Monday, December 8, 2008
Departure Day
Lynn and my last day was Sunday. We got out to the farm in time for church but found the children to be quieter than normal and some very standoffish. Little Sarah had come over and wrapped herself in my arms while I was talking with teacher Saul. She was not saying much, but just there holding my finger and getting as close as possible. All I heard her ask a few times was when Rhonda would be back and how many months would it take. Saul began explaining that the hardest day at Challenge is when all the visitors leave. Many kids find a place on the grass all to themselves and cry, others lash out in anger at someone else. He was explaining that many fights break out in the first day or two after the visitors have left because they do not know what to do with their feelings. I was really shocked by this news. I looked down at Sarah and realized what was happening. Many of the kids will just lie in the dorm bed and not come out to see us go. I believe they are trying to separate themselves. During Saul and my conversation, the bell for lunch rang but Sarah would not leave. Saul went on to say that many kids loose the appetite to eat. Here I am getting caught up in my thoughts of going home for Christmas and spending time with loved ones while these kids are literally dreading the departure date. That put such a heavy weight on my heart. I had to choke back tears several times that day and told the kids that I would be back as soon as I had the money to return. How could I not? Much of my heart remains in Kitale with these kids.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Relaxing weekend days
I was playing a great game of Chicken Foot (played with dominos) with the kids and had one of my ‘stop and realize I’m in Africa’ moments. Most of the time I forget that I am so far away in a poverty stricken area where the kids I’m playing with actually grew up suffering on the street. Here I was carried away in the moment of teaching them how to play dominos, which they’d never seen before, and loving every moment. The kids were making me laugh so hard.
About this time, a student rang the bell for dinner. This was the last full day with the kids before my departure home. As all the kids ran to get ready for dinner, I stuck my head in through the dinning hall window and took in the scene. You see, I am so happy when I’m at the farm and playing with the kids and I see that they are happy playing with us visitors. My view is clouded and carried away in these perfect moments but then as I watch them sit down to eat their Ugali (maize/corn) and sukuma wiki (collards) at their assigned tables, my view begins to get clearer and I see their everyday life. I get the chance to come to Africa and have fun but when I and other visitors have left, they remain. It saddens my heart when I think of all I did at their age; sleepovers, movies, mall shopping, ice skating, etc, and here they are fighting as a group of kids to grow up and succeed in school so that they can find a job. There is no, “I’m going to the movies with a friend and be back before dinner.” What these kids live for is the teams that come over and the letters from pen pals. I would say that most months out of the year, there is someone visiting but it is ever-changing and unsure at times. I know that the kids at Challenge Farm are loved by so many people and compared to other children in the world, they have been given a great opportunity at the farm but it doesn’t stop me from realizing just how good a life I’ve had and how I desperately wish I could give to them what was given to me.
About this time, a student rang the bell for dinner. This was the last full day with the kids before my departure home. As all the kids ran to get ready for dinner, I stuck my head in through the dinning hall window and took in the scene. You see, I am so happy when I’m at the farm and playing with the kids and I see that they are happy playing with us visitors. My view is clouded and carried away in these perfect moments but then as I watch them sit down to eat their Ugali (maize/corn) and sukuma wiki (collards) at their assigned tables, my view begins to get clearer and I see their everyday life. I get the chance to come to Africa and have fun but when I and other visitors have left, they remain. It saddens my heart when I think of all I did at their age; sleepovers, movies, mall shopping, ice skating, etc, and here they are fighting as a group of kids to grow up and succeed in school so that they can find a job. There is no, “I’m going to the movies with a friend and be back before dinner.” What these kids live for is the teams that come over and the letters from pen pals. I would say that most months out of the year, there is someone visiting but it is ever-changing and unsure at times. I know that the kids at Challenge Farm are loved by so many people and compared to other children in the world, they have been given a great opportunity at the farm but it doesn’t stop me from realizing just how good a life I’ve had and how I desperately wish I could give to them what was given to me.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tea Party - AKA - Prince and Princess Day
I’ve spoken much about the tea party we had last year for the girls when they dressed up in prom attire. This year some very generous stores in America donated many suits and tuxes for the boys of Challenge Farm. On Friday, November 28th, we had our first ever Prince and Princess Day. Last year the girls nicknamed the day Princess Day because they felt like a princess all dressed up, so we ran with the new title. I have to stop and find my breath as it gets swept away often here in Africa and this day was yet another breathtaking day.
On the morning of the 28th, I was helping the girls dress in their dorm. In days before, we visitors had organized the boys’ clothes in a large room of the office building and had directed the staff that would be helping them. I was preoccupied getting the girls ready and the dining hall set for juice and cookies when the boys came out of the main office building. Watching from across the compound through the dining window, I began to see the boys filing out of the building and just had to stop and stare. Even from that far away, I could tell by the way they were walking that they too were on top of the world feeling very special and handsome. The attire was anything from coattails, bowties, vests, jackets, ties, pinstriped pants, tuxedo white or black pants, beanie hats, camouflaged hats, and sunglasses.
