Recap Video

Just wanted to post the wonderful recap video that Matthew put together for worship last Sunday. So many highlights of our time in Kenya in just 2:56 minutes!


Kenya Sunday Morning Countdown 8-18-2013 from Matthew Wright on Vimeo.

Final Thoughts

As this trip draws to a close, I offer some reflections from 30,000 feet:

One of the important developments in missions work over the past 20-30 years has been a shift in focus and strategy. The older model largely consisted of white foreigners descending upon an impoverished third-world country and dispensing aid of some sort to the needy and incapable locals (at least, that's how the mission workers saw them).  The newer, much-improved emphasis is on coming alongside denizens of a region and empowering them to be change agents. The mission workers are striving, whenever possible, to step out of the spotlight and to avoid doing the heavy lifting themselves, instead offering whatever resources they have to facilitate strong, capable, vigorous local leadership.  We Western (and usually white) visitors ought to be leery of our own tendency to indulge in the heady jolt of pride at having the deprived masses sing our praises and tell us what awesome saviors we are. 

I'm really grateful for this change in focus; it's a critically important one. So, the question is, how did our team do?

From my limited perspective, I feel pretty good about our team's accomplishments, though I can't help but see some lingering presence of the old ways. Our medical team brought a tremendous amount of direct relief to communities who lack regular quality healthcare. On the one hand, much of the relief was temporary: de-worming medicine and antibiotics will last only a few months at best.  On the other hand, I'm excited by the ways in which lasting impact occurred. First, at every step, we were joined by members of Mavuno church.  They came in large numbers to the remote camps. Mavuno is like the Chapel Hill Bible Church in that many of its members have advanced degrees and training and are therefore in a position to offer much to impact the local slums and impoverished surrounding communities. What's most important is that they are Africans and are thus promoting the idea of Africans being the primary change agents in solving Africa's problems. Furthermore, they don't have to travel 9,000 miles at great expense to offer aid. Sustainable relationships can easily grow.  

How could this observation affect our own commitment to local mission work? There is need both across the globe and at our own doorstep. The value of seeing firsthand how effective the folks at Beacon are using fewer resources than we would expect cannot be overstated. We should not simply save up this good mojo for use again in a year when the next Kenya team is preparing to go.  Just like Beacon clinic director Mike Oloo does after every remote medical camp, we need to actively seek a sustainable project or goal informed by what we have learned here. 

Our support of Beacon of Hope is another highly sustainable model. Beacon is in the drivers seat; we are coming alongside an already highly capable institute of excellence. We do have a lot to offer, though. Our health care providers have been blessed to come from an area that provides some of the best medical training in the world, and they spent much of their time teaching and training the medical staff, who gulped down the material with eagerness and zeal.  Beacon plans to found a nursing school on site soon, and the possibility of our playing a significant role is a dizzying one and would fit right in with the new model.

I'll offer a couple of quick personal thoughts about our work with the school. We left Beacon Academy with a lot of long-term assistance.  Laura McPherson, our team leader and a special education teacher, brought with the team a lot of material to help the academy develop concrete ways to tailor their instruction to meet the wildly varied needs of their students. As we read with different kids over the weeks, we saw first-hand how "all-over-the-place" their skills were.  A number of our team members also signed up to sponsor specific kids at the Academy, and we were also able to visit and get to know kids who are already sponsored by Bible Church families. That, in my estimation, is a lot of good fruit. 

My personal experience at the Academy was mixed. I can hardly express the joy I found in getting to know the kids - Sharon, Elijah, Michelle, and Safari, to name a few.  Likewise, they were overjoyed to have us and treated us like celebrities for the week.  It's the celebrity treatment that made me feel a little weird. How much of a bad dynamic is that?  Why all the adoration?  Is it just because visitors came who delighted in these kids and whose sole mission was to hang out with them?  Or are there still remnants of the old "white savior" dynamic that linger?  Are we promoting that pattern by showing up, or am I reading too much into what should just be savored as a beautifully warm interaction with people from across the world?

These questions genuinely vex me, and I honestly don't have any clear answers yet. I do sense that a critically vital component of particularly successful mission trips is humility and a commitment to observing and listening. That's how Beacon of Hope started; Jane Wathome, answering the clear call from Jesus to care for the poor and underprivileged, went to them and listened, and then listened some more. The resulting ministry was a response to what she heard.  What a powerful example for us all. 

