Hey, hey!
We just got home from our last visit in Joska. After breakfast we went to the CCRC to get shovels and picks, and then we walked down a long dusty path to where we would dig ditches for the water pipes. It was more than a blessing to be a part of--the Joska community enthusiastically came with us, offering their help as we dug. The team work was awesome...seeing how excited the community was about this project. We worked hard! Still, no matter how hard we tried, even the smallest Kenyan children seemed to put us to shame with their strength and endurance! We made a lot of progress, and I know that when the water project is completed it will bring so much joy and happiness into the community. Hopefully many of us will get to come back and see it completed!
After a morning of digging, we ate lunch and then went to another new children's home that no 410 team has ever visited. It was called Stream Tree. We were greeted in the most incredible way--literally with songs, smiles, and BIG hugs from all of the women there. The children were singing and clapping, all smiling at these strange new visitors that were in front of them.
We received a tour of the campus--it is definitely a work in progress, and they have many needs; however, it is a beautiful place filled with so much love for the children and an inspirational focus on God. After the tour, some of us had the opportunity to receive a cooking lesson making chapates (not sure how to spell it...it's pronounced cha-PAH-teez). We helped make a few chapates and then served the children lunch. They had a chapate, slaw, and a spoon of beef stew. When it came time to say goodbye, the children of Stream Tree sang us a few praise songs and then some of the kids (who had walked a long distance to see us one more time at this new home...) sang "Who Am I". I believe it had almost every one of us in tears. Their songs seem to be the ultimate example of worship. When they sing, you know they are singing for Him--it's so beautiful.
We said goodbye to our new friends at Stream Tree, to the CCRC kids that came, and to the 410 Bridge council members from CCRC. It was an emotional day, saying goodbye to people that we have come to know and love dearly. They continue to tell us over and over what a blessing we are to them--they have no idea how big of a blessing they are to us. It's indescribable.
It's been an amazing week that each of us will remember forever. Each individual that we have met during our stay here will remain in our hearts. We will continue to carry them with us in our prayers, doing everything we can to support the work that God is doing to this nation. We can't wait to share stories and pictures with you, so that you can catch a glimpse of how God has moved in our lives while we were here.
Tomorrow we will have our safari (yay!!) and then spend the night in Lake Nakuru. Sunday morning we will go shopping (for many of you!) and then we fly out around 6 pm from the Nairobi airport. Thank you so much for checking these blogs and giving us your encouraging words. We'll see you Monday morning!!
In Him,
The 410 Bridge Team
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Our First Day in 2009
Hey friends and family!
Well, you never know how the schedule is going to work out....we were flexible this morning and changed things around a bit. Instead of digging today (we would only have gotten to dig for a couple of hours), we decided to delay that until tomorrow when we can give it more of our time. We arrived back at Heart Lodge not long ago from an amazing day on foot, doing more home visits around Joska. Similar to two days ago, we split into teams consisting of both US and Kenyan 410 team members as well as a few people from the community. We went into homes, talked with the families and prayed with them. We also had the pleasure of delivering more gifts of flour, sugar, cooking fat, and when children were a part of the home--backpacks with candy and crackers along with the cooking items. Again, our faiths were challenged and grown through these visits, hearing people speak of their trust in God to provide their needs when they are in such difficult circumstances. One beautiful lady who invited our team into her home almost instantly shouted out that she loves Jesus. I told her it was evident by the look on her face--her joy just couldn't be kept in! We can all definitely take away moments like that back home with us, remembering the joy and smiles on faces of those who don't even have clean water to drink or food to feed their children. They get it. Our joy in Him is never based on circumstance.
After a long day of walking home to home, we came together to visit a new children's home (I believe it was called Mercy Children's Home...). The 410 Bridge had never seen this home until today. We were greeted with open arms! The mother of the home and her daughter gave us a tour of the facility, and then the precious children sang for us and recited scripture. Most of the children were younger, but their ages range from the youngest at a 4 year old little boy, to the oldest which is a 16 year old boy. They have never been visited, and were quite excited to see us. Hopefully today was only the beginning of a growing relationship between the Mercy Center and 410 Bridge.
With pink noses from the hot Kenyan sun, we all were exhausted and ready to get back to Heart Lodge. We only have one more day of work before our Safari and Giraffe park adventure to complete our trip.
We hope each of you have had a wonderful New Year holiday, eating lots of greens and black eyed peas!
With Much Love,
The 410 Bridge Team
Well, you never know how the schedule is going to work out....we were flexible this morning and changed things around a bit. Instead of digging today (we would only have gotten to dig for a couple of hours), we decided to delay that until tomorrow when we can give it more of our time. We arrived back at Heart Lodge not long ago from an amazing day on foot, doing more home visits around Joska. Similar to two days ago, we split into teams consisting of both US and Kenyan 410 team members as well as a few people from the community. We went into homes, talked with the families and prayed with them. We also had the pleasure of delivering more gifts of flour, sugar, cooking fat, and when children were a part of the home--backpacks with candy and crackers along with the cooking items. Again, our faiths were challenged and grown through these visits, hearing people speak of their trust in God to provide their needs when they are in such difficult circumstances. One beautiful lady who invited our team into her home almost instantly shouted out that she loves Jesus. I told her it was evident by the look on her face--her joy just couldn't be kept in! We can all definitely take away moments like that back home with us, remembering the joy and smiles on faces of those who don't even have clean water to drink or food to feed their children. They get it. Our joy in Him is never based on circumstance.
After a long day of walking home to home, we came together to visit a new children's home (I believe it was called Mercy Children's Home...). The 410 Bridge had never seen this home until today. We were greeted with open arms! The mother of the home and her daughter gave us a tour of the facility, and then the precious children sang for us and recited scripture. Most of the children were younger, but their ages range from the youngest at a 4 year old little boy, to the oldest which is a 16 year old boy. They have never been visited, and were quite excited to see us. Hopefully today was only the beginning of a growing relationship between the Mercy Center and 410 Bridge.
With pink noses from the hot Kenyan sun, we all were exhausted and ready to get back to Heart Lodge. We only have one more day of work before our Safari and Giraffe park adventure to complete our trip.
We hope each of you have had a wonderful New Year holiday, eating lots of greens and black eyed peas!
With Much Love,
The 410 Bridge Team
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