Day 3, Ngong Weep Center & home visits

So WEEP stands for Women Equality Empowerment Project and the HEART  Organization started it  for women who are HIV+. What happens: usually a friend has told the center about a specific woman's situation, they are so sick that someone has to visit them and evaluate their needs. At this level you are considered a PROPS(Project Rescue Orphan Prevention Service) woman. You are mentored by other women who bring you food and you begin on medication for your HIV+AIDS. Your children are schooled and fed, you are able to get the medication you need to fight your disease. Once you feel well enough to visit the center you are given your own sewing machine (considered phase 2). You learn to sew and eventually how to have a business for yourself.

Imagine having no husband, no family and maybe even no friend. You have a very severe case of the flu and it lasts for months on end. How can you care for your children in any way let alone buy food to feed them. You are so weak, all you can do is lie on your bed as the days pass. The landlord wants his rent. You don't have any $. Your children cry for food. There is none. Your house is a 8X10 space that you and your children live in. The walls are made of corrugated sheet metal or wood. Your floor is dirt. This is where you live and fight your demise. Hopeless and alone is all you feel daily. Who will care for your children when you pass. Daily thoughts they ponder, which turns into weeks, months and years.
Then one day you get a visitor and she brings you food! She talks with you, and takes time to pray for you and your family. For the first time you feel a spark of hope. "Just maybe I can heal or at least my children can eat."
Today we visited a center like this in the Ngong region.  The women are so filled with joy to see you and there are many hugs and happy greetings. We were welcomed with singing as we got off of our bus. Such a beautiful experience listening to these women praising God. There truly is nothing like their music, so filled with passion for their Lord and acceptance of the grace He has given them. Gratitude. I ask how they can be so thankful "all the time"! Most of them had been so sick, rejected from society, family and friends. Hopeless and damaged upon repair. Unable to provide for their families.
We toured the center and enjoyed some worship time with these ladies. They told us their stories. So heartbreaking. So lonely and yet the women who are graduating this year (saturday) have made it through the 18 month program. They are healthy, they smile, laugh and sing. Their heads are raised higher, they are filled with joy and pride! They have learned to sew and a way to provide for their families. They have come so far. HOPE is in their hearts and their smiles.

sewing machines 

her new sewing machine to practice on

Naomi loves her machine

Love the smiles of joy

patterns: they practice on paper before material

Our hands blessing theirs

Jane loves sewing, we saw her wear many  of her own creations

From the center we took our bus into the Ngong slums. It dropped us off and we split into groups, carrying food and a bag filled with inspirational items that would remind the women how much God loves them.

Dorcas in her doorway

Dorcas was the first stop. She graduated last year and had bought her own home by selling the items she sewed and made. Her story: Her husband dies,  2 months following that two of her seven children also pass away (babies). She finds out she is HIV +.  Her husbands family come and take all her belongings. She gets cancer, has surgery & fights that too. This is repeated 7 times. Because of that she uses a voice enhancer so people can hear her.

I was so moved by the immense perseverance this woman has. What a fighter! She was SO proud of her home. It actually had a linoleum floor. She was so thankful to God for all He had given her. SO MUCH gratitude!

Dorcas sharing her story with us

The next woman we visited was Frida. She had been in the first phase of the program but had been sick again, Tuberculosis. Her story: she had come from a very educated, affluent family, her husband left her after he found out she was HIV+ so she went to her family. (she has two boys). Her family didn't want to have anything to do with her and she became homeless. She was pretty sick and unable to work and provide for her family. We prayed and cried with her. So hard to imagine your family abandoning you and your children.
Frida's home was much worse than Dorcas' so it was interesting to compare the two. Seeing the beginning and the end of the program. Difficult to really explain all my emotions, the experience of being there is something you have to do yourself, to really get the full impact. I ask what is it God wants me to gain from this. I truly came away changed, definitely heart broken and grateful beyond measure.

Frida and her son, we had just prayed over her

 how could a grandparent reject him?

They love the bookmarks Katie made for them

Bonnie and Naomi

love my new friends

they love having their pictures tken

kids playing outside the Ngong Center

I love the kids

Ambassadors Wives Tea/Freedom For Girls, Day 5

Every time I think about this day I bust up laughing!

Please read this story: Bonnie and I were roommates. We shared some great memories and would rather talk and laugh late at night than try to organize our stuff.  Our room wasn’t the most picked up, as we were gone a lot and generally in a hurry. 

This particular day was the Freedom For Girls Tea,  which our honored guests were Ambassadors’ Wives currently living in Kenya. We had been up late the night before and early that morning making sure everything was just right. We had just a couple minutes to freshen up before the “Tea Party” began so we ran back to our room. We were there just a minute and Sheri & Misty had stopped by and our door was open as we talked. Suddenly there was a lady there who shook our hand and we all introduced ourselves, then she walked in and more women followed! Soon we had about 12 Ambassador’s wives in our room! Mess and all! Once they left we quickly scanned the room and saw my bra and Bonnie’s panties just hanging out for all the United Nations to see! Needless to say we are now unwelcome in several countries! Still laughing!!

