How The Generosity Of Others Makes My Days Amazing

I was able to do some pretty rad things today...I'm excited to share them with you. And, I'm aware that the last two weeks have been full of long, overly-wordy posts, so today I'm hoping to give you a few more photos and a bit more brevity. 

Here goes nothing.

From the moment I walked in today, Dinah was calling my name and asking to be carried around. She's a tiny child, but she gets really heavy after awhile, so I brought her straight over to a chair in the shade to hang out.

Male joined us for a while...kid loves her photos. She keeps putting scraps of things over her eyes and asking me to take her picture.

I taught Linah the beauty of the topknot, too. She got in to it and even had me re-do it a few times when it came loose.

Dinah is really cute. And she's a genius. She sat on the patio and let all the other kids come to her to play.

Victor had a prime lounging spot in the middle of the living room today. He was right in the center of all of the action and LOVED it!

Phoebe's cousin June visited the house today. Linah kept calling her "the beautiful child." She would whisper to me, "Tell her she is beautiful." It turned out, Linah thought June only spoke English and then was super embarrassed when she realized June had understood the whole thing! I asked them to sit for a picture and Linah said, "No! I'm afraid of her! She's beautiful!"

Sammy has been in Nairobi for two days and the kids are missing her like crazy. I came outside today and found them in a group, talking to Sammy on speakerphone.

Trinah fell and hurt her arm today, so she sat on my lap until she felt up to playing again. She also finished my tea in the meantime (which is great considering I was semi-forced into drinking tea today!)

Bram pushed Allan around all day. They went around and around the compound, stopping to make jokes (and cause trouble!)

Manu also loves to have his picture taken. He had been surrounded by friends until moments before this photo, but I love this lone-shot of him!

I was holding Dinah until she saw John. He is so kind and loving that all of the littles love to spend time with him while he's home from school.

Christine had Mickey Mouse hair today. She's incredibly cute and has an adorably tiny voice...I take about ten pictures of her everyday.

There are 7 students from Oasis of Hope who are still in school in Kitale. They have been fighting to make ends meet and achieve their dreams of finishing secondary school (THREE of them will graduate in November!) As a special treat, before school begins again on Monday, I took them to town for chicken and fries. And sodas, of course. All really special treats for these guys. (Our motorcycle taxi driver also joined us for lunch.)

The lunch crew: Allan, John, Amlango, Sheila, Paul, and Jackson.

Okay, I lied. Here's a quick story:

This is John. He lives on the street and, a few weeks ago, was beat up pretty badly by another street boy. He found us in town one day and told me his arm was broken. I asked him to come to the clinic we were hosting in Kipsongo the next day to seek a doctor's opinion. Upon the doctor's request, we sent him to get an X-Ray, and then have a cast put on until the fracture healed. Today, I was able to give him a big package of milk and the small amount of money it will cost to have the cast removed. I am sad that he still lives on the street, but so excited to see him with two fully functioning arms.

We came back from town with some food (to give to the three school boys who live on their own) and everyone wanted to help unload. Moses took his responsibility over this salt very seriously.

Someone lent the boys a Playstation and, as classic teenagers, they took turns playing and watching each other play a racing game for a few hours before dinner. (One even offered me a turn...so kind of him!)

Today I was reminded of the amazing opportunity I have been given. Today, I was able to treat kids who have no one to care for them, to a special lunch. I was able to give street kids packets of milk and give one money for medical care he would otherwise not have received. I was able to do all of these things because of the generosity of people who believed that this is where God wanted me to be, at this time, and gave to make it a reality.

To say I am grateful to live these stories each day would be an understatement. Thank you to those of you that gave--and continue to give. Thank you for your prayerful and emotional support as well. It's such a gift, to me and to those I have the privilege of serving.

Dog-Shaped Leashes and Precious Kids Dreams

Well, on Friday morning we knew Steve and his team were coming to the center. We arrived an hour or so earlier to give the house moms some help preparing the place for visitors--and to test out the new "leash" backpack Sammy's mom had brought for Suzie. (She has a really hard time when there is too much excitement around her.) We strapped it to her back (it's shaped like a puppy backpack) and I held the tail as she ran away. She instantly looked at me as if to say, "You've gotta be kidding me." and came back over, grabbed the tail from me and ran away again. All-in-all it was about a 45-second interaction and everyone on the compound got a kick out of it. We settled for piggy back rides, which also do well to keep her calm.

The house moms brought a big mat outside and we each grabbed one of kids with limited mobility and carried them out to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. I picked up Dan and danced with him for a minute or so before laying him on the mat. He didn't seem to mind and even drooled all over my shoulder to show his appreciation.

I plopped down next to the kids on the mat--in the shade--and was quickly swarmed by a few littles (Dinah, Moses, and Rael) and Suzie. We watched as Sarah, Linah, and Toni swung kids back and forth and others ran over to line-up for their turn.

