A Tearful Farewell to Jack and His Family

Wednesday, July 14 through Wednesday, July 21

The week in Kisumu at Jack’s was a very busy week, starting out early in the morning, coming back late in the evening, eating dinner and helping with dishes, and falling into bed to repeat the routine the next day. In that time, we visited eight children’s homes, schools, and community centers. At each we delivered food, first aid kits and vitamins, and played and/or made crafts with the children. The following are some highlights:

• Gloria’s school had donated almost $3000 specifically for school uniforms to those children needing them in order to attend school. Jack had arranged for many children to be measured prior to our coming, and we were able to deliver them to some very happy recipients. Some of the uniforms that were being replaced were literally in shreds.

New uniforms!

• Several sites want to start or have started libraries, knowing that books in English are the best way for the children to be more fluent in the language and be better students. But books are very expensive and hard to come by. We were able to deliver hundreds of books for all reading levels and a variety of resource books to these sites.

• It was not uncommon for us to find very sick children at a school or orphanage. It was heartbreaking to hold these precious little ones, lethargic and burning with fever, barely able to recognize that a mazungu (white person) had picked them up, but nestling into our arms to be held and cuddled. Most of them suffered from malaria. We took some directly to the clinic for treatment, while for others we provided the funds to the caregiver to make sure the child received medical attention.

• As we have found in years past, the food we delivered was very much appreciated, as some had no food for the children. We literally provided “this day our daily bread” to these locations.

Mmmmm...porridge!

• Making crafts is a huge treat and cherished memory for the children. We made animal masks, decorated foam visors and bookmarks, strung beaded necklaces, created glittered letters of their names, to name a few. We threw Frisbees and horseshoes, batted balloons, blew bubbles, jumped rope, and played soccer (football). Both boys and girls alike were surprised and impressed by Courtney’s and Amanda’s ability to play soccer.

• Gloria’s school is interested in raising the funds for drilling a borehole (well) at a site in need of a clean and safe source of water. Most places are challenged with water issues, with the effects often compromising the health of the children. We gathered information at various sites to determine how their water is obtained, how safe it is, what the cost is, if children are getting sick from it, etc. We will bring this information home to prioritize the needs and create a plan.

• We had brought duffel bags full of shirts and shoes (mostly flip flops). Many children received new shirts and shoes, excitedly pulling their new shirt over the old one or looking down to admire their new shoes.

New shirt!

• Jack has helped to set up a clinic that will provide free health care for the orphan children in the area. They also provide home health services for the caregivers of the orphaned and vulnerable children. From your donations we were able to take the nurse to the chemist (pharmacy) to buy much needed medications, as well as 15 bed nets.
• The fourth graders at Gloria’s school have been corresponding with a Kenyan pen pal for the past year. We took pictures of all these children to share back home.
• At one school, a single classroom might contain 65 to 85 children for one teacher. Although 4 children might squeeze onto a bench-type desk, some still had to sit on the floor. We left money for more desks to be made.

After spending a wonderful week, although emotionally draining at times, we said a tearful good-bye to Jack and his family, with promises to keep in touch.

Jack's family

Team Tatu

Monday, July 12, 2010

Not to be deterred by lack of sleep from traveling, Team Tatu started their first day in the Mukuru slums of Nairobi. We met with long-time friends Mary and Joseph Mambo of Cana Ministries, where they have a primary school, clinic, church, and rescue center for girls. The school has 220 children, ranging from preschool to grade 8, which fits into 10 small rooms (about 10 x 10 ft. each); eight teachers share the responsibility for teaching the different classes. Orphaned and vulnerable children from the slums are able to come to this school free of charge and receive two meals a day (when food is available).  However, Mary is saddened at the end of the day when they must return to the streets of the slums, often to fend for themselves.

Mary, who once had her own successful private clinic in Nairobi, now runs a clinic in the slums which provides HIV testing and services, maternity care and delivery, TB testing and treatment, child “welfare,” and family planning. In this small space of corrugated tin walls, some of the Mambos’ adult children now run the clinic’s pharmacy, lab, and other services.  Mary encourages women to come into the clinic to deliver their babies rather than have them at home with a midwife. This allows her to monitor the pregnancies as well as test the mother and newborn for HIV. She states that approximately 15% of the mothers test positive, and so she is able to immediately treat the newborns.   While we were there, three women had recently delivered and we held a day-old baby, a two-hour-old baby, and one just born.

