Sherrie's 2010 Kenya Reflections

There were so many peaches from Africa that I don't even know where to begin, but here are a few of the highlights for me ~

Children of Kenya

The children's smiling faces, even when they were dirty, covered with ring worm and had ripped shirts and no shoes on their feet.

Konga with infected ear

Konga, a few days after ear treatment

I loved watching Konga (spelling?) recover and become a happy, smiling, singing little girl after she received the proper treatment for her ear.

Lacee and McCall playing with kids in front of KCC

It was so fun to watch Sara, Lindsay, Katlyn, McCall and Lacee playing with the kids out front of the KCC. Even though they couldn't always understand what the other was saying, they played, laughed and danced. You could feel their genuine love for each other just by looking at them.

Kids at Miguneni Primary school with the lunch, boiled corn

I loved sitting on the porch at the KCC watching the kids walking to school in their uniforms carrying their little bowls so they could eat lunch that day. They were so happy to carry their dirty water jugs and little sticks brooms to clean their schools. I realized how blessed my children are to live where we do and have more than boiled corn to eat. It was amazing how grateful the school children were to have that food to eat.

Scholarship parents bring gifts

I was touched when parents of the children of the scholarship students came with gifts for the Americans. It was humbling to see them give up a few ears of corn when that would probably feed their families for a day. It was also amazing when the villagers gave the goats to Kris, Anthony and Bret. Those animals are worth gold - in food, etc. and for the people to sacrifice and give them to the American's was an act of unselfless love.
 

Purity, our first ever female university student

Fatuma, leading her class in a song

Lacee with Fatuma, in Fatuma's classroom

Bret had told me so much about Purity and Mama Fatuma. So it was wonderful to meet both of them and see their happy smiling faces. You could tell they are good people just from the happiness and love their faces radiated. Mama Fatuma is such an amazing woman to take care of all those preschoolers every day with a baby strapped on her back.
 

Umaze with her new hat

The day we went to the Albino school and I traded my hat for the little girl, Umaze who was covered with ring worm and a rash for her little broom was a great peach as well. I had been watching her and she had been off on her own without any friends the whole time we were there. Her eyes looked sad and I can only imagine the hard things she was dealing with in her life at that time. When I tried to talk to her, she was afraid of me, so I had Johnson translate that I would like to trade with her. She was still shy towards me but her eyes lit up when she understood what I was asking her.  Everytime I look at a picture of Umaze wearing her new hat - my heart swells and my eyes fill with tears.

Gona children greeting us as we drove towards their school

Dancing in front of the Gona latrines

I know everyone would agree with me, that each time we drove to the schools and were met by the singing, smiling children it was hard to not contain the tears of joy for the love I felt for those wonderful children. Gona was my favorite school. I wasn't ever sure how to interact with the kids and always stood back and watched in amazment. The Gona kids in their beautiful bright yellow shirts just grabbed my hands and made me run to see their beautiful new bathrooms that they were so excited for! They showed me true love and I felt an overwhelming love back for them. The program they put on that day because they were so excited to have earned enough money for their portion to build a school was the best! It made me want to go home and fire up my friends and family to give them a school!
 

Brayden building desks for Dzivani

Brayden sitting at a desk ready to send to Dzivani

Brayden, Curt and Mike with the BTW workshop personnel

The opportunity Brayden had to build the desks for Austin's school was a huge peach! Not only did he learn so much from two amazing mentors (Kurt and Mike) he made friends with Mr. Jones and his helpers at the work shop. To see the desks all lined up and branded with the roses in the new class rooms made me realize that one person can help to make a change in Kenya. A couple of kids in my neighborhood in Vernal emptied their piggy banks and gave their coins to Brayden to put towards the desks. Those coins, along with many others, helped to make the children of Dzavani so happy. They were truely grateful for their new class rooms and desks.

Some of the SMS girls with their bright new clothes and smiles

Dorm room at the SMS

I loved going to the Sean Michaels School and seeing the children's smiles when we handed out their new clothes. It was like Christmas! I was amazed to see the rats running around their dormatory rooms, but grateful they had a place to stay so they wouldn't have to travel with their disabilities.

Sherrie at the Lutsangani dispensary giving out baby blankets to new mothers

The day we went to the dispensary and handed out the blankets Brayden collected was bitter sweet. Just knowing that the blankets might entice some mother's to go to the dispensaries to have their babies to get help was rewarding.  But it was hard to watch the lady who was brought in with malaria.  I was so grateful those people had a place to bring her to get help.

Baboon on safari

The Safari was amazing and of course the baboons made the whole trip, but what I will remember the most is driving past the mud huts and watching the smiling kids running out to wave at us yelling, "Jambo!" It was sad when we left early Thursday morning because none of the children were awake to run out and wave.