Made it to Dallas

One more leg - the 3pm flight to RDU

We made it to Dubai, baby!

Just a few short hours until we're back in the states. (20 hours to be precise.)

The Tradition Continues

In 2011, Katherine and I (Walker) travelled to Kenya on a similar mission.  We brought with us our then 5-year old daughter, Savannah.  While we were here, she lost her first tooth.  The Kenyan tooth fairy (is it the same one, or are different regions under local fairy jurisdiction?) brought Savannah some shillings. 

Last night, our son Isaiah joined the club!  Local hero Charles, a Kenyan waiter, did the honors, removing Isaiah's first tooth here below the equator. His technique was flawless and impressive. Hopefully, the Kenyan fairy will be paying a visit tonight. 

                                           Moments after the violence

           Charles and Isaiah, men of the hour

If we ever have a third child, the pressure is on...

Things are looking hopeful travel-wise

The word by Friday afternoon is that Emirates flights are running as normal. We don't know exactly how that looks on the ground, so we'll be shooting to arrive at the airport super-early for our flight tomorrow, which is scheduled to fly out at 4:30. 

Among others, thanks to Michael Gaffigan for posting updates via the prayer email and to Megan Long for heading up operations stateside.

It's more than academic

Kristina Podesta's take on her time at Beacon of Hope:

When I began my masters program in intercultural conflict management, my friends told me that academic study would threaten to eclipse my engagement in real lives and real situations. I didn't believe them.  Now, 2 semesters in to my masters, I understand what they meant. Serving at Beacon of Hope in Kenya has, thankfully, countered this drift, reconnected me with things of the heart and put my academic pursuits, so valuable in their own right, in their proper perspective. 

My realignment began as soon as we arrived. Mike Oloo, the director of the Beacon of Hope medical clinic, gave us a comprehensive tour of the facilities on our first day.  He stressed the themes of sustainability, longevity, and holistic care.  The directors of each branch of the ministry at Beacon of Hope were instructed to ask how to make their sector self-supporting, how it can feed into other areas, and how it can provide needed services.  Furthermore, the branches seek to coordinate with each other. For example, the clinic tests for HIV; when patients test HIV positive and lack income, a vocational school is ready to train a woman looking  for a way out. When childcare is a problem, the Academy is available.  If treatment compliance is a barrier, counselors and social workers systematically make house calls.  Beacon is caring for men and women in a holistic manner.  

How do they accomplish and fund all this? Excellence, by the grace of God. The academy keeps high standards to attract paying students in order to open up spots for those who can't pay. The students of the vocational school produce great work in their weaving and sewing studios to sell. The catering school sells yummy lunches to volunteers, and a teaching garden both provides fresh produce and a space to teach healthy eating.  Every day in morning devotions, staff praise the Lord with loud voices of song, and they hear valuable and important spiritual teaching.

I need to explain all this because I am just so pleasantly suprised by this ministry.

My "social sciences" type masters program doesn't teach about NGO's like this. Cynicism runs high; many feel that NGO's seem to do more harm than good, and deep-set societal problems abound endlessly. I started to doubt that any change can be made, and cultural relativism had me wondering if I even knew what helping meant. My wide eyed idealism was drowning in hopeless analysis and fears of making a wrong move. I know some Chapel Hillians (and Durhamites too) know this feeling.

Then there are those children - those joyful, loud, playful children. They aren't case studies, they aren't sad commercial ads, and they are definitely not fragile bundles or cultural ideals. People complicate everything.

Don't get me wrong: what I learned was important and has taught me to be more thoughtful, reflective and compassionate. It's given me skills to help me analyze and see the complexities of problems, but only those kids could have encouraged me like they did. Their laughter reminds me that people are people and that a smile or a laugh is universal. This wonderful ministry, started by one woman just following the Lord, reminded this cynical academic that God is great enough and wise enough to overcome any problem I can find.

The smallest things do matter. Prayers are powerful.  Change, thanks to a great God, can happen. We as a team trust and love this ministry.  We can learn so much from them. I'm weary (thanks to aforementioned studies) to endorse anything, but this Kenyan-born, Kenyan-run ministry has so impressed us. I, in my re-found idealism, am therefore praying boldly that every child at the school will be sponsored by the start of next year.This would allow them to open up more spots for more children. God is using Beacon, and it is awesome to see.

