We flew back into Nairobi this morning and had a fairly slow-paced day, but I still haven't mentally or physically recovered from our time in Siaya. Each time I've visited I've had different experiences, but a few things are always the same - the hot equatorial sun, the dusty roads that cake everything in red dirt, and the stories. The sun and the dust can be tiring, but what really wears me out is trying to process or even to remember all the things I've learned and all the snapshots I've seen of the lives of people in Siaya.
For now I'll focus on the orphans residing at the Connect With a Child village. 31 kids live here with two house mothers, widows paid to live here and chosen because of their ability to manage and raise the kids at their new home. 30 of the kids are orphans (one is the young son of a house mom), who are carefully chosen and background checked by the ministry. Only those with no parents and no other able caretakers come to live at the home, because that's what it is - a home. The kids are not here to be part of an institution or fostered until something better comes along, but rather to grow up here with their new family and together to take on the challenges of growing up in the poorest region of a poor country.
It's easy to see that the kids have adopted this mentality, even though some understand more than others what it means to live here. The older kids look out for the younger ones and they play and eat and argue and laugh just like siblings in any family. The children are divided into 5 families of 6 kids each, with those kids sharing an even closer identity with each other than the overall home. My church in New Mexico sponsors Celebration House, a group of 4 girls and 2 boys from about 6-13 years old.
Laurine is the oldest, a sweet albeit slightly shy and awkward 13ish year old trying to figure out how to be a teenager and lead her younger siblings. Next are Emma and Zena, more outgoing and rambunctious kids about 11 or 12 years old (most kids here don't really know when they were born - their sizes and grade levels in school are the main clues to discerning their ages). Next is Joshua, a smart 5th grader who seems pretty self-assured for someone with 3 sisters close to his age who are all so much taller than him. Next is Jesker, a 3rd grader who told me she wants to be a truck driver, which doesn't seem quite natural given her quiet personality. Last is Oliver, a 6 year old who's the baby of the orphanage. He is a tiny kid with gigantic eyes who doesn't talk much or speak any English yet, but he's always happy to see you.
I haven't yet heard the specific backgrounds of any of these children, though I do know that their pasts were often defined by struggle and desperation. Whatever their histories, I have great joy knowing that where these kids have been matters far less than where they are now and where they're going. God has taken hold of these 30 children and given them life and hope, and as I dwell on that reality my heart fills until it overflows with gratitude for what He's done.
For now I'll focus on the orphans residing at the Connect With a Child village. 31 kids live here with two house mothers, widows paid to live here and chosen because of their ability to manage and raise the kids at their new home. 30 of the kids are orphans (one is the young son of a house mom), who are carefully chosen and background checked by the ministry. Only those with no parents and no other able caretakers come to live at the home, because that's what it is - a home. The kids are not here to be part of an institution or fostered until something better comes along, but rather to grow up here with their new family and together to take on the challenges of growing up in the poorest region of a poor country.
It's easy to see that the kids have adopted this mentality, even though some understand more than others what it means to live here. The older kids look out for the younger ones and they play and eat and argue and laugh just like siblings in any family. The children are divided into 5 families of 6 kids each, with those kids sharing an even closer identity with each other than the overall home. My church in New Mexico sponsors Celebration House, a group of 4 girls and 2 boys from about 6-13 years old.
Laurine is the oldest, a sweet albeit slightly shy and awkward 13ish year old trying to figure out how to be a teenager and lead her younger siblings. Next are Emma and Zena, more outgoing and rambunctious kids about 11 or 12 years old (most kids here don't really know when they were born - their sizes and grade levels in school are the main clues to discerning their ages). Next is Joshua, a smart 5th grader who seems pretty self-assured for someone with 3 sisters close to his age who are all so much taller than him. Next is Jesker, a 3rd grader who told me she wants to be a truck driver, which doesn't seem quite natural given her quiet personality. Last is Oliver, a 6 year old who's the baby of the orphanage. He is a tiny kid with gigantic eyes who doesn't talk much or speak any English yet, but he's always happy to see you.
I haven't yet heard the specific backgrounds of any of these children, though I do know that their pasts were often defined by struggle and desperation. Whatever their histories, I have great joy knowing that where these kids have been matters far less than where they are now and where they're going. God has taken hold of these 30 children and given them life and hope, and as I dwell on that reality my heart fills until it overflows with gratitude for what He's done.
No comments:
Post a Comment