Hill Day 3 [blog by Kara]

Wednesday June 16 was our 2nd full day on the Hill. Mom and I went to visit the school. We went to the Class 1 room (first grade) and delivered a sign from Mom’s first graders at Washington. We also dropped by Nentaya’s class and then visited the preschoolers and kindergarteners. They’re usually two separate classes, but one of the teachers was sick so they combined into one huge group. There were probably about 40 kids between the ages of 2 and 8. They were absolutely precious. As we were approaching the building, the kids swarmed around us, grabbing our hands and clinging to us. I literally had 4 or 5 kids on each arm. They would rub our arms - trying to get the white off, haha - and just look up at us with their cute little faces. Then we went into their classroom, where they sang two songs for us - kids in Kenya LOVE to sing. Beatrice led the first song (and the rest of the kids echoed), and Boke led the second one. When they finished, we taught them an American song - the Itsy Bitsy Spider. The kids loved it. When it was time for them to go out for PE, we went out with them and Mom taught them Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes. The kids got really into it, but their English wasn’t great so sometimes they’d point to the wrong body parts - it was adorable.





The little kids had PE outside near the clinic where the medical team was working, and there were a few kids sitting outside waiting to be seen. I sat with them for a while, letting them play with my hair and looking through pictures on my camera with them. They don’t have cameras there, so they all get so excited when they see pictures of themselves or their friends on the camera screen. One “God moment” that happened while I was sitting outside the clinic was when I got to see Noah run. Noah was born with a deformed foot, and up until a year ago, he was crippled and had to use crutches to walk. A family from Oasis paid for him to have surgery last year, and now, not only can he walk, but he can RUN. Dr. Mike kept telling him, “You’re a miracle, do you know that?” It was so cool to witness that.

Later, Mom and Dan and I were in the multi-purpose room relaxing and getting organized for teaching that evening, and some women came in and brought us tea. I never really drank tea before this trip, but I love it now! Kenya’s number 1 export is tea, and it’s delicious! While we were drinking our tea, little smiley Beatrice came in. She is such a cutie! She sat with Dan and went through his journal with him, helping him pronounce all the kids’ names (something Dan struggled with a lot on this trip… hehe).
When school ended, it was raining so a lot of the kids came into the multi-purpose room and hung out with us. They signed our journals, colored, played with Buba the Vulken puppet and some finger puppets, and played the “keep the balloon off the ground” game. Dan got out his iPad and showed some Pixar shorts on it - he had a huge crowd of kids gathered around him. Most of the shorts had no speaking, so the language barrier wasn’t an issue, which was great.






After playing for a while, we did our 2nd teaching: Jesus Forgives Me (Yesu Samehe Mimi). During worship, we added a new song. Some of the older girls translated the chorus of Sing, Sing, Sing into Maasai. Then they made up their own melody for it, and taught it to me so I could sing it with them and teach the other kids. Joel and Noah figured out the chords, and lo and behold, we had written a brand new Maasai worship song! How cool is that?!?

After dinner, we went back up to the Hill and the kids sang songs. Then Emily, one of the older girls, led the group in a Maasai worship song and then prayed. It was another God moment. Even though I don’t speak Maasai, I could feel their passion and love for God in the way they sang. I didn’t need to know what words they were singing to know what they meant. After worship and prayer, we watched the World Cup on TV and hung out with the kids. Some of the older kids signed my journal, and they wrote the sweetest things! Emily and Esther signed for themselves and for their babies, which I thought was adorable. Boke laid in my lap for a while, and then I went over and sat with Emily and Rosalyn, two of the older girls. I loved talking with them. They’re sweethearts, and their English is pretty good so we were able to have actual conversations. We really became friends throughout the course of the week, and I miss them SO much.

Day 2 on the Hill - Mom's thoughts

1 - Nentaya playing a relay game
2 - the Amazing Joel
3 - Kara brought a Butler shirt for her little sister, Nentaya :)

I apologize for not getting on and writing sooner. Life gets in the way. I miss Kenya so much –the simplicity of life there, the strong sense of community, the beautiful faces and spirits of all of the people there. To say it was a life-changing trip is an understatement. I felt God’s presence in a way I have never felt it before – to see these children who have suffered so much loss being loved and nurtured and having the capacity to experience joy can only be a God thing. Let me try to share what we experienced.