As the party got under way I was amazed at the reality that there were 20+ women present that had the connections to help spread the word for HEART & Freedom For Girls( a program that for $5 a girl can be supplied with enough feminine products for a year). If more Kenyan girls are helped then they will stay in school and get more educated about HIV/AIDS, how to care for themselves properly, and avoid teen pregnancy. This in turn could possibly prevent them from becoming one of the HEART women. 

I was told that most Kenyans born and raised in the city of Nairobi had never visited the slums or were truly aware of the conditions the people face in those areas. So getting the education out, linking arms, and doing what we can to make a difference, no matter how big or small, should be our goal. I saw God working again. Opening women’s hearts, and stretching our faith, and working together to heal. Every time I think about this day I bust up laughing!

Please read this story: Bonnie and I were roommates. We shared some great memories and would rather talk and laugh late at night than try to organize our stuff.  Our room wasn’t the most picked up, as we were gone a lot and generally in a hurry. 

This particular day was the Freedom For Girls Tea,  which our honored guests were Ambassadors’ Wives currently living in Kenya. We had been up late the night before and early that morning making sure everything was just right. We had just a couple minutes to freshen up before the “Tea Party” began so we ran back to our room. We were there just a minute and Sheri & Misty had stopped by and our door was open as we talked. Suddenly there was a lady there who shook our hand and we all introduced ourselves, then she walked in and more women followed! Soon we had about 12 Ambassador’s wives in our room! Mess and all! Once they left we quickly scanned the room and saw my bra and Bonnie’s panties just hanging out for all the United Nations to see! Needless to say we are now unwelcome in several countries! Still laughing!!

As the party got under way I was amazed at the reality that there were 20+ women present that had the connections to help spread the word for HEART & Freedom For Girls( a program that for $5 a girl can be supplied with enough feminine products for a year). If more Kenyan girls are helped then they will stay in school and get more educated about HIV/AIDS, how to care for themselves properly, and avoid teen pregnancy. This in turn could possibly prevent them from becoming one of the HEART women. 

Everlyn was a graduate last year and has her own business now, sewing and jewelry making

I was told that most Kenyans born and raised in the city of Nairobi had never visited the slums or were truly aware of the conditions the people face in those areas. So getting the education out, linking arms, and doing what we can to make a difference, no matter how big or small, should be our goal. I saw God working again. Opening women’s hearts, and stretching our faith, and working together to heal.

Day 4, Coffee in Nairobi and HEART staff party

Misty and Sheri are happy campers

Enjoying a latte with Bonnie

Today we started off the day by leaving the HEART compound by 6:30 so we could head into the city of Nairobi for a little shopping and some good ol’ coffee. I was running on 5 hours sleep and really enjoyed a latte with the girls.

When we arrived back at HEART we began the preparations for the staff  party. The reason this was such a big deal is they had never had a party given to them. We had decided on the Hawaiian theme, they like to do things American!

It was so fun to watch each one of them grinning throughout the day. First we split up and played card games with them.  Then we showed them how to play musical chairs. Next was egg on a spoon. They told us they don’t play games. Knowing that I could see why they all had such a blast and just couldn’t stop smiling. A few of the staff members had told us later “they didn’t want this day to end! That was one of the most amazing days they’ve had.”

The women playing musical chairs

We enjoyed this beautiful place to come home to

The grounds at the HEART lodge

Again, blessing those whose jobs are to serve others was so rewarding. I realized how such basic things as having a party is a treat and something I tend to not think twice about.  Once again I was the one who came away blessed and filled with gratitude.

Day 2-Compassion Child, part 3

The last part of today I had the opportunity to meet our two compassion children! What an absolutely amazing experience, not only for me but for them. This is the first time either of them have been away from their villages. Jack is 9 years old and came from such a distance that he had to spend the night in a hotel, beyond anything he could have imagined.Ebrahim is almost 6 years and came with his grandmother and sister.
The boys were quite amazed with the items I gave to them. Britteny and Taylor had helped me get together stuff that they could use and enjoy. We filled backpacks with school supplies, socks, underwear, games, soccer ball, stuffed animal, blanket, bible with verses underlined, and photos of our family. I actually took them out of the bag a piece at a time, as it was rather overwhelming for both of them.
Jack didn't speak english and had a translator so that was difficult. He received the same items as Ebrahim. He didn't show much emotion as I think the language barrier and just the whole experience was a lot. But once we played a little soccer and jump roped he seemed a bit more friendly. It didn't take Ebrahim long before he began hugging my legs and following me around. I was in love and wanted to take him home!
We skyped with Britteny and Taylor which was 6 am Sunday morning in America. That was awesome to watch these two kids (in Africa) talk to my kids (in America). Then the fact that they had most likely never seen a computer before and they were skypeing! Crazy! I tried to show them how to use it and they couldn't get the smiles off  their faces. I asked Ebrahim, Jack and Anna to sing and they sang a couple sweet songs to the girls. This moment was priceless. Even Jack who only spoke Swahili knew the song as he learns it at school.  It was about Baby Jesus. Those voices and words will forever be in my heart.
After seeing the slums the day before I just couldn't imagine these sweet boys going back to that life.