I choked back tears, wishing Mama Cheri could have been with us for this moment. I know our Heavenly Father was smiling down upon his children this day. Whether they are in street clothes resembling rags or in the finest suits, I believe God sees His children in their very best so it was as though, on this day, I was seeing what He sees each day. I say this often, but I am truly blessed to be a part of the lives of these unbelievably special kids. At a moment like this, I don’t know what I’ve done to be given this chance to stand with them and share this day.
The boys lined up after group photos and began escorting the girls into the dining hall. As they are not used to seeing each other in these clothes, we had to battle the ever so cute girls running away from the boys at first. Since we have twice as many boys as we do girls, there was one boy on each side of the girl as they got their picture taken and walked in to be seated. Tea and cookies were followed with dancing. The whole experience was unforgettable for everyone. I am sharing a few of the many great pictures. Since I’ve posted many of the girls before, I chose to post more of the boys this time. I hope you enjoy the pictures and get a tiny glimpse into the 1st Annual Prince and Princess Day.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Ultimate shopping - day two
Since yesterday took a bit longer than we expected, the plans were changed and, I thought, improved. We arrived at Challenge about 8:30 am to get an early start. This being Thanksgiving, we planned to finish earlier and come home for some relaxing cooking time in the afternoon. We dropped off the first group and took care of some shopping we needed to do.
The teachers were assigned to five kids each since these are the newest and youngest kids. Would you believe that they were the most well behaved out of the whole Challenge Farm? They were so mature. Many of the street kids tried to poke fun at them or get their attention. Each one handled it a little differently but they were all kind in dealing with the situation. On many occasions, one of Challenge kids would be seen giving away some of the food they’d bought with their Christmas money. Now that was a touching moment for me. One child in particular was all ready in the van to head back and stuck his arm out the window with a whole muffin and handed it to a little boy. This was a WHOLE muffin. Our kids don’t get bread often as any bread product is quite expensive. This was a sacrifice and yet the child didn’t hesitate giving it away. Now I’ve gotten carried away and left out a big part of the day.
Two and a half hours passed and we drivers were ready to take group one back and get group two. The kids were all in the meeting place and we were close to loading up the vehicles when Lynn leaned over to ask me, “What are those people doing by the van?” I didn’t see them at first since it was parked across the street but something caught my eye down by the tire. I had not seen this before but had heard stories. I immediately dashed across the street to find three parking attendants locking the van tire! Without thinking, I begin barking at them for what they were doing. They tried to tell me we were parked illegally. Well, yes, we had parked the van temporarily in front of a gas station entrance but, to our defense, the gas station was closed and the entrance was blocked with tires and rope so that no one could enter. This was part of my major argument with the attendants. No there is more to the story, but it gets a bit embarrassing that I was not able to control my frustration better than I did so I will conclude the story and leave out the part where my patience was not in tact. The parking attendants wanted 500 shillings to take the lock off, but one of our staff that was present knew a lady who worked in the office. She made us pay only 200 shillings. Neither amount was a lot in dollars, but I was speaking on principle here; 500 shillings is about $6.50. ☺ The whole fiasco took about 40 minutes so we were running a bit past schedule again.
I had sent Lynn back to get part of group two since I did not know when the van would be released. When I arrived back to the Farm, she had all 18 of the remaining boys crammed into the trooper (7 passenger vehicle). They were happy to see us coming. We evened out the boys and began our last shopping trek to town. This time, after we dropped off the group, we went to a nearby coffee house for a scrumptious lunch energizer. This was some much needed down time. The pickup time for the last group was 3 o’clock, well past the time we’d spent yesterday. How does this happen?
By 4:30 we were back at the Farm with all the kids but not without a near wreck in town, another car losing his brake and ending up in the trooper grill, a drunk man running into the front of the van, and almost thinking we had lost one child back to the street. What a Thanksgiving day to remember.
We Americans were able to make it home by 5:00 and begin our relaxing cooking evening we’d been looking forward to. Dinner was served by 6:45 and included homemade southern dressing with chicken, sweet corn, a sweet potato marshmallow dish, and pumpkin pie - all in an African day's work.
The teachers were assigned to five kids each since these are the newest and youngest kids. Would you believe that they were the most well behaved out of the whole Challenge Farm? They were so mature. Many of the street kids tried to poke fun at them or get their attention. Each one handled it a little differently but they were all kind in dealing with the situation. On many occasions, one of Challenge kids would be seen giving away some of the food they’d bought with their Christmas money. Now that was a touching moment for me. One child in particular was all ready in the van to head back and stuck his arm out the window with a whole muffin and handed it to a little boy. This was a WHOLE muffin. Our kids don’t get bread often as any bread product is quite expensive. This was a sacrifice and yet the child didn’t hesitate giving it away. Now I’ve gotten carried away and left out a big part of the day.
