A Brighter Day Indeed

Well, today was indeed brighter.  I read back over my post from last night and was almost embarrassed for sharing with you.  Reading it in the light of a new day, it sounds silly.  But, I do think it's important to know that things aren't always rosy on my trips to Kenya.  I think it's important to know that I'm not always this perfect picture of "giving" and "service"...sometimes I'm grumpy and often times I'm tired.  In spite of the "Kenyan way" of doing things, I do love it here.

We got to the Virginia Home around 10.  There were less kids today because it was a school holiday for some.  This afforded me the opportunity to speak with our driver, the school director and several others with whom I had miscommunications with on the previous day.  All was cleared up!  Not to say that everything is perfect, but communication was good!

We are teaching the children about The Whole Armor of God this week.  I thought it would be EASY!  Turns out, they've never heard of it, yikes!  We've got some props and some demonstrations, but finding the examples that they can understand may be challenging.

I connected with some old friends and saw many new faces.  That is one of the positives that has come from our food donations over the past two years.  The children are eating which is causing them to flourish in school (and in health).  Their scores are going UP UP UP!  The community has seen their progress and many more want their kids in that school.  The Director has been able to charge the new kids' families the normal school fees and since he is now having some income he is (wisely) choosing to pay his teachers, so the quality of the teaching is going UP as well!  That is the beginning of a success story, don't you think?

I am saddened by a couple of things though.  There was this boy who had come to Virginia in March 2012.  At first he would come to school during the day and go home in the evening.  He soon became a boarder and had a thirst for learning.  He LOVED talking with all of the Americans that came to visit.  He definitely had an impact on me, my son Harrison, my friend Kim and most recently a visitor named Katie from Arkansas.  Today my son Harrison saw him (Jeremiah) walking in town.  We inquired about him when we got to the Virginia Home and were told he was no longer in school there because he had been stealing the food and selling it.  So, the weekly food allotment we give the Virginia Home was not lasting a week.  After he was caught, the Director told him he could no longer be a boarder, but he could continue coming to the school during the day.  He chose not to.  They told me today he's probably stealing in the town too.  "Once a stealer, always a stealer"...I hate that.  I think people can change, and my prayer is that Jeremiah will change!  I do think the Director did the right thing, and as I told him today:  You may not know today, tomorrow or ever...but your discipline and grace may just have a huge impact on Jeremiah someday.

As we were heading out to lunch, the street was lined with people. Hundreds and hundreds of people, from babies all the way up to the very old.  We saw a police car at the other end of the street and were told it could be a theft, that is a common reaction to theft.  After lunch there were just as many people...we found out a woman just a couple of doors down from the Virginia Home had committed suicide.  We saw the sobbing husband.  It was heart breaking!  The even sadder part of the story is that it is the fourth suicide ON THE SAME STREET in two months!!  That street has something bad going on and needs to be blanketed in prayer!!

I did not move mountains today, heck I didn't even move mole hills.  But I can tell God is working in and around my boys and me and I can't wait to see what He will do!  A brighter day indeed!