Nairobi airport fire

If you've been following the news, you've probably seen photos of the Nairobi airport in flames. The international arrivals hub experienced a major fire this morning.  Besides the obvious concern about the well-being of the many people present at the airport when the fire occurred, we are also wondering how this will affect our Saturday travel plans. Please pray that God, who is sovereign and eminently capable, will provide us a way home.  We are really hoping to come home on Saturday!

Getting amped with Mavuno

A handful of us spent the day with our friends at Mavuno Church.  Man, if you're ever in need of a shot of spiritual adrenaline, Mavuno is the place to be. 

We started off by joining the 9am staff meeting at the central campus of the church.  "Meeting?" youre thinking?  Sounds boring.  But oh, no - boring it most certainly was not. The first 45 full minutes consisted of singing, praying, dancing, more praying, and singing, jamming out to vibrant, jumping (or is that jumpin'?) songs of praise. Did I feel like a goofy white person, trying to keep up with the beat?  Well, yeah - at times.  That's because I am a silly mzungu (Swahili for white guy), but here it really didn't matter.  The Spirit was at work, lowering inhibitions, orienting hearts towards truth, and, above all, making me (and I think my 4 other team members) feel totally accepted and included.   As I reflect on the experience of watching my Kenyan friends singing out their gratitude and joy to their Maker and even joining in myself, it seemed...right.  Natural.  Good.  Appropriate.  Freeing. Fun. Liberating. Healing. Filling.  I mean, think about it - if there really is a God, and He really is responsible for all of the amazing world we find around us and inside us, and he really has come to rescue us in our need, is any other response than joyful exuberance, amazement, and awe-filled singing adequate?  Why wouldn't we engage?

Well, for one, its a bit undignified. But is that kind of dignity and reserve so great?  As I think in my own experiences, that kind of reserve really reflects an excess of self-awareness. This morning, losing myself (a bit) in the wonder of the Great One felt...great. So, thanks, Mavuno, for welcoming us in and sharing with us something of your joy at being made and being saved. 

These guys have big, big faith. And by that I don't mean Disney World kind of faith, where you close your eyes and squeeze and believe in something really ridiculous like fairies (sorry - I hope I didn't just kill a fairy).  I mean a bold trust in One who has a proven track record, and whose words and deeds have impacted humanity like nothing else in history.  Mavuno puts its money where it's mouth is, often quite literally. We visited the site of their newly purchased land, where the 8-year old church is planning on positioning themselves to really impact their community. They go out on limbs in efforts to be faithful to the directives of Jesus as to how to change society around them through love. And they trust that a God who is capable of spinning the whole world into existence can provide the means to share that love boldly and in a big way. 

I'm so glad to be a part of a church that shares Mavuno's joy and trust in the Almighty. And seeing those gifts from God electrifying a community in a totally different context 9,000 miles away from home is pretty intoxicating. I hope I don't come back to earth when I get home!

The future site of Mavuno Hill Cty

Remote Access, Part Mbili (Two)

The medical team completed our second remote clinic of the trip yesterday.  Three teams in one: the mzungu's from Chapel Hill Bible Church, a group of young, medically inclined members of Mavuno Downtown, and the capable team from Beacon of Hope. 

We pulled into Sultan Hamud (here it is on Google Maps) around 4pm. The church we used for this camp was considerably larger than the first, and it was flanked by two mosques that blared slightly off pitch sing songy calls to worship as if they were competing with one another. The barracks we slept in that night, although covered in cobwebs and a little grimy, felt like a Hilton compared with our previous accommodations. At least this one had twin beds with firm mattresses on which we snuggled into our sleeping bags. Rows of mosquito nets were strung up using twine tossed over the rafters.

Around 6pm we turned our attention to transforming the church into a mini clinic. This one came together much faster than our first. We were now relative pros at making 14 exam rooms out of string, bed sheets, and clothes pins. Meanwhile, one of the church members serenaded our efforts with some Kenyan gospel music played through the church's Casio keyboard. Other members of the team turned a one room schoolhouse into our small pharmacy. 

The church clinic from beginning to end. The 3rd photo is while the clinic was in full swing.

