Swimming Day

The kids joined us at our hotel for swimming, lunch and crafts today. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate 100% with us, but we still managed two swimming sessions during the day. I joined the drivers to pick up the kids in the morning. They were so cute, waiting to go swimming. It is quite a treat for them. The older girls helped get everyone ready and we were off. A special thanks to David Coddington (Michael's brother) and Catholic Relief Services for the vans!

The kids couldn't wait to get into the swimming pool. We adults, however, were a bit timid. Gerry and Scott were the first to jump in. The rest of us had to tiptoe in as the water was soooooo cold. Once we got used to it, it was great! We learned a few things from last year, so we had plastic rings and floaties for them to keep them safe and the women were able to swim this time! Doug and Doris took the younger kids to the playground.

While we waited for lunch to be served, Christine and Doug (Doug is 76, mind you!) led the kids in exercises to keep them warm. There were a lot of chattering teeth after swimming. Lunch consisted of goat stew, roasted goat and french fries. The kids loved it. Kerry treated everyone to a cake to celebrate her daughter's birthday. Savannah turned 16 yesterday, so Kerry wanted to be able to celebrate the special day with the kids since she could not be with Savannah. And, boy, do they LOVE cake! Thanks, Savannah, for sharing your cake with us and HOREC!

After lunch we asked the kids to do crafts. They made angel ornaments for us to take back to the US. Global Hope will be having a fundraising dinner in December and we thought this would be a nice gift for those attending the dinner. The kids at HOREC agreed as they appreciate the support of all of their friends in America. We left them a few ornaments to hang on their tree this Christmas, too. Jennifer and Christine generally set a tree up for them each year and they celebrate Christmas and the kids' birthdays. Since many of the kids do not know their birthday, Christmas, Jesus' birthday, is a good time for them to celebrate their lives, too. It's great!

And, then the sun came out and we went for round two of swimming with all of the kids, includig the younger ones. They did not want to get out of the water. Their teeth were chattering, but they could not, would not get out.

Salome and Jackie, Christine's daughters, joined us at the pool after lunch. It was great to see Salome again. She is in her last semester at school and has done really well. She gave me a letter to take back to Marty and the Durango team for supporting her through school. You all have truly made a difference in this young woman's life.

What a great day with the kids. They all seemed so happy. And, the staff was really happy, too. They got a break from cooking and cleaning and doing laundry today. Did the day with the kids really have to end? They are just so lovable and amazing, it is hard to say goodbye to them. We blew them kisses and loaded them up with hugs before they left.

Before she left, Beverlyne secretly handed me a note. I read it as I returned to the room. The tears flowed. To think she might feel the same way about me as I feel about her brings such joy to my heart. Beverlyne would like to either be a teacher or an air hostess when she grows up. Secretly (and selfishly) I hope its the latter so she can come to America and see me.

We all felt so great after today (sans Doris, who is actually feeling fairly sick) that some of us (Karen, Amber, Kerry and me) decided to take a walk into town to Naivas, the local grocery store. It was a great experience and we were like kids in a candy store. We bought some chocolate and Coke Lights (perfect combo, eh?) as well as donuts and samosas (not quite like the US, but good enough for now!) We also bought some supplies for the HOREC staff that they needed. It was so much fun to take part in the local culture.

This most wonderful day even got better. It was African Night at the hotel and we were treated to some African dancing lessons. See the post about Kerry's video! It is great!

Lala Salama! Bwana Yasifiwe! God is sooooooo good!

For our family and friends who continue to support us, we love you and thank you for all your prayers and support. We are all doing great (even Doris who is sick seems high in spirits and is trying to enjoy the time here). It will be hard to leave when the week ends.

It's African Night!

Check out this video on You Tube to see Kerry learning how to do an African dance! She sure came a long way to learn how to dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Plms7o6zxs

I Want to Shine!

