The Bowl Ceremony

   

     In the past year Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage had been given two warnings by state inspectors for using plastic dishes to feed the children.  Apparently it is a requirement that stainless steel dishware is to be used, which we all found difficult to find when you need 300+ dishes and not to mention expensive.  So after hearing this news on one of our conference calls, we began searching for these plates and bowls both in Africa and around the world.  Nothing seemed to be obtainable in that quantity so we headed to Africa without a definite plan, praying for the best.

     Once we arrived at Fiwagoh after two days of travel we settled right in. Over the next few days Ryan took 1-2 team members as well as Pastor Benson and other needed Africans on three different occasions to purchase supplies and food for special meals and events.  On one of these trips they were able to find stainless steel bowls and plates.  The photos below are one days worth of purchases.  Obviously they returned after sunset.

The seats had to be taken out and placed on top of the van.

     Generally when a gift is given at Fiwagoh it seems to include a ceremony.  So with the children dressed for school and ready for breakfast after attending their daily morning worship at 6:00 AM, Pastor Benson had them all line up in the field in front of the school.  At Fiwagoh kids are grouped by age/size and each of these groups has a name. Starting with the youngest/smallest they are: baby juniors (age approximately 2-5), juniors (age approximately 6-9), mediums (age approximately 10-13), and seniors (age approximately 14-20+).  When he called the youngest group to come up to receive their new bowl, two tiny boys sprinted straight past Pastor Benson, past the team holding the bowls, through the small tunnel and bridge that leads to the dining area.  Somehow they missed the message that they were getting new bowls and were ready to eat!  It was hilarious as we watched them run at what seemed to be the speed of light, ignoring all our shouts to stop.  Breakfast would occur after the distribution of bowls (aka The Bowl Ceremony).

Now it is time for breakfast!

Peace and Joy,   

Krees (Kris)

Nights of Giving

     How excited does one get picking out a toothbrush or a loofa sponge?  How difficult is it to select your one and only pair of underwear?  Apparently the answer to these questions is, “VERY!” 

     Our team had three different nights of giving for the 270+ kids at Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage and School.  The evenings at Fiwagoh are concluded with a worship service, usually beginning at 6:00 and ending around 7:00. It is always pitch dark at that time and after worship the kids go to their respective dorms for bedtime.  This is the time our team chose to give out a gift, thus post-poning bedtime. So on three separate evenings we were blessed to stand in front of the beautiful, cheerful faces and handout out gifts:  toothbrushes, loofas, and underwear.  I have to laugh when I call them gifts, because recently I visited my three grandsons in Memphis for the birthday month celebration and my husband kept telling the boys they were getting socks and underwear for their birthday present.  On the day of the party the soon to be four year old questioned us, “Are we really getting socks and underwear?”  I don't think those boys would have been very happy if that was their gift, however the kids at the orphanage were extremely happy.
     

     On the first night of giving we handed out toothbrushes.  It was soooooo challenging for many of the kids to choose their toothbrush.  They shopped and investigated all of our hands, which held the toothbrushes of many colors. The kids were making sure the chosen toothbrush was perfect: just the right color, just the right size, just the right whatever…  The same happened on a second night of giving when the loofa sponges were handed out, so many colors to choose from and one tough decision, “Which color is the best for me?”  Perhaps it was a bit crazier than the toothbrush night. We had many extra loofas to be handed out later in the year as needed, so we eventually just had to shut the container of loofas to stop the trading.   

Tooth Brush Distribution

 

Loofas Presented and Leftover

    

    
     Finally,  on the third night of giving, the night of receiving their one pair of underwear (older teens received two pair), the kids went wild.  It was over the top crazy.  The guys on the team handed out the underwear for the boys at a separate location from the girls.   I cannot speak as to how their distribution of underwear went, but I can describe my experience in one word, insane.  It all started out very organized and calm as we lined up the girls by size.  This took a bit of time and the excitement escalated.  After most had received and traded underwear once or twice, the tsunami began... I had a handful of undies grouped by size.  Soon little girls were swarming around me wanting to trade up, swap colors, and/or change size. I became trapped in a whirlwind of girls.  Imani, one of our high school team members, came to my rescue.   She grabbed the extra undies from my hand and took them away to be stored for later in time as needed.  The young bees dispersed.

The Underwear Distribution

It all looks so innocent at first.

  

The line for the juniors, the youngest at the orphanage.

  

    Honestly, can you imagine only having one pair of underwear or one toothbrush to last you for as long as it holds together or until another mission team comes bringing you a new one, which could be a couple of years?  I have it so easy here in the United States.  Every time I travel to Africa I realize that and try to keep it in perspective when I return home, which is not easy.  It is such a blessing to be a part of this experience and these evenings of giving are so much fun.

Peace and Joy, 

Krees (Kris)