Jambo

June 15, 2014

Fiwagoh Day One

As we came up to the orphanage around 2, we saw more than a hundred orphans running up to our bus singing their "welcome song." 

I cried. 

If you know me, that's no surprise. I cry all of the time, but this moment was something I had been waiting on for months. I reached my hand out of the window and a sweet boy named Boniface grabbed my hand. We parked the bus and 212 orphans surrounded us, waiting for the Muzungus (White people) to come out and play. 

When I got off the bus, my new friend grabbed my hand and did not let go until hours later. Boniface is 11, but looks like he is 7. 

Two girls named Faith (15) and Evelyn (14) came up to me, too. Later we all went out to this huge field to play! I played and took pictures with Jackie (13) and Gladys (11). Then about 5 girls started "playing" with my hair. We all went back for worship and I promise there is no greater sound than hearing 212 orphans singing to our Savior. 

June 16, 2014

Fiwagoh Day Two

Every year, all of the orphanages in Gilgil, Kenya put on The Day of The African Child where a group of kids from every orphanage march 1.5 miles and then present a song or dance. I was so happy that we got to be here for this day and support 20ish children from Fiwagoh. It was overwhelming to see hundreds of orphans from one small town in Kenya united together. 

When we got back to Fiwagoh, we played with the kids for a couple of hours while the doctors and dentists from our team got ready to to have checkups for all of the kids. This 5-year-old boy named Solomon came up to me and latched to my side for the rest of the day. He is so small and cuddly and just sat in my lap the entire day. He never stopped holding my hand.

Some of the older girls and boys (Faith, Evelyn, Virgina, Jackie, Alvin, and Wilson) opened up to me and told me how they got to Fiwagoh. Some of their parents abandoned them, some parents couldn't afford to feed them, and some parents died. 

The stories broke my heart, but it is wonderful to see how, despite everything they've been through, they are still the happiest kids I've ever seen.

 A majority of the kids have very poor dental hygiene because this was the very first time any of them had ever seen a dentist. It made me realize how much we take things for granted. Most kids were terrified because they had no idea what to expect. 

Molly, Emily, and I taught the kids in the "waiting room" how to properly brush their teeth before they went to see one of our three dentists.

 

The medical team will be doing checkups for the next two weeks, but they started with all of the children with HIV. There are between 10-15 kids with HIV at Fiwagoh. Today, I found out that Boniface was one of them. BUT the doctors and dentists said that they are some of the healthiest HIV children they have seen throughout their trips to Africa. 

Please join me in praying for my team members and new friends for the next two weeks.