Two and a half hours passed and we drivers were ready to take group one back and get group two. The kids were all in the meeting place and we were close to loading up the vehicles when Lynn leaned over to ask me, “What are those people doing by the van?” I didn’t see them at first since it was parked across the street but something caught my eye down by the tire. I had not seen this before but had heard stories. I immediately dashed across the street to find three parking attendants locking the van tire! Without thinking, I begin barking at them for what they were doing. They tried to tell me we were parked illegally. Well, yes, we had parked the van temporarily in front of a gas station entrance but, to our defense, the gas station was closed and the entrance was blocked with tires and rope so that no one could enter. This was part of my major argument with the attendants. No there is more to the story, but it gets a bit embarrassing that I was not able to control my frustration better than I did so I will conclude the story and leave out the part where my patience was not in tact. The parking attendants wanted 500 shillings to take the lock off, but one of our staff that was present knew a lady who worked in the office. She made us pay only 200 shillings. Neither amount was a lot in dollars, but I was speaking on principle here; 500 shillings is about $6.50. ☺ The whole fiasco took about 40 minutes so we were running a bit past schedule again.
I had sent Lynn back to get part of group two since I did not know when the van would be released. When I arrived back to the Farm, she had all 18 of the remaining boys crammed into the trooper (7 passenger vehicle). They were happy to see us coming. We evened out the boys and began our last shopping trek to town. This time, after we dropped off the group, we went to a nearby coffee house for a scrumptious lunch energizer. This was some much needed down time. The pickup time for the last group was 3 o’clock, well past the time we’d spent yesterday. How does this happen?
By 4:30 we were back at the Farm with all the kids but not without a near wreck in town, another car losing his brake and ending up in the trooper grill, a drunk man running into the front of the van, and almost thinking we had lost one child back to the street. What a Thanksgiving day to remember.
We Americans were able to make it home by 5:00 and begin our relaxing cooking evening we’d been looking forward to. Dinner was served by 6:45 and included homemade southern dressing with chicken, sweet corn, a sweet potato marshmallow dish, and pumpkin pie - all in an African day's work.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Ultimate Shopping Experience
I firmly believe that no one has experienced ‘shop until you drop’ unless they've piled 100 kids in two vehicles over two days and given them the equivalent of about $15 for their Christmas money. This last Wednesday and Thursday, I was one of the two privileged drivers to take part in this activity at Challenge Farm. Almost half of these kids have not ever been given money to go shopping and about 40 of them have not been back in to Kitale town since they left the streets back in February. It was quite different than I had envisioned and of course took about 4 hours longer than I’d planned….welcome back to Kenya! For some reason I can’t get it through my head that time really does not matter here.
The first group was all girls. We crammed 12 into the 7 passenger SUV I was driving and 17 plus a few staff into Lynn’s 9 passenger van. Off we went to town. My girls were singing every song they knew and when they ran out of Christian and Swahili songs, they busted right on in to happy birthday Rhonda. My birthday isn’t until March, but they sure had fun celebrating it right now through song. The drop off of the kids went well, and then Lynn and I headed back to the Farm to pick up the next group which was to be the remaining 6 girls plus all class eight boys and secondary boys. We chose to take them next because they were so responsible. All the while we were slightly dreading the next day when we were to take the ‘new kids’ as we still call them even though they’ve been with us since February 08.
Now understand we had no clue as to how long the kids would shop. They were buying in the town market, which is rather large and full of anything and everything. We did, however, think that the 5 staff members we dropped off with the kids would be able to round them up when time came to leave. This, along with the Kenyan time, was quite misjudged by Lynn and myself. I believe we sat with the cars parked in a very busy spot on the street for an hour at the least while kids kept walking around and staff looking as though they had no clue what to do to get the students back in the car. Remember now, we are dealing with the supposed responsible group.
After lots of chaos and confusion on where the purchased bags of ‘stuff’ were, we took off back to school with the first group. Whewww, at least we had half of the kids back. All we needed now was one last trip to town to pick up the remaining group. Luckily it had begun to sprinkle so the boys where ready to jump in the car and go. I had previously threatened them that if they were not ready to leave when we returned, they would be paying their own way home on a matatu.
The day was a success and a shopping experience to go down in the books. We got all 55 students back home with purchases. Now we just needed to rest up for day two.
The first group was all girls. We crammed 12 into the 7 passenger SUV I was driving and 17 plus a few staff into Lynn’s 9 passenger van. Off we went to town. My girls were singing every song they knew and when they ran out of Christian and Swahili songs, they busted right on in to happy birthday Rhonda. My birthday isn’t until March, but they sure had fun celebrating it right now through song. The drop off of the kids went well, and then Lynn and I headed back to the Farm to pick up the next group which was to be the remaining 6 girls plus all class eight boys and secondary boys. We chose to take them next because they were so responsible. All the while we were slightly dreading the next day when we were to take the ‘new kids’ as we still call them even though they’ve been with us since February 08.
Now understand we had no clue as to how long the kids would shop. They were buying in the town market, which is rather large and full of anything and everything. We did, however, think that the 5 staff members we dropped off with the kids would be able to round them up when time came to leave. This, along with the Kenyan time, was quite misjudged by Lynn and myself. I believe we sat with the cars parked in a very busy spot on the street for an hour at the least while kids kept walking around and staff looking as though they had no clue what to do to get the students back in the car. Remember now, we are dealing with the supposed responsible group.