Check out this video on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCHwAXTLGRE

Work Day

Today was a work day at HOREC. Karen started the day off with a perfect devotional. The primary verses of the devotional were Mark 10:42-45 (NKJV) - But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." The words we read continued to run through mind as we worked during the day. If Jesus could give his perfectly sinfree life to save undeserving souls like ours, couldn't we scrape and paint the walls of bathrooms and shower stalls at HOREC, or help wash laundry in dirty, dirty water, clean sticky dishes in cold water, clear heavy rocks from HOREC's courtyard, build shelving to help organize books and dishes and tend to each others' physical wounds? I was really impressed by how the entire team pitched in today. While we feel like we did not accomplish enough and have decided to give up our free day to explore Kenya tomorrow so we can return to work at HOREC, I reflect on all that was accomplished today and the good attitude we all kept throughout the day, truly working together to accomplish as much as we could and helping each other when in need. (A special thank you to Kerry and Doris for cleaning the paint off of me!) We were also thankful to have help from our driver, Martin; the staff at HOREC; Jennifer and Johnny; and several little hands and feet. I thank God for this opportunity to serve others. Tonight, I go to sleep with a full heart. Bwana Asifiwe!

Tomorrow, we will be joined by a "new" driver, Philip. Philip was our driver last year and also took us on safari after our mission. I am so looking forward to seeing my rafiki yangu (friend) again!

Painting Challenged

Joyce is painting "challenged."

Had a work day today. Painted (or tried to) the showers and toilet area. Worked hard today but feels good...

An Even Better Day

What a great today! We started the day praising God by attending church at Spring Valley with the kids from HOREC. The kids sang at the service and were amazing again. They were all dressed in their gold t-shirts from Candlelight Memorial Day in May. Candlelight Memorial Day is a day to honor those with HIV.

Church was followed by a BBQ at HOREC. The girls helped us make hamburger patties. It started with about four of the older girls and the next thing you knew, there were about eight to ten kids, including the boys, helping to make hamburger patties. They were amazing. The adults had to step aside because the kids' burger patties were so much better than ours. The kids love to eat meat. They don't get it very often, so when they do they manage to fit several pieces of meat in their little tummies. Some had two hotdogs and a hamburger, followed by potato chips and cookies. The team purchased a grill for HOREC, so we are hoping there will be other opportunities for them to have meat going forward.

While we were waiting for the grill to be started, Kerry had a beauty session compliments of Colleta and Miriam. I continue to be amazed at how much they love to touch and play with our hair. Don't you love Colleta's new wig?






Today, I shared a photo book that I created from photos from last November's trip with the kids. They really liked it. A copy is included at the HOREC 2010 Shutterfly site. There are pictures with each of the kids with their names. Alice said to me, "You did remember us! You even remembered us by name!" They piled around the table so they could review it. They love to see pictures of themselves. They kept saying, "That is me! That is me!" It was so cute!


We also shared the letters from family and friends with the kids today. Kerry had created a folder with plastic sheet protectors to put all the letters in. The kids loved the letters. Thank you to all our family and friends who helped with the letters. They especially loved seeing the kids back in the US that were thinking of them. This was very special for them and I think they will enjoy the letters for some time.


Doris also brought art packets and sketch pads for the kids. They were fascinated by the pencil sharpeners and had to take everything out and inspect it. I am sure they will create some beautiful art to decorate the walls of the dining hall with the new supplies. There are so many beautiful pictures on the walls there already.


As a treat, Amber, Kerry and I got to say hi to Kerry Jurcak back in CO. Kerry visited HOREC last January on the first Global Hope mission trip to HOREC. Thanks for calling Kerry and Julian! We appreciate your continued support and prayers!

It is getting late! You know what that means - it is "lala salama" time!

Sunday

Heading to Spring Valley for church today.

Saw the kids yesterday. They are just amazing.

Got to go..

Check Out Carol!!!!

This is the little girl that was so sick when we were here in November. You cannot even recognize her. She is so full of life and she seems so healthy. The best sound of the day was Carol laughing while she was swinging. She was so boisterous, it was so funny! Bwana Asifiwe (Praise God) for taking care of this little girl and making her healthy again!

A Good First Day

We kicked off our day right - at the Nairobi Java House - with Jennifer, Johnny and little Jonathan (Scott had the knack with Jonathan)! The coffee is very good here! Then, we spent a large part of the day running errands today, unusual compared to our last visit. We had to go and get supplies for lunches for the next few days as well as supplies for our BBQ with the kids tomorrow. Then on to the Sportsview to drop off our bags.