After another home cooked meal by the church staff and a team meeting we turned down for the night. Everyone crawled into our beds except Brandon and Noah Wyche who strung their camping hammocks in the rafters and slept alongside the bats. 

The mosques began competing for our attention again around 4am. By about 6am, there were already patients lining up and the clinic didn't start until 8am. We hurriedly brushed our teeth, ate a quick breakfast of fried eggs and triple decker margarine sandwiches, organized the pharmacy, and opened the clinic for business. 

With the aid of several Kenyan doctors and medical officers, excellent volunteers, lab techs, interpreters, pharmacists, and one very tired clown we saw over 500 patients! Despite that volume everything ran smoothly with no major bottlenecks at any point. 

After we packed up the clinic at the end of the day there was a large group of local children hanging around. Since we had some extra candy and stickers we figured they would enjoy them. Little did we know it would start a near riot as the kids scrambled over top one another to get ahold of as many of the goodies as they could. Laura went into stern teacher mode and snapped the kids into a line to hand things out in a more orderly fashion. 

One of the many things Beacon of Hope does well is to identify a major medical need in the population they treat at these camps and then press the government to address this need in that community. We identified several cases of newly diagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes, and Beacon plans to work with the district government and Minister of Health to bring specialists regularly to Sultan Hamud for treatment and screening for this disease. 

It was a blessing to be a part of the Beacon organization for a short time. What a great trip!

And just in case you're keeping score, no zebras were hit on this trip although we did see several herds of giraffes just off the highway. 

Medical team has left for second remote camp

They have safely arrived and are all set up to administer care today (Tuesday). Please pray for the team and the patients. 

Lantana on my mind

Lantana is just about my favorite plant. We grow it in North Carolina as a specialty ornamental, getting it at Home Depot to electrify a backyard with color and to attract butterflies. 

Here in Kenya, it grows everywhere - roadside, hillside, countryside, everywhere.  Somehow it's comforting to me to see such a valued plant in NC as a common occurrence in this beautiful country. 

Forgive me for getting metaphorical for a moment, but after talking with Lorene Tripp about relational poverty (see her post below), this idea just struck me: the lantana is a bit like the rich, abundant relational life of this Kenyan culture.  In NC, I find myself laboring to intentionally cultivate relationships in very controlled and limited ways - purposefully scheduling hangout times with friends and family, controlling and dictating how and when these good things develop, and so forth. Here in Kenya, relational richness runs wild and grows everywhere, filling gaps and taking root wherever it may. The climate suits it. 

Remote Access

The medical team completed a remote medical clinic during our first week in Kenya. We travelled three hours outside of Ongata Rongai to the small Masai village of Bissel, where we partnered with a local church to treat over 400 men, women, and children. 

For two days prior to leaving, we all sat together in a conference room at Beacon of Hope and sorted pills into small single serve bags... Over 25,000 pills later, we were ready to go. We packed up our sleeping bags and backpacks and hit the road. As we left the hustle and bustle of Ongata Rongai, we entered the flat, spacious land of the Masai with the beautiful Ngong hills spreading across the horizon.

When we arrived at Bissel, we spent our first hour emptying the front half of the church of its pews, tying up twine, and hanging blankets to create twelve treatment rooms and organizing the makeshift pharmacy.  Afterward, we split up into groups and walked deep into the Masai village to visit some of the people in their homes. 

We visited an old woman who lived in a 5x5 square foot mud home with her bed and kitchen all in one space. In order to speak with her, we had to walk through in a single file and take turns in her one-room home. Most of us could not stay long in the room because she had a coal burning fire going with only a small hole in the wall for ventilation.  This setup was typical of many homes in the village, and we found a lot of the people in Bissel suffer from respiratory illnesses as a consequence. 

When we got back from the home visits, after eating a hearty meal and doing some logistical planning, we joined members of the local church for a late night service that included lively singing, a conga line, and some dance moves that I'm certain most of us have never done before. We were blessed to join them in worship, even though we couldn't understand the Swahili. 

The next morning, we awoke bright and early and got ready for the influx of patients.  The folks from Beacon of Hope were inspiring with their level of organization and coordination in setting up areas for registration, triage, clinic rooms, an injection and vaccination room, laboratory, eye clinic, HIV testing tents, cervical cancer screening rooms, counseling, and a pharmacy! This whole operation was just a small church and dirt field less than 12 hours before!