After lots of chaos and confusion on where the purchased bags of ‘stuff’ were, we took off back to school with the first group. Whewww, at least we had half of the kids back. All we needed now was one last trip to town to pick up the remaining group. Luckily it had begun to sprinkle so the boys where ready to jump in the car and go. I had previously threatened them that if they were not ready to leave when we returned, they would be paying their own way home on a matatu.
The day was a success and a shopping experience to go down in the books. We got all 55 students back home with purchases. Now we just needed to rest up for day two.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Back in Kitale
I have just gone through two 8-9 hour flights, a night's stay in Nairobi, a bit of souvenir shopping, and an hour and a half puddle jumper flight to Kitale but I've made it back. I love Kitale very much, but I surely do wish it were a lot closer to home.
All the flights were very smooth, and I got as much rest as anticipated. Upon arrival to Kitale I was able to look out the window and see the top of Challenge Farm. I've flown into Kitale several times, but this was the first time I spotted the orphanage. My excitement really began to build as realization set in that I am back. I have been gone about 3 months, the longest I've been away from the kids since I met them October 1, 2007.
When we landed, I saw a glimpse of purple uniforms. I thought to myself, "Challenge Farm has purple uniforms." I looked out the window again and there was my friend Whitney with a camera in her hands. She had brought about 15 students and two staff down to greet me at the airstrip. My excitement quadrupled. I couldn’t wait to see the kids. As I walked down the steps, I was greated with many smiling faces. Immediately tears filled my eyes as pure joy had overtaken me. All the kids had handshakes and great big hugs to pass out to Lynn and me. (Lynn is a friend I connected with in Amsterdam; she lives in Alabama. This is her first time back since she came last October with the Alabama team I talked so much about on my first blogs.)
After greeting a few of the kids and taking in the situation, I looked past the two homemade signs and saw Sammy. Many of you know his story but do not know that with our new sponsorship program starting, I chose to sponsor him. We made eye contact and I enthusiastically waved him over. He had the biggest smile that I'd ever seen on him. I gave him a HUGE hug and told him how great it was to see him. I had received word a couple months ago that he was very unhappy and wanted to run away, so I'm very thankful he's doing well. It’s good to be back!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tea Party - Princesse Day-
About one year ago a team from Alabama came to help with Royal Family Kids Camp at Challenge Farm. R.F.K.C. is a special camp designed for kids who have been abused, neglected, orphaned, etc. In preparation for the camp, the team collected many formal dresses that women or girls were no longer using. Their idea was to host a special tea party during the camp week where the girls would choose a dress to wear, apply make up, and have chai (tea with milk) together. Men who came on the team escorted the girls to the tea party. Not one of those girls will ever forget that day. I've posted a few pictures for you to see how beautiful the girls looked.
The boys, however, did not participate in this activity, but we found out that they really wanted to. So, this year, Ashley, the camp trained RFKC leader, has been given a huge donation of tuxes and suits for the gentleman to wear. All that we need are a few more dresses since we have brought in more girls off the street. If you have a used bridesmaid dress, no matter what year you wore it, or your daughter has a used batmitzvah, flower girl, or junior bridesmaid dress, you would be willing to donate, please email me - rhonda.pickett@gmail.com
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I will be flying back to Kenya November 16th. All I will be taking are items for the kids at Challenge Farm. I would appreciate your help in making these kids feel special!
The boys, however, did not participate in this activity, but we found out that they really wanted to. So, this year, Ashley, the camp trained RFKC leader, has been given a huge donation of tuxes and suits for the gentleman to wear. All that we need are a few more dresses since we have brought in more girls off the street. If you have a used bridesmaid dress, no matter what year you wore it, or your daughter has a used batmitzvah, flower girl, or junior bridesmaid dress, you would be willing to donate, please email me - rhonda.pickett@gmail.com
As I mentioned in my previous blog, I will be flying back to Kenya November 16th. All I will be taking are items for the kids at Challenge Farm. I would appreciate your help in making these kids feel special!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Home again
For those of you who do not receive my snail mail updates, I am back home in Dallas. I can't say I'm gone for good since I hope to be traveling back to Kitale at least once a year. I'll be looking for a full-time job in Dallas soon, but now I'm doing whatever temporary jobs I can find because I'll be returning to Kenya November 15th for 3 weeks.
I've been home for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and it surely feels different - from concerns of wondering if I am driving on the correct side of the road to missing my precious 102 Kenya kids. Oh and the humid 90+ degree weather is a major adjustment compared to Kitale's perfect 70 degree day.
I am doing what I can from home to assist Cheri, the founder of Challenge Farm. She is trying to begin a child sponsorship progam. Since the addition of 60 new kids, the farm is in a great need of money. I will post the sponsorship program details on my blog as soon as I know more. The kids are all very excited about possibly having a sponsor soon who will correspond with them. You can find more information
soon on the Challenge Farm website. www.challenge_kenya.com
I've been home for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and it surely feels different - from concerns of wondering if I am driving on the correct side of the road to missing my precious 102 Kenya kids. Oh and the humid 90+ degree weather is a major adjustment compared to Kitale's perfect 70 degree day.
