Thursday, August 23, 2012

Fun Days

 I have now met all the directors of the organizations I will be working with this year.  There is one more children's home called Dream.  Rachel and her husband started the home when children just continued showing up on their doorstep.  Now 49 children live there and Rachel is mom to all of them. It reminds me of the WinShape Home I worked at in the U.S. which is a nice little comfort for me.  Rachel is one of the warmest people I have ever met and she has an infectious smile.  Dream Children's Home is in Ngong and the surroundings are beautiful.
The home is a hike up the hill from this sign.

Dream Children's Home
Last Saturday the young adult team working with Dream coordinated a "Fun" Day for the kids.  People from the community were invited and it was just a day for everyone to be together and have fun, imagine that.  It is funny because a lot of the young adult teams have organized "Fun" Days.  I love the concept, so simple.  The afternoon was spent at a field down from the home where there were football matches, jump rope, and a game that resembled a combination of dodge ball and monkey in the middle.

"Fun" Day with all of the kids from Dream and people from the community.
There is one little boy living at Dream called Ryan.  He is suffering from stomach cancer and the first time I went out there he was laying on the couch just crying.  He looked like he was in so much pain, but it was clear that Rachel was doing everything in her power to care for him.  All I could do was just sit with him.  He had a toy car and we just spun the wheels round and round until he was giggling.  It was the sweetest sound.  He had just started his treatment which is being paid for by an organization from the states called Least of These.  Two weeks later, Ryan was outside playing with all of the other children.  He is gaining in strength each day and there is not doubt in my mind that it is due to the prayer and love from Rachel and her team.  He has a long way to go, but I will keep you all posted on his status.  Pray that his strength continues to grow and that Rachel can get him to eat more.  Another child that I met at Dream is called Ann.  She is a little firecracker, full of life and energy.  I hope to share more of her story soon.

Me with Ann and her little brother.
The other 2 organizations are centers that work with families in their communities who are struggling in various ways.  One is called Amazing Grace and they do emergency rescues for children in unsafe situations and work with their families to prevent the breaking up of a home.  They provide counseling services and work with a local church to provide food and other basic needs.  

Christian Women Works of Charity is in Kware slums, which is an area in Rongai not far from where I stay.  Mary is one of the original women who began CWWC and is well known in the community.  Her health is not great right now, so her daughter-in-law Maureen has stepped in to help run everything.

I have now been here for 2 weeks and I have started doing some Rosetta Stone to pick up on more swahili, but the things I am learning are pretty random so we will see how useful it is.  Each day I see something I wish I could capture for you all. Today was 6 goats in the backseat of a small sedan just driving down the road. Try to picture it- pretty funny.  I have a better idea now of what my job is so I am settling into real work.  I plan on taking some breaks from real work, though, and having sleepovers at some of the homes.  More updates to come. Thank you all for reading and keeping up with me.

1 comment:

  1. I am so glad that you are finally there!!! This is what you've been dreaming about for the past 5 years!! This whole thing, every picture and every story you tell just has you written all over it. Sounds like you have never been more in your element. Keep the posts coming!! love you!

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