As Kara said, we were so warmly welcomed. I have never experienced a welcome like that – they sang to us, the women made this awesome chanting/shrieking sound, every one said “feel at home,” they hugged us and held our hands…they were so genuinely happy we were there. As Lynda described it, it felt like a little preview of what our welcome into Heaven will be like.

This is what I remember about our first day on the hill (Tuesday, June 15). Nothing in Kenya was rushed or on any kind of schedule. We started our day by waking up to the sounds of donkeys braying (loudly), roosters crowing, and Maasai villagers singing to their cows as they walked them to the fields. After being served an incredible breakfast of pancakes, French toast, hard boiled eggs and fresh fruit, Rick led our team in devotions. We studied the book of Daniel, and Rick encouraged us to be aware of “God moments” throughout the day. After breakfast, we headed up to “The Hill” where the Children’s Home and school are located. The kids were in school, so we used that time to prepare for our after school teaching time. Dan had prepared an awesome teaching for the kids. We decorated the room with inflatable jungle animals and Dan put up a puppet theater. Kara, Joel and Noah practiced their worship songs and I was given the role of “Buba” the vulken (Vulture/Chicken) and Slimy the Worm in the puppet theater J. As we prepared the room, the women who work at the children’s home brought us tea and chickens wandered in and out of the room. The students have a recess/lunch break, so we spent time with them and then headed back down to Joseph’s house for lunch – another feast. We were back at the children’s home in time for school to let out, and we organized the kids into teams (sort of) and played some games with them – soccer, spoon/ping-pong ball relays, etc. Kara and I taught the kids the chicken dance, and Kara taught them the “CYT Shakedown.” It was so fun just being with the children. They loved everything we brought, loved learning songs and dances, and loved just sitting with us and talking.

Once the kids from the village had gone home, we led the kids who live at the children’s home into the teaching room (multi-purpose room?) for Dan’s first teaching. We began with worship and it was amazing. The team taught the kids “Sing, Sing, Sing” and “Glory to God.” Kara had made up hand motions. It was so beautiful to hear their voices singing the songs and see them lifting their hands. Then Dan taught his first lesson: Yesu Penda Mimi. (Jesus Loves Me). Dan shared his testimony with the kids, and then taught from Mark 10:13-16, the story of how Jesus made time to bless the children. All of the kids were given Bibles in comic-book form. The kids loved the games, role-playing and puppet show. Joel became “Amazing Joel” and performed card tricks for the kids. Dan gave each child a little satin heart to remind them that God loves them. They were so cute – some of the girls sewed the hearts onto their sweaters. We also gave them candy necklaces. That was a big hit with the kids!

After the teaching time, the kids went to have their dinner and we went back down to Joseph’s house for our dinner. After dinner, we grabbed our flashlights and headed back up the hill. It is really dark at night, but somehow the Maasai people do not use “torches” – they just know where to go. Lynda, Barb and I managed to get lost even with our flashlights! Once we got to the children’s home, we found the kids gathered around a TV, powered by a generator, watching the World Cup. Many of the kids were doing homework. The kids came in and out from their dorm rooms. We did crafts with them, they signed our journals (we had a page for each of them with their picture on it). It was a beautiful time of just relaxing with the kids. Evenings were the time we really got to know the children. We had many children climbing on our laps, wanting us to come see their rooms, wanting to draw or write with us. They were so precious!!!! As the smaller kids fell asleep, the older ones would take them to their beds. We left around 10 pm to head back to Joseph’s. The worst part of the trip was the nighttime visit to the outhouse. Yeah…that was a little scary.

We're home!

Sorry for the lack of blogging during the trip. We had no internet on the Hill, and we had very limited, expensive, and extremely slow internet at the resort. We typed up an entry at the resort and hit post but it wouldn't post... But now we're home and we're so excited to tell you all about our trip!

I'll start with the first day on the Hill. When we got there, all the kids from the school, and all the staff members and adults from the community came out to welcome us. I have never received such a warm welcome in my life. People were singing and cheering. The adults came up to each of us individually and shook our hands or hugged us. The whole group walked us up to the Children's Home and then we sat down with all the adults and were introduced to everyone and welcomed again. They kept telling us over and over "Karibu sana" (which means "welcome very much") and "feel at home." After the introductions, they brought in Nentaya, the girl we sponsor, and Edward, who the Huffmans sponsor. We got a "family picture" with the three of us and Nentaya.