I am doing what I can from home to assist Cheri, the founder of Challenge Farm. She is trying to begin a child sponsorship progam. Since the addition of 60 new kids, the farm is in a great need of money. I will post the sponsorship program details on my blog as soon as I know more. The kids are all very excited about possibly having a sponsor soon who will correspond with them. You can find more information
soon on the Challenge Farm website. www.challenge_kenya.com
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Baptism
Happy tears flooded quickly to my eyes as Paul, the first of twenty, went into the river water that was to symbolize the washing away of his old life and the rebirth of his new life with Christ. We had brought around 40 kids down to a nearby river for the baptism last Thursday, July 24th. The twenty that were to be baptized and the twenty that were their witnesses were all so excited. Just leaving the farm grounds for a field trip is exciting enough, but to be able to take part in the baptism of half of our new kids takes the cake!
I had no idea the emotion that would flood over me while watching these kids being baptized. It all happened so quickly but I relished every moment while etching the memories in my brain. Having known them while filthy, hungry, and begging on the streets to now being washed clean of their former life and beginning their journey with Christ is one of the biggest blessings in my life. God has a plan for each one of these kids and I hope I’ll be able to watch it all unfold.
After the children were baptized, their witness was awaiting them on shore with dry clothes. When all twenty had been baptized, we circled up as a group and sang songs. Just before we began loading up the vehicles to return to school, the witnesses each prayed over their new brother/sister in Christ.
I wish I had enough space to put each picture from the day on the blog, but, due to space and time, I’ve chosen just a few.
I had no idea the emotion that would flood over me while watching these kids being baptized. It all happened so quickly but I relished every moment while etching the memories in my brain. Having known them while filthy, hungry, and begging on the streets to now being washed clean of their former life and beginning their journey with Christ is one of the biggest blessings in my life. God has a plan for each one of these kids and I hope I’ll be able to watch it all unfold.
After the children were baptized, their witness was awaiting them on shore with dry clothes. When all twenty had been baptized, we circled up as a group and sang songs. Just before we began loading up the vehicles to return to school, the witnesses each prayed over their new brother/sister in Christ.
I wish I had enough space to put each picture from the day on the blog, but, due to space and time, I’ve chosen just a few.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Mandazi for sale!
Mendazi’s for Sale
When Cheri arrived, she was happy to find that Maximilla had returned but quickly saw that she’d fallen right back into her same pattern of not doing much through the day, not even taking care of her son Richard. Cheri decided to set her up with a little business. She bought her a little jiko oven, pan, and ingredients to make mendazi. Mendazi’s are the African version of our donut without the glaze and circle shape. Now, each morning, Maximilla makes fresh hot mendazi and sells them to the staff for 5 shillings a piece. It has become a hit! The staff loves having the treat readily available and Maximilla stays busy. She has even begun to look happy. Just last week, I heard her whistling up the stairs of our main building while on one of her rounds to deliver the delectable treat to staff anxiously awaiting her arrival. I, of course, always want to help support her business which sadly does not help my figure, but hey, it’s all for a good cause, right? ☺
When Cheri arrived, she was happy to find that Maximilla had returned but quickly saw that she’d fallen right back into her same pattern of not doing much through the day, not even taking care of her son Richard. Cheri decided to set her up with a little business. She bought her a little jiko oven, pan, and ingredients to make mendazi. Mendazi’s are the African version of our donut without the glaze and circle shape. Now, each morning, Maximilla makes fresh hot mendazi and sells them to the staff for 5 shillings a piece. It has become a hit! The staff loves having the treat readily available and Maximilla stays busy. She has even begun to look happy. Just last week, I heard her whistling up the stairs of our main building while on one of her rounds to deliver the delectable treat to staff anxiously awaiting her arrival. I, of course, always want to help support her business which sadly does not help my figure, but hey, it’s all for a good cause, right? ☺
The Women of Kipsongo Slum
Challenge Farm has a program with the women living in the Kitale slum. The women that choose to participate make beaded necklaces, bracelets, and rings, then sell them to Challenege Farm and we send the goods home with visitors to sell in America. The money goes to help them buy food and take care of their children.
I was given the chance to visit these women in the slum when Cheri arrived. It is not advisable for people to go into the slum without someone that they are very familiar with. This is one reason that I have waited.
It’s difficult to give a description of our walk because it causes me to place myself back in the slum with all the smells, the animals alive and dead, the houses made of trash, and the poor kids that clung to us in groups of 10 each. So I will skip the details and move on to the women with whom we work.
These women are all ages and mostly from the Turkana Tribe. They love to sing and dance, so when Cheri shows up they light up like a Christmas tree and begin the dancing and singing. They usually like to take us on a tour through the slum before meeting in a room for a Bible study. There are many women who can’t move far from their home due to physical hindrances. Cheri visits them and prays over them for healing.
During my first visit to the slum we sang and danced with the women then prayed over each one individually. As I was hovering over these women praying to God for healing and restoration to their bodies, I felt the Holy Spirit come over me. Tears immediately began flowing down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed with compassion for these ladies. If I can ever figure out how to upload videos to my blog, you will be able to watch them dancing.
