KENYA!

Jambo!!

For those of you actually reading this blog, I apologize for the delay. We have had some “technical difficulties”.  But finally, here it is:

If you told me before hand that we would go to Kenya and see no wild animals, do no safaris, and no sightseeing and that I (Michelle) would be sick almost the entire time we were there, I still would have chosen to go! What we got instead was nothing that I expected but everything I needed and I feel so blessed to have the rich experience of the culture and people we met there.  It was clear to us that we were there for an entirely different reason than we thought we were. We thought we were there to bless them, but as it turns out, we were the ones blessed.  We knew that we would be going to Kip Karen where Juli McGowan (our church’s missionary) lives. We knew we would visit her at hospice and the Children’s Home. We had no idea what to expect and what we would be doing, but we were open to whatever.   But we had an entirely different experience than we thought and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!

We flew from Addis Abba, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya's capital, Nairobi is a major commercial hub. The country traditionally produces world renowned tea and coffee, and more recently became a major exporter of fresh flowers to Europe.  I (Michelle) have been there before about 11 years ago. I was shocked at how much the place has changed drastically since then.  Last time we arrived at the airport, we could see wild gazelles out of the windows. We saw zebras, giraffes and monkeys while just riding around the country. This trip, we saw not one!! It was explained to me that the animals had become a nuisance and they had to be rounded up and put into the Wildlife Reserve park for their own safety. I fully understand that, but it still made me sad because the random animal sightings was one of my fondest memories. But with progress comes sacrifices, I suppose.

Although Nairobi is doing so well, that picture does not depict the state of the entire country.  In other parts, the poverty and unemployment are staggering.  We took a shuttle to El Doret which is about 6 hours away from the capital. It was there that we met Carolien Ayot-Zijda and Erasmus for the first time.  These sweet souls were introduced to us by a friend of mine from Kenya named Fred Wamoja. (He was part of our team when I went the last time) They are a missionary couple working for an organization called the Galilee Foundation. They are doing some incredible work with the people in Kenya helping to create jobs, income and educational scholarships for children. Erasmus is Kenyan and works every day with the people living in the slums outside of Eldoret. Carolien is from the Netherlands and does the admin work for the Foundation and just began working with a team going into the villages of Sudan.  Without even meeting us, (except through Facebook) they agreed to host us.  They are/were the sweetest most gracious hosts you can ask for!!   We were very fortunate to have met them and feel like we have made some life-long friends in them.  (You will definitely hear more about them as we plan to partner with them in some of their projects in the future.) We got the privilege of speaking and singing in a few of the "slum churches" with them. I hate to even call them "slums" because although the buildings were run down, the people were so rich in faith and hospitality. There were no "self-pity attitudes" that you would expect (and even allow) them to have. It was both humbling and a blessing to see.

After spending a few days with them, we finally met up with Juli and some of her “village people” in Kip Karen River.  They are about 1 hour away from Eldoret. When we first pulled up in the van, there was a group of people outside of the clinic in front of a rope and singing to us a welcome song. It was in Swahili and such a great surprise. They then gave me scissors to cut the rope as a symbol of welcome. They gave us new village names and welcomed us into their community. SO cool and touching. We had no idea what they were saying but it was moving, and so humbling! We felt very loved by these perfect strangers! We were then introduced to the ministries.

The Living Room: The Living Room is a hospice birthed out of Julie’s compassionate and sweet heart.  She was working with the clinic and realized that there was no place for people to go once there was nothing else the clinic could do for them. (There is a very high rate of HIV cases in this area.)  She started the Living Room International as a place where people could go and spend their last days in dignity.  It is the ONLY hospice in all of the western Kenya. (Like them on Facebook!) I thought going through there and meeting the patients (or the "guests" as they call them) would break my heart. I braced myself to hold back the tears. But instead it bought me so much joy.  Yes, it is sad, but the guests there were happy and smiling, even though they were very sick. I think it’s because they can feel the love that is so evidently flowing there!. There were these two women in particular who were laughing uncontrollably when we arrived. They were both laying in their bed and just giggling the whole time. Julie asked them why they were laughing and they said, “because we’re happy!”  Wow! That was mind blowing.  Julie told us that God must be in their room because these two women have lost everything! Just that scene alone showed me that this place is definitely an oasis in the midst of this village. The living there is hard, but the dying there must be even worse.  Lots of times, people are shunned by their families, or left alone to die because of a stigma associated with HIV/AIDS patients. Julie’s heart was to change that.  And they have definitely created a loving environment.