The new girls at the Rescue Center with Courtney and Amanda

Bedroom in the Rescue Center

The children were instantly attracted and attached to Courtney and Amanda, being very blond, blue-eyed, and white-skinned girls. We found we couldn’t kneel down without curious hands reaching out to touch our arms, hair, and anything else that appeared new or different. They wanted their hands to be held, and you could not hold one without holding onto about six at a time. These children were hungry for our attention and love, and their wide smiles revealed their joy for receiving it. We enjoyed making foam crafts with them and left food and vitamins.

Tuesday, July 13

We got an early start for a long day of travel up to Kisumu, where we would spend the next week working with Jack Mila. You’ll recall from previous updates that Kisumu is located northwest of Nairobi on the shores of Lake Victoria. The drive through Kenya is surreal – right out of National Geographic. Most of the countryside we passed through is rural agricultural land. River crossings are busy places: cattle coming down to drink, boys washing their bikes, mamas washing clothes and laying them to dry on the bushes, and men filling large barrels with water to load onto donkeys or carts. Ahhh… Africa.

We arrived at Jack’s in the late afternoon, and the neighbor kids were waiting to play with the “wazungus” (white people).

Saying Goodbye to Team Two and Welcoming Team Three

Pole sana! (Very sorry!) We’ve been going non-stop, falling into bed after long days with no energy to write. We’ll briefly update you here with more to come in a day or so…

Saturday, July 10, 2010

It was off to the Brydges site again today. For Spencer and Scott, this was a return visit as they worked there two days during Team Moja (One). For Gloria, this was her first time to see the beautiful property that will be the home for the Brydges children. Our goal today was to lay drip line on the rows of seeds that were planted by Team Moja. Up until today, the seeds had been hand-watered, but only when water was available. Some of the plants had started to grow. We saw beans, peas, corn and watermelon peeking through the mulch. It was a blessing to see these small plants that will soon be providing food for the children! Others will need some time with the drip line in place before we can determine if we need to reseed.

The water for the line comes from a tank that we have filled manually. We gather every container we can find at the Bells’ house, fill them from their tap, load the containers in the truck, haul them to Brydges and transfer the water to their tank. Not an easy job. Please pray that electricity comes soon and the plants will have the water they need.

Following our work at Brydges, Scott and Spencer headed back to the Bells’ to start the preparations to return home, while Gloria was taken to visit Jeff and Julie Vigil, who are Littleton friends now living in Nairobi since the beginning of this year. It was so good to see them comfortably settled into their home on the beautiful SIM (Serving in Missions) compound. I enjoyed meeting their new friends from literally all over the world.  Jeff is becoming quite proficient in Kiswahili, while Julie is adjusting to her new job in the SIM office. We had a wonderful reunion and time of getting caught up.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

On Sunday morning, Scott and Spencer joined the Bells at their church, International Christian Fellowship (ICF).  They enjoyed lunch at Village Market (shopping center) and did some last minute shopping.  Gloria attended a Kenyan church with a Western feel to it with the Vigils. However, we were the only wazungus (white people) there. Afterward Gloria enjoyed lunch with the Vigils at an Ethiopian restaurant and shopped at a Maasai market, bartering for those special deals.

All met up at the airport later, for Gloria to say goodbye to Spencer and Scott as they headed home and then to hang around to meet Beth, Courtney and Amanda Hall as Team Tatu (three) gets underway. The flight was two hours late, so the girls didn’t get to bed until 2:00 a.m., but they arrived safely nonetheless.

We have lots to fill you in on. Stay tuned…it’s coming soon!

Thanks for joining us on this Kenyan journey. We truly appreciate your partnership.

