Dancing Darlings

Angel and Lauryn.

PURE JOY.

Returning From Kenya

I’m back! It feels like I’ve been gone a year and 24 hours all at the same time. Coming home from a trip like this you’re always asked, “How was it?” All of a sudden a feeling of panic washes over you. How in the world could you possibly answer such a question? I’ve found in instances like these it’s important to have a stock response, two sentences or less. Last year mine was, “It was the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done.” If people ask more questions and seem genuinely interested then you can begin to open up the well of overwhelming emotions, heartbreaking stories and inspiring children. I haven’t come up with my two sentence response for this year. I’m having a little more trouble containing my 3 weeks in a nutshell.

My trip was definitely more challenging this go around. I came back to Kenya with a year full of intense experiences, most notably the illness and loss of my father, which definitely colored my time in Kenya. Seeing the tremendous suffering of the people of Kibera and experiencing my own form of suffering really challenged my view of who God is. It is hard to see God as good amidst heartbreak, abuse, starvation, abandonment and disease. The stories shared, information learned and images seen brought me to my breaking point and beyond. What kept me going is the tremendous and beautiful joy that the people of Kibera have, despite their circumstances. I have been told that happiness is fleeting and dependent on good things happening in your life, while joy is state of being that you can maintain even amidst the most difficult of times. What Kenya gave me this year was a detailed picture of true joy. I wish I could tell you I have now learned how to emulate this joy within my own life, regardless of any heartache but I am still learning. Now I have an image to strive for.

What I was also challenged by both last year and this year is how to respond. When you see a need this great what do you do? When you look at the whole picture it is completely overwhelming. I continue to go back time and time again to a piece of advice my Dad used to give me. “Paige, you can only do what you can do.” If we get overwhelmed by the severity and vastness of the need we will sometimes check out, telling ourselves, there is nothing I can do to fix this, the problem is too great. My theory on combating the overwhelmingness of it all is: START SMALL. Start with one child. One family. One school. One church. One neighborhood. Build from one relationship. My hope is that by changing the life of one child we can influence the change of a generation. Showing a child that they are loved and valued, by meeting their needs not out of obligation but out of love, will encourage and empower them to do the same. I have seen this happening within Kibera on a small scale already.

I guess my nutshell is I HAVE HOPE. Despite the tragedy, loss and hurt, I have hope. Hope for myself and my purpose. Hope for the people of Kibera. I see the possibility of change and steps being taken towards that change.

Thank you all for your tremendous support both leading up to this trip and during my time away. I can’t tell you what a comfort your encouraging words and prayers were to me. I can’t wait to fill you in on more of the details of my experience. I think the best way to that is story by story. So look forward to photos and story-telling galore. And if you still want to donate, we are keeping the fund open through the end of September!

Arts & Crafts Prep Time

Here are a few fun photos of the arts & crafts packing prep courtesy of team member, Nikki Pierce.

I'm Off to Kenya!

Just a quick post tonight to tell you all that I'm off to Kenya tomorrow! I'm feeling so very many emotions but mostly excited and hopeful. Excited to see old friends and make new ones. Hopeful that we can bring a message of love and being remembered.

I will most likely not be able to update my personal blog while we are in Nairobi but our team blog will be updated with the basics as often as possible. That blog is: http://ecclesiakenyaoutreach.tumblr.com/

Also I have broken the $10,000 fundraising mark! Yippee! I have less than $1,400 to go and donations are continued to be accepted until after I return, so spread the word.

Much love to you all. I can't possibly begin to express my gratitude for your support!

Almost There!

Hi Everyone!

Exciting news to report today. I got the official word with my latest fundraising update. With your amazingly generous help I have raised $9,710!

Thanks to group fundraising efforts (bake sales, concerts, etc) the cost for each team member to go on the trip and provide supplies, food and transportation for the two camps we are hosting has now been lowered to $1,450 (plus airfare, which I provided myself).

What does this mean? I am SO CLOSE to my dream goal of raising $10,000 to go directly toward medical supplies and school supplies for the precious children of Kibera. Last year I felt such a strong responsibility to not just leave at the end of two weeks but to figure out a way to truly support these children throughout the year.

This past Christmas I organized a card drive so that all 400 children involved in Homecare Fellowship got a personal card with stickers and other fun things. My hope was that they felt remembered and loved. I also have been searching for a way to practically help. While $10,000 will not fix everything it will be meeting two needs that I felt were great when I spent time with these children in their schools, churches and homes. They have little to no access to simple educational tools that could make it possible for them to go on to high school and possibly college. They also have NO access to simple first aid and medical supplies that can prevent the spread of potentially fatal diseases through blood and water contact. We planning to provide needed teaching tools in the classrooms (books, paper, pencils, etc) along with first aid supplies and medicine so that each center is equipped with some of the basic tools they need to see their students flourish.

I am starting small but my prayer is that this small effort will plant seeds of hope within the community of Kibera and continue to foster both my relationship and Ecclesia's relationship with these amazing people. I leave you with a quote that I hope is as encouraging to you as it was to me. Go out and do something that makes you HAPPY, make a change in world, God is leading your heart, follow it!

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." - Frederick Buechner

Information on How To Donate

300 Dolls Going to Kibera!

Happy news to post today! My wonderful friend Cathy and her group of fearless knitters in Lexington, VA have finished 300 knitted "Comfort Dolls" for our team to take with us to Kibera. Now every child we work with will get to take with them a little reminder that they are LOVED! Here is a photo of the completed work:

Fundraising Update and Final Stretch

Hi Wonderful Friends,

Sorry it's been a bit since I've updated the blog. Life has a funny way of surprising you when you least expect it... I got engaged to a wonderful, amazing man and life got a little busy! Now it is time to get down to business and make this crazy dream of mine happen before I leave for Kenya July 28th!

GOAL: To Raise $14,000 for orphans and vulnerable children in the slum of Kibera.

- $4,000 for travel expenses, camp materials for the kids and food.

- $10,000 for medical supplies, school supplies and clothing for the children.

You all are awesome because my latest fundraising update was $6,390!

Basically I have about a month to raise the $7,610... let's make this happen! Even $5 helps. Tell your friends, family, co-workers. I have an amazing friend who is running a marathon for me... how rad is that?? Let's make a little difference in these kids' lives.

To donate:

Donate Online: http://churchinhollywood.com/#/the-world/kenya

Click on "DONATE"

Select Kenya Mission 2011

Paige Smith

Donate By Check:

Checks made payable to Ecclesia Hollywood

**PLEASE include in the memo line “Paige Smith – Kenya”

Email me at paigecsmith@gmail.com for the address.

Thanks everyone!