An Emotional Saturday

A week before my return to Kitale I was told about a boy named Sammy who had run away from Challenge Farm on December 28th. The news was sad as I’ve become fond of this particular child. I’m not sure how to get used to children running away so often, but I’ll do the best I can to understand that the reason usually stems from the difficult life they have had so far.

I arrived Kitale on Wednesday, January 23, and rested at home a few days to recover from jet lag. Friday, January 26, was my first time back into Kitale Town. A friend had picked me up in her car to grocery shop and to make a quick stop at the Internet café. We had finished errands and were walking back to her car when I heard my name called. As I turned, I saw Sammy smiling up at me. My heart began racing; I couldn’t believe my eyes. I said many things to him, but I don’t recall what it was and I’m not sure what he understood. My adrenaline was rushing so fast. I wanted to take him back with me, but I was not in my car so I told him I would come back to pick him up. An hour later I went to find him but he was not around. After talking with some co-workers at the Farm we decided to look for Sammy again Saturday morning.

Around 8:30 Saturday morning I arrived in town with Mike, who takes care of the boys' dorm at night. We parked where I had seen Sammy the previous day and started walking through the streets. The boys had told Mike where we might find Sammy as they all hang out in the same area. I had never been behind the buildings in town. The scene was much more difficult to grasp than I had dreamed. One street boy came up to us asking what we were doing. His glue bottle was all but permanently attached under his nose. We asked if he knew Sammy and if so where we might find him. This boy was so high on glue that he hardly knew his right hand from his left, but he led us to where many kids hang out.

After walking through trash and stepping over streams of liquid smelling like beer, we turned a corner into an open courtyard where we saw many street kids just walking around with their glue. I even saw a toddler with them. She was maybe two. About five boys stood around us conversing with Mike; each one had glue. I had only been standing there for 10 minutes before I was completely light headed, dizzy, and felt a headache coming on and I was at least 5 feet away from any of them. I could only imagine what that two-year-old toddler must be inhailing. My eyes began to well with tears at the scene. I couldn’t get a handle on the situation and for that moment, I had forgotten about Sammy and was transfixed on the courtyard. What were these kids’ stories? How did they get to this point? Did they have any family who cared for them or who had loved them at any point in their lives? A friend had told me before I moved to Africa that I would want to rescue all the children I met but that there was no way I could reach them all. On this day, I did want to rescue all these kids and show them that God has a plan for each one of their lives.

One of the older boys walked with Mike and me to some other locations where we might find Sammy. He was nowhere to be found, but we decided to stay on the street awhile just in case. Around 10:00 Sammy came walking up with some street boys who had found him. Mike began to quietly talk to him, but a group of 20 kids were surrounding them making the situation extremely distracting! I stood back not knowing what was being said in Kiswahili but prayed fervently over Sammy from a distance while being tugged at for money by the little street kids. My focus was on these two right in front of me. Sammy was not wanting to return to school. He said he wants to work for his uncle and become a mechanic. He does enjoy fixing broken things around the Farm. He played a large role in repairing the well which I blogged about before I left for Dallas. Many young kids cannot understand why they have to go to school. What they are learning does not seem to have anything to do with their future. These were some of the same complaints I heard at Shelton. Other elementary and middle school teachers reports the same attitude.

In order to talk seriously with Sammy we had to get away from the crowd. The three of us went to a restaurant and had tea. Mike began explaining what good comes from school and that God has a specific plan just for him. Sammy didn’t want to budge, but I could tell that he was happy to be there with us. I got him to smile at me the few times he lifted his head and made eye contact. I also expressed how much I wanted him back at the Farm and that each day would not be complete without him. Realizing that I had tears in my eyes, I stopped talking and let Mike take over. I see now that I get a little too emotional in these situations and should probably step back and watch from afar. After an hour he agreed to come back with us. I pulled the car around to a different spot to pick him and Mike up so that Sammy would not be bombarded by the other boys. Mike had him dispose of any glue before getting into the car to return to Challenge Farm.

God was with us today and I thank Him for bringing Sammy back to the farm. Please pray for Sammy over this next week as he goes through withdrawal from glue and readjusts to the rules and routine at Challenge Farm.