Team Mbili (Two)

Scott Olivett, Spencer Davis, and Gloria Scharton

Team Two’s Last Days in Country

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

We enjoyed breakfast together and said our goodbyes before setting out on the road for Ewaso Ng’iro, our next stop for this leg of the race . . . . just kidding. It is our next stop, but we are not racing. A piece of our hearts was left with the widows, orphans and families we met while in Kisumu. As we headed down the road, our thoughts were with them.

We arrived in dusty, dry Ewaso Ng’iro in Maasai land about 12:30 p.m.

We met the Bells at the Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) compound. As we drive in we see many children and brightly clad adults waiting for us. Included in CMF’s compound is a clinic. The clinic serves the neighboring families, of which the HIV-positive are an unusually high percentage of the population. We are meeting the children. There are about 120 in the care of the clinic, receiving ARVs and other medical care. Many of the children are orphans under the care of a guardian or family member.

While waiting for lunch to be ready, we divided the children into two groups and did an Art for the Nations art project with the children.

Communication was a bit challenging as these children know Maasai and a bit of Kiswahili, and we know English and a very small bit of Kiswahili! So translators were a blessing. The art project involves writing each child’s name in block or bubble letters. Older children can do their own. We help the small ones. They color in the letters of their name and then we outline the letters with glue which is then sprinkled with glitter. By the end of the lesson, the papers are not the only thing sprinkled with glitter. It’s on faces, in hair, on arms and hands. They love it! The message given is that they are special and unique. God knows them by name and He loves them. We abandon the papers to dry and head off to wash hands for lunch.

About 70 children (each one HIV-positive) and approximately 40 guardians have come to eat the meal that “we” (that includes you, our supporters) have paid for, which has been prepared by the community. ARVs require good nutrition, which is difficult to find among orphans. Lunch includes a carton of milk, rice, meat, lentils, chapatti (similar to a tortilla), half a banana and an orange slice.

I sat with one child who seemed to be alone, though his guardian appeared later. His name was Josephat and he was about four years old. He was a bit small to stand and reach his food on the table and the bench was affixed too far away from the table for him to reach it sitting down either. So I sat down and put him on my lap. He seemed very hungry as I had a difficult time maneuvering the spoon away from him long enough to cut his food into smaller bites. As I held him I realized his belly was pretty distended and as I continued to watch and help him eat, it became pretty apparent that he was starving. I looked around the room and saw everyone eating and enjoying their meal and kept trying to grasp the fact that all the children were positive. It is strange to feel the joy to be able to provide a meal for all these and at the same time be asking God, “How can this be?”

We cleared the dishes and joined the children for some outdoor fun. There was a good breeze and Dave had his kite soaring 500 yards up – the kids and adults were loving that. There were songs being sung and the ever-favorite bubbles being blown with the small ones in the shade of the building.

Some of the older children were playing football (we know it as soccer) and skipping rope. Others were enjoying a slide and swing set at the far side of the compound. Many of the children needed to leave about 4:30 and begin walking home, which for some could be a long walk, up to 5 kilometers.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Today we taught the Choose to Wait abstinence curriculum at nearby Enkare Nairowua Girls Secondary School. There were about 180 girls and a few staff present for our teaching, which involved skits, Bible verses and some direct teaching. We provided each student with a pen and notebook. We spoke in English without a translator and the girls seemed to understand the material.

This material is so contrary to everything teens hear about sex from the media, in school and from their peers (in America too, for that matter) that it just seems so foreign to them. Many of the Maasai girls this age have already been circumcised. We call this Female Genital Mutilation or FGM. It is a tragic custom and rite of passage for girls in many tribes of Kenya and Africa. The girls usually do not have a choice and it is often performed with rustic instruments (sharpened metal or glass) by an older woman. The girl is not anaesthetized and instruments are not sterilized prior to the procedure and in between girls as several are often done at once. The “wound” is then packed with cloth and the girls legs tied together for a week or so. Many girls die from infection. Those who live face a lifetime of painful sex. HIV is also spread this way. Looking at these young, innocent faces, it was hard to believe the horror many of them had already faced.

