Celebrate Life

Yesterday was a rainy and rather chilly day here in Kenya.  The dreary morning brought with it some news I am not sure my heart was prepared for.  My sweet little friend Ryan passed away 2 nights ago.  For those of y'all that had not read, he was HIV positive and battling stomach cancer.  Death is something that you can never fully prepare for.  When it comes, it is always a shock.  Ryan was a fighter and a joyful boy.  Anyone spending time at Dream's Children's Home could see clearly how he loved his brothers and sisters well and how much they loved him.  I want to take this time to rejoice over the life Ryan lived here on Earth and the eternal life he will live with our loving Father.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts for Ryan over the past 5 months.  They made a difference because he knew that you were all praying for him and I believe in the power of prayer.  Please continue to think of his family, Rachel, and all of his brothers and sisters at Dream's for the next while as they process, mourn, and celebrate Ryan's life.  

I want to close with a quote from Thomas Merton that I believe is full of comforting truth and the way I I got to experience God through Ryan.  Have a wonderful day.

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” ― Thomas Merton

A YASC Christmas in Cape Town

Happy 2013 everyone!

Pit stop in Rwanda

I hope everyone ended 2012 and began 2013 on high note.  I definitely did.  For Christmas I was able to travel down to Cape Town, South Africa and meet up with 6 of my fellow YASCers placed in Africa.  After a minor detour to Rwanda due to cancelled flights I made it to Cape Town where Holly and Jared picked me up from the airport.  We then headed to Struisbaai, which is a little beach town about 3 hours from Cape Town.  We met 4 other YASCers there, Cameron, Steve, Ben and Elizabeth, as they drove in from Grahamstown, South Africa.  We stayed in a condo that was just a 2 minute walk from the beach for 4 nights to celebrate Christmas.  It was strange to be so far away from family on Christmas, but I could not have asked for a better group of people to spend the holidays with.  It was as far from a "normal" Christmas as it could be and I would not have wanted it any other way.  Most of the time while we were there was spent on the beach.  We did go and visit Cape Agulhas, which is the southern most tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean's meet.  For Christmas Eve dinner we did a Braai (or cookout) and made some delicious side dishes.  Then for Christmas morning we made a big brunch with eggs, bacon, fruit, toast and mimosas of course.  It was fun for us all to cook and share meals together.  For most of our meals at Struisbaai we all cooked and it was great time for fellowship.

View from our balcony in Struisbaai

All of us at Cape Agulhas

Our Christmas Eve table

Christmas Eve sunset 

When we arrived back in Cape Town we all moved into the Anglican guest house on the Cape Town University campus.  That is where Holly lives and it worked out perfectly because all of the students were gone for the holidays so we were each able to have our own room.  In Cape Town there was so much to do and I think we did a pretty good job of fitting it all in.  We went wine tasting, saw the penguins, did the Red Bus tour, saw the District Six museum, went to the beach, visited some of Holly's co-workers from Hope Africa, went to the waterfront, went to Kirstenbosch Gardens, hiked Table Mountain, did a couple of sun downs and attended a service at the Cathedral.  Amidst all that we found time to just relax, go on a few runs, and just enjoy each other's company as well.  I think Cape Town may be one of the prettiest places I have ever been.  For a big city, it was great because there was a view from everywhere of either a mountain or an ocean.  We spent New Years at Kirstenbosch Gardens.  There was a concert and we brought a picnic and we were surrounded by what most of described as the setting for Jurassic Park minus the man eating dinosaurs, of course.  It was probably my best New Years to date.

All of us with some Hope Africa people

Cathedral in Cape Town

New Years Eve at Kirstenbosch Gardens

Vineyards

Jared and I with the penguins

View from the top of Table Mountain

I arrived back in Kenya a few days ago and I am slowly readjusting to life here.  It was refreshing to be with friends for a couple of weeks.  Overall I am glad to be back and ready to work.  My mom comes in a month, which is exciting. I cannot wait for her to experience all Kenya has to offer and meet the people I work with here.  

Elections are quickly approaching and for those of you that do not know, back in 2007 Kenya had terrible post election violence.  Please pray for peace and understanding among the people here.  Elections are to be held on March 6, 2013.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear how you celebrated the holidays and welcomed in 2013, don't hesitate to send me an email jkorwan@gmail.com or write me a letter. You can find my address in the links and contacts tab above.

It is almost Christmas! I finally feel more in the Christmas spirit because everywhere is decorated now and I watched Elf.  There are many more movies that I would kill to watch- A Christmas Story, Muppet Christmas Carol, Christmas Vacation...to name a few.

 Birthday decorations and boys peeling potatoes for the stew.

