Kenya

Our flight to Kenya wasn't bad.  Jesse and I got to sit by each other and a lovely British boy who was absolutely fascinated with Jesse.  He asked her all kinds of questions about America such as,"do you call holiday vay-cay-tion?" or "do you have Fanta in America? What favors do you have?  Not pineapple? You must try pineapple Fanta in Kenya!"

The food was pretty good on Kenya Airlines.  I love the safari animals on the condiments.

Funny quote from flight attendant at check-in from London to Kenya on Kenyan Airways to me: "Your passport photo looks like a model!"  Me thinking: "so what do I look like now?!"  (First of all, I don't look like a model, period, and I'm sure I looked terrible after no sleep and a rainy day running around London!...maybe the comment was meant as encouragement, as in: 'hey, you could look better again after some sleep and a shower!')

Here's our luggage cart-all of our body weight could barely move it!

We got to Fiwagoh, quickly unpacked, discovered that we had one bathroom for 26 women (we eventually found another), and hopped back on the bus to go to Amazing Grace Children's Home.  (I was running on pure adrenaline at this point as I had not slept or showered in 2 days, but God got me through the rest of the day.  Something about smiling orphans running up to me, hugging my waist, and holding my hand helped me push through the tiredness.)  Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take the Wheel kept playing in my mind at this point in the trip which I shared with Jesse.  And then, another funny quote came out of the exhaustion during our arrival to Fiwagoh from Jesse: "Jesus, when I let you take the wheel, I didn't know you'd drive me here!"  Ain't that the truth.

Jesse with colors of faith glove...we learned that if the child doesn't know English, the glove doesn't work out so well.  

Ready to share Jesus.

At Amazing Grace, I met Miss Margaret, the founder of the home.  I made friends with Grace (class 2), Ann (class 1), and William (age 3).  I shared the colors of faith bracelets with them, but they were very distracted and did not fully grasp my words.  However, they could recite Jeremiah 29:11, and I told them that this is one of my favorite verses.  Our group also played lots of games with the kids and were taught some of their games too.  We played hard until the bus pulled up to take us back to Fiwagoh...where I slept like a baby under the mosquito net that night!

Jesse with Esther at Amazing Grace Ministries.  Esther was Jesse's buddy for the day.  

We found the Pineapple Fanta!  It was really good.  I was kinda sad to find it at Publix this week...I thought it was an Africa-only beverage.

Ready for safari!  Our group wore different theme hats, glasses, scarves throughout the trip.  The kids loved it!  They thought we were so funny.  We felt goofy, but it was worth seeing their smiles.

We celebrated Shayne's 40th Birthday with oranges for each child at Fiwagoh instead of birthday cake.

I'm not going to lie, Fiwagoh was my favorite place in Kenya.  The children were unbelievably well-behaved and so reverent in worship.  They loved us so deeply, and our team fell in love with them right back.  I truly believe my time there renewed my heart for adoption.  When we first pulled up to the property, there were two teenage boys unloading the van of luggage, and in them I saw my sons, and then I lost it right there on the bus before we had even had a chance to do ministry.  I was overcome with thankfulness for the call to adoption because those will never be my boys; they won't be orphans unloading luggage for a bunch of white ladies, but hopefully, they will go on a mission trip one day and unload luggage for their mama:)  I journaled that night: As soon as the gates opened, children started running towards the bus.  I choked up when I saw the older boys unloading our luggage because I am so grateful that when Isaiah and Elijah are teens, they will have a forever home.  But they will need to see this-they will need a reminder of what God brought them out of.

Me with my Fiwagoh girls: Philis, Margaret, and Priscah

At Fiwagoh, we were immediately swarmed like celebrities as we got off of the bus.  Two little girls claimed me as I was coming down the stairs off of the bus and were glued to my side the rest of the evening.  Philis and Margaret (class 4) originally grabbed ahold of me, and I made room for Priscah (class 3) too.  They saved me a seat on the front row during worship.  I had a hand on Margaret's shoulder almost the entire time while Philis had her arm around my back or was tracing the veins in my right hand.  The kids Jesse was sitting with were trying to scratch her freckles off.  The sermon was on John 3:16-the "International Anthem".  The singing of Amazing Grace was so incredibly sincere and their European accents shone through on certain words-but their voices raised in unison as they worshipped their heavenly father was indescribable.

Jesse and Miriam

Jessica G. with her gang

Jesse, Ashley, and Beth our our way to do our devotional on Fiwagoh property.  To the left is the garden of banana trees.  We got to eat these everyday, and let me tell you, they were no Chiquita!  To the right are the greenhouses.  Fiwagoh operated almost completely off of the land and were truly self-sustainable.