At the end of the day, we were exhausted. Over 400 patients came through our makeshift clinic. 10 patients were referred to a local ophthalmologist for cataract surgery, many people were screened for HIV who'd never been tested, and nearly all the children were treated for parasites, which are a leading cause of diarrhea, malnutrition, and dehydration. 

Our perspective of our home base, Ongata Rongai, changed after returning from Bissel. What once seemed foreign, rundown, and impoverished when we first arrived in Kenya now felt like home -  polished and comforting. 

It's clear that the folks at Beacon of Hope, led by Mike Oloo and Jane Wathumi, are doing incredible things with limited resources. However, they never complain or seem despondent about the odds stacked against them and the impoverished people of Kenya. They faithfully trust the Lord to provide everything they need. It's a good lesson for us. Sometimes I think we give in too easily when we come up against obstacles or setbacks, when the money is tight or not forthcoming, or if we fatigue from the effort to do the good work for which we are called. This will be a reminder for all of us that great things are possible through God. 

...and one last thing.  We literally almost hit a zebra on the highway as we were driving home from Bissel. One of our new team mottos: We brake for zebras!

Send in the Clown

Our own Matthew Wright has been making a fool out of himself for whoever will watch - at Beacon of Hope, the remote camp, the airport, out of the van window - wherever. It's opened a lot of doors and made a lot of friends. 

The Crocodile and the Hare

Check out the nutty plot from a popular second grade kids book we've come across as we've been reading to the kids at Beacon Academy:

Crocodile and Hare are friends. Crocodile invites Hare over to hang out for the evening.  They start drinking beer, each with a long straw into a communal pot in the middle of the hut.  Crocodile overdoes it, and, to quote the book, "gets drunk.  Crocodile gets very, very drunk."  Hare wisely paces himself.  When Crocodile finally passes out, Hare faces a vexing moral dilemma: should he eat Crocodile's eggs, laying so tantalizingly next to the riverbank?  He "thinks and thinks and thinks."  

Apparently his inner wrestling ends quickly, as the next page shows Hare sitting on the riverbank with a very, very fat stomach and food coma setting in rapidly. When Crocodile finally wakes, clearly feeling it from the previous night's excesses, Hare asks him to give him a ride back home across the river.  Crocodile sluggishly agrees; Hare has nearly pulled off his crime. 

Halfway across the river, Crocodile's son swims up, frantically yelling that Hare has eaten the next generation. Crocodile, still too hung over to hear well, asks Hare what he is saying. Hare, ready, like the Grinch, with a lie, tells him that his wife wants him to hurry to the other side.  Crocodile buys it, despite repeated protests from his son. Finally, yards from the river bank, Crocodile catches on, flips Hare into the water, and bites his leg.  Still slow to understand, he again buys Hare's story when he tells him that he is foolishly biting into a log and should let go.  The story ends with a picture of Hare, safely in his house, giving the audience a thumbs up and a big grin.

I have no idea whether or not this is a typical African kids' story.  It's for sale at a local bookstore at a mall, and I think there's a whole series of stories with the upstanding Crocodile and Hare.  Let's hope that Disney doesn't import these lovable guys for major American consumption...

PS Another favorite quote from a later Crocodile story about Monkey: "Crocodile's wife likes eating mangoes. Crocodile's wife likes eating monkeys, too."

Meet Joseph

Tuesday was a huge day for the Hicks family. For the last two years, we have been sponsoring a young man named Joseph as he has been finishing high school.  Joseph, whose mother died when he was younger, has been living in the Kware slum vicinity with his grandmother and 2 younger siblings.  His dream was to go to the University of Nairobi.  When Katherine and I visited Beacon in 2011, Dorcas in the social development office told us that Beacon was trying to support him at the local school, but he had no sponsor and was struggling to meet the costs of his education. Having seen the beauty and worth of these people first-hand, what else could we do?  We signed up to fund his ventures (through Beacon) at approximately $60 per month.

Ever since then, we have been praying for Joseph and wondering what he is like and how he was doing. Since we hadn't met him, he was this big mystery in our lives.