Our teaching focuses on the Bible and goes against what the culture says. Difficult for some to hear and many are hearing the truth for the first time. Please continue to pray for these girls as God brings them to mind. We know over the next several weeks they will be processing and thing about the material and ideas that we shared.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Today we traveled from Ewaso Ng’iro back to the Bells’ home in Kitengela. We ate lunch at Java House, a favorite hangout for many, but especially those who miss an occasional Starbucks. Java House not only has great coffee and specialty coffee drinks, but also pretty good food. After finishing lunch, we headed into downtown Nairobi for a little shopping. Downtown is always an adventure and you definitely want to get in and get out as soon as possible as you do not want to be there when rush hour starts. We made it “home” in good time.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Today we visited Machakos School for the Deaf and it was quite the experience. Some of the team had been practicing their signing to try and communicate with the kids, and it proved pretty beneficial. We were there to continue teaching the Choose to Wait program. Teams go to the school every two weeks to teach a portion of the program and ideally in a year or so the program is complete. For our teaching the children were divided in to two groups, younger ages 8-11, and older ages 12-14. Jen, Joyce, Scott, Spencer, and Amber led the younger group, while Gloria, John, and Dave taught the older kids. The lessons were similar, however, the younger kids had some skits and activities to keep them focused.

Scott and Amber have been there in the past so the kids had already given them sign names (a name the children give which is usually shorter than finger spelling your name each time, though they want to know your “real” name as well), which a few of them remembered. It was fun looking out into the crowd and seeing the kids signing to each other what it was. We introduced ourselves. We had practiced, “Hi. My name is …”  the night before so we all had that down. It was Gloria and Spencer’s first time, so they each stood in front of the kids and they gave them sign names.

After introductions we went into teaching where Joyce and John did a review of the previous lesson, followed by the new material. Overall, it was an awesome experience. Spending time with these kids was truly special and such a blessing.

Independence Day in Kenya

Saturday, July 3

Today, we saw some of the most difficult of living situations, and yet experienced incredible joy in the midst. When Team Moja (One) made home visits two weeks ago with the Salem Home Based Care group, they identified two families who were sleeping on the floor and so had ordered two bunk beds to be made before they left. We were notified that the beds were ready for pick up, and so we arranged our day to deliver beds to these families, which turned out to be an all-day event.

Just picking up the beds was an event! The furniture maker was located in the midst of the open market. The bunk beds were set up in his stall for our inspection, which were then dismantled as each of us made several trips traipsing through the market carrying out the various headboards and boards for the beds. It was quite a spectacle to see the wazungus (white strangers) managing their loads through the narrow aisles of the marketplace…and another sight to see the top of the vehicle loaded with the frames for four beds.

The first home we went to was that of Mikail, who had five small children – her husband had left to find work. It was situated next to a fish processing area, which essentially means that it was an open place where fish were hung to dry. We parked the car on the road and proceeded to take the bed parts through narrow passageways of mud homes, often with rivulets of sludge in between, all the while watching our heads to avoid the overhanging tin roofs. Rounding corners we were often met with curious children, open cooking fires, and wash basins. Again we attracted attention throughout the neighborhood as we weaved in and out of the maze.

After quite a walk, we arrived at a one-room mud home, about 10’ x 10’ in size, with one 15” x 15” window to light the room, that was often obstructed by the grazing cow outside or the heads of curious children peering in. Other than a small table, there was no other furniture in the room; a straw mat lay on one side of the room, which served as the family’s eating area and bed. We delivered the other bunk bed to a home in a more rural area and found similar conditions; this widowed mother of four buys and sells sawdust to try to feed her family.

After delivering the beds and getting them set up, we then went to the Nakumatt (Wal-Mart with machetes) to buy four mattresses, sheets, and pillows. We repeated the delivery process and the parade of white people filing through the village, where the children were jumping up and down in excitement and the mothers were shedding tears of gratitude as we completed their new beds.

While it was difficult to see the difficult living circumstances of these families, it was also good to know that the children would no longer be sleeping on a dirt floor.