Back-row-Baptists or The Cool Kids on the Back of the Bus  

Ashlie talking with Miss Margaret at Amazing Grace

Gangsta William at Amazing Grace

Haven of Hope-We met Amber from Hope Grafted In serving for one month at the baby cottage.  I first held the youngest baby, Jeff.  He was beautiful. I was rocking him to sleep and all of a sudden felt very warm...he peed all over my shirt.  While I was holding him waiting for him to be changed, I was patting his back and then I felt warm liquid on my other arm...he spit up too.  But this was why I cam, to love babies and stand in for their mommies-just didn't think I'd be christened this way!  The founder of Haven of Hope was taking care of her bio-baby in the room with me during Jeff's changing.  She shared with me that God revealed His plan for Haven of Hope when she was only 13.  She started the baby home 5 years ago when she was 25 with a few babies.  Now there are 13 babies and 22 older children.  Cynthia and Tony walked in with their new toys while I was speaking with Nellie and cuddled up to me on the couch.  They didn't seem to mind the urine soaking my shirt.  All four of us (me, Jeff, Tony, and Cynthia) headed back to the room where the team and babies were playing.  Tony became my buddy as I handed a clean Jeff off to Jess.  He had collected a coke bottle cap, new slinky, and matchbox car and was juggling these while trying to play the toy piano.  He eventually climbed into my lap...and then stole my heart.  (Seriously, this child would have become a Treesh baby if possible.)  Some of the girls cut up a few oranges to give to the kids.  Tony relished every last bite and then licked all of the juice off of his hands-he looked like he had died and gone to heaven when he bit into that orange.  He climbed out of my arms a couple of times to go ask for another slice, but always brought it back with his possy of toys.  I have to admit, I teared up when it was time to say goodbye.

Me with Baby Jeff at Haven of Hope

Haven of Hope's baby room.  Those are mosquito nets above their cribs.

Laundry at Haven of Hope hanging to dry.  I am so thankful for my washer and dryer after seeing what a chore and full-time job that laundry is for these homes for children.  

Hanging out with the Haven of Hope kiddos

Me with Jeff after he peed and threw up on me...baptism by baby!  I still think he's cute:)

Me with Tony...I found out this past week that Tony already has a sponsor, so I'm going to be sponsoring another child.  He still stole my heart!  Look at that smile!!!

Back on the bus I had an epihany while talking to Jesse about the experience at Haven of Hope.  The Lord helped me realize that even though I can't physically bring this child into my home and family, that I can bring him home and into my family through child sponsorship.

While the ladies were spending time with the kids, Ernie and Shayne painted floors in the downstairs of Haven of Hope.  They left the door open to air out the paint smell and help the paint dry quicker...

...somebody with little feet found the wet paint.

Looking for visitors through the peep-hole at Haven of Hope.

Jesse enjoying her Fanta at the internet cafe in Kenya.  We all needed the refreshment and opportunity to reconnect with our families.

Ahhh...cappuccino!

Shopping for souvenirs in Kenya...I bought this mask for a gift.

Philis and I

View of Fiwagoh from the top of the hill

Nature walk...well, that's what Kenyans call it.  Americans call it the never-ending hike...

Philis and Priscah

Restaurant we hiked by on the way back to Fiwagoh.

Me with Margaret.

The FL girls: Jessica G., Beth, Jodi, Ashley B., Ashlie F., Jesse, Kyle, Natalya

Louise and Jesse explaining freckles to the kids.  Poor Jesse, the kids would come up to her and start to pick and scratch at her freckles.  They thought her spots needed to come off!  They also told her they had never seen anyone with orange hair before!

Mountains in the distance and a trail of kids walking from the lake

My little Zebra Priscah

Jesse is worn out...not only was the "walk" 2+hours long, but we had children holding our hands and hanging on us the entire way...we wouldn't have had it any other way though.

After the Nature Walk, the kids showed us around the Fiwagoh property including their school, dorms, gardens, nurses' station, and kitchen.

Priscah in front of her classroom

Leah showing Emily her garden.  Fiwagoh encourages and teaches the children trades and life skills including farming.  Each child can use a strip of land to plant whatever vegetable they wish.  Leah planted potatoes and squash...I'd say she has a green thumb!

Our last night at Fiwagoh our team got the privilege of tucking the kids into bed, my heart was broken in two, not once, but twice.  I had to say goodbye to Philis and Priscah.  They both were crying uncontrollably.  Sweet Priscah was sobbing and shuttering into my chest as we sat on her bunk bed before I tucked her in.  I told her it was ok to cry, prayed over her, tried my best to confirm her self-worth and identity in Christ.  Philis was crying, too, and I tucked her into bed and covered her precious face in kisses.  I sobbed all the way back to my dorm room and in the room too.  Tonight was the hardest thing I've ever experienced-walking away from two crying orphans.

Priscah and Philis

Jesse and my dorm room.  We slept on the twin and a half bed under that mosquito net for a week...it was cozy!

This was our team's dining room.  We ate 3 meals a day here and had our team meetings here as well.

 On our way to the airport to go to Uganda, we were all talking about how we wish we'd had time for a Safari.  About that time, a herd (and I mean, HERD) of baboons came out of nowhere rushing the highway!

And then, we saw giraffes in the distance and wild zebras too.  God was so good to give us a highway safari!

 This is a video of the kids from Amazing Grace singing for us...they are so joyful!!!

This video is the Ensemble at Fiwagoh.  I wish I had kept recording, because after I cut it off, they started singing in Swahili...it was so beautiful.  Fiwagoh was truly holy ground.

I loved Kenya.  I still love Kenya.  It is so hard to describe why I love this place.  The Kenyan people have this amazing spirit about them of determination to see a brighter future.  I learned that joy can be found in broken places and broken people.  I saw that smiles do come after pain.  I experienced love in a way I never have before and a desperation to be loved.  So that was our motto: Go. Be. Love.  I think it turned out Go. Be. Loved. too. for me.