Anyways last Wednesday was a Jamhuri Day, which is a national holiday similar to our independence day.  It was also my dear friend Gibson's birthday and 12.12.12, which is cool. Gibson is one of the boys that lives at Tumaini.  He is a remarkable young man and he does so much to take care of his younger brothers at the home so we all wanted to do something special for him.  The boys planned a party for him and I just helped facilitate it.  He had no idea.  The boys invited all of their friends and the decorated.  We cooked all morning.  We had rice, chapati, and beef stew.  Tony (one of the young adults from BTCKE) brought his computer over so there would be music.  Gibson was shocked when he got there.  I think there were over 30 people at the home and everyone had a great day.  Unfortunately my camera died half way through the day so I do not have pictures of the fun traditions that happened at night.  I will tell you about them though.  After we ate and hung out we all went into the sitting room where the music was and people gave speeches about Gibson.  It was sweet. Then they played a game where he had to stand in the middle and people could ask him ANYTHING and he had to answer. Then he had to dance ALONE for everyone.  Then when it was time to cut the cake he had to pick a girl to help him blow out the candles and then another one to help him cut it.  I had bought him trick candles so I was glad when he did not pick me for that part, but he did pick me to help him cut the cake.  After we cut the cake he had to feed me a piece. It was a little like a wedding. The final tradition was that they had to "wash" him, meaning throw water on him when he least expects it.  It was like a coach getting the cooler dumped on him after he wins a football game.  Now that I know about all of these traditions I think I will keep my birthday a secret :)

The birthday boy (middle) with Jacob and Tony (2 of the young adults that work with Tumaini).

On Friday night I took all of the older boys that once lived on the street to see a free screening of Nairobi Half Life.  The movie is really good. It is Kenya's entry into the Oscar nominations.  The boys had a great time. I have been wanting them to see it because it is about the street life of Nairobi.  On the way home we stopped at a local reataurant/pub type place in Rongai and got some nyama choma (meat) and ugali.  We did not reach home until about 1AM.  Due to Africa time the movie started at least 2 hours late, but that was ok because the boys were an hour late getting to my house so naturally it all worked out fine.

Me with all of the boys at the movie screening.

Today Mike and Leslie invited me to Pangani Lutheran Children's Center (PLCC), which is a home for girls in Rongai.  Mike gave the sermon at the confirmation and baptismal service that was held there today.  It was a really sweet service.  Five girls were baptized and 3 were confirmed.  The home is beautiful and it was a fun celebration. 

Confirmation service at PLCC.

Some of the girls dancing and singing at the service.

The PLCC home.

In other news since  have last blogged. Sarah and Natalie have been back in the states.  I had some people over for dinner one night.  We made ugali and fish.  The fish we bought at an unmarked fish place which they fried for us in the street right outside.  It was delicious.  I have had a car which has been great because the day I got to start using it all matatus went on strike because of the new traffic laws.  They are back working now, but it was a hard 4 days for people because no one could get anywhere.

Mike and Leslie's daughter comes to visit next week so I will get to spend some time with her before I leave for South Africa on Friday! I am guessing it will be 2013 before I blog again so everyone have a great holiday season! Thanks again for your love and support.

Asante Sana

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was my first time away from my family for the holiday. I can't lie it started out pretty rough. Traditions are really important to me and there is just a feeling that comes with watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, smelling the pecan pie baking in the oven, and getting ready to go running with my mom each year that I love and it is just not the same here.  I had a couple of meetings in the morning which were both great. I met with one of the young adults, Lydiah, to get feedback about our programs as we prepare for next year and then I met with Isaya, director of Nyumba Ya Tumaini.  Both meetings made me realize how lucky I am to be here in Kenya doing what I am doing.  When I woke up I was sad, which I am not discrediting because I think it is normal to miss my family, but by 10:15 AM (fifteen minutes into meeting number one) I realized there was much more to be happy about and thankful for this year than I even had last year.  Not only do I still have loving family and friends living back in the US, but now I have an incredible group of people here in Kenya and all over the world through YASC that love and support me as I get to be a part of what God is doing in Kenya.  I had to take a moment and say, "asante sana Mungu." That means "thank you very much God."  

Some high lights from last week were going to a water park, taking some of the kids to church, eating Korean food, and I got my hair cut.

Entering Splash. That red slide was fast!

For our end of the year celebration we went to Splash Water Park.  Splash donated all of the entrance fees for our team, the young adults, and the directors.  We spent the afternoon swimming, going down water slides, watching football, and playing pool.  I think everyone had a great time.  For those of you from the US and have ever been to a water park there, Splash was a kids dream and a parents nightmare.  Think of your experience and then remove all of the rules.  We could run and go down the slides 6 people at a time and no one said anything.  I am not advocating for no rules, but admittedly I loved the freedom.

Some of the young adults watching the football match

This is Adrian, the son of one of the local professionals we work with.

