This Tuesday Included A Terrific Team

Anytime there are guests expected at the center, the morning is spent in preparation for their arrival: mats are brought outside, on which the kids congregate, and with each passing car every head turns to the street with curiosity and anticipation, hoping that engine will stop in front of our gate and it will be time for the party.

Such was this Tuesday morning. Sammy and the house moms did the morning feeding and cleaning a little faster, but a little more thorough than usual. (You know what I mean, it's the difference in the way you clean before your friends come to dinner at your house and when your mother comes to dinner at your house...) And Sammy would complete a task and then come out front to see if it was time to welcome the visitors or if, just maybe, there was time for one more quick chore.

That morning, the kids had been given corn on the cob with their tea. They were all very excited to have such a special breakfast...and I was very excited to watch a houseful of kids with missing front teeth attempt to eat it! 

It's also pretty funny to watch the smaller kids try to grasp the concept of a camera. Once they can see themselves on the screen, they just lean closer and closer to get a better look...until what I'm left with is a sequence of gradually enlarging faces.

For a few hours each morning, (well, six days a week) a teacher from Greenfields comes to work with the older kids in one of the classrooms. They work on assignments they were given over break and receive focused assistance in subjects that have proven to be difficult or confusing.

While the older kids are in the classroom, the little kids take full advantage of the 'cool toys'. Willie had the time of his life as Mike pushed him around the compound on the bicycle for about half an hour.

Around eleven, the team arrived. Typically, teams are made up of 10 to 15 people, usually members of one (maybe two) churches from the same number of states. This group was very different: they pulled up in a bus, for starters, followed by three or four cars. They were not only Americans (from a range of states) but also a large group of kids from a local orphanage who had come to spend their day serving the kids at the center alongside their American sponsors. 

It was so fun to watch the front yard flood with guests. Guests who jumped right in and introduced themselves to the kids, worked to learn names and hear stories.

Within minutes, most of the Precious Kids had been 'adopted' for the afternoon: they were carried around, photographed like crazy (which we know they love!), fed cookies and juice (so much that most of the kids declined lunch because they were so full!), and given loads of one-on-one attention (which can be hard to come by in a home of 37 kids!)

The older kids (especially the boys) are a little more stand-offish when it comes to visitors. They stood on the sidelines and watched the swarm...they definitely enjoyed the juice and cookies, though. I had to snap this picture quickly since they love to take photos of one another, but not have their pictures taken by me. (You can tell by Jabal's face--second from the left--that he's very concerned about what's happening.)

The team also brought gifts! Diapers, food, and miscellaneous household items. So kind of them!

As their visit was wrapping up, we started serving lunch--well, to those who weren't too full on cookies and juice! The visiting kids stuck around, even after the team left for lunch, to help wash all of the dishes--such kind and servant-hearted guests!

Once the team left and everyone had eaten lunch, we made our way home for quick naps and a little downtime before coming back for dinner.

I sat on the back porch while the teenagers ate dinner and the house moms cooked theirs. We joked and laughed and attempted to speak one another's languages, coaching each other as the conversation went on. One of the boys was mixing up him/her in a story (this is a common struggle for those learning English, since most pronouns are gender neutral in Swahili) and the girl's began to tease him, he stopped and yelled, "Hey! I'm trying!" and continued with his story.

Suzie made her way outside and sat with me for over an hour--mumbling in her own language--every few minutes stopping to look me in the eye and touch my cheek. I really love that girl. And I love to watch the other kids interact with her--so lovingly replying to her chatter and copying her excited movements. She really loves them.

Watching this house of kids who have not really known family be family to each other is amazing. Learning to love and be loved--to be vulnerable, to trust that their feelings will be well-received and respected. I know this changes the way they view themselves and the world around them...and, slowly but surely, I'm starting to see how watching all of this unfold is doing the same for me.

We Visited Two Hospitals, A Women's Prison, And Five Houses In Shimo...A Typical Wednesday.

The last full day with the team was just that: full. I woke up early and went straight to Precious Kids Center where I picked up Phoebe and Junior (who was dressed and ready for a CT scan to check that his shunt was functioning properly after he'd fainted a few days prior.) 

I drove us to the hospital (I'm getting pretty good at this opposite-side-of-the-road gig!) and Junior played games on my phone while waiting his turn. We took this picture to send to Sammy while she was in Nairobi...he is a really cute kid.

