Growing Pains and Healing

This photo is from my first visit to Fiwagoh in 2012.  I found out in 2018 more
about the boys in the photo and you will too in future posts.  
From front to back: Jacob, Charles, Peter, David, John, and Hilary.

This is Nahashan, AKA Nash, in 2014.  I really liked his work suit, 
so I asked if I could buy it from him and replace it with
a new one.

His answer was yes. I wear it whenever I am "arting."

Nahashan in his new work suit.

     In Kenya, once an orphan reaches the age of 18, he is no longer able to live at the orphanage, but because of the number of orphans in Kenya, it is not closely monitored.  Pastor Benson keeps the children/young adults as long as he can.  He wants all to be prepared when they age out or decide to do life on their own, so besides having a grade school to educate the little ones, he built a trade school so the young adults would have experience in a trade (tailoring, culinary arts, carpentry, and medicine). Later he added a secondary school, so those who wanted to pursue a university education had the opportunity.  This makes Fiwagoh a top-notch orphanage. Having done all of that, the additions came a little too late for the older orphans.

Except for Elmeltar and Peter the orphans in the photos on this post are no longer at Fiwagoh.

Joseph Muhoro, you will never meet a kinder more sensible young man.

2015, Charles and his sister Faith taking a goodbye photo with Ryan and myself.
I have been buddies with Faith since my first year at Fiwagoh and later got to
 know her brother Charles.  He is hilarious, always doing something to make you laugh.
He is not at Fiwagoh anymore and I know, even though Faith visits him, she misses him.

Frazier, learned to sew in the tailoring class
and made these curtains for the clinic.

Anastacia, one of the girls in our first sewing class.

Esther, seated next to me, joined in with every learning experience we had to offer.
Standing is Elmeltar, one of the beautiful girls I sponsor.

Emmanuel did everything to help at the orphanage and he was our tailoring angel.
Whenever a machine stopped working, which was daily, he would
drop what he was doing and come to our rescue!  You can see
he had left a painting job on this occasion.

In 2015 I had an accident and ended up having to go to Kajobi Hospital. 
The day before I was to go to the hospital for foot surgery we took the seniors out
for an adventure.  On the left is Jahari, another angel.  He was like a nurse at Fiwagoh.
 He looks like Usher and his smile is contagious.
On the right is Duncan, we call him Senior.  He loaned me one of his shoes that week
because my foot was infected and swollen so I could not wear my own shoe.

These two of four brothers.  Joshua is on the right and has become an
artist and humanitarian.  I have two of his paintings.  His brother Jacob 
(also in the first photo), played the guitar and sang at Fiwagoh. I called him Michael because I thought he looked a bit like Michael Jackson, especially when he sang.
He aspires to be a video producer, however he still writes songs and sings.

This is Black Beauty, at least that is what they called him.  I asked him if we could take
photo together.  I always leave clothing on the last day of my visit.
It made me smile the next year to see Black Beauty wearing the jacket my son once wore
for soccer.

     During the last three years our team has learned of several seniors and younger ones who are no longer there.  The children at Fiwagoh are not all orphans.  Some are there because of the education and it is a safe place for the child to grow up as the family or relatives can not provide for the child.  Therefore some leave after grade 8 to go back to family.  What happens then, I do not know,  The reasons for leaving vary, some good and some not.  Those who left without permission are not allowed to return.

     Fiwagoh has become a family to our team.  It’s difficult when we find out one of our buddies is no longer there, it's like losing a friend.  It also must be hard for the kids at the orphanage who called this one a “brother” or  “sister” and I know it breaks Pastor Benson’s heart.  But when in Africa you have to be strong.  He is raising 200+ orphans and his choices must be what are best for the whole and not the few.  

Pastor Benson, a saint to the orphan.

     When I arrived at Fiwagoh this past summer, I wondered who would still be there?? I hadn't been there in three years.  Throughout the visit our team slowly found out who was gone and what some were doing outside of Fiwagoh.  It made this trip different from other trips, one that will always hold a warm place in my heart.  More of this on the next few posts.

     Finally, Duncan Okuku.  Trying to find a photo of Duncan Okuku from the early years was impossible.  He is the one with both hands up in the photo below on the left.  This was taken in 2014 when the guys were trying to put a water tank on top of the structure.  Below is Duncan in 2018 with Doneva and myself.  He radiates peace!

 

Duncan Okuku, the older brother of Faith, Emmanuel, Luke, and John.

 I will feature Duncan in my next post.

Peace and Joy,

Krees