Sunday is Washing Day

I attended church at Challenge Farm this past Sunday since I leave Kitale for the states on Monday. The service was alive and active with these new kids leading the worship songs. My smile was reaching from ear to ear watching them perform. That is what this group loves to do is perform. Each one is so expressive. I enjoy listening and watching them tell a story even though I don’t understand what they are saying. The rest of the staff and children at Challenge are just as thrilled about this new group as I am.

After our service every one began their washing clothes procedure. Many of the kids, staff and random people throughout town have been after me to wash my car. It has been a red dirt dusty mess for, well…. as long as I can recall. The dirt roads here create a nice think film coating the entire inside of the car, which didn’t really bother me at all but seemed to bother everyone else. So, I allowed the kids to wash it today, inside and out. That is the least I could do to somewhat welcome Whitney who will be arriving Kitale Wednesday. The kids did a splendid job washing every bit and even taking the floor mats out for a good scrub down. What a service? Why had I not done this every week? The kids really had a ball.

The time came to part ways for the next five weeks and it was a lot more difficult this time than it was last. I believe this is because I know I’ll be gone much longer than my previous trip. It could also be because I’ve grown closer to the kids so not seeing them for 5 weeks will be a much bigger deal. I’m worried the new little one, Sarah, won’t remember me. I have only been in her life for one week so after I’ve been gone for 3 she might just forget all about me. She did throw a pretty medium sized temper tantrum as I left which was touching to say the least. I do have that going for me. Lastly, I’m worried about returning to find that some of the new kids have run back to the street. I’ve been told that they usually average staying at a new location for one month before missing their freedom and glue. So please, along with me, keep each one of these 37 new street kids in your prayers. The enemy is wanting to remind them of how great their life was on the street so lets counter act those thoughts by prayers for God to reveal the great plan he has for their life.

Center of attention

This afternoon I went to watch five of the Challenge Farm boys play in a soccer match. They were picked as best players to participate in a best-of-game similar to our All Stars at home. I brought my friend Meredith with me.(I am currently living in her house.) As we pulled up to the primary school where the games were being held, I couldn’t believe the turn out - about 2 thousand Kenyans. I know soccer is a big sport, but I was still surprised to see this many people.

Even though a fast paced game was in full motion, people began turning slowly and staring at us as we approached. Within minutes, we had close to one thousand eyes on us. The feeling was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t know if I should freeze or do a dance. The look on their faces made me feel as though I resembled an alien or maybe wasn't wearing any clothes. We continued walking up and people just parted like the Red Sea. Kenyans began ushering us over to some benches at the front of the playing field. All the seats were previously taken, but many got up to offer their seats. We did our best to refuse the service, but they would have it no other way. I thought that after we sat down, the crowd would return to focusing on the game. After all, we are not the only whites in the area. I was wrong. I quickly felt like I was playing in the game as all the kids around us began watching us instead of the players.

When half time came, we felt as if we were the show! The kids to the left and right slowly started to move around so they could get a better look. Within five minutes, Meredith and I were completely encircled by kids and the staring began again. No one was saying anything. The only sound was us giggling at how funny we felt. The kids continued to take a gander at us for about 10 min. Another Kenyan woman began running after them with a stick threatening to cane them if they didn't stop gawking. Soccer began again and we were back to picture taking and cheering. The greatest moment of the game came when one of our players tried to kick the ball into the goal and just missed. As he kicked the ball, his shoe flew through the air and the goalie ended up catching the shoe instead of the ball. The whole crowd began to laugh. (Hardly anyone's shoe fits, if he is wearing any at all.) It was a great moment in high school African soccer, which they do call football, but I didn't want to confuse my readers.

Field trip to Burunda

On Wednesday, our school traveled a few miles away to another children's home in Burunda to play soccer. When we arrived, one of our new girls, Lillian, found her little sister, whom she has not seen for some time. Lillian became extremely upset as her sister was very dirty. She bathed her then clothed her with clean clothes, giving her the jacket off her back and the only flip-flops to her name. Lillian continued to cry for the next hour. She seemed so overwhelmed to have found her sister. The two girls became inseparable. I watched them the entire time, smiling at how adorable they are, but my heart was breaking as I realized that they probably have no other family.