When we arrived back at the Center, Mike took one look at the car (and the strange angle of the front passenger tire) and told me that I shouldn't be driving this car until it was repaired. So, he dropped me at Steve's to wait for the team, he dropped Phoebe back at the hospital to wait for Junior's test results, and he went to town to get an estimate on the car.

About an hour later, he came back and told me it was going to be about $100 to fix it. I paused (since I don't have that kind of money to spare) and told him I'd have to call Sammy to see how she'd like to proceed.

One of Steve's team members overheard the conversation, ran in the house, and came back with the money to fix the car. I nearly burst in to tears at this generosity! I handed the money to Mike and he took the car to be repaired. I turned back to the team member, with a grateful heart, and said thank you a few more times.

We cleaned up lunch plates (egg salad sandwiches and a huge bowl of stove-top popcorn) and headed to town to pick up Steve. Once the Jeep was full, we made our way over to the women's prison.

I first visited the Kitale prison with one of Steve's teams in 2005. I have so many memories from those visits, including this one from 2007, which is, easily, one of the most memorable Kitale experiences. And, a close second, this one from 2009.

Well, today gave those two memories a run for their money.

We were greeted by Bernard, the prison chaplain, as we unloaded the gifts from the back of the Jeep. He introduced himself and then said to me, "I think this is not your first time, right?" I smiled and said, "Good memory! I've been here with Steve many times!"

He then escorted us inside and introduced us to the female warden who walked us around to the back of the building where we were greeted by a huge crowd of women in stripes singing. Photos are not allowed in the prison, otherwise, I would love to show you the scene: grass lawn, a crowd of smiling faces in grey and blue stripes, with a cornfield and bright blue sky backdrop. It was remarkable.

Bernard began our time together, and introduced Steve who asked how many of the women in the prison were from Kipsongo. Many raised their hands...which made for a perfect transition to Caren's story. She grew up in Kipsongo and is now living her dream of teaching and finishing her credential. The entire time she was speaking, all eyes were on her. The crowd was silent and fixed on her every word. At the end of her story, the women burst in to applause.

Bernard shared a bit again and then I stood up. I am working, really hard, to learn Swahili, so I tried to do my entire introduction in Swahili. It was only about four sentences, but I did it. The crowd stood up and we sang and danced together.

Leila shared her story of accepting Christ and finding freedom a few years ago and then Steve shared about the forgiveness and healing that comes from God's love. He asked if anyone would like to accept Christ today and dozens of women stepped forward. They began to pray, and cry, as Steve spoke a blessing over them. It was a beautiful moment.

Lastly, Steve gave the gifts we'd brought: soap, maxi pads, lotion, and blankets for the mothers. (Children are allowed to stay in the prison with their moms until they are 4.)

The women began to sing as we started to pack up. Kamari and I began to dance with them and, soon enough, even the matrons (guards) were dancing with us! It was a very fun, spontaneous party!

Before we left, the guards asked that Steve stop-in and pray for a possessed woman that had been making animal noises for the entire three weeks she'd been in the prison. (She stole from someone who, apparently, put a curse on her. Since then, she'd been making the same noises day and night for three weeks.) Kamari, Steve and I went in to see the woman. Steve clarified that he'd not taken a course in this, it could just as likely be a psychological issue as possession, and--he stressed this point--we have no power on our own, only the power of Jesus. With that, we began to pray. The woman, held by two other prisoners, became rigid and started foaming at the mouth. She shook and spat and gagged as several of us prayed, loudly and passionately, in the name of Jesus that anything that was not of Him would depart. That the power of God is stronger than any power of this world. That this woman would be freed, healed, whole in the name of Jesus. After a few minutes, the woman stopped shaking and fell asleep. The guard were instructed to bring her food and water, to allow her to sleep, and to make sure that the other girls did not mock her for this, but instead, remember and rejoice that Jesus had healed her.

We prayed once more, dried our tears and headed out to the Jeep. We walked out of the gates and Mike was there with a full repaired van! Such a great surprise!

We took a quick photo together to commemorate the incredible day and then headed out for our next adventure!

Oh, I didn't want to miss my chance to be part of the group shot!

With everyone in the van (which drives so well now!) we made two quick stops: samosas, chapati and sodas at the gas station and then at the house to pick up our supplies and use the restroom. With tubs of house gifts filling the trunk, we drove down the hill to start our tour of Shimo la Tewa slum.