That changed Tuesday. As I walked up to the main office during a break at the school, Dorcas approached me with a smiling young man at her side.  I didn't catch on at first, but as we got close, I got it: this was Joseph!  Holy cow! What a moment!

Joseph had successfully made it to the University of Nairobi and was in the middle of his first year. He made the hour-plus trip on one of those crazy "mutatus" (a jam-packed minivan) to visit with me. I was honored and humbled. As it turns out, Joseph is doing great at university.  He is studying chemistry and "double-math" (not quite sure what that means) and having great early success.  He hopes to graduate and then get a masters in accounting, after which he has big entrepreneurial hopes of starting his own business that involves science, math, and research.  I was impressed by his sharpness, togetherness, and readiness to take advantage of the opportunities that God is giving him. He was also poised and polite in a somewhat awkward situation. 

We spent the better part of 2 hours together, sharing a meal and hanging out and learning about each other's lives and our families. What an amazing privilege - to think that silly old me, goofball from Durham, NC, was 9,000 miles from home, spending time with an extraordinary young man who is, by God's grace, overcoming odds that I've never had to face - and I was getting to be a part of it all!  God is so good and generous. Jesus' words in Luke can't but come to mind: "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap."  

A number of us on the team have had a chance to meet and spend time with our sponsored children. Folks from Durham and the Bible Church sponsor quite a few youngsters through Beacon, at the Academy and beyond.  Beacon needs more help, though. Of the 172 students at the Academy, half attend on full scholarship.  Of that half, only 25-30 are being sponsored.  Would you be able to help?

If you'd like to start sponsoring one of the Beacon children or get more information, contact Bill Stevenson at whstevenson@gmail.com, and he will quickly get you connected. May The Lord provide for these incredible children, and may we get to be a part of it!

Relational Poverty

Written by Lorene Tripp

I am so thankful to be here in Kenya. It is a privilege to experience the Kenyan culture. I have been struck by how relational the people are.  Relationships take a higher priority than getting things accomplished. 

Here is an example from the week: one morning, when we arrived at Beacon of Hope, I left my water bottle in the van, and I grew extremely thirsty. I asked someone working in Beacon's clinic if there was any bottled water available. Immediately, Jane Wathome, Beacon's founder and director, volunteered to take me to the van.  Jane has many responsibilities, yet she was willing to give me her time. We talked for about an hour about her vision as the founder.  I at one point said that I was sure that she had a lot to do now, but she reassured me that our time together was very important to her. 

I had a similar experience when talking with Elizabeth, the Academy's head teacher. She was very willing to answer my many questions about our sponsored child. As we spoke, I realized that many Kenyans are materially poor, while many Americans are relationally poor. 

Here is one more example.  Today was graduation at the university where we are staying. There were 95 graduates, and when I made a comment to a board member (also staying at the guesthouse) about how many chairs were set up for the ceremony, I was told that sometimes whole villages show up to support the graduate. Could you imagine your whole neighborhood showing up for your special day?  

The question I am asking myself is, how do I become more relational in a busy society? Am I too busy?  Why am I so busy, and why are so many others around me the same way? Is my identity based in what I am getting done? What if I got less accomplished but had more time to enjoy other people?

I do not have any answers. All I know is that the relationships I've developed this week with Kenyans and my team members have brought me great joy. 

Visiting in the Kware slum

Beacon of Hope is situated within a stone's throw from the Kware slum. We visited a few of the homes of families working with Beacon on Tuesday.  Out of respect for the community, we took few pictures, but I'll do my best to post a few when I get access to them. The squalor is pretty startling: piles of trash rotting at every turn, fetid ruts of filthy water, terrible smells of every type, small fires in the middle of the street, goats roaming and snacking on refuse, and ramshackle, rickety low-hung aluminum structures that hold a sofa and maybe a bed. 

