC stuffs most of the day, I did get several opportunities to go on Care & Compassion visits with Desmond and Dorine in Nyahera. It actually worked out quite nicely- we ALL went there in the Land Cruiser, then the OVC team would be dropped off to go to a few houses, while C & C went to do a couple visits... then we'd all meet back together and drive to another area of Nyahera. This was only my 2nd time out on C & C... and I just can't get enough of it. I love it so much. My heart is so in it. Walking in to these homes, praying with patients, checking in on their health, sharing an encouraging word from Scripture- I'll say it again, "This is why I'm in Africa."
I will share with you one story that's very dear to my heart, and on my mind constantly. At the Nyahera MCP, we have 3 children who've captured my attention; Geoffrey, Emmanuel, and Esther. I had the chance to go to their house without Mama and Lillian for Care and Compassion. Their mother, Marilyn, is not doing so well. She's one of our patients who is very physically weak, but her spirit is strong! She loves her children very much and I just want to see her healed and restored so she can just continue to be there to love and care for her precious children. She has 6 children total- the older three live with relatives. So Geoffrey has stepped into the role of the oldest child- responsible and makes sure to provide in any way he can for his family. He even makes sure Esther eats her lunch and has enough to eat before he eats. Emmanuel is such a happy boy. He is always one of the first to greet me each Saturday, and when we got out of the car at his house, he gave me a warm welcome. Esther is a different story- she is quiet and reserved... always aware of her surroundings and looking for ways to keep order. I've noticed that even though she is one of the youngest and smallest of the children at the MCP, she makes sure everyone is where they need to be and doing what they need to be doing. She even walked over to another boy whose pants were falling down and hoisted up his pants for him. It made me laugh for a long time. Even though Esther always warms up to us by the end of the day, she's very very shy and weary of our attention at first. I always thought this was her personality until we went to her home. After Emmanuel greeted us, I went to shake Esther's hand. She screamed and ran away. I was surprised at her reaction, because she's never acted as afraid of us as she did that day. We went inside and started our visit with her mother and Emmanuel and Esther came too. Esther was sitting with her mom and wouldn't make any eye contact while she stared at the ground. As our visit continued, I took my sunglasses, or "stunna shades", off my head and gave them to Emmanuel- as I always do on Saturdays. Esther walked outside with him and then returned my "stunna shades" to me. It was after that point that she relaxed and was friendly with us.
I didn't think much of this until Denise filled me on on her behavior. The very first time that "Mzungus" went to her house, they took her mother away to go to the hospital. So now, Esther associates "Mzungus" with the absence of her mother. She now has a lot of stress- and it is really displayed around us "Mzungus." Mama Joskey also told me that Esther was one of the most friendly and lively kids before her mother got very ill. Clearly the condition of her mother is having tremendous effects on little Esther. I later realized, after talking to my wise psychologist Dad, that when we did our sunglasses routine at her house, she recognized it was me, not just any "Mzungu" there to take her mother away again. That was encouraging because it means we are slowly building trust with her, and slowly warming her back up to us again.
Please continue to pray for Esther, Emmanuel, Geoffrey, and their mother Marilyn. My heart goes out to their family in this difficult time, and I know that with prayers, the Lord will continue to give them strength and provision.
And thank you for all the prayers going into this day of Care & Compassion. God really gave me words and scripture fore each patient, and was definitely leading all day.
Mungu yu Mwema!
Mary
Monday, July 5, 2010
MCPs and New Life
Hello and Happy Belated 4th of July!!!
Oh this past week. This week left me exhausted. This week left me in need of God. This week was a good week.
With the team gone, we settled into our "regular" schedule. Tons of VBS and Bible Studies. We worked with all ages. The primary schools were a blast. Lots of singing and coloring... and only a few of them were scared of the Mzungus this time! Praise God! My personal favorite were the 10ish year olds... for several reasons. They understand enough English to not need a translator, which simplifies things a lot. They're also at an age where they can really begin to understand the Bible story and apply it to their lives. And... this age is a great age to just be goofy with and have a lot of fun with... and they all LOVED "Jesus Loves Me- NaNaNa remix"... mostly the jumping we incorporated with the song :) For more about the VBS and Bible Study ministry we did, check out Jessica's blogpost.
I'm going to talk more about the Ministry Care Points (MCPs) on Saturday at Nyahera and Manyatta.