We parked the van at the top of the hill and walked down to cross the bridge over the stream in the middle of the community.

We looked down to see many women and children collecting water.

As precarious as the bridge is, I stopped halfway across to take a picture of this landscape!

There are several families in this area that we've been working with for years, through Oasis of Hope, and many more that attend the Precious Kids Center school. We chose 5 to visit on this afternoon.

The team gifted each family with a large tub, two kinds of flour, laundry soap, bath soap, lotion, salt, sugar, tea, and maxi pads. We introduced ourselves, gave the gifts, prayed over the family and then said our goodbyes. Quick, but after the long morning--and with the rains coming--we had to keep moving!

The first was Rispah, Chris, and Steve-Os house. The younger boys attend Precious Kids Center school.

We made the long walk around to the next set of homes. On the way, we ran in to a few kids from Precious Kids Center school--even one of the laundry women--a few younger siblings of Oasis of Hope kids, and the Principal from Greenfields Primary School. It was a fun little walk!

Peter...the youngest of a family from Oasis of Hope (and one sibling who lives at Precious Kids Center)

Brian (from PKC school) and all of the neighborhood kids

We stopped to entertain the crowd while the rest of our crew caught up. This was a version of 'Simon Says'.

We ended our tour with my favorite family in all of Shimo! Here are five of the seven kids I have known and loved for years: Lucy, Erika, Peter, Mama, Christine, and Ajix.

A tighter shot with all of them!

One more dinner with Steve's team, processing all that we'd seen and experienced (today and this week) and I said my goodbyes. They had a 3am wake-up call to make their flight to the safari park, which I was grateful to not be needed for!

I spent the entire next day at home. I slept in, had breakfast in bed, did some laundry, painted my nails--even shaved my legs like a real woman! That night, I got this photo from Sammy in Nairobi. (Jabal had gone with them to make it easier to get him to the hospital in Kijabe to have his stitches removed. This kid had the time of his life on safari and in Nairobi...with all of this attention. So dang cute!)

When I hadn't left the house all day, my landlord came over to check on me. I told him I was fine, just enjoying my time alone. A few minutes later, his daughters knocked at my door with dinner: chicken and rice! It was a wonderful way to end my day of relaxation (before everything picked up again on Friday!)

Thanks for making it through that marathon post. I promise several shorter posts are in your future. The team is gone and we are back to our "normal" routine...the days are full, but not nearly as long.

A Photographic Tour Of Kipsongo Slum

As I mentioned, there are a few things that only happen while a team is in town and, fortunately for us, we are invited to participate. One of these is a medical clinic. Technically, the staff and nursing students at Sister Freda's run clinics like these several times a year, but we don't typically join them. 

This particular clinic was special to me because it was being held in Kipsongo, the slum that I have been working to build relationships in. As Freda and her team set-up and organized the lines, our team took a tour of the slum.

It began with this woman sleeping (more likely passed out) in between the homes...so we knew from the start that this would be an eventful morning.

Steve has been visiting this slum for years--I first came with one of his teams in 2004--so he has many, many friends in the neighborhood. One of these friends is Lucy. Awhile back, when this slum was really crazy (it's still not super safe--especially in the evening when the local alcohol flows like wine...) Lucy's throat was cut in the middle of the night. The blade missed her jugular vein by a few inches and she was able to seek medical care in time to save her life, but she carries a large scar along with her memory of that night. This morning, as we talked with her and saw her home, Steve mentioned how thin and unhealthy Lucy looked. He gave our friend Patricia, who was leading our tour, money and instructions to take Lucy to the hospital to be tested for HIV and seen by a doctor. On Wednesday, we heard that she tested negative for HIV(!!!) The doctor said she needs a balanced diet and should give up alcohol, but is otherwise healthy.

We wandered through the homes until Steve caught our attention once more. He stopped us in front of a house and told us about the Ukrainian Pastor, Gennadiy, who had built this home with his own two hands. He spent an entire day building, slept through this night on a mat in front, and woke up early to finish. It still stands and is a safe, hygienic home for this family.

The first time I visited Kipsongo, the entire slum was filled with 'homes' like this one on the left. Sticks shaped in to dome-like structures and covered with bags and trash for insulation and weather protection. Obviously, these homes are unsafe and unsanitary. Over the last five (or so) years, an organization has come in and raised funds to build new homes, complete with concrete flooring (which keeps away jiggers) for the residents of this area. It is amazing to hear the women talk, with pride, about their homes now. Patricia (in the green dress) was full of statistics and details as she led our tour through homes past and present.