Water slides.

Some of the young adults playing pool.

On Sunday I was able to take 4 boys from Nyumba Ya Tumaini to church with me. We had fun, they helped me figure out public transportation all the way there. It requires three matatus so it is quite a journey.  Then on Monday night Natalie went back to the US for about 6 weeks so we went to a Korean restaurant called Big Mama's for her goodbye dinner.  The food was delicious. I call my mom big mama so I will have to take her there when she comes to visit.  In the coming weeks I will be visiting new organizations to learn more about child poverty in the community.  We want to meet more people passionate about it and learn what is being done about it.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving where ever you are in the world.  Christmas music is officially all I will be listening to.  Once again I am thankful for all of you and for this adventure I am on right now.  Asante sana!

Langata Women's Prison

Me with Vickie, Maya, and Purity outside the prison.

On Monday I went to visit Langata Women's Prison with my friend Vickie and some of her colleagues.  In one of my earlier posts I talked about Nafisika Trust, which is the organization that Vickie started.  She spoke at one of our Tatua Talks about her work in the prisons in Nairobi.  Langata Women's Prison (LWP) is the only all women's prison in Nairobi.  Currently they have over 800 inmates! It is a big compound, but that is a lot of people to house.  LWP is comprised of a reprimand center for short sentences and those awaiting trial or sentencing, a medium security section for slightly longer sentences, and then maximum security for what we would consider federal offenses and long term sentences.  In my course of study at university I took a forensic social work class which deals with social work within the legal system and ever since then I have been interested in working in prisons.  I am a firm believer in rehabilitation programs to prevent recidivism.  Unfortunately there are not always programs because of lack of funding and other resources.

The entrance to the reprimand center.

The main reason we went to visit LWP, though, was to talk to the welfare officer about the effect living there has on the children of the inmates.  Children are allowed to stay there with their mothers until they are 4 years old.  If the mother is still in prison once the child turns 4 then the child is sent to a children's home until the mother is discharged.  Right now they are only working with one home.  Right now there are over 80 children living in the prison with their mothers.  More common that you would think, children are born there! Can you imagine? There are many children that are born in a prison and that is what they know as home.  Children are too often the innocent victims of circumstances.  I have seen that so much here in Kenya, but I know it is true world wide as well.

Nursery school.

 Some good things that I learned from talking to the welfare officer are that the children get to go to nursery school with the children of the prison staff in the compound, they are building a beautiful new day care facility, and the older children are in a home with kids from all different backgrounds.  They also said they work with the mothers to prepare them for reintegration with their children when they are discharged and they have visitation days 3 times a year.

                                                              

                                                                             New day care center.

There are still things that can be done to improve life for these children.  Vickie has not really worked with this aspect of prison life before so I am excited about getting involved.  We want to start working on a program for the children that would get them outside the prison walls.  It breaks my heart that because of bad choices their mothers made they are living locked up.  Our goal is to start small and have some sort of field trip planned for them early next year.  We will start looking for resources to make this a reality so if you are interested in helping with any kind of donation please send me an email and let me know. The children also do not have access to a completely nutritious diet.  Right now they are basically surviving on porridge.  If you would like to donate to getting them fruits and vegetables you can let me know that too.

Some of the children in the nursery school.

I am hoping to visit the other prisons that Nafisika Trust works with soon.  As I have mentioned before they are doing some incredible work and I am so encouraged by Vickie's patience and love. The visit was a great way to start my week.

Maji Sana!

As I have mentioned numerous times in past posts everyday is different and offers a new challenge or surprise.  This lovely Saturday morning Natalie and I woke up to standing water coming from the bathroom, down the hall way, and even under the wall into my room! It was a shock when I tried to get out of bed and my comforter that I had kicked part way off made a sloshing sound when I moved it.  That was at approximately 6:15AM.  Natalie and I spent the next hour or so using every towel in the house to soak up and ring water out into buckets.  You know you are in Kenya when instead of worrying about what may be ruined by the water you are worrying about how much water is being wasted.  I think Natalie and I were both more upset by the incredible amount of water that wasted.  There are so many days when we do not have water and of course, on the night that our toilet is leaking water comes pouring into the house.

Water has been a common theme in my past couple of weeks.  The short rainy season has definitely started.  It literally rains everyday at least for a little while.  Maji sana, the title of this post, means a lot of water in Swahili.  It makes life very very muddy.  It also makes everything greener so I am really ok with it right now.  Ask me next year when the long rains come and I may have a different attitude.