Then several Maasai women walked us down the Hill to Joseph's house. Joseph is the director of the Children's Home. He and his wife Anna graciously opened their home to all 11 of us (plus 3 visitors from Kenyatta University, for 2 nights). So at one point, there were 14 visitors staying in Joseph & Anna's small house. They brought in bunk beds so we could all fit. They also gave us three home-cooked meals each day, and they were delicious! I was worried about liking the food, but I loved almost everything we ate. Joseph & Anna are the best hosts ever!

I could go on an on, but I'm going to stop there. We'll each post a few more times explaining what happened the rest of the week, and also what we saw on safari! We had an amazing trip and we're excited to share our experiences and stories with all of you! Stay tuned. :)

-Kara

Day 1 in Kenya!

Hi everyone! It’s Kara & Jeanette. We’re here in Kenya and we are loving it! It is even better than we could have imagined. Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us - we have had a great trip so far. We had two very smooth flights, everything was on time, and we got all 27 of our checked bags without any problems (10 crates, two guitars, and 15 personal bags). Everyone is fairly well adjusted to the 8-hour time change, which is great. We were a little worried about whether or not we would like the food, but so far we have had three delicious (and very LARGE) meals. Most importantly, everyone on our team is healthy. Thank you for your continued prayers for our trip.

We have only been here for a day, but we have already fallen in love with Kenya. It is absolutely beautiful. And the people here are so nice! As we were driving, people on the side of the road would smile and wave at us. (We also saw donkeys, cows, goats, sheep, turkeys, and chickens on the side of the road… they didn’t wave.) Today we went to a tea farm near Nairobi. We tasted fresh tea, learned about the history of the tea farm, and took a tour of the grounds. Then they served us a huge FEAST for lunch. We were full after the soup course – but there was still the main course and dessert! After the tea farm, we visited The Nest Home, which is a home for children whose parents are in prison. The kids greeted us by singing; it was precious. (Mom cried!) Then we went on a tour and saw the bedrooms and school. After that, the kids sang to us again, and then Dan taught a brief lesson about God’s love. Quick Swahili lesson: Yesu penda mimi = Jesus loves me. When it was time to go, the kids sang to us AGAIN – they love to sing! – and then we took pictures with some of the children. They loved the camera! We were so sad to leave them, and wish we could have spent more time there. But this experience made us so much more excited for our time on the Hill!

Now we are at Ann’s parents’ house in Kijabe, where we’re spending the night. (It's 6:30 at night here.) Tomorrow we’re taking a tour of the Kijabe hospital, where Mike (Ann’s dad) works, and then we’re driving up to the Hill. We cannot WAIT to get to the Hill and meet all those beautiful children!

We are having an incredible trip so far. We've taken over a hundred pictures already. Thanks for all of your prayers! We’ll try to blog on the Hill, although we’re not sure how much internet access we’ll have while we’re there. Talk to you soon!

Here We Go!

Good morning! It's Jeanette's turn to post. Today is the day! It is hard to believe that a dream that began almost 3 years ago is about to become a reality. In 24 hours, the world is going to look a lot different. 24 hours after that, it's going to look even more different! I am in awe that we have been given this incredible opportunity to take this trip. This morning I looked at Nentaya's smiling face on my refrigerator, the face I've looked at every day for almost 3 years in a photo, and realized that in a few days I will be hugging this precious little girl. I can't even put into words the joy and excitement I am feeling at the idea of meeting all of these children and their caregivers. We have some fun things planned, but we've been told by everyone who has been to "The Hill" before to just be ready for anything, not to expect things to go as planned, and to be ready to live at a slow, relaxed pace. I have to say, that sounds incredible to me. The idea of not being on a tight schedule, not being attached to technology, not running from place to place, makes me very happy. I am hoping to just be able to "go with the flow" and see what God has in store for me...
We are leaving for the airport in just about 6 hours, our flight leaves around 4 pm. Right now, I am in a state of disbelief, but strangely calm. We are putting this whole trip in God's hands. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. Please continue to do so. I am not as eloquent as Kara and Joel (it's also 6:30 am and I have not had coffee yet), so I will just say "Here we Go!" The next time you hear from us, we will be in Kenya!
Love,
Jeanette

Hi I'm Joel

And I'm going to do one of these blogs now.