When time to leave, I asked a Challenge Farm co-worker what would happen to the sisters. I knew that nothing could prevent Lillian from leaving her little sister. The determined look in her eyes indicated that she would give up being at Challenge Farm in order to stay with her sister. Tears began to well up in my eyes as the Kenyan workers tried their best to split up the girls. The girls swatted off their hands as though they were the peskiest of flies. I quickly knelt down and put my arms around the both of them. I was not about to leave without bringing these girls with me. I became just as determined as they were, swatting off the Kenyan men, exclaiming that they were not being sensitive to these sisters. I was furious and probably being a little dramatic. My co-worker quickly called our director to get permission to bring Lillian’s sister back with us. He got off the phone and gave the nod. Yes! Everyone’s mood changed and we headed back to our home with one more member to the family.

The last picture is of Lillian and her sister.

One week later

We’ve made it one full week and all 33 new kids are still here! A bit of fighting amongst the new kids has started but nothing unforeseen by the staff. Today we began taking the kids to a classroom and teaching them letters. I have never taught a grade young enough to get the opportunity to teach letters and handwriting. It has been an enjoyable change. The quietness in the classroom amazed me. I took these pictures as proof. They looked like angels!

In their free time, they really love to play cards. I can’t quite pick up the game they play but I enjoy watching them. I can tell that this is what they did most of the day when they weren’t begging for food on the street. It brings me such happiness to be teaching these kids I used to walk with on the street as they begged me for money or food. God is really blessing me with the opportunity to see them change here at Challenge Farm.

Day two of new kids

The night went well and they seem somewhat settled. The assistant director bought sugar cane for each new child. Apparently it helps replace some of the glue cravings they may be having.

At the end of the day we had four more girls show up from a rescue center down the road. They all seem very happy to be here.

I observed that many of our young kids who haven’t been here long give the new kids quite a hard time, picking on them or poking them with sticks. Don’t they remember how it was when they first came? I know I will need an extra dose of patience and understanding during this time. Please keep these kids in your prayers that they would settle in to the new environment and rules.

New Kids!

8:30 – I arrived to find 18 street boys lined up outside Challenge Farm gates. Last week our social workers went to the street and told the kids that if they wanted to come to school, they could show up on Tuesday. To get here they would have to walk over 6 miles or beg for money to ride public transportation. This would show the kids who really wanted to commit.

10:00 – Now we have about 28 boys outside the gates. The cut off age is 13 so any boys over 13 will not be taken. We are hoping to take 10 new girls but none have showed up.

10:30 – We brought all the kids in to sit down in chairs. Each child was invited to a desk where he gave his name to the social worker. A teacher then checked everyone for glue, finding only one bottle. Two of our kitchen staff passed out cups of chai tea. Before they were allowed to go play, they were asked to turn in any money they had. Kids are not allowed money because that would enable them to buy glue.

11:00 Samuel, who is 16 years old, has come over from Eldoret where he’s been attending school for three years. Run by a German volunteer, it was burned during the December election crises. Samuel came back to Kitale because his father lives here in the slum; Samuel goes to the streets during the day to beg for food. He was about to enter class 7 at the start of this school year and he seems brighter than some of our class 7 students. I’ve just spent 30 minutes talking to him and he understood me really well.

Nelson: If you read my 3 month update letter about Nelson, he did not arrive with these kids today. I have been told that another childrens’ home in the area took him off the street one week ago. I am happy that he is off the street and attending school, but I’m also sad that he won’t be joining us at Challenge Farm.

12:00 – After playing in the field, the kids were given some soap and opportunity to take a shower.

12:40 – All the new kids ate lunch and played afterward.

Final estimated total of kids who showed up wanting a place to stay came
close to 70. We took 24 boys and 1 girl.

Can you guess which one is Sammy?

Sammy is the boy to the right wearing the navy sweater.

Mt. Mtelo

This is no famous mountain to most but it is the Holy Mountain to the Pokot tribe in Kenya. Over the weekend I went with two Germans on a small trip to camp and climb this mountain. I had been wanting to climb a mountain for my birthday, so I was delighted to be invited. The mountain is 10,910 feet high and I climbed about the last 5,000 feet to the top. The experience was perfect as the hike had ever changing scenery. Our guide, Hilary, alerted us to the next part of the climb with some sort of title. One of my favorite parts was the bamboo forest. It was like a scene from Robin Hood or some magical movie. There was another part of the journey where I could have sworn I was transported to West Texas where weeds and wildflowers as tall as we are blocked our path constantly and caused us to return with some scrapes on our arms. The climb up took 5 hours and 45 minutes with occasional stops; the journey down took five hours. Once arriving at the top, we were surprised to find at least 30 Kenyans and one woman from North Carolina. They were on a Lent Pilgrimage. At the campsite, we each had our own mud bonda. It consisted of two beds, two side tables, and a lantern. The shower and African style toilet was a short distance away. The shower had only sides and no ceiling, which made for a beautiful view of the stars as I showered at night.

