We "hit the ground running" when we finally landed in Nairobi. Our flight had some mechanical difficulties and after sitting on the runway for awhile we were forced to return to the gate to fix it. We finally left 1 1/2 hours later, so we were late getting into Nairobi, We went straight from the airport to Missionary Robyn Moore's home. We joined a graoup of nurses who ere serving short-term with Robyn and the Least of These Ministries. Three of the girls were from Indiana Wesleyan University! We then headed to the slum to serve in an orphanage there. The older children were in school so we performed a skit for the preschoolers. It was difficult in the room we were in because the sound echoed and it made it hard to hear what the team was saying. The teacher did a good job of explaining that the skit was about forgiveness. We then sang some songs with them - Deep and Wide and Father Abraham. The coloring page we brought for them had Colossians 3:13b "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." The children really enjoyed coloring and spent a lot of time making their pictures look "just right"! We then played a game where a small group of chilren held hands and tried to keep a balloon off the ground by kicking it with their feet. It was a little bit hard for the kids to understand the concept and soon it was a "free-for-all" in which anyway you kept the balloon in the air was acceptable! An extra challenge to the game was working around the desks in the middle of the room and the chicken tied up in one corner and a large pile of fresh green beans in the other corner. I'm afraid a few of the beans were flatter when we left then they were before we came! Before we left the children washed their hands and then sat in a line in the open air hallway between the classroom and the main building. They were each given a children's vitamin (thank you to those who donated those) and a peanut butter sandwich (thank you to those who donated peanut butter as well!). This was a special treat they all enjoyed and some of the slower eaters soon found themselves surrounded by many "friends" who would gladly finish whatever they "couldn't" eat! The team did an excellent job of coming alongside the Least of These minsitries to serve the children of Kenya. And they had the following comments:
Ally - They were all so beautiful!
Brittany - I hope that in the future they remember someone came because they cared about them.
Brooklyn - I was tired from long flight but the kids being so happy to see us made me forget that.
Cassie - Seeing that they were so happy even though they live so differently than I do brought perspective.
Danae - Loved hearing them laugh, hated leaving because they were holding on to me.
Hillary - We take the simple stuff for granted. Loved playing the balloon game with them.
Inger - This was an "eye opener" for me. I loved how happy they were.
Kiersten - They were amazed by my braces. I loved how happy they were to see us.
Taylor - I think it changed us. It was worth it. I loved seeing them smile.
Phil - It was easy to see the joy of God in them. It made me thankful for my own parents.
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