Even though it’s difficult to see the living conditions of these women, I really enjoy visiting with them!
Sponsors
Challenge Farm is about to kick off, for the first time, its child sponsor program. People can choose a child at Challenge Farm to sponsor monthly for as long they like. Challenge Farm would like for people to commit to at least a year so that they can get to know the child and communicate through mail. The information and pictures are all being collected right now; I hope that the sponsor program will be up and running soon. I will keep you posted from my blog.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Nelson
This past Sunday I ran into my all time favorite kid
from the streets. Many of you might remember a blog I
wrote about him back in December because I was wishing
that he’d be able to live at Challenge Farm. He was
taken by a different Children’s organization one week
before Challenge Farm took in the new kids. I was so
sad to hear the news but happy to know that he was off
the streets. I only just found out a week ago where
he lives and then he showed up at church.
Church had just ended and I felt a tap on my shoulder.
When I turned around, there was my adorable Nelson
just smiling away at me. I shot up out of my seat, ran
around the isle, and covered him in a huge bear hug.
He has grown so much! I spent the next 15 minutes
talking with him through the very large smile that I
couldn’t get off my face. I told him over and over
that I was so happy to see him.
It really is amazing to see just how much a nourished
child can grow in such a short period of time when
eating properly. He is in school and learning
English, which I could tell immediately. Oh,
how great it was to see this boy’s face. I only wish
I had a before and after picture to share with all of
you.
from the streets. Many of you might remember a blog I
wrote about him back in December because I was wishing
that he’d be able to live at Challenge Farm. He was
taken by a different Children’s organization one week
before Challenge Farm took in the new kids. I was so
sad to hear the news but happy to know that he was off
the streets. I only just found out a week ago where
he lives and then he showed up at church.
Church had just ended and I felt a tap on my shoulder.
When I turned around, there was my adorable Nelson
just smiling away at me. I shot up out of my seat, ran
around the isle, and covered him in a huge bear hug.
He has grown so much! I spent the next 15 minutes
talking with him through the very large smile that I
couldn’t get off my face. I told him over and over
that I was so happy to see him.
It really is amazing to see just how much a nourished
child can grow in such a short period of time when
eating properly. He is in school and learning
English, which I could tell immediately. Oh,
how great it was to see this boy’s face. I only wish
I had a before and after picture to share with all of
you.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Half that felt like a Whole
Whitney and I left for our ½ marathon trip last Wednesday, June 25th. We flew out of Kitale at 2:15 and landed in Nairobi at 3:00. Our team had arranged to meet for dinner that night at Java House, which is comparable to Chilies Restaurant at home. Whit and I were the first to arrive, so we ordered one of their famous chocolate milk shakes and sucked them down before anyone else arrived. Four of the members from Italy didn’t end up coming so it was just 6 of us.
We had been told of a great place to stay and get a good meal located 20 miles from the Lewa game park where we were to run Saturday morning. Since the drive up to the park was to take around 4 hours, we decided to go a day early so our bodies wouldn’t be too worn out before the race. On the road trip, our minivan we’d rented with driver had one big blowout. I’ve never been in a car when the tire blew; it was quite the scare. It sounded like we hit something and then skidded for a length of time that made me very uncomfortable. God was with us in a huge way because we stopped 20 feet short of a very large bridge. The driver handled everything perfectly and within 10 minutes he borrowed a jack from a passing matatu, changed the tire, and was back on the drive headed to our destination. We arrived safely in Timau, home of Kentrout, which is a trout farm, around 7:00 Thursday evening. This place was incredible. The grounds were perfectly groomed and it was located in the backyard of Mt. Kenya. The weather was quite a bit colder than Kitale, but each lodge had a fireplace roaring upon our arrival. You can't begin to imagine how excited we were about this place. Anytime we are traveling in Africa, we try not to get our hopes up about our lodging. This place, however, was the best that I’ve found since living here. The meal that night was fresh trout literally caught just as we put in our order and, might I add, the best and freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. The trip was off to a great start.
The next morning we met for breakfast around 9 and left the lovely guesthouse around noon to head to the game park once again wondering what our living quarters would be like at the next stop. Just after entering the park, we began to see many giraffes as though they’d come to greet us. When we found the registration tent and signed in, we were given t-shirts (Kenyan style), meal passes, a brochure of the events, and windup Safaricom flashlights. The flashlight was a particularly good bonus since none of us thought to bring one. Our tents were much better than imagined. Two people shared a tent that was very spacious. The meals left much to the imagination; for the first time in my life I felt like I was staying on some sort of Army base.
