Video Recap

Here's a video recap of our team's time in Kenya! Enjoy!

Kenya 2011 // Ecclesia Hollywood (Kibera) from Aaron Huisman on Vimeo.

An Update on Mary

For those of you who followed my trip last year, you will remember hearing about Mary, the very special little girl who stole my heart with her falling apart shoes and gentle spirit. I wasn’t certain I would get to see Mary this year. We never know which kids will be able to attend camp; family and living situations change constantly in Kibera and we only have the supplies and staff to accommodate 150 children each week.

I tried not to get my hopes up. I knew that regardless I was going to get to spend time with so many amazing children. But I found myself holding my breath as the kids arrived the first day. You can hear their little voices screaming, laughing and singing way before you can see their faces, a joyous cacophony of sound. They rounded the bend and begun sprinting down the hill. Returning kids searching for old friends form America, the new kids looking to quickly make a connection. There are kids swirling all around me and then I saw her running down the hill, her dark round face with a big bashful grin, Mary. In that moment, my heart sighs a breath of relief. So much can happen to these kids over the course of a year, we lose kids to disease and violence, some are orphaned and forced to move in with family members or left to live on the street, little boys and girls face physical and sexual abuse more often than we could ever fathom. I don’t know don’t know the details of what Mary has faced this past year, I probably never will. But in that moment I knew she was safe and happy. She launched into my arms and my heart was bursting with joy.

Like last year, Mary stayed close to my side for the entire week. Her cousin Quinta was also at camp again this year. On the second day, Quinta gave me a note from Mary’s mother, Margaret. We sometimes get requests for money, sponsorship for school, cameras, food, ipods. I braced myself for a request I knew I would have to deny, but this note was different. Margaret simply asked me to come visit her and their home like I did last year. She said she was so grateful I had come back this year and she was praying for my time in Kenya. I learned soon after that Margaret, who has three children of her own and takes care of her niece, Quinta, had also taken on the care of three more children after her second sister had died. Margaret now cared for seven children in a home not even the size of my living room. My heart broke and yet I was amazed. What an incredible, strong woman.

Our team made the trek into Kibera for the first time the next day. My good friend Cecilia, who helps to run Homecare, made it possible for me to visit Mary’s home. We wound our way deeper and deeper into Kibera, where the pathways get narrower and narrower and it is more and more difficult not to step in the waste of garbage, dead animals and human excrement. I began to recognize where we were from my trips into the slum last year. We round a bend into a little 8x8 courtyard surrounded by mud homes. Margaret stood in the doorway of their home and her face lit up. She brought me into a huge hug, tears streaming down her face. Fellow team members and I settled into chairs in her home, as Cecilia helped to translate our conversation. Margaret explained that she had in fact taken on three more children, one who is albino and has a number of health issues. She wanted to know about my life this year and how I was doing. We chatted for awhile and then asked how we could pray for her and her family. Her request was simple, that all of her children be able to go to school and that her relationship with God would be strengthened so that she could show all of the children that kind of love. No prayers for money, or hints that they needed more, prayers for education and relationship. It made me think of my own prayers and how selfish they often were, how little this woman have and her prayers were to be able to give more. I was humbled, heartbroken and completely inspired.

Information is about the children in Homecare is hard to come by but I do know that both Mary and Quinta are attending private schools, which means a real chance at education for them both. Quinta wants to be a teacher and Mary a nurse. I can see them thriving as both. Quinta is the mother hen, always taking care of the little ones and helping the leaders. Mary is a sensitive and caring soul who I am certain will carry a healing touch given the right tools. But what sets my soul at peace is knowing that they have a mother who loves them so deeply and fights for them each day, most children in Kibera are not as lucky. I take with me the hope that I see in their family and the knowledge of what it takes to truly love one another.

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

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