We used a different approach to this week... instead of the normal play time-Bible story-song singing-color sheet routine, we mixed it up a bit. In an OVC meeting earlier this week, we all decided that we need to really get to know the kids now that they're beginning to open up to us. So, we focused on "emotional" well being this week. That meant no Bible story and no color sheets. Instead, we split into a few groups: older girls, older boys, and younger girls and boys. Jessica took the girls group, I took the boys group, and Anne took the younger group. In the older groups, we talked- about what they like to do for fun, who God is in their lives, what they want to be when they grow up, and their family situations. These kids blow me away. Completely. Most are living with one parent and several siblings... or with a grandparent or another relative. But, they are getting by. The older siblings take care of the younger ones. Every child helps in chores and work. Some carry water for the family. Others cook or babysit. And still, each child I talked to had such joy and longing to know the Lord more. Geoffrey from Nyahera even wants to be preacher! These children also have such a diverse ambitions: drivers, pilots, teachers, carpenters... the list goes on and on.
It's my prayer that the children will continue to open up to us. They each have hurt they need to share. They each have a story to tell. And they each have so much love from us here. It's a safe space. They can be kids. For just a few hours every Saturday, we can carry their burdens... and then continue carrying them through the week through prayer.
Today (Monday) is our day off... so Jessica and I decided we wanted to volunteer at an orphan home just a 10 minute walk from the CHI headquarters. This orphan home, New Life, houses babies, toddlers, and special needs children. Our task today was to attend to the needs of the babies and assist the staff with them. As soon as we began to walk up the stairs to their living area, we heard screams and cries from several children... feeding time! The living room had about 12 babies and small small toddlers in the arms of the staff women, or anxiously waiting their turn in the baby seats... I don't know how many children were actually in the room, because it is an intricate system of rotating the kids between feeding, waiting, and changing. Jessica and I jumped right in to help out. After we fed who knows how many babies, the youngest ones got put down for a morning nap while we took the older babies (the ones who could sit up) outside.
These babies have such personalities already! and some are just the biggest snuggle bugs... but don't get the snuggle time babies love. It's very interesting to work with children in another culture. Kenyan culture doesn't have as much emphasis on babies that America has... that is, their philosophy is seems to be if a baby is crying, leave him/her alone. If a baby wants to snuggle, distance yourself. Don't connect to these kids. Well, we found ourselves doing the exact opposite! With encouragement from Bev (an English women who seems to run the place), if the kids were crying, we played with them. If they were little snuggle bugs, we picked them up and held them. One little girl, Brianna, seemed to be only a couple months old. She only has two fingers on her right arm. I wonder what her story is? Anyways, one of the women put her in my lap. She was crying, and crying, and crying, and crying. So I walked with her... and walked... and walked... and walked. I sat--- she started crying again. So I continued to walk... and walk... and walk... and walk. At the point when I was the most discouraged, Bev came up to me and encouraged me to spend that time with just Brianna. These kids need alone time, mother time, 1-on-1 time... and because of the amount of children, and high demand of staff, these kids don't get that. Eventually, Brianna fell asleep so I continued to rock her. Such a precious little child.
The other two kids that really captured my heart and attention were Seth and Aaron. As we were feeding the kids at the beginning of the day, Seth was crawling around. He was so funny! The floor is real slippy tile, so he was sliding around and he was on his belly spinning circles and giggling... sounds like something I would have done as a kid :) He was maybe the biggest snuggle bug there was today. He loved to be picked up. He loved to play games with us... and make up games... and he eventually realized that if he fell backwards, someone would catch him before he hit his head on the ground... so he continued to fall backwards, again and again. He also kept trying to lay with his brother... so precious, but it was obvious that his brother wasn't feeling it. Such a funny kid which such personality! After outside time we went back upstairs to feed again... the older kids first so they could lay down for their afternoon nap, then the younger babies so that they could be awake for a bit before their afternoon nap. The first kid I got to feed was Aaron. He's such a little chunker baby. So adorable. And he was beyond thrilled that it was time to eat! I was feeding him some potato carrot mush stuff, and he would attack the spoon, then try to grab the food with his hands, and then do a happy-to-be-eating dance. It was a riot... messy too! When he finished the food and started to drink his bottle, he sat calmly and settled into my arms. His big eyes were interested in the entire room and he was so distracted by the noises and sights around him. When he finally finished, I took him in to lay him down for his nap... he wouldn't let go of my necklace, then wouldn't let go of my hand. Another precious child who stole my heart today.
So that's been our weekend and day today. Tomorrow Jessica and I are going out on Care & Compassion. Please pray that we can make the switch from kids to adults, that the Spirit will guide us and give us words, and that in all we do, we'll glorify our Holy God!
Mungu Aku Bariki,
Mary
Oh this past week. This week left me exhausted. This week left me in need of God. This week was a good week.