Another organization has built two wells in the community to help prevent water-borne illnesses. We walked up as this woman was collecting her daily water and Kamari jumped in to help her pump.

After this, we walked in to the clinic. Surrounded by men and women of all ages--putting faces and names...diseases, wounds, and scars...to the homes we just walked by--was the final straw for the women on Steve's team. They promptly burst in to tears. Steve rallied the two cars of people and took us to lunch in town for a small break and a bit of time to process all that we had just experienced.

With full stomachs, Leila and I ran downstairs to another restaurant to pick-up food and water bottles for Freda's team, our friends we'd left behind, and one woman (whom I love) who told me that she and her family hadn't eaten for several days.

When we arrived back at Kipsongo, I jumped out of the van, to find Hellen and notify the others that lunch was in the van and nearly stepped on these two boys lounging in the grass. They were so cute!

Many of the women in Kipsongo are part of a group that make beaded jewelry to sell in town. The hope would be that this would generate enough income to keep the women from their current #1 employment option: prostitution.

They had set out blankets and seed sacks covered in earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to show Freda's staff and our team. I wandered around to greet each woman and, in broken Swahili, cracked jokes, sang and danced, and explained that I didn't have any money for jewelry that day. As I laughed and danced (and fought off friendly harassment from upcoming saleswomen) this mama wandered up. She was speaking in quick Swahili and grabbing at her chest making a sucking noise. Another woman translated for me: "Her daughter's name is also Alice and, since she nursed her years ago, she could also nurse you now." I politely declined and we shared a laugh. She came back with a necklace for me, as a gift, and told me to please remember her when I visit again.

Andrew and Djambi are a brother and sister who grew up in a ditch (an actual ditch on the side of the road) with their mother. Steve met them at a street kid day (when we used to open the doors of a local church to bathe, feed, and entertain nearly 200 street children) and has watched them grow up for the last 12 years. Andrew is currently in Form 1 (freshman year of high school) and Djambi is a proud mom of two kids and a member of the beading group in Kipsongo. While they were here with Steve I was excited to recreate a photo he took with them on the first day they'd met.

We brought the team back to the house to reflect and recharge while Kamari and I snuck over to Precious Kids Center to play for an hour.

On Monday, Junior had fainted and was out for about an hour. They took him to the hospital and diagnosed him with malaria. He spent the night in the hospital and was warmly welcomed home while we were there on Tuesday afternoon. Because he was born with hydrocephalus, the doctor's recommended that he have a CT scan to check that his shunt was still working properly. Phoebe and I made a plan to take him first thing Wednesday morning.

And then I stumbled across Male and Bram cuddled together, being adorable.

The swingset caused more injuries than it was worth, so Sammy wrapped the swings as high as they would wind. It, clearly, does not stop the kids from trying death-defying tricks.

Kamari and I rejoined the team at Steve's just in time to hear that they were planning to eat Chinese food for dinner. I love the food at this restaurant, but it's also a mosquito-fest, so I made a quick trip to my house to put on an outfit that would keep me covered. As a bonus, it also made me look really cool.

I left Steve's with excitement for Wednesday's events--after Junior's CT scan, I would meet up the team for visits to two of my favorite places in Kitale: the Women's Prison and Shimo la Tewa slum. Can't wait to share those photos and stories with you tomorrow!

All By Myself...With A Team And A Van-Full of Kids

Alarm clocks rang early Monday morning and everyone began shuffling around packing, cleaning, preparing to sit in a van for the day. When we'd all eaten breakfast, we found that the van had a flat tire, so we ditched the original plan to drive the bags to the kids house and opted to walk over, visit for an hour or so, and then come back for the bags. But first, a photo.

Two hours later, the team said tear-filled goodbyes and left me alone at the house. Mike (from Precious Kids Center) came over to fix the tires on the car while I enjoyed a quiet home. When the car was fully functioning again, I drove over to the kids house and picked-up a few kids who'd said they want to come with me to Manu's house to bring him home.

I somehow ended up bringing six kids along: Lillian, Lucy, Pascal, Hillary, Frank and Willie.