So I was sick until about noon today, and very worried that I wouldn't get better before we left. Being sick on a plane for 18 hours and then being sick in Kenya wasn't what I was picturing for this trip. Luckily, I'm better now. Thanks to all who prayed for my health.

Speaking of what I'm picturing for this trip... I had this picture in my head of what it would be like for a really long time, but recently I've realized that it is probably going to be nothing like I pictured. It's going to be like nothing I've ever done before. It's going to be scary, alien, and difficult, but it's also going to be one of the most beautiful and amazing things I've ever done.

I'm hoping to get a new understanding of life from this trip. I'm hoping that I will not take things for granted like I do now. I'm reminded of a quote from Dr. Cornel West. He was in a plane getting ready to take off, sitting in coach because money was tight at the time. He said, "Coach is cool. It's a blessing to be on this plane at all. Blessing to be alive. Blessing to be on this journey of love." That is so right. People complain all the time about things like that: being stuck in coach on a plane, being stuck in traffic, having to drink water instead of coke. We don't realize how blessed we are to be able to travel the world in a matter of hours, drive wherever we want, whenever we want, and get a drink anytime we choose.

I've been fascinated by the kids at the Transmara Childrens Home ever since my family first became involved with Oasis. I was perplexed by the fact that they were so happy in their situation. Here they were, poor, orphaned, some of them sick, yet they had the biggest, most genuine smiles I've ever seen. They seem happier than many kids in America who have everything in comparison, myself included. I have so much to learn from these 74 kids.

Getting Ready

Hey everyone! Kara here. The three of us are going to be taking turns blogging before, during, and after our trip, and I'm up first!

As most of you know, I've been counting down the days to this trip since January! I remember being in the hundreds... hard to believe we're in the single digits now! We leave in 5 days. We went over to the Smiths' house yesterday and packed up a bunch of crates full of things to bring to the Hill: medical supplies, shoes, clothes for the kids, etc. (I'm going to try to get a picture of our group at the airport with all our stuff - it's going to be pretty hilarious. There are 9 of us, and between us I think we have 18 carry-ons, 8 big suitcases, 8 crates, and two guitars.) Now that we've started packing, it's beginning to sink in that in less than a week, we'll be in Africa. I am SO excited. But as the trip gets nearer, I'm starting to get a little nervous too. For twelve days, I am going to be COMPLETELY out of my comfort zone. I have never been to a third world country, or anything even close. I am so accustomed to my way of life, and I take so much for granted. I've been thinking a lot lately about the things I'm going to be without during the trip. My big comfy double bed, air conditioning, my cell phone, running water, bathrooms with showers and toilets... I'm going to miss all these luxuries. But I think it's so important for me to take a break from this life that I've come to know, and to go see what life is like on the other side of the world. I think that when I return, I will appreciate all that I have so much more. I am truly blessed to live where I do and to have such a comfortable life. Even though it scares me a little to leave behind everything I know, I couldn't be more excited. I have been looking forward to this trip for two years, and now it's right around the corner! I am so excited to see what God does through this trip - how He uses us and what He teaches us.

I cannot WAIT to get to the Hill and meet all the kids. For years, I've seen pictures and watched videos and heard stories from friends who've visited... I already feel like these children are part of my family. Now it's FINALLY time for me to go meet them in person! I'm especially excited to meet Nentaya, the little girl we sponsor. After exchanging letters with her for two years, we finally get to see her face-to-face! I feel like I'm about to cry just thinking about it. Nentaya is SUCH a cutie. I can't wait to meet her. Oh, and I'm bringing her a Butler University t-shirt so she can show her Bulldog pride. Yay! :)

There are 74 kids at the Trans Mara Children's Home (although only 72 are there right now, because 2 are in high school in Nairobi), and I am really looking forward to forming relationships with as many of them as possible. I have been trying to learn names & faces so I can recognize them when I get there... so far it's not going too well, haha. I know about a dozen, maybe more? I'll keep working on it. I have an extreeeemely long plane ride coming up, which will give me plenty of time to "study"!

Anyways, like I said, Mom, Joel and I will each be posting in this blog as often as we can. We're not totally sure how often we'll have access to the internet in Kenya, but we'll do our best to keep you all updated! It's going to be an adventure, and we're excited to share it with all of you.
Please pray for us to stay SAFE and HEALTHY during our trip! Thanks so much :)

Love,
Kara