With the team gone, we settled into our "regular" schedule. Tons of VBS and Bible Studies. We worked with all ages. The primary schools were a blast. Lots of singing and coloring... and only a few of them were scared of the Mzungus this time! Praise God! My personal favorite were the 10ish year olds... for several reasons. They understand enough English to not need a translator, which simplifies things a lot. They're also at an age where they can really begin to understand the Bible story and apply it to their lives. And... this age is a great age to just be goofy with and have a lot of fun with... and they all LOVED "Jesus Loves Me- NaNaNa remix"... mostly the jumping we incorporated with the song :) For more about the VBS and Bible Study ministry we did, check out Jessica's blogpost.
I'm going to talk more about the Ministry Care Points (MCPs) on Saturday at Nyahera and Manyatta.
We used a different approach to this week... instead of the normal play time-Bible story-song singing-color sheet routine, we mixed it up a bit. In an OVC meeting earlier this week, we all decided that we need to really get to know the kids now that they're beginning to open up to us. So, we focused on "emotional" well being this week. That meant no Bible story and no color sheets. Instead, we split into a few groups: older girls, older boys, and younger girls and boys. Jessica took the girls group, I took the boys group, and Anne took the younger group. In the older groups, we talked- about what they like to do for fun, who God is in their lives, what they want to be when they grow up, and their family situations. These kids blow me away. Completely. Most are living with one parent and several siblings... or with a grandparent or another relative. But, they are getting by. The older siblings take care of the younger ones. Every child helps in chores and work. Some carry water for the family. Others cook or babysit. And still, each child I talked to had such joy and longing to know the Lord more. Geoffrey from Nyahera even wants to be preacher! These children also have such a diverse ambitions: drivers, pilots, teachers, carpenters... the list goes on and on.
It's my prayer that the children will continue to open up to us. They each have hurt they need to share. They each have a story to tell. And they each have so much love from us here. It's a safe space. They can be kids. For just a few hours every Saturday, we can carry their burdens... and then continue carrying them through the week through prayer.
Today (Monday) is our day off... so Jessica and I decided we wanted to volunteer at an orphan home just a 10 minute walk from the CHI headquarters. This orphan home, New Life, houses babies, toddlers, and special needs children. Our task today was to attend to the needs of the babies and assist the staff with them. As soon as we began to walk up the stairs to their living area, we heard screams and cries from several children... feeding time! The living room had about 12 babies and small small toddlers in the arms of the staff women, or anxiously waiting their turn in the baby seats... I don't know how many children were actually in the room, because it is an intricate system of rotating the kids between feeding, waiting, and changing. Jessica and I jumped right in to help out. After we fed who knows how many babies, the youngest ones got put down for a morning nap while we took the older babies (the ones who could sit up) outside.
These babies have such personalities already! and some are just the biggest snuggle bugs... but don't get the snuggle time babies love. It's very interesting to work with children in another culture. Kenyan culture doesn't have as much emphasis on babies that America has... that is, their philosophy is seems to be if a baby is crying, leave him/her alone. If a baby wants to snuggle, distance yourself. Don't connect to these kids. Well, we found ourselves doing the exact opposite! With encouragement from Bev (an English women who seems to run the place), if the kids were crying, we played with them. If they were little snuggle bugs, we picked them up and held them. One little girl, Brianna, seemed to be only a couple months old. She only has two fingers on her right arm. I wonder what her story is? Anyways, one of the women put her in my lap. She was crying, and crying, and crying, and crying. So I walked with her... and walked... and walked... and walked. I sat--- she started crying again. So I continued to walk... and walk... and walk... and walk. At the point when I was the most discouraged, Bev came up to me and encouraged me to spend that time with just Brianna. These kids need alone time, mother time, 1-on-1 time... and because of the amount of children, and high demand of staff, these kids don't get that. Eventually, Brianna fell asleep so I continued to rock her. Such a precious little child.
The other two kids that really captured my heart and attention were Seth and Aaron. As we were feeding the kids at the beginning of the day, Seth was crawling around. He was so funny! The floor is real slippy tile, so he was sliding around and he was on his belly spinning circles and giggling... sounds like something I would have done as a kid :) He was maybe the biggest snuggle bug there was today. He loved to be picked up. He loved to play games with us... and make up games... and he eventually realized that if he fell backwards, someone would catch him before he hit his head on the ground... so he continued to fall backwards, again and again. He also kept trying to lay with his brother... so precious, but it was obvious that his brother wasn't feeling it. Such a funny kid which such personality! After outside time we went back upstairs to feed again... the older kids first so they could lay down for their afternoon nap, then the younger babies so that they could be awake for a bit before their afternoon nap. The first kid I got to feed was Aaron. He's such a little chunker baby. So adorable. And he was beyond thrilled that it was time to eat! I was feeding him some potato carrot mush stuff, and he would attack the spoon, then try to grab the food with his hands, and then do a happy-to-be-eating dance. It was a riot... messy too! When he finished the food and started to drink his bottle, he sat calmly and settled into my arms. His big eyes were interested in the entire room and he was so distracted by the noises and sights around him. When he finally finished, I took him in to lay him down for his nap... he wouldn't let go of my necklace, then wouldn't let go of my hand. Another precious child who stole my heart today.