For all the squalor of the neighborhood, the people were beautiful beyond belief. We met Doreen, a single mom with 3 kids, including 6-month old Brian.  She lives in a tiny, dark square of metal, but her spirit and smile are beautiful. She hosted our team of about 8 in her 1-room dwelling with kindness and courtesy.  She told us about her life and how Beacon is working with her to help her develop independence and raise her kids healthily.  She has a heart-knowledge of how she relies on God every day to fulfill our needs.  She is under no illusion, as I and many in my posh suburban community are, that she's got it all under control. She is deeply, deeply grateful for what she has. She knows what it means both to give fully and receive fully. In these ways she is much closer to the truth than I am.  We were also privileged to be asked to pray for her.  It was a humbling experience, as we fumbled to find the right words to bless this woman in a way that wasn't blind or arrogant or just ignorant and insensitive. God was graceful to us all, though, as we shared a sweet, emotional prayer together. If you are the praying type (and maybe even if you aren't!), say a prayer for Doreen, Susan, Elijah, and the myriad other people in Kware who know what it means to suffer, and therefore, as Jesus said, know courage and comfort.

PS Some good news: after this visit, 2 team members decided to sponsor 2 of Doreen's children to attend Beacon's academy!  Some prayers get answered quickly...

Doreen's dwelling. She and 6 month old Brian are on the right. 

Meet Elijah

Elijah is one of the second grade students at Beacon of Hope Academy.  I've had the privilege of connecting with him over this last week.  It began with a little magic trick I showed him, making a rock disappear. He ate it up and was first in line any time I started up with the antics.  You may notice that Elijah's arms are oddly formed; he is lacking most of his lower arms and fingers. The awesome thing is that Elijah seems completely comfortable with himself and self-confident. He is totally integrated into the work and play of the academy. I sense a delightful self-confidence in him; he's unfazed by his arms and finds ingenious ways around the limitations. For example, all week he has been practicing the magic tricks and demonstrating his latest attempts to me, picking up rocks and manipulating them with enthusiasm. 

He also reads eagerly, about which I am most excited. During many of our mornings, the teachers are pulling children aside for extra reading help with members of our team (from the adults all the way down to 11 year old Maya). To my delight, I got to read with Elijah. We worked our way through a story about Crocodile and Hare*, and Elijah impressed me with the good start he has towards literacy. He is developing the skills to help him succeed as an adult, and he is also getting an abundance of love and attention every day, which I think helps account for his self-confidence, happiness, and security.  I don't know Elijah's home situation, but many of the kids at Beacon Academy are living in deep poverty, often with families missing a father and homes that lack electricity and running water.  In spite of all this, thanks to God's grace, Elijah has a chance to grow up healthy and whole.  

*ask me about the crazy plot of this 1st grader book some time later

. 

Well-checks at Beacon Academy

Our medical professionals are giving a thorough examination to each kid at Beacon this week.  

Lessons at Beacon of Hope Academy

This post is being written by Wesley via Walker's iPad...  

The kids on our team have done a great job of integrating into the school over the past few days.  When we arrived on Tuesday during recess, they were instant playground celebrities.  Each of our kids was surrounded by groups of children all wanting to hold their hands and lead them around the playground.  The energy was a bit frenetic, but they seemed to handle all the attention surprisingly well.  Yesterday and today they had a chance to participate in class time and were also invited to join the students in the cafeteria for "porridge", the morning snack which is something like fermented cream of wheat.  They politely took a sip, but declined to finish.  

At lunch each day those of us at the school have regrouped with the rest of the team at the main BOH building.  Today we had a small moment of panic when we were heading to lunch and we couldn't find Amelia. (Grandparents who are reading this, be assured she is FINE, and this took place on the campus of Beacon of Hope which is a gated and guarded location.)  In any case, she wasn't with us, she wasn't on the playground among the BOH children. Trying to remain calm, I started asking if anyone had seen Amelia. Yes!  Someone had! The head of school, Teacher Elizabeth, said that she had seen her going off to lunch with one of the classes. "She was at the front of the line leading the class," she said.  I hightailed it down there, expecting Amelia too be on the verge of tears, but when I walked into the lunchroom, I found her sitting at a table, chatting with her new friends--her cheerful six year-old face smiling among a sea of beautiful Kenyan ones.  And she had cleaned her plate!  Afterward Teacher Elizabeth joked that we owe her some school fees if Amelia is going to be enrolled.  ;) 

Needless to say I am taking more than a few lessons from this experience:

(1) Parental communication about our children's whereabouts needs improvement.  ;)

(2) The Lord loves my kids even more than I do, and their safety ultimately rests with Him, not with me.

(3) He delights to use these little ones--both Kenyan and American--to display His glory.

Sending love to everyone back home!   Keep those prayers coming!

-Wesley