Saturday morning came quickly but not quickly enough. We suffered through the coldest night yet with wind whipping through the tent. I was freezing cold wondering just how much more I could curl into a ball to keep warm. It never occurred to me that I would have needed to pack a warm sweat suit to sleep in. What was worse was the thought that I now had to take off my pjs and put on shorts and a t-shirt for the run. I thought I would die of hypothermia before the race ever began. When I stepped out of the tent, everyone was running up and down trying to get warm. Many skinny yet muscular Kenyans looked well prepared while all the white people looked at each other in bewilderment as to why they had paid money to be at this race. At 6:30 we all walked the 15 minutes to the start line. Before the race began, a helicopter and two small planes scanned the grounds trying to scare away the large and potentially dangerous animals from the race course. Everything was exciting! At promptly 7:15, the race began. The first 3 miles were packed as the road was very narrow and 900 people were all crammed together. On the up side, it really made the time fly as we tried to bypass all the walkers and slower runners. Yes, there were people we could outrun, but no, they weren’t Kenyan. Just after the third mile mark, we began a steep decent. At one point I saw a large herd of elephants grazing in the grass. There was one guard standing by the course to protect us. That was only one of about 5 guards I saw protecting us the whole race, not including the people at the water stands. Even though we didn’t see any other animals, it was still a bit unnerving not to have more protection.
We were still descending at mile 5. Now we were getting worried because we knew just how far we had gone down and we were told the race is one of the top 10 most difficult marathons in the world, so it only made sense that the worst was yet to come. The climb began and our smiles and excitement quickly turned to frowns and exhaustion. The hills didn’t stop. Just when we’d think we’d see the end of one climb it would miraculously keep going. I began to get horrible cramps with each breath, but Whitney was a champ. She had more energy than I’d seen during our training. She kept me going and gave me lots of inspiring words. Another great inspiration was an older woman who kept a very steady pace the entire time. We kept seeing her over and over, and then when we were really tuckered out, she took a big lead on us. At mile 9 the hills stopped and we began another steep descent. The scenery was gorgeous at this point, the best in the race. I might have been swayed by the happy sight of a descending course as well. Now that the worst was behind us, we only had one thing to accomplish besides finishing and that was to catch up to the woman with the teal colored shirt (otherwise known as the woman twice our age). We couldn’t let her beat us. About a mile out we began our sprints, yes, that is right - sprints. We would sprint 30 seconds and walk 30 seconds in hopes to catch up to her. Oh, I almost forgot. At about mile 10 we started hearing cheering. The Kenyan in first place running the full marathon charged past us with speed unlike I’ve ever seen in my life. We just cheered him right on, knowing full well that we’d never be even close to running like that.
The race seemed to never end as the finish line was well hidden and markers kept counting down in kilometers of which I am not familiar so I never could tell how close I was to finishing. Sadly, I couldn't even tell if I had finished before the infamous woman in teal but I did have a picture of her.
After crossing the finish line, getting my medal, gift bag, and stretching out my muscles, I saw the teal woman in the distance. I left everyone I was standing with to go meet her, thank her, and congratulate her on a job well done. I was just certain that this had to have been just one of the many ½ marathons she’d run but instead found out it was her first. Wow! I only hope that someday I’ll have grandkids to run in a half marathon with me.
we finished the race and I am happy that I decided to do it, but I agree that it is a very, very tough run. What an unforgettable experience though!
We had been told of a great place to stay and get a good meal located 20 miles from the Lewa game park where we were to run Saturday morning. Since the drive up to the park was to take around 4 hours, we decided to go a day early so our bodies wouldn’t be too worn out before the race. On the road trip, our minivan we’d rented with driver had one big blowout. I’ve never been in a car when the tire blew; it was quite the scare. It sounded like we hit something and then skidded for a length of time that made me very uncomfortable. God was with us in a huge way because we stopped 20 feet short of a very large bridge. The driver handled everything perfectly and within 10 minutes he borrowed a jack from a passing matatu, changed the tire, and was back on the drive headed to our destination. We arrived safely in Timau, home of Kentrout, which is a trout farm, around 7:00 Thursday evening. This place was incredible. The grounds were perfectly groomed and it was located in the backyard of Mt. Kenya. The weather was quite a bit colder than Kitale, but each lodge had a fireplace roaring upon our arrival. You can't begin to imagine how excited we were about this place. Anytime we are traveling in Africa, we try not to get our hopes up about our lodging. This place, however, was the best that I’ve found since living here. The meal that night was fresh trout literally caught just as we put in our order and, might I add, the best and freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. The trip was off to a great start.
The next morning we met for breakfast around 9 and left the lovely guesthouse around noon to head to the game park once again wondering what our living quarters would be like at the next stop. Just after entering the park, we began to see many giraffes as though they’d come to greet us. When we found the registration tent and signed in, we were given t-shirts (Kenyan style), meal passes, a brochure of the events, and windup Safaricom flashlights. The flashlight was a particularly good bonus since none of us thought to bring one. Our tents were much better than imagined. Two people shared a tent that was very spacious. The meals left much to the imagination; for the first time in my life I felt like I was staying on some sort of Army base.