I was also really impressed with the staff. These people have very hard jobs dealing with loss every day, yet they do it with such love and smiles. They were treating their guests with such tenderness and dignity and it just blessed me to see her “vision in action”.  I pray they never loose site of the vision of that place because it really was a beautiful setting. Instead of it being a scary place, it was a very peaceful place.

The staff also does home visits.  They asked Seer and I to go the next day to some of the homes.  Again, I braced myself for a broken heart. (I'm such a softy, huh?).  And of course, I was pleasantly surprised.  We went to three “homes” and I was surprised that they were all doing well. These former guests were people who had been in their care, yet got better and was able to return home. I was so happy to see that and I wondered what would have happened to these people had it not been for this ministry.    Each home was pretty simple. (Most were like shacks). They were made out of cow dung and mud with thatch roofs. One had electricity, (I think) but the other didn’t. But they were surrounded by family and they were content . (All except one lady who was having a hard time with her husband). We sang some songs to them, talked with them and prayed with them and we were even sang to from the children in one home.  So sweet. I'm so glad we got to have that experience. Pray for the staff if you think about it because I'm sure the home visits don't always bring "good news".

We were there as they were just finishing the last details of the new Living Room, which opened after we left. (May 7th).  We got the privilege to go down to the new place to see the building. It is beautiful! I was so excited to see it.  Julie showed us around and shared the vision that was birthed out of her love and compassion for these people in her village. There is a mens’ room, womens’ room, children’s room, prayer room, even a patio facing a beautiful view for the guests who want to enjoy the outdoors. There are gardens and even a grove in the front growing fruit trees.  So peaceful. One of my fondest memories is after our tour, Julie, Seer and I sang some worship songs and prayed on the patio for the place. It was such a great example to me of what one person can do to change an entire village/town/city/world! Julie said that she had no idea of what her vision was going to look like and had she known it was gong to be so big, she might have been more freaked out! But because she was obedient to God’s leading in her heart, this beautiful ministry was born!! She is so inspirational to me.

*Lesson learned: You may think like me that you might not have big plans but believe me when I say that your “little” idea might just be what changes the world!

Empowering Lives Childrens’ Home

This home is full of orphans’ but is not an orphanage.  – It takes a whole village to raise a child and they really take that to heart.

We thought again that our hearts would be broken by all these children who have lost their parents but that was not the case at all.  These children are so happy and doing so well that it blew our minds!! We came to the conclusion it was because of the way that the whole place is set up like a big family. 

Here is how it works.  There are 4 sets of “parents”.  Each set of parents have 12 boys and 12 girls. Each family have their own boys and girls dorm as well as a gazebo where they meet together for meals and daily devotions. (We got the privilege to participate in their daily devotion a few times). They get together and sing and the parents take turns giving them encouragement and telling them bible stories and it is so sweet  Those kids are so well taught and behaved, they can teach the kids in the US a thing or two!
They all go to school, have chores and function like a big family  We thought this was such a great way to replace the typical “orpanage” setting where kids are waiting around for another family to be “chosen”. Instead, they are ALREADY a part of a family and are perfectly loved and cared for within a larger family. (I was shocked to learn that you can no longer adopt from Kenya anymore. But now that I see that these kids will be able to stay in their country and keep their own traditions and customs, I understand why)  It's a good thing too, because I would have been tempted to take one or two of those little cutie pies home with us!!

During the daily devotions, we sang some songs with them and shared some stories with them and they were so sweet.  We even got to have dinner with one of the families and these kids were talking to us about OUR politics and everything. I asked one kid how he knew so much and he said, “I read it in the paper”. I was like, “You read the newspaper?” I don't think I read the paper as a kid!

Overall, it was a beautiful trip! No animals, no wildlife, no sightseeing, but the faces of the people we've met have made a life-long impression on us!

Here are some pictures of some of them:

Two of the smaller sweetie pies from the Children's Home

Some of the school age girls from the Home

Our Welcome song!

Sweet Juli McGowan looking out on the view of the patio at the new Living Room

In front of the new Living Room

Family from one of our home visits

Carolien and I

Thanks for reading this and sharing in our experiences.  Our next stop is Thailand. I promise you won't have to wait as long for it!

Have a great day!

Michelle and Seer

Travel Tip #17: Learning the basic polite phrases from a country you are visiting will only take a short time but will mean a lot for the people group. Especially coming from Americans, they feel honored and respected.