A few hours later, we got a call saying we should meet Steve's team at their house. When we arrived, the team was not quite ready to go, so we made up a game to pass the time. Here's the sister vs. sister tree climbing contest:

Sammy won, but Kevin would not let her hold the climbing title alone. Not to be outdone, he climbed higher up the tree and then hung upside down from one of the branches. He was impressive, but Sammy was barefoot, so I'm pretty sure that gives her a few extra points.

Two monkeys in the tree.

Finally, we loaded up both teams in to two vans and made it back to the kids center in time for lunch. Several of the guests grabbed bowls and fed kids while many of us just sat in the crowd and chatted while the kids ate.

It was physical therapy day, so Whitney and her brother Junior had walked over with their other brother, Allan who sees the doctor at the center twice a week. While she waited, patiently, and watched, I painted her nails. We were instantly best friends...she was never more than two steps behind me for the rest of the day.

After lunch, I wanted to get a picture of the three of them to show you the strongest DNA I've ever seen. Honestly, all three look just like their mother.

It's always fun to have Steve around...he appreciates my ridiculous sense of humor--well, he appreciates that I laugh at his dad jokes and we both like puns--and I just realized I've known his family for over 20 years. (That makes me feel really old.)

Kamari jumped right in. She was carrying kids around, dancing, passing around her sunglasses and taking pictures...the kids loved her. (And Sam loved the attention.)

Toni was painting nails for a while. Mary was so excited to show me her new pretty pink "cutex."

Lucy's family is one that we've all loved for years. Her three older sisters and one older brother were part of the Oasis of Hope house program and Lucy was taken to school by a sponsor from one of the college-age summer trips that came to Kitale in 2010, so everyone looks for Lucy and asks about her family while in town.

Linah has been so cute about asking for lipstick. And, with her skin tone, the shades I have in my purse seem to work well on her. I put some on and told her to show Steve. He caught my attention and asked me to surprise Linah by putting the same shade on him. She loved it.

Hillary came out to give me something and I noticed that he had drawn tattoos up his arm to match Cynthia and Sammy. I called Cynthia over to take a side-by-side of the matching sleeve.

Linah has been growing out her hair so I can be put in braids, but it's not quite long enough yet. Caren was helping to give a bit of style in the meantime. And here's one more shot of Suzie and the backpack she hates so much. (This was just for a photo--we're not really making her wear it!)

Steve pulled the team in to the house and asked Sammy to give a brief history of the center, share a few stories of how the kids came to live at the house, and then gave a chance for the team to ask questions. I always love to hear Sammy's heart for this place. She is soft-spoken when it comes to this side of things (not so much when she has to stand up for herself or for the rights of these children!) but her authenticity and humility shine through the details of the process of piecing together this wonderful family.

When she had finished, we packed in to two vans--just as the rain began--and headed toward Gilgal Secondary School. It was their last day of school before a month-long break and they were anxiously awaiting our arrival to begin their closing program. We arrived at the school just as the rains ended, the students had set-up rows of chairs on their basketball court and as we sat down, the sewing class presented a fashion show of the different items they had learned to stitch during this term. We also met "Ms. Tourism Trans-Nzoia" who was wearing the most beautiful green dress.

There is also a baby home on the Gilgal grounds, so a few of us had small children sitting on our laps. This is Joseph. He grabbed my glasses and did this pose all on his own. Someone behind us whispered, "swag!"

The rains returned about twenty minutes later and the ceremony was forced indoors to the church/multi-purpose room on site. Once I was seated, Joseph found me again.

Sammy disappeared for a while when we arrived, but reappeared holding this little guy, Joel. Joel's mother had not wanted to keep him and tried to stuff him in a pit latrine, breaking both of his arms in the process. Fortunately, he survived, but has some developmental issues--he is almost three, but does not walk and can hardly crawl. Needless to say, he is Sammy's absolute favorite. The two were inseparable for the rest of the afternoon.

We left Gigal with one more stop to make before dinner: the new Precious Kids Center property! I have visited this site with a few teams now and it is such fun to watch them see the new land with the current house in the back of their mind. When they know the kids and see the limited space they are currently living in, they have so much more excitement and passion for the endless opportunities available in this new home. (Some of the adjacent land is still for sale, in case Sammy wants to expand someday.)

The team was exhausted, so we took them home for dinner. Sammy and I quickly changed out of filthy clothes from the day (her buddy Joel was really stinky by the time we left!) and went to join Steve and his team for dinner at the Kitale Club.

Here's me with Kamari and Hannah after dinner. I was wiiiiiiped out...I can't imagine how tired the team must have been!

But. It didn't stop us from making a huge bowl of popcorn and trying our best to beat Jordan (which, yet again, proved to be impossible) at Five Crowns.

