Kenya 2015, Weeks 2 and 3

Team 1, Weeks Two and Three

Usually on Saturday afternoons, after celebrating the day of Sabbath at Fiwagoh,  we all take a nature hike to Lake Elementaita.  This first nature walk of the trip would be a short one for me.  Soon after we began our walk I tripped on a stick, which appeared to cut my toe.  It seemed to be rubbing on my sandal so I headed back to the dorm along with Grace, one of the girls I sponsor.  We had a peaceful afternoon chatting, painting, and coloring in my room while my foot rested. By evening my foot became swollen and purple and continued to appear infected throughout that week. The following Saturday I would skip the nature walk in lieu of an hour and a half drive to Kajobe Hospital where the head of surgery, Dr. Byrd from Austrialia, would make an incision in order to remove the two pieces of wood that seemed to have somehow lodged in my toe.  

Throughout the next two weeks the team would fill the hours with many activities.  A few are listed below.

A Visit to the Slums:  The team bagged up approximately 30 bags each of maize, beans, and rice and packaged them with spaghetti noodles and oil.  We would deliver these bags to assigned families from a slum area near Fiwagoh where 4 boys from the orphanage once lived.  The boys were proud to show us their home and helped us navigate through the slum.  We were greeted quite warmly by the residents and each group exchanged songs.

Distributing the bags of food.

A muzungu (white person) is a rare siting in the slums.

Field Trip to Aberdare National Park:

On a Thursday we treated all the seniors at the orphanage to a field trip 10,000 feet high into the Aberdare National Park to see beautiful waterfalls and amazing landscape.  Some of our team members traversed the rocks and stood under the water.  As the day came to an end Ruth, the girl sitting next to me with the blue scarf had a severe asthma attack. Our bus exited the mountainous area with great speed and brought her to the nearest clinic.  After meds were administered and her breathing became somewhat normal, we headed home in the dark with the kids singing hymns the whole way home.  It was quite an adventure.

Senior Nights:  A tradition that continues to evolve is senior nights.  After worship and the younger ones are in bed (suppose to be in bed) we meet with the seniors to play games, share testimonies, or worship separately.  We have even added to this medium nights (middle age kids) and juniors (the youngest.  The female team members on the trip met with the senior girls a few times to do Bible studies from the book of Ruth and to share how God sees us all as special girls in His eyes.  Below are a few snapshots of one of the nights and at the end of the evening we gave each girl a scarf.

Serving a special Meal:  Each team got purchase special food, help prepare the meal, and serve all the kids a dinner. The meals consisted of spaghetti noodles (they love them), a vegetable stew, fruit, and popcorn.  The kids were over the moon excited for these meals and it was a joy to serve them.

  

One of our leaders, Diana, posted the following on Facebook.  

Last night during worship with the kids... one of the boys named Alvin stood up and read the following letter to our team on behalf of all the kids. Not one team member could keep the tears from falling.... THIS is why we GO!
(I am typing the letter EXACTLY how he wrote it)

"To Our Special Visitors"
This is to humbly give our gratitudes for your lovingness. For we know that this God's hand that has brought you for we poor children that the adversary the devil had taken us into captivity in order that you can make a change in our lives.
Especially on the diet for this evening, it is a diet that we shall forever keep in our minds. Having pasta, a orange and a passion fruit plus stew for dinner what a wonderful meal that you made for us! Especially the passions in our country are expensive and they are only bought by the rich. But look, we poor children had them in our dinner. What a blessing!
Also for you all having time with us. What a lot we have learnt from each other. Us knowing more about science, maths and knowing terms that we could never know. Teaching the young ages on colours, being creative, truly this is by God's hands. By these we know that you have costed and spent a lot of expenses; but look you neglected all that and saw it is better to make a difference in us which it would not be living for self. Let me say thy rewards knoweth no man but God knows what He'll reward thee all. Your rewards will be great!
Also for them that have organized for all these may they keep on and never cease to be kind. Do not do this only to us but also do ye to others and indeed you will be blessed. Though you may not get the blessings in your lives; imagine your generation being blessed just because of your love, kindness. I know that these blessings would bring you a lot of joy and you wait and see it will. We assure you.
We do not know how much we can repay back. All we can just repay back is giving you our love and to be thankful and to say thank you, thank you very much. You all are welcomed in our blessed home, and when you get bored with your home remember there is a home back in Africa that is mainly in Kenya that I can go and be a blessing for. So to dearly say you have a home back in Kenya and you are always welcomed. May GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU ALL! AMEN.

We love you all.
From your friends in Kenya,
The Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage Home
(written & read by Alvin)

As Diana said, this is why we go!

Kenya 2015, Week 1, Camp Day 4

Team 1: Week One

Math/Science Camp: Day 4

Daily Biblical Theme:  God’s Compass and the directions He has left us. 

Secondary Camp

This was to be the last day of camp and we had already begun cutting some of the activities due to time.  We hoped to complete some at a later point in our stay but that would not happen.  For this last day of camp we focused on team work, following directions, and indirect measurement.  We opened with the Helium stick activity.  Teams of 8-10 were to stand on two sides of a 10’ pole.  They were to hold out their pointer fingers and allow the pole to rest on them.  With all team members fingers touching the pole they were to lower it to the ground.  It isn’t as easy as it sounds; note the smiles in the faces during the challenge.

The Kenyan teachers test their team work abilities.

Alvin decided to play limbo after his team found success lowering the pole.

After the opener team leaders found and recorded the height of each team member, campers were challenged to use proportions to solve similar triangles, and some math concepts were reviewed in preparation for the final activity. 

The day would end with teams using indirect measurement techniques to determine the height of the water tank on the roof of the dorm. Teams were each provided metric measuring tapes, scientific calculators, mirrors, view tubes, clipboards, and instruction handouts to be used for the activity.  The Kenyan teachers were encouraged to go out with the campers and assist in the experiment.  They joyfully obliged and enjoyed the challenge.  

While most teams went outside to complete the activity, a team of the highest level secondary students remained behind to learn another method of indirect measurement using a clinometer made of a straw and a plumb line.  

As usual the Kenyans use their imaginations to come up with another way to find the height of the water tower.  Do NOT try this at home.

Items found in purple in where supplied by donations.  Thanks to all that contributed!!