Need for sports equipment and art supplies

I have discovered that the art supplies and sports equipment available in stores here pale in comparison to our USA products. Anyone who can donate new or old supplies would be greatly appreciated. I am traveling home at the end of March with two empty bags looking for goodies to bring back to the farm at the end of April. Even if you only have used soccer balls or watercolors that you don’t use, I assure you they are much better than what can be found here. The stores only carry plastic soccer balls; therefore the kids actually go through one in a day.

New Attraction

I have been working off and on over the last few months making a poster to hang in the main room. It has a picture of each student attending the Light and Power school. Purple is a school color that we’ve implemented as it symbolizes royalty. So I requested that my mother bring me some purple border to help enhance the poster. I finally bought some plastic last week so that I could cover and hang the final product. After hanging the poster, I sat back and observed for a little while. The kids who were coming upstairs stopped and had a ball just looking at their picture and their peers' pictures. It didn’t take long before the word was out that the pictures were hung so more and more kids come up to see the new attraction. It was the highlight of my week seeing their happy faces and hearing their giggling voices as they stood as long as they could in front of the pictures.

Sammy and an exciting upcoming event

I wish this boy could know and understand just how many people are praying for him. You have all been so encouraging to me with emails and blog comments of how much you are thinking and praying for Sammy. He is doing well but remains to be a tough 16-year-old boy. The week following his return was difficult because he was battling the difficult task of coming down off glue addiction. I found out that he had run away the day after Christmas and then did not return until Saturday, January 26th making that one month he was on the street and sniffing glue. As I have mentioned before, the glue the kids sniff is very potent and addictive. Please continue to pray that God will reveal to him just how special he is.

Within the next two weeks, the Light and Power School will be inviting 30 new boys off the street to live at Challenge Farm. I briefly spoke about this in my three-month update as an upcoming prayer request. The time is here and we will be in much need of prayer. I have been told that this is a crazy transition. For the first month, the boys will be adjusting to their new surroundings and working through possible drug withdrawals. They will not be attending school during this time.

a few pictures from my safari

Volleyball

With the beginning of this new school year the Light and Power Center (our school at Challenge Farm) will begin competing in games against other public and private schools. The catch is that we don’t exactly know when the games will begin therefore we have no idea how much time we have to practice before our first game. I’ve been put in charge of volleyball. This will be a challenge since I must have a Kenyan helping me in order to have an interpreter and sometimes there is a conflict. The kids are used to playing volleyball freely using whatever method they can think of to get the ball over the net. Today we worked on learning how to rotate. There will be a boys' and a girls' team so I get to teach two groups of middle school students how to play volleyball. Prayers over this area would be greatly appreciated. This will be a lot of work!

Daily Kenya updates

For daily trustworthy news on the happenings in Kenya, please visit Daniel's blog.
dlipparelli.blogspot.com

I also have a link to his blog site on the right of my blog entries under Other Great Blog Sites

Farm life update

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you will already know that I’m completely fascinated by the farm life here. Today I was walking to the kitchen to cut up some pineapple when I saw a small pink animal dash off in the distance of the shamba. I immediately knew that we must have piglets and no one told me! Excitedly, I hurried down to see the filthy yet cute animals. There are a total of nine one-month-old piglets running in the shamba pin. I’ve never been around piglets before that I can recall. They really are fun to watch and cute as can be. I’m excited to watch these little guys grow up. I’m not too fascinated in the full grown pigs as they are just big and fat but I’ll enjoy watching these little ones run around for a few months.

Later in the afternoon during lunch break I was relaxing in the grass when one of our 3 month old calves walked up. He was very interested in me as I lay in the grass in a green shirt. I kept wondering if he thought I was grass and wanted a nibble. I had kicked of my flip-flops to become more relaxed and the calf came right up and started licking the bottom of my foot. Oh how it tickled but it was so sweet that I let him continue.