Last week was fairly quiet in terms of work.  The election was a pretty big deal here, not just for Americans, but even Kenyans.  I went over the Mike and Leslie's to watch the election coverage.  It was "Terrific Tuesday" at Pizza Inn so we brought in pizza and just sat in front of the TV.  It was something I had not done in a good while, but was a very simple, much needed taste of home.  Kenya is probably be the second best place to the US to celebrate the Obama victory.  In fact our staff meeting was cancelled on Wednesday and we all rested a little bit.  In the office we even had some "Pure Heaven Celebration Juice" to celebrate.  A.k.a- sparkling grape juice.  I got to play some football this week which I think was good for my soul.  I never realized how much I missed it. Unfortunately I am no where near as fast as the boys at Tumaini.  I will do some sprint work outs and I should probably so something about my footwork as well.

This coming week is the last week Natalie is here before she heads home for about a month.  I will miss her for sure, but I am excited for her to get to go back and spend time with family and friends.  This week is full of meetings with people to get feedback about the program so we can make the necessary changes before we start everything up again.  Next Saturday we are having an end of the year celebration at this place called Splash, which is like a water park.  I will be sure to take pictures and tell you all about the experience.  Since this is just a brief update, there may be another post to come this week if I am feeling ambitious.

I will take one moment to be excited about UGA going to the SEC Championship!!! Go DAWGS!

Chameleons, Double Bananas, and Rainbows

Isaya, me, and mr. chameleon. He was cool but I did not want him.

First I will share some highlights from the past week then I will share about a specific I went to all day yesterday.  There was the time I went running with one of the young adults, don't worry he was only 4 minutes faster than me and he never runs.  Then there was the Bollywood movie I saw with Mike and Leslie, talk about something that makes you want to get up and dance.  We had a visitor here from Canada for a few days too and that was fun. Her name is Mary and she was here to see one of her best friends get married.  I took her around to see some of the homes we work with and we went out for pizza one night.  During one visit at Nyumba Ya Tumaini some nice ladies brought a chameleon over and explained that it has medicinal values and wanted us to buy it from them.  Now, I am not saying that it is not possible for it to have medicinal value, but I am pretty sure they found it in the bush then wanted to sell it to us.  I only say that because the next day I found out they released it back into the bush.  Also there was the time we took turns pushing each other on  broken wheelbarrow.  Mary and I went and visited Dreams Children's Home one day too.  If you remember earlier this year I wrote about a little boy named Ryan who has stomach cancer.  He was improving for awhile, but currently he is not doing well. His body is not responding to chemo.  He was in the hospital when we were there, but was supposed to be back today so when I find out how he is I will let y'all know, but please please be praying for him.  I also went to Ngong Town this week to see the District Children's Office and on the way back stopped at a fun little restaurant to get my first fish and ugali since I have been here.  It was delicious and we ate it all with our hands.  My mom would be so proud. I will make sure she gets to experience that when she comes.  Isaya, the director at Tumaini, eats two boiled eggs with kachumbari(onions, tomatoes, and chilies)  and salt everyday and it is the same man that brings and prepares them everyday.  This week I got to try that delicacy as well.  One last food thing- I saw a double banana this week!

Mary pushing Charles on the broken wheelbarrow.

Ngong Town where the District Office is.

The egg man who comes every evening to Tumaini.

Double banana!

George, Edwin, Gibson, Dominic when we finally arrived.

Now about yesterday I went on an all day excursion out to a town called Kibwezi.  It really is almost to Mombasa. It is a far distance.  Two of the boys from Nyumba Ya Tumaini go to Darajani Secondary School out there.  One of them, Dominic, is a candidate this year for the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education and their exams begin this week.  It is a really big deal and each school hosts prayer services and parent visitation days for the candidates.  Yesterday was the one at Darajani.  They invited me to come and support and pray with them.  It was an honor.  Two of the other boys at Tumaini started our journey out there really early and we did not get back until close to 11PM.  It was a great day.  First there was the service and true to African form it was incredibly long.  We did not get there until about 12:30PM and it started at 10AM and did not finish until about 3PM.  During the service the teachers spoke, some of the students performed dramas, and then a student from each class stood up to say words of encouragement to the candidates.  It ended with a time of prayer from the candidates and their parents which I got to be a part of and it was really special.  After the service the boys showed us around the school, introduced me to their classmates, and I got to speak with some of the teachers about the challenges they face out there.  It is a dry place and there is a lot of poverty.  Imagine we drove 4 hours down Mombasa Road and then another hour on a dirt road heading to interior Kenya.  The drive was absolutely gorgeous.  Kenya is a beautiful country.  While we were there I found out that Dominic is a captain of the school basketball team, which won their county, and that Kariss (other boy from Tumaini) is the assistant captain of the school football team.  I loved getting to meet their friends and see them in their element.  I was exhausted by the time we left, though.

Me with some of the students outside the dining hall.

Those buildings are where the classes are.

One of the Form 3 classrooms.

The Darajani basketball team and their coach.

We saw a rainbow on our drive home.