So that's been our weekend and day today. Tomorrow Jessica and I are going out on Care & Compassion. Please pray that we can make the switch from kids to adults, that the Spirit will guide us and give us words, and that in all we do, we'll glorify our Holy God!
Mungu Aku Bariki,
Mary
Sunday, July 4, 2010
A William Update
William came to church again today. Praise the Lord! He told me that he just finished reading the book of John and thought it was great. He said he has starting reading more passages from his Bible. During the service the pastor said that one of the biggest blessings that God could give us is people. He told us to turn to the people next to us and tell them that they are a blessing. William turned to me and said that God sent us to him and blessed him with salvation. Praise God! Then after the service Mary was talking to him while I was talking to Catherine (the girl that Pam helped lead to the Lord). He was telling her that on his way home last Sunday from church he stopped and evangelised to a group and people and led some of them to Christ. William also said that he has been evangelising everyday all over Manyatta. A local area where he lives. It is so unbelievable how God is working in his life. There is no doubt that God is answering all our prayers for William. Praise the Lord!
Jessica
Jessica
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Babies, Kids, and Teens
This week has been a busy week with OVC. We started a few of our new schools this week and continued with some of our old ones.
AIC Ramba
It was my third time returning to this nursery school. The ages range from about 3-7 years old. The teachers at Ramba are so happy to see us every time we come. We teach them a bible story. This week was God is Merciful. We told the story of the Prodigal Son and taught them a memory verse. One of my favorite things about Ramba is that the teachers go over the material each Friday, so every time we come back the kids actually remember some things we taught them. I love that the teachers care that much.
After the lesson we went out and played with the kids. All of the kids went over behind one of the buildings into a huddle. Another kid came over and told us what was going on. There was a snake. By the time we got over there one of the kids chopped its head of with a stick. TIA (This is Africa)
While some of us were at Ramba another group was at Mount Carmel, one of our new schools. They are Jr High and speak English. I am excited to report how that goes next week.
Riatt
After a 15 minute matatu ride and a 25 minute walk we finally made it to our next nursery school. We taught the same lesson at Ramba due to their age. The kids at Riatt are so well behaved. It is a nursery school that is owned by a Kenyan pastor and his German wife. They opened it because their were so many young children where they lived and they would have to walk a long way to go to school. It is one of the cutest schools I have seen and it is located in one of the most gorgeous places in Kenya. It is such a blessing to walk through the hills and see this school. And to travel all that way just to speak the word of God.
When we were done and the school day was over we were walking with the kids. (about 3 kids holding each hand) What might we find? A monkey that was killed then hung. The monkeys eat the corn so they killed them. They hung in the tree to warn off the other monkeys. At least the kids seemed to get to kick out of it. TIA
The Rock
The Rock is an orphanage as well as a school that focus on taking in street boys. We started a VBS with the younger children (while I was at Riatt) and we also started a Bible study with some of the older kids. We have 17 kids/teens ranging from 10-17 years old. Since it was our first day we just wanted to get to know them a little bit better. We did a name game as a large group then split up into our small groups. Mary and I have a group that we will be with the rest of the time we are here. Our group named us Team Jesus. One of the greatest things about spending time with these kids is that they speak English. It sounds silly but it is amazing. The first thing they did before they would converse was tell us that we are welcome and that they are happy that we are there to teach them the word of God. ALL of them are so eager to learn. Anne and I went to The Rock Monday for a minute and talked to one of the boys who was going to be in our study. He told us that he was so excited that we were coming because he wanted to learn and grow in Jesus. The boy is only about 15. All of the kids are total orphans and all of them are so happy and loving. Everyone has huge dreams for the future. It was so amazing to sit and get to know these kids. We will need huge prayers for their spiritual growth.
