Bwana Asafewe!

Made it to Kenya after a long long long travel. After a shower, change of clothes, and horizontal sleep, We’re ready to start our week.

We went through and visited everything this morning. There is an overwhelming number of kids at the orphanage today. Hundreds. And theyre all eager to reach out to you. Very heart warming.

Visited the clinic first. The docter was very eager to get me involved after I told him i might be interested in nursing. The nurse there seemed like we would get the chance to really help out so I’m really looking forward to helping out and experiencing it.

The school kids gave an awesome welcoming performance to us, reciting poems and performing dances and songs for us.

The 3:16 Street Girls Home was a blessing as well. It really struck me that even the woman in charge cares so much about the girls. She started crying when introducing them. Sometimes I can’t help myself from feeling sorry for people who give up their lives for one thing. It just shows how selfish I am and how blind I am to the blessings God gives us when we follow Him with all of our lives. She needs mhy prayers and love and support, yes. She needs my pity none. She willingly gives her life to these girls and their kids even though the program is going through a rough transition right now.]

I hope one day I will truly understane what it means to give my life to God and His people rather than my weeks and my money. A semester and even a year is challenging but I am willing and excited to one day pursue such a trip. I can’t lie though, lifelong missions seems terrifying and sends me running the oth3er way. The people that I’ve encountered this year that have devot4ed their life, however, make me take a second look at the possibility. I’ve never met anyone who’s regretted it. I have, however, met plenty of people who regret settling for the mundane american dream.

Special Needs Home: as expected, I felt most uncomfortable at this place. I’

ve never been very good (comfortable) around special needs people because I don’t know how to relate to them. I was not surprised at all, however to feel led to step out of my comfort zone and jump in to this area.

These kids are all ages, a lot of older ones as well. They are mostly mentally handicapped in some way and some obviously have diseases and skin conditions. It would be easy to hold back and keep a distance because most of them are very dirty with drool and snot covering them and several have open sores on their skin.

I can’t holdback, though, because of the overflow of joy that is so evident on their faces when you give them attention. Of course there are risks with being close to these kids. There is no way to know who has what sickness or how that is spread, but the joy that they get when you reach out and touch them makes the risks seem unimportant.

So, I hear God prodding me as He usually does to us, to step out of my comfort zone and spend more time with these kids.

Last, but not least, we did a quick drive by gioto, more commonly referred to as “Dump City”. A heartbreaking view for sure. When we drove by, the garbage dump truck happened to have just stopped by and we saw lots of people, from the ages of toddler to elder racing the hogs that were out there, digging through the garbage for the “good” stuff.

Up on the hill of  “useless” garbage were their homes.

We couldn’t drive through to see today because the entracne was blocked but we plan to enter from the back on Friday and go work on the Living Water project. The plan as of now is to build some metal stands that we can eventually set bit tanks of water on. Water will be able to improve their life abundantly, but the ultimate plan is to bring the message of Living Water along with the provision of physical water. A plan that I am so excited to see work out. Most places we drive by, we waved to peple and people wave back and greet us. when we drove by gioto, a man stood up and yelled “We’re hungry!” at our vans. I dont velieve they will be extremeely accepting ofthe Living Water that they need s much unless we find a way to quench their physical thirst.

Speaking of water, we visited the well that was paid for by DNow at the Special Needs school, which was such an enormous blessing. There’s no way to express how many lives were so greatly affected by the money raised by the youth of Rockdale County because the snow ruined our free day activities. It was so awesome to see and I am so grateful to get to see it myself.

Makes me feel a little guilty about my fri3ends and I grumbling under our breaths about the past few Dnows being stripped down so much. I never cease to amaze myself with my own selfishness.

Just got out of our night meeting. Morgan and I are scheduled to work the health clinic in the morning and then I’m not sure what after lunch.
i hope there is a lot for us to help out with and we will be helpful toe the patients.

Overall, today has been a huge blessing and eye-ppener all at the same time. the possiblieites and opportunities to help are almost overwhelming because i want to do it all, but i want to give myu all in everytiing I do, so it seems overwhileming. Need to take it one day, one ministry at a time and do waht i can without feeling defeated as i so often do when i cant do everything.

Most of the ninistries i plan to get inolved with (other than the health clinic) require more love from us than any type of skill so i pray that God gives me the energy and the strength to pour out His love to everyone I work with tomorrow even if itgets difficult or overwhelming at times.

Sorry for such a long post directly after the Jamaica one, but we did so much today that it was a lot to take in. you’re just lucky I didn’t go into my journal entries from the 2 previous days ;p

Hopefully I’ll check back in tomorrow

Kwaheri, Mungo Akubaraki! (Bye, God Bless you!)