This Is Not The First Time I've Rapped For A Room Filled With High Schoolers

On Wednesday morning, we had some issues with the van, (the door had come off of the hinges and was stuck "closed"--you can see from the photos that it was still about 2" open) but with places to go and people to see, we couldn't let it stop us. We grabbed a step-stool (end table) from the house and loaded up the van the only way we could: through the window. Fortunately, it was fixed that afternoon and we only had to suffer this embarrassment three times.

When we arrived at Steve's, they were unloading the tubs of supplies and donations the team had brought in Rubbermaid tubs. At the start of the trip, everything is unpacked and sorted so that each morning, a tub can be filled with items to be distributed at one of the locations we'll be visiting that day. In the midst of all of this, Steve gifted Sammy and I matching Oakley rain slicker coats. I've never been so excited to receive free Oakley apparel...that coat is warm!

Steve's favorite way to begin any trip is with a tour through town. This gives the team a good grasp of Kitale, a chance to shop for any snacks they might want or necessities they forgot to pack, and, as we walk, it allows them to meet the team of Kenyans and Rwandans that will be traveling with them over the next week or so. We begin at one end of town, walk down to the huge superstore at the other end of the main street and then circle back toward the vans, stopping for lunch at the newest center on the way.

One of the first stops is to Mr Shah's. He is a long-time friend of Steve's and is always so happy to chat with him over a Red Bull. Being that the team was still a bit jet-lagged (and a few of Sammy's family and friends had started to feel the effects of staying up until midnight after long days) the 6-pack of Red Bulls was well received.

In the meantime, the stock guys watched from the back as the swarm of Americans chitchatted and drank energy drinks at 10am.

Then we walked across the street to visit a shop owned by our Rwandan friend Juliette. She was a street girl in Kigali when she met Steve with her best friend Hannah (and Hannah's brother Emmanuel.) Now, years later, she and her husband own a shop in Kitaletown and have a beautiful 2-year old daughter.

As we waited for the team to make introductions and look around, Sammy entertained the rapidly growing street boy following that was now traveling along with us.

We finally made it to the superstore with about ten street boys in our pack. Sammy's mom, showing a bit of where Sammy's compassion and care stems from, wandered through the store picking up packets of milk and biscuits, while her friends bought a few loaves of bread. When we walked outside, Sammy called the smaller street boys over to the car and handed out one of each item to the boys. These three sweet kids said thank you and agreed to let us take their photos.

The team followed me to our lunch spot (we bought a bag of about 7 avocados for $2 on the way) where we had the restaurant set a table for 17. (and it was still not enough chairs!) We placed orders and sipped sodas while we waited for the meals to be served. In the meantime, Sammy ran back to the kids house to check on a few things, and brought Allan to town to buy his very first pair of shoes! Allan's cerebral palsy meant that his feet were stuck in a pointed-toe position. The surgery he had a few months ago stretched his Achilles heel so he can begin to learn to walk flat-footed. He was so happy and so proud to show off his new shoes to the team!

After lunch, we brought the team over to visit Sister Freda's Cottage Hospital. Sammy's younger sister had mentioned that morning over breakfast, how excited she was to finally meet Freda. She said, she'd heard about her for years and even did a report on her for school (for which she received an A!) So, when Freda walked out and introduced herself to Toni, I knew I had to capture the moment. Look at her excited face!

We toured the grounds, which include a farm, a nursery school, a small orphanage, a girl's secondary school and a nursing school. It's quite the place. I have been visiting the farm for years and even toured with her late husband in 2009...one of my favorite memories. So, now I had a hard time paying close attention to every second of the tour. (Case in point, this photo here.)

A few of the nursing students came out to say hello to the team, just as the storm clouds settled in. I love this photo because it shows the changing sky, but also because it looks like the girls on the left are doing some sort of choreographed dance, though I think I just caught them in a moment of laughter and they all happened to respond similarly.

The team followed Freda down to the secondary school dormitories where she woke them up from a nap (sorry girls!) to greet us. As they walked in to the corridor, it began to pour rain. I mean POUR. So we all stood in the hallway introducing ourselves, singing and dancing. The acoustics were great and the rain on the tin roof made the whole experience that much more exciting.

My friend Kamari was part of Steve's team. She's been part of recording sessions for television and movies for years, so Steve tried his hardest to get her to sing everywhere we went. On this afternoon, she led the girls in a chorus of Jesus Loves Me...which was such a beautiful moment for both our team and those school girls. I, of course, broke the moment by singing Britney Spears, but then brought it back around with a verse, chorus (and RAP) from Crystal Lewis' "I Now Live." (rap at 2:20ish)

When the rain settled, we packed up and dropped the team at their house and went back to the kids house where Kevin helped Allan take his first few steps on flat feet in his brand new shoes. I poked my head around the corner to watch and Allan immediately asked me to get the camera and take a picture of this moment. He's a really sweet, and determined, kid.

From there, we went home and several team members fell asleep around 8pm. Those of us who stayed awake--you guessed it--played Five Crowns before calling it an early night.