Kakamega 2010 Trip Blog

Today was more than just another day. Today was our last day at the Mukumu Children’s home. It was our last day to finish off the construction of the kitchen; our last day to finish the gardens; our last day to paint the bedrooms in Grace’s house; and our last day to have our hearts changed by 32 wonderful children. Today was more than just another day.

As we arrived at the home, all the kids (being off from school) greeted us with songs. Their beautiful voices filled the air with singing praise to our Father. As we moved on to our respective jobs, I was reminded of why I came – to impact these kids through our acts of love and service, and in turn have our lives impacted just as much.

Some of our team began by cleaning up Grace’s house, playing with the kids, and distributing toys and goodies.

Others finished up the painting by adding beautiful flower murals to the bedroom walls.

Some of the guys went down to the gardens to plant the seeds and seedlings in the eight newly-dug beds.

And still others put the finishing touches on the roof for the new kitchen.

So much has changed around here in the last two weeks – even the last few days – including my heart.

With so much of this trip looking and feeling familiar to me (due to my trip here last September), I had been finding myself almost impartial for the first week or so. But God has opened my eyes and heart this week. As I’ve worked and played over the last number of days, I’ve realized a bunch of things and been touched by what I’ve seen.

As I’ve worked in the garden, I’ve seen that the new techniques they are using will produce a sustainable system of food that will last for years. These young men work hard because they want to have a positive future. But this is also their reality. Most of them can’t just go to the grocery store for their food each week; they have to work hard to produce and pinch pennies to provide for their families.

As I’ve played with the kids, I’ve been encouraged and lifted up by seeing the joy and fun they have just being kids. This afternoon I got to hand out toys and play soccer with them. It was such a great time for all of us – these kids just have an energy and life about them that is infectious. But more than just being touched by the joy of the children, it was one little boy’s pain that really grabbed my heart.

Ben is around 5-years-old. He is HIV Positive. And not that long ago he injured his foot, ripping some of his toenails right off. Because of the lack of proper footwear, dirt and (likely) bacteria has been getting into the open sores. After we heard and saw him lying on the ground crying, a couple of our team members treated the sores and bandaged him up. We figured that without proper care he was only going to get worse, so Jenn, Chantal and I took him out on the bumpy ride to town to shop for new shoes. As I picked Ben up, he clung to me, arms wrapped tightly around my neck. My heart broke for him as we drove around to find him some suitable footwear. He was so innocent and sweet, yet the pain from his injured foot was radiated over his face. He continued to cling to me as if I was the only one in the whole world, and my heart broke again. He could just as easily have been my little boy. If he were in Canada, he would be healed up in no time…but here in Kenya, you just never know. Thankfully, Ben is in a good home and will get the proper treatment, but it reminded me to be so appreciative and not take for granted the blessings we have at home. I will never forget holding this precious child.

Today was more than just another day. Today was a day I will remember forever.

~Written by Jeremy (on Saturday, July 31)

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 9:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.