BIG Day today for 10 children of the Makimei Orphanage! Their first day in school!!! Its impossible to describe the beaming faces when they heard that they are allowed to go to school! Filled with pride and joy they showed me the new school uniform. Josef,, snuggled up to me and whispered “thank you and bless you for it”. He is 11 years old and never went a day to school. He was overjoyed. The excitement in the house yesterday reminded me on Christmas Eve. Amazing! The generous gift of several friends and neighbors made it possible to send all eligible children for one year to school. The school principle extends her thanks to all the donors who made it possible, not only do you make a difference in the lives of 10 children but also of all the other children in the school.

 I went to school early in the morning to be part of the first day of the children classes and to take some pictures. Now everybody refers to me as “Mama Maria” and all the children are “unofficially”mine! It was a wonderful day, with much reason to praise God for His kind provision. Thank you all who gave so generously! Maria

 Josef is to my left, Abraham right in front of me and Martin on the right.

Signing the enrollment paper and school agreement for the next school year.

Today I went with my friend Kimberly to visit some of her patients. She works in the Somali Refugee area in Nairobi. Of course it was an eventful day as you can imagine with many new experiences.

Everywhere we received a warm welcome. At one place we were invited for lunch. The traditional way is to sit on the floor and share a meal. Today camel was on the menu. It was delicious and we enjoyed our meal. Of course our hosts encouraged us to eat more, a polite way for us to show that we appreciate the hospitality. 

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Entering this part of Nairobi takes you again to another world. Here are some of the pictures of the life there

Today I visited the children's home and brought them some t-shirts from our church. Look closely and you can read "North Park Church". Miriam wrote me a very sweet note, she is 12 years old and a very kind girl. Have a great day, Maria

Today I skyped with my Sunday School small group, the kids and I were thrilled to talk to them! Thank you!

Dear Friends!

Today “Word of Life” hosted a woman seminar! I spoke about the parable of the two lost sons from Luke 15. As I prepared for the seminar I was again amazed how the Fathers showed his love to both sons. It stirred my heart to talk about this amazing deep and pursuing love. The seminar was well attended and to my amazement some men showed up too. Among the participants were some very dear friends. But of course you always make “new friends” here in Kenya. During a break time I talked with a group of women and we realized that we represented  four different continent from around the world, meeting here in Kenya, isn't that fantastic! I enjoyed the teaching time. The interactions were inspiring and encouraging and the feed back was good! My time here in Kenya is so rich and filled with amazing opportunities to minister. Here are some pictures of today’s event. Have a great Sunday, Maria

 

 

 

Jambo,
Today we organized a play day with the kids. The students from my class assisted me and I believe they had as much fun as the kids, drawing pictures, working with play-doe, puzzling, designing bracelets, watching a movie together, eating a nice lunch....

Marrria, Marrria, Marrria, the sound of my name  echos through the house when the kids see me coming. It sounds so sweet; the "r"  rolled beautifully in the back of their little throats and its delightful to see their eyes radiating joy, the big smile revealing the little white teeth. I wish I could capture it on film or have you their to experience, my heart is thrilled by the out pour of their love. Here are some of the pictures of today's play time! 

 

Dear Friends

My teaching week is in full swing. Practical Christian living is the topic. Don't be surprised when issues like “Is it right to beat your wife/husband” come up or you discuss “Can you have more then one wife?” Another interesting topic is “Do you pay a dowry for your wife?” There are plenty of other great topics discussed, issues like “justice”, “death penalty” or “poverty”! In between we learn about Justification by faith, Christ's Righteousness, Adoption, Sanctification, Holy Spirit and many more important theological truth. The group of students is delightful as you can see and I enjoy to get to know them.

Afternoon activities are filled with visiting the orphanage. Today Denys, one of the students, went with me, we had a great time there. He took some pictures, enjoy it! 

 

 

Valentine's Day in Nairobi

Leah & Peter invited me to a church dinner for Valentine's day. It was fun to be there, celebrating God's love! Being the only “Musungo” (colorless person) among all Africans was a interesting experience.

Today I experience a bit “village living”. Shopping is a bit different here. Again, I am the only white person around and a true novelty. As I walk along the road passing cars are slowing down to have a close up look at me.

Wherever you go the kids are excited to shake your hand and love it if you take their picture!

An Afternoon at the orphanage. Miriam reads the Bible to the kids and the group grows quickly!

The story of Moses

The dogs barked relentlessly at the gate, it was night, cold and rainy, Mama Margaret really didn't want to get up, but the barking woke up the children and they urged her to go to the gate to see what's the matter. Street dogs were gathered at the front gate and one of them carrying a plastic bag in the mouth. After closer inspection Mama Margret saw that there was a tiny little baby in the bag. Its not clear where the dog found the bag, in the field, along the way, or even in front of the orphanage. The rain already filled the bag, and little Moses, as the children named him, was threaten with hypothermia. The umbilical cord was still attached, Moses was only hours old. Amazing how the dogs know were to bring the baby and how they saved his life. God worked out for Moses to live. Mama Margret brought him into the house, bathed him slowly in warm water and gave him some milk. He is a cute baby as you can see in the picture. An American couple is interested in adopting Moses, they will come this month to meet him. Hopefully Moses will have a bright future. This is only one story, each child has a story of their own, not all are as incredible then Moses, but all are filled with pain, rejection and suffering. Please keep praying for the children.

Jambo, another rainy day in Kenya, it looks like the rainy season started early. So far we had every day rain. Good for the crops but hard on the roads. They are pretty messy after a torrential down pours. Shoes and cloth take on the color of the red soil. See for yourself, the pile of shoes at the orphanage are ready to be washed and the cloth lines are heavily used. 

I spend a good part of my day today with the kids. Reading, playing, singing, feeding...whatever the moment  brings. 

A friend from church made this beautiful poster for the children. We had great fun putting it up on the wall, many hands helped! June is happy to get her picture taken with the new work of art. Enjoy!