We got off to a very late start this morning because our van was stopped and our driver was detained for 4 hours. He had left Kisumu with another driver and Lois, the 18 year old daughter of Osborn Obayo. All of our luggage was in the van. The police stopped him and claimed that he was speeding. Aparently it was not true, but they wanted him to do two things: Pay a 10,000 Shilling fine and unload all or the luggage. First of all he didn’t have 10,000 Shillings and second of all her refused to offload our luggage because he was responsible for it. Thus ensued a standoff for 4 hours. Finally he left Lois to guard the luggage while he ran back to Kisumu to secure the 10,000 fine. They were finally released and made it back to Nairobi at 3am in the morning. Then when he came to pick us up in the morning he was trapped in a traffic jam for 3 hours. Welcome to Kenya! Hakuna Matata!
Really! I mean welcome to Kenya! It’s all worth it friends and I still wish you were here..
We were several hours late to visit DANSO (our Aids ministry in the Dandora Slums). The ladies of Danso always meet us with a song and a dance and it is always a joy to be together with them. Let me tell you DANSO, more than any other ministry that we are partnering with has surely put our dollars to use. Since we became involved with them 7 years ago they have been extremely fruitful. They have started a sowing company that makes hundreds of school uniforms, some to give away to poor children. They have started numerous micro finance businesses and most of them are very successful. The number of people who pay back their loans is very high. Two years ago we helped them to start a computer training school and internet cafe. They now have 7 computers and lot of students. A number of women are making a living, making candles using the candle making machine we bought several years ago. Many of the DANSO women are now excellent craftsmen, making jewelry, purses, linens and other items. Henry Okumo who heads us DANSO also tells me that since they became involved with us their death rate from AIDS is very, very small. I believe the Lord is rewarding them for the incredible service in our Medical Camps. When someone is diagnosed with AIDS they come alongside them with love and guidance and they adopt them into the family.
Following our visit to DANSO we rushed over to the Kibera Slums to visit our precious little children in the Kara Kibera Children’s Center. It’s truly an adventure getting to the school through the slums. It’s something that I want to video some day, because it’s a scene that is impossible to describe. It’s something you have to smell to believe. Once we get to our center the scene changes. Here are 150 little kids packed into 20 ft by 20 ft room. They waited for us for 3 hours and when we finally arrive they erupted in song. Once we get going with the kids, no one wants to leave. Caring for and loving these kids brings me and everyone else a wonderful feeling of fulfillment. If this is all we did, we still would feel that we did something worthwhile. John and Mary Idagiza and the teachers of the Children’s Center are truly heroes in my book. They work for next to nothing and they truly love the kids. You just can’t say enough about the difference that love makes in the life of a child.
Tomorrow we visit Lenana School and we dedicate our new orphanage. I am so excited about that.
Only two more days for the team. Each night we are exhausted and many times we are just speechless because we are in awe of what the Lord is doing all around us. Everyone on our team deserves a week of rest because believe me, we have been pressing hard to get it done.
Thanks everyone for your prayers. It makes all the difference in the world.
Blessings,
Richard