When we arrived, Manu's mom said he'd just got to collect firewood. So, she pulled out a bench for us to sit and wait. After nearly an hour, Manu showed up with a bundle of giant sticks over one shoulder. He asked us to wait while he bathed (from a bucket back behind the house) and then he'd be ready to go.

And then it was time to go. Here's Hillary and Willie ahead of us on the path back to the car.

I was so glad to have Manu back...we like him a lot. (Also, I just saw the face above my head...so creepy!)

After picking up Manu, I had a few hours to kill before meeting Steve's team. So I played, rested, and took pictures outside with the kids. It had been a long time since I was the only one there with them. It was simultaneously super fun and also overwhelming to have all of that attention!

As usual, Suzie spent about half an hour in the van...one of her favorite free time activities.

I was ready to make a run to town, but not before cuddling my best girl...so grateful Lucy caught this moment.

I took four kids with me to run errands in town, dropped them off and headed straight to Steve's where I was given another grocery list and a dinner order. So Steve, Leila and I headed back to town to get everything for the team. This was the first day I had driven in the dark here--with no street lights, it's a little more difficult to see all of the potholes! A really delicious dinner (chicken nuggets and french fries) and a lot of laughs later, I was on my way home--ready for bed!

Sundays Are For Church Services And Family Dinners

Can you imagine anything better as the very first thing you see on a Sunday morning? This kid has no idea how much our van-full of adults loved this look. I wanted to call him Goose all day, but I didn't think he'd appreciate a Top Gun reference.

We would never let a large group of adults filling the van stop us from packing it to the brim with kids too. It was an "everyone hold a kid" type of Sunday morning. Here's Kevin with Julius and Sarah with Victor (and Frank in the background.)

We were a steady stream of kids and Americans charging toward the empty rows at the front of the church, but when they sent all of the kids to Sunday School, the adults moved closer together. All the better to make jokes during service. I know I've mentioned that I have known Steve's family for 20 years, and that we have been coming on various teams to Kenya for 12 of those years, but when we made the exact same joke at the same time during church, we were both surprised. He told me I'm not allowed to sit by him in churches anymore, since I just distract him with jokes the whole time.

We typically wind-up sitting next to each other in services because he is teaching and I am singing and I need to follow his cues for the service. The first time we were in a Kenyan church together, in 2003, there was a demon-possessed guy in the service as well. Thankfully, today, there was not.

Two Sundays ago, Sammy's mom mentioned that I sing so the pastor said I should be prepared to sing this Sunday. When we arrived and she was out of town, I thought I was off the hook. They even began to talk about the offering, which is usually the last part of the service. But, as the woman invited people up to collect the offering, she said, "Also, Samantha's friend, you should be ready to sing for us." She read a Bible verse and then brought me to the front. I introduced myself and explained that, as we offered our money to God, we should also offer our hearts and lives. And then sang "All I Am" by Phil Wickham.

As soon as we arrive home after church, it is a frenzy of hunger. The kids jump out of the van and head straight out back to get a plate of food. And the adults follow. Really, it's nearly 1:30 at this point--it's lunchtime. This was the last day that Sammy's family and friends would be in town, so we crowded in really close to eat, laugh, and play together.

It was almost as though the littles understood what was happening, they all took turns sitting with their new friends. Here's Toni with Dinah and Kevin with Moses. (Moses loved Kevin.)

Eventually, Sammy announced that it was time for haircuts and one-by-one kids made their way to the backyard to take their turn with the shaver. Once the majority of the kids are back there, it's much more fun to sit back there with them...even if the wind blows the freshly cut hair all over your face.

Moses waited his turn by sitting in my lap and drooling all over my arm. But he's really cute, so I didn't really mind.

When haircuts were finished, wounds were cleaned, and instructions for the morning were given (the team was to leave, with Jabal, first thing in the morning) we went home. We were invited to dinner at Ben and Christine's house, so the team spent an hour or so napping, packing, and dyeing my hair.

Dinner at the Tanguli's was delicious, as always. Christine makes boiled potatoes and then fries them (I convinced Sammy to steal one in her jacket pocket and at it on the car ride home)...and she always makes a ton of chapati and and giant bowl of guacamole--it's more enough for 25 people, even if we're only a team of 10. They also have a small cat that runs around their house, it crawled up in my lap and fell asleep while we were all talking. I could have fallen asleep too, it was very cozy.

We were all so tired (and very full!) when we came home and we knew Monday would be an early morning, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity for one final game of Five Crowns. (Duh.)