Anna(sister) and Ebrahim

Jack

Ebrahim and his backpack filled with goodies

Jack and his backpack

Advertising for Dunn Orthodontics

with our compassion children

Skypeing

Skypeing

In so many ways they were just kids. But in reality they were children living in very dire situations, a shack for a home. Only one parent. Sickness, filth, sadness, and uncertainty a part of their everyday existence, but the hope of Jesus' love and grace that their lives will be better someday...

Day 2, part 2, Dandora Baptist Church

As our hearts wrestled with the demise of these people's reality we arrived at the Dandora Baptist Church we were to worship in. Yes the surroundings were not much different than what we had just witnessed but the stark contrast of the filth outside and the clean beauty within was almost surreal. It reminded me of how God sees us, not what is on the outside but what is inside. Or rather the hope that he gives us in the midst of the darkness around us. And how believing that will change your external viewing of life. That's exactly what these people were doing. They really dig deep to know Him better and that's how they smile and go on.

Sunday school kids

the children's slide in the church yard

Slide

their rock climbing area

those eyes get me every time

The agenda for the day

inscription on the floor of church

little boy was peaking through the wall of their old church

love the bright colored door

precious are the children

read through those eyes

The worship service was incredibly joyful, which challenges my heart still now. How can they have such joy when their dark reality is right outside their  front door. Didn't take me long to know that answer...they loved, loved, loved their Lord and Savior and truly accepted His promise of hope and grace. Yes it lasted over 3 hrs but God was so present as the church members each contributed by either having some amazing singing, testimony sharing, or preaching. Lots of "Praise the Lords", "God is good". And BTW they like to repeat those kind of phrases at least 5 times, each time they are spoken. Had to have a few internal laughs! I left filled with memories of faith, hope and LOTS of love. I know I took away more than I left...

Day 2--Dandora slums, part 1

Another day...Or was it really just "another" day.  What I saw as I rode in our bus on the way to worship was rather overwhelming. Dandora was filled with people, lots of them in a very small area. Walking and riding their bikes within inches of our bus and not even bothered by the fact that one wrong quick move and tragedy may strike. Many looked as if they had somewhere to go, very dressed up and rather clean. The irony there was that all you could see was dirt, garbage, just filth everywhere, and nothing green besides a random bush popping up. Lots of buildings, which really were small mismatched shacks made from metal, wood or whatever could work as a wall for their "home". People selling their wares and others buying items, carrying large bags on their backs which held possibly their precious belongings.
As we headed in further their was a smell a smell rather difficult to describe,  just more offensive than probably anything I'd experienced before. Then I saw why. THE DUMP. Literally. It was overflowing and about a couple feet from the  road we were traveling on. There were pigs digging around in it, along with children and their parents. What could they possibly be doing there? Who would allow their children even near a place like this let alone come along side them to search. We were told they may be looking for food, an item to recycle or something they could sell. Quite possibly a hidden treasure? This is so wrong on so many levels. I would NEVER allow my children near such a health hazard area let alone rummage through it. How do you process such a sighting? We were headed to Dandora Baptist Church to worship, how could my heart change gears so quickly to worship  God after experiencing such a sight.
While in the bus Misty asked me if I noticed everyone's face. I had been thinking about that same fact,  there were no bright smiles like the day before just solemn, serious looks, almost as if it was a movie filming and they were told to Not smile. But as I internalized seeing their surroundings it made sense. Why would you smile and be filled with joy when this was what you saw and lived in on a daily basis. My children have grass to run on, trees to climb and creeks to play in. And our garbage gets put in a container and carried AWAY from our home. Not overflowing next to it...

Apartment High-rise and laundry mat

A typical "home"

The Dump and neighborhood rummage area

Really Day One--Paradise Lost Park 9-29-12

An amazing day! We visited a park called Paradise Lost which cost about $3.75 for adults and $2.50 for children. This is an opportunity these kids only get once a year!  There were about  a 100 kids plus moms bused in to spend the day, which we provided lunch, games, crafts, camel rides, boat rides and lots of love.
I wasn't quite sure what my emotions would be but once our bus arrived and all the children came running to it my heart began to melt. Their precious smiles and warm eyes grabbed my heart and i wanted to hug them all. I hadn't been informed what the protocol was, can I hug them? They offered their hand to shake so I did the same and told them my name, & asked them theirs. This took a bit of time as there were alot of them.
Shortly after the greetings we were brought together with the moms to have a little "meet and greet". I noticed Bonnie was carrying two kids and holding hands with a couple more. WELL, that was my signal that it was totally ok to love on these precious lives. I began my hugging and taking pictures, and had a few specific friends in no time flat. All the kids loved to have their photos taken then wanted to see themselves in the camera. Some would laugh and others just smiled. Just like my kids! They reveled in the idea of seeing their reflection.
Background info: these women(moms) were all HIV positive and some of the children. You could tell some of the women were newer into the program as they didn't look as healthy. But they were all so beautiful, you could see and hear their love and thanks to God for this path of love through the HEART organization.