We finally made it out to HOREC in the late afternoon. Oh, it was sooooo great to see these kids again. I was surprised that they remembered me. Willy came running up to me and I picked him up and swung him in the air in a big hug. I am unable to express the feelings that overwhelmed me today. Beverlyne, beautiful Beverlyne, said to me "Thank you for coming back." I just started to cry. This is the little, 11-year old girl I dream so often about. I dream of her in my house, in my backyard, in my daily life. I so desperately wish I could take her home with me.


We were greeted by the kids' beautiful voices and treated to a wonderful performance of songs, dance and drums. I honestly did not think they could sound any better than they did last November, but they did. These kids are amazing! They know so many songs by heart and are in such tune with each other. What a blessing to hear their beautiful voices! I said it last time and I'll say it again - I could listen to them every day for the rest of my life. It would be such a beautiful way to start the day! I wish everyone could be treated to this.


HOREC looks so different since last November. The tile in the dining room that our team raised funds to build was completed. The room looked very lived in, with artwork on the walls and furniture in the room. It was so great to see that they are using and enjoying this building. They are in the process of adding a kitchen on to the dining room. The small kitchen that we had built last time will be used for storage instead. The new kitchen is a bit bigger and will allow for more room for counters and a sink, with the ultimate goal of them having running water/indoor plumbing. They have a water filtration system that will be installed to provide clean water for the kids once the kitchen is finished. They have purchased additional land on which they have built a chicken coop, are having a new septic tank put in and recently found out from the Durango team, headed up by Marty, that they will receive funding for a new boys dorm. There was corn growing high, as well. Probably the biggest difference for me, though, was the big wall surrounding the "compound," a necessity after last year's incident (refer to last year's blog). All of the staff, except Christine, are new and they have 5 new kids - Mercy, Pinky, Obama, Jane and Jennifer.

As for the incident last year, that was really hard on me and some others on the team. We felt a little guilty, that maybe our activities in early November had caused HOREC to be vulnerable. I think I needed to go on this trip in some ways to see that the kids were okay. I am pleased to report to those who joined me in November that they really do seem to be okay. I think having a social worker on site to help them through everything has been very good for them.

All in all, a good day! I don't think any of us can wait until tomorrow to return to HOREC! Tomorrow's plan is to have the kids join us for church at Spring Valley and then go out to HOREC for a BBQ and fun time with the kids. There are a lot more hugs to give out tomorrow!

Bwana Asifiwe! La la Salama!

We Made It

Our team is here. We made it. We will check in our permanent Hotel and then go to HOREC to see the kids this afternoon.

Hopefully, pictures will be coming.

We are not sure about the internet yet at our next hotel but if it is as good as this hotel, we should be able to communicate quite a bit.

Devotional Today - Matt 25:31-46

Karibu Kenya!

Welcome to Kenya! We arrived safely, and amazingly, we received all of our luggage. After a long wait at immigration, we were greeted by Thomas. Thomas is the owner of Nappet Tours that assists our group with transportation. It was so great to see him! Philip will join us on the 28th and Marcos is supposed to stop by and say "Jambo" at some point. Philip and Marcos were our drivers last November. It is good to see old friends again! We are exhausted after a full day of traveling and are turning in. Lala salama! Good night!

Check Out Kerry's Blog

Kerry also has a blog. Check out http://globalhopekenya2010.blogspot.com ! There's a link just to the right of the postings. Enjoy!

Heading Back to Kenya Tomorrow!

WOW! Where has the time gone? I thought I had forever when I signed up for this trip on August 23rd. The time sure has flown by. We have a great mission team and I have enjoyed getting to know them better over the past 30 days. We are psyched and ready to serve! Similar to my trip last year, I am amazed by all the love and support that has been poured out upon us as we have prepared for our trip. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support us! Your continued love and prayers over the next 12 days are greatly appreciated.

I feel so blessed to be able to return to Kenya and to spend time with the kids at HOREC again. It is funny how the 26 kids at HOREC worked their way so deeply into my heart in just 10 days last November!

Similar to last year, I hope to be able to keep this blog updated during our trip, so all of you whose heartstrings are also attached to HOREC and/or those of us who are traveling may be able to make this journey with us!

Bwana Asifiwe! Praise God!