Pandipieri
It is a large catholic school across the street from us that has a couple thousand children. It was our first time teaching there. We again got to speak to students who understand English. When we go to nursery school we always us a translator, but we were able to teach and ask questions all on our own. The kids were 12-15 years old. We told the story of the prodigal son and asked more challenging questions. It was awesome to be able to really jump into the Bible with the kids. Although I think that was the first time I have been in a classroom where at least half the class already knew the story. Praise God for Kenyans love of the Lord! Mary also taught them a fun song that they loved. At the end when we had to leave they were almost tackling us to shake our hands good bye. They definitely enjoyed it.
New Life Orphanage
There is an orphanage here that Mary and I will be going to on Mondays, our "days off." We just love the babies. On Friday we went there to set everything up with the orphanage. We got to feed the babies, hold, and play with them. New Life takes in abandoned children, HIV Positive children, and they have an amazing special needs program. We talked to the people running it and they were so excited that we were going to help, due to the fact that they have so many kids/babies. One other thing they were happy about was the fact that we as westerners play with the babies. Kenyans don't really play with the babies so they were hoping that we would be a good influence. I guess I can handle playing with babies. :)
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Jessica
AIC Ramba
It was my third time returning to this nursery school. The ages range from about 3-7 years old. The teachers at Ramba are so happy to see us every time we come. We teach them a bible story. This week was God is Merciful. We told the story of the Prodigal Son and taught them a memory verse. One of my favorite things about Ramba is that the teachers go over the material each Friday, so every time we come back the kids actually remember some things we taught them. I love that the teachers care that much.
After the lesson we went out and played with the kids. All of the kids went over behind one of the buildings into a huddle. Another kid came over and told us what was going on. There was a snake. By the time we got over there one of the kids chopped its head of with a stick. TIA (This is Africa)
While some of us were at Ramba another group was at Mount Carmel, one of our new schools. They are Jr High and speak English. I am excited to report how that goes next week.
Riatt
After a 15 minute matatu ride and a 25 minute walk we finally made it to our next nursery school. We taught the same lesson at Ramba due to their age. The kids at Riatt are so well behaved. It is a nursery school that is owned by a Kenyan pastor and his German wife. They opened it because their were so many young children where they lived and they would have to walk a long way to go to school. It is one of the cutest schools I have seen and it is located in one of the most gorgeous places in Kenya. It is such a blessing to walk through the hills and see this school. And to travel all that way just to speak the word of God.
When we were done and the school day was over we were walking with the kids. (about 3 kids holding each hand) What might we find? A monkey that was killed then hung. The monkeys eat the corn so they killed them. They hung in the tree to warn off the other monkeys. At least the kids seemed to get to kick out of it. TIA
The Rock
The Rock is an orphanage as well as a school that focus on taking in street boys. We started a VBS with the younger children (while I was at Riatt) and we also started a Bible study with some of the older kids. We have 17 kids/teens ranging from 10-17 years old. Since it was our first day we just wanted to get to know them a little bit better. We did a name game as a large group then split up into our small groups. Mary and I have a group that we will be with the rest of the time we are here. Our group named us Team Jesus. One of the greatest things about spending time with these kids is that they speak English. It sounds silly but it is amazing. The first thing they did before they would converse was tell us that we are welcome and that they are happy that we are there to teach them the word of God. ALL of them are so eager to learn. Anne and I went to The Rock Monday for a minute and talked to one of the boys who was going to be in our study. He told us that he was so excited that we were coming because he wanted to learn and grow in Jesus. The boy is only about 15. All of the kids are total orphans and all of them are so happy and loving. Everyone has huge dreams for the future. It was so amazing to sit and get to know these kids. We will need huge prayers for their spiritual growth.
Pandipieri
It is a large catholic school across the street from us that has a couple thousand children. It was our first time teaching there. We again got to speak to students who understand English. When we go to nursery school we always us a translator, but we were able to teach and ask questions all on our own. The kids were 12-15 years old. We told the story of the prodigal son and asked more challenging questions. It was awesome to be able to really jump into the Bible with the kids. Although I think that was the first time I have been in a classroom where at least half the class already knew the story. Praise God for Kenyans love of the Lord! Mary also taught them a fun song that they loved. At the end when we had to leave they were almost tackling us to shake our hands good bye. They definitely enjoyed it.
New Life Orphanage
There is an orphanage here that Mary and I will be going to on Mondays, our "days off." We just love the babies. On Friday we went there to set everything up with the orphanage. We got to feed the babies, hold, and play with them. New Life takes in abandoned children, HIV Positive children, and they have an amazing special needs program. We talked to the people running it and they were so excited that we were going to help, due to the fact that they have so many kids/babies. One other thing they were happy about was the fact that we as westerners play with the babies. Kenyans don't really play with the babies so they were hoping that we would be a good influence. I guess I can handle playing with babies. :)
Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Jessica
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