After delivering the beds, we drove to St. Elizabeth Children’s Centre in a beautiful setting on a hill, where a primary school and church are also located. About 30 children live there, ranging in ages from three to thirteen. We enjoyed playing with the children, who were clearly well loved and brought up – we all commented on how well behaved they were. We brought jump ropes, soccer balls, and horseshoes, but the definite hit with the kids was the bubbles. This home has a nice dining hall; however it is void of all furniture. During the violence two years ago, all of the furniture was taken, and they haven’t been able to replace it, so the children must sit on the floor to eat. The home has a borehole (well), but it has dried up so they must buy their water for drinking and washing.  We left food and first aid supplies.

Sunday, July 4

While America celebrated Independence Day, we worshipped God African style at Pastor Bentah Moses’ church. Herself a widow, she pastors a church of mostly young widows as well as runs a small home for orphans. Her exuberant spirit was infectious, and three hours in a hot corrugated tin-walled and roofed church seemed to fly by. We rode home in a tuk-tuk – a three-passenger, three-wheeled golfcart of sorts and run by a lawn-mower type engine – which is Kisumu’s version of a taxi. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, packing, resting, and visiting with our hosts.

As we prepare to leave Kisumu, just a word about the area and where Jack lives. As most of you know, Jack Mila is the Kenyan national we work with in Kisumu. He  is working with over 30 children’s homes and schools, not to mention the many village communities, which accounts for over 11,000 children, as he strives to empower the communities to take care of their own orphan population. After seeing that the children are fed, safe, and healthy, he strives to keep them in school.

Jack lives in the slums of Nyalenda. Leaving the main road, the vehicle winds around mud houses on a rocky dirt road, where the passage is often so narrow that one could reach out of the car window to knock on a front door or be scratched by a border hedge. It’s not uncommon for someone to set up a road stand in the middle of the road so that they must pick up their goods to allow us to pass. The air smells of kerosene, sewage, wood fires, and cooking. In the midst of this, Jack lives in a relatively nice structure, which is essentially a fourplex. His family (eight people) lives in one unit of four rooms while we stay in another unit. He is well known and respected throughout the community. He has his own school across from his home, which he operates for the neighborhood orphans.

Living in the slums, where people live in relatively close proximity to one another creates its own challenges. Although our alarm clocks may have been set for 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, the rooster usually has other ideas. He insists that the wake-up time is around 4:30, and there is no pushing the snooze button! He crows non-stop until the sun comes up at 7:00. Trying to find a quiet moment at any time is difficult at best. It is impossible to sit by the window or on the front stoop without many children crowding around to get your attention. Evenings under mosquito nets, on warm sultry nights, brings out the sounds of the evening – blaring music, barking dogs, cheering from World Cup fans, the occasional domestic quarrel or crying baby.  And just about the time you get to sleep, the rooster starts in again. But in spite of this, staying with Jack is a memorable and wonderful experience. Jack’s wife, Evelyn, feeds us well and is a gracious hostess. We get a sense of Kenyan life that most never experience.

Sunset over Lake Victoria

Thank you for your continued prayers! We appreciate you!

Mungu Akubariki! (God Bless You in Kiswahili)

Team Mbili

Amazing Survival Stories

July 1, 2010

Today we visited Ring Road Orphans Day School and Migosi Orphanage Home. Ring Road is a project with many ambitions and dreams. It is a primary school, a clinic, church, has an orphanage home and leads a significant amount of community outreach. The primary school caters to 388 children, along with supporting 118 kids in high school, and 102 in vocational school. They go to school Monday through Saturday. Monday-Thursday is mainly for class, and Fridays serve for extracurricular activities, such as food, health and wellness meetings, and study time if need be. Saturdays homework is due, but students primarily go to get a meal. On holidays when school is out the kids can still come and get food if they need it.

Farewell to Edward, Christina, and Audrey

Monday, June 28, 2010

We had a changing of the guard last night as we bid farewell and good travels to Edward, Christina, and Audrey, and welcomed Gloria at the airport. Today, we officially start Team Mbili (two) with Scott Olivett, Spencer Davis, Gloria Scharton, and Amber Browning. Amber, who hails from Bowling Green, Kentucky, has been in Kenya for several weeks working with the Bells and will be joining our team for the next two weeks.

Lala Salama

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

We departed Nairobi for Kisumu which is in Nyanza Province, located north and west of Nairobi.