Saturday morning came quickly but not quickly enough. We suffered through the coldest night yet with wind whipping through the tent. I was freezing cold wondering just how much more I could curl into a ball to keep warm. It never occurred to me that I would have needed to pack a warm sweat suit to sleep in. What was worse was the thought that I now had to take off my pjs and put on shorts and a t-shirt for the run. I thought I would die of hypothermia before the race ever began. When I stepped out of the tent, everyone was running up and down trying to get warm. Many skinny yet muscular Kenyans looked well prepared while all the white people looked at each other in bewilderment as to why they had paid money to be at this race. At 6:30 we all walked the 15 minutes to the start line. Before the race began, a helicopter and two small planes scanned the grounds trying to scare away the large and potentially dangerous animals from the race course. Everything was exciting! At promptly 7:15, the race began. The first 3 miles were packed as the road was very narrow and 900 people were all crammed together. On the up side, it really made the time fly as we tried to bypass all the walkers and slower runners. Yes, there were people we could outrun, but no, they weren’t Kenyan. Just after the third mile mark, we began a steep decent. At one point I saw a large herd of elephants grazing in the grass. There was one guard standing by the course to protect us. That was only one of about 5 guards I saw protecting us the whole race, not including the people at the water stands. Even though we didn’t see any other animals, it was still a bit unnerving not to have more protection.
We were still descending at mile 5. Now we were getting worried because we knew just how far we had gone down and we were told the race is one of the top 10 most difficult marathons in the world, so it only made sense that the worst was yet to come. The climb began and our smiles and excitement quickly turned to frowns and exhaustion. The hills didn’t stop. Just when we’d think we’d see the end of one climb it would miraculously keep going. I began to get horrible cramps with each breath, but Whitney was a champ. She had more energy than I’d seen during our training. She kept me going and gave me lots of inspiring words. Another great inspiration was an older woman who kept a very steady pace the entire time. We kept seeing her over and over, and then when we were really tuckered out, she took a big lead on us. At mile 9 the hills stopped and we began another steep descent. The scenery was gorgeous at this point, the best in the race. I might have been swayed by the happy sight of a descending course as well. Now that the worst was behind us, we only had one thing to accomplish besides finishing and that was to catch up to the woman with the teal colored shirt (otherwise known as the woman twice our age). We couldn’t let her beat us. About a mile out we began our sprints, yes, that is right - sprints. We would sprint 30 seconds and walk 30 seconds in hopes to catch up to her. Oh, I almost forgot. At about mile 10 we started hearing cheering. The Kenyan in first place running the full marathon charged past us with speed unlike I’ve ever seen in my life. We just cheered him right on, knowing full well that we’d never be even close to running like that.
The race seemed to never end as the finish line was well hidden and markers kept counting down in kilometers of which I am not familiar so I never could tell how close I was to finishing. Sadly, I couldn't even tell if I had finished before the infamous woman in teal but I did have a picture of her.
After crossing the finish line, getting my medal, gift bag, and stretching out my muscles, I saw the teal woman in the distance. I left everyone I was standing with to go meet her, thank her, and congratulate her on a job well done. I was just certain that this had to have been just one of the many ½ marathons she’d run but instead found out it was her first. Wow! I only hope that someday I’ll have grandkids to run in a half marathon with me.
we finished the race and I am happy that I decided to do it, but I agree that it is a very, very tough run. What an unforgettable experience though!
African Child Day
June 16th was the holiday known as African Child Day. The day began with all the children from the area Orphanages gathering in town to listen to the District Children’s Officer briefly speak about the day. Then everyone began to march in a parade through town and out to the Kitale Stadium about one and a half miles away. Each Orphanage performed with skits, songs, and dances. They made posters speaking out about abuse, neglect, right to education and many other topics. One of the most impacting moments was seeing many of the older kids still living on the street chatting with our new kids we took off the street in February. As we marched through town the street kids joined in the walk carrying the glue bottles with them. One of the boys is a brother to Peter, whom I’ve worked with a lot since I’ve been here. All the kids had a great time watching each home perform. After the skits, the older boys of the Orphanages played a game of football (soccer to Americans) against the men staff. The day ended with some awards past out to each
Orphanage.
This is Peter and his brother I spoke of in the blog. I met his brother on the street back in January when I was looking for Sammy.
The three boys closest to the picture are from Challenge Farm. The all came from the streets at one time and struggled with a glue addiction. The boy off in the distance is still living on the street; he has glue up to his nose. This picture is so powerful to me because allows me to see right into these three boys' past.
Orphanage.
This is Peter and his brother I spoke of in the blog. I met his brother on the street back in January when I was looking for Sammy.
The three boys closest to the picture are from Challenge Farm. The all came from the streets at one time and struggled with a glue addiction. The boy off in the distance is still living on the street; he has glue up to his nose. This picture is so powerful to me because allows me to see right into these three boys' past.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Season of Growth
A few days ago everyone at the farm got out and planted trees. It was a quite an emotional moment for me because I was trying to imagine the day when all the trees had matured and where all the kids would be at that time. My emotions can get carried away while looking into the eyes of these precious children whom God has specifically chosen to be here at Challenge Farm. So here we were planting what will someday become quite a forest. After taking many pictures of the kids and their trees, one of the staff members asked if I’d planted my tree yet. I was surprised and excited that I got to plant a tree of my own. Better yet, it was an acacia tree, which is my favorite. The Acacia has about 42 varieties and I have no idea which one mine is, but I didn’t really care either. I was just happy to have one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