I left around 5 o’clock to head home. I had driven the car to work because I was transporting a couple of large things from my last home back up to my office. It’s always nice to drive home because I get there so much quicker than my usual routine. On this particular day, I didn’t manage to get home as quick as I should have. I don’t drive the car much so the gas light usually stays on because I never fill up too much at a time due to cost. I guess I didn’t judge correctly on how far I could go today because I ran out of gas on the way home. The most unfortunate part was that my phone was completely dead to where I could not even turn it on to find anyone's phone number. So, when I waved down a Kenyan on a bike, I couldn’t even use his phone to call because I didn’t know anyone’s number. The gentlemen that stopped were very helpful. One took my gas can and left by matatu to go get some gas while the other one stayed with his friend’s bike and me. Everyone that passed us stared a while wondering what we were doing chatting on the side of the road. Within 15 minutes the guy was back with my petrol. Luckily, I had one empty water bottle in my car and we used my trusty Swiss Army card that included a knife to cut off the bottom and use it as a funnel. I was on my way after a 40 minute delay. Whew!

To live the life of a gypsy or nomad

I’m referring to myself now as a gypsy or nomad. Last Sunday I moved for the second time in the four months I’ve been here. At the end of March I will be moving yet again so I’m not getting too settled into my current residence.

All the moves are within the same neighborhood, which is all walking distance but then I guess everything is walking distance here in Kitale. The house I’ve moved into is the one I’ve posted pictures of before when celebrating the recent big holiday occasions. It’s different living with other people in the house but so much more fun than living alone. It’s like being in a co-op in college. We have a daily schedule for cooking and washing dishes so I’m having normal meals for dinner instead of brainstorming last minute for something to eat. We play games often and follow rules like no guys in the girl’s part of the house and vice versa. All food in the refrigerator is free game unless you put a name on it. It’s really nice to call this my temporary home for now. Even though I’ve just been there two days, it has been fun to have a change in my daily schedule. Having people at home when I arrive after a long day has been the best part.

My Dallas friend Whitney Dickens arrives at the end of February and she’s agreed to sharing a room with me while we stay at this house. That is going to take me back to the good ‘ol camp days when we used to laugh ourselves silly at night. I do hope I’ll catch up on extra rest before her arrival.

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.

a quick word

I do apologize for not having posted but one entry over the last month. I am now posting my entries for Christmas Eve and day as well as some others I have written upon my return to Kitale. I will do much better at keeping you all updated now that I have an Internet connection at home! I hope you are all having a great start to 2008.

I apologize for not having posted any information recently. I have been home in the States but very caught up in what has been happening in Kenya. On December 20th I made a last minute decision to fly home for a brief visit and flew out of Nairobi on the 27th just barely missing the repercussions of the election. Now I'm trying to decide when to return. The country seems to be calming down, but I get conflicting reports from different sources. Of course no one knows what might happen next.

Most of the Challenge Farm kids are back from holiday break; everyone there is fine as the Farm had stocked up on food and other supplies. However, Grace, the Kenyan director, has not yet returned from holiday. She is of the Kikuyu tribe which is in some danger as it is the same as that of the re-elected president. Please pray that she can soon safely travel back to Challenge Farm as it relies heavily on her guidance. Also pray that the political crisis in Kenya will be resolved so that the country can return to normalcy.

My Christmas Eve and Day in Africa

Christmas Eve

I spent most of Christmas Eve with Challenge Farm staff and kids. About half of the kids went home to visit family. The other half stayed at the farm because they either do not have any family in the area or it is not in their best interest to let them visit home on overnight visits. Since this is a very hard time for half of the kids, Challenge Farm tries to take them on outings. On Christmas Eve we went to the Kitale Nature Conservancy. I had never been to this place. It is a farm that takes care of animals that were born with defects. During the walking tour I saw a goat with five legs, a cat with three eyes, many animals missing or having more than regular number of organs, one cow with two stomachs, and quite a few animals with three legs. The visit was very interesting and the kids had a great time. The farm has only been open one year, but I was happy to find that my little town of Kitale was doing such a great thing for these animals. Around 8 o’clock I went over to some friends' house where we stayed up till midnight playing 10 rounds of Uno.

Christmas Day

This same group of about 14 short term Anglo missionaries met around 10:00 Christmas morning. There were four cooks who had slaved in the kitchen and produced a spectacular and unusual combination of breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, bacon, German pancakes with Maple syrup, mocha cappuccinos, and crepes with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, and ice cream. I can honestly say that I have never had ice cream for breakfast, but it surely was good! Afterwards, we opened the gifts we had received from home and then most everyone played the white elephant exchange game. This is always enjoyable as it brings so many laughs. You can imagine just how funny it can be when everyone’s gift came from the market in this small African town.

Most everyone went their separate ways during the afternoon, visiting orphanages of Kenya friends. We reconvened that evening for another excellent meal. All in all, it was quite different from my Christmas in Dallas, but it was a very great Christmas in Africa.