We received a couple of emails today from our team currently serving in Kenya, here they are:
from Gail Richard: Woke up at the sound of a rooster crowing, then took turns with the bathroom, ate breakfast, and rushed to church to lead the children with songs. The children were then divided into groups according to their ages. Our team divided up into smaller groups to teach the children. The preschoolers were taught the parable of the Lost Sheep and the elementary children were taught the parable of the Lost coin. The parable of the Lost son was taught to the high school students. The children were a joy to teach and loved the parables. The teams had a great time teaching.
Womens’ fellowship followed and Jeannie Williams shared; all were blessed. There was a program and church followed. The Kenyans worship passionately without restraint. all hands are raised and there is dancing as they worship with their whole being.
from Matt Miller: Today was a very special day here at the orphanage. Our team was very graciously invited to the church worship service. it was truly empowering to see the passion in which all the boys and girls sang and danced. It was hands down one of the most touching experiences of my life and I’m sure there are more of those to come. For the afternoon we had time to spend playing the the children here. I would tell you my favorite part, but everything was so great. It is amazing how engaging and loving the children are. They swarm you all the time just looking for love, and a new friend….it’s great.
We built them a new rope swing from a tree which turned out to be a hit (I’ll send pictures tomorrow). We also got to play soccer and Frisbee….and one of my favorite things was climbing in the fort and reading a book with a boy named Job. The evening ended perfectly when a few of the girls gathered under a gazebo and started singing songs. As they continued to sing more boys and girls joined in and they kept singing song after song without stopping. They were carefree and were truly having fun with everyone. They also love taking pictures (and I don’t mean just being in the pictures…I mean taking our cameras and being the photographers).
The orphanage is truly a haven for these children to be protected from the harsh conditions that face most of the community, Kenya, and this world. You can feel God’s presence here and I feel ever so blessed to be His servant.
__________________________
Also, a couple of team members are blogging about their experiences – Jessica Soule is writing at Jambo from Jessica, and Andrew Calaway at My World. Check in and see what they have to say!