Back in Nairobi

We're nearing the end of our stay here in Kenya. The time has gone extremely fast and although we are looking forward to going home, we will be so sad to leave this beautiful country. God has been so good to us. He has gone before us in areas of ministry and has shown Himself to be faithful and powerful. He has answered prayers on the spot and He has changed hearts (ours as well as those we were ministering to). He has given us a renewed sense of compassion for those who don't know His love and provision for their soul. He has shown us areas of our lives that we need to change. He has provided rest and allowed us to witness the beauty He has created. We believe that greater things have yet to come... greater things are still to be done here! For all of us we know - there is no greater God than our God! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

2010 10 Kenya Team Picture

Front Row: Colleen Sweeney, Steve Widder ,Ezra Schmucker, Stephanie Wong
Middle Row: Donna Rohrer, Don Rohrer, Cassie Lengacher
Back Row: Jeff Simpson, Jamie Lengacher, Jolinda Lengacher

Baby Centre Reunion

 What a fantastic celebration! There were many tears as the first children and their parents started arriving at around 9:30am. The first child I saw was Joseph. He was dressed in a little suit and looked so grown up! His parents were so proud of him and he was a happy well adjusted child! Then around the corner came a very familiar face - Mo Mo! He had a smile from ear to ear! As the morning went on it was absolutley amazing to see Mary and Benson - the first babies to arrive at the baby centre in 2006. They were so tall yet still looked the same as they did when they were babies! So many of them had the same personalities that they had when they were younger. Meshack remembered everyone and was quick to lead the other kids in play. Silas was as busy as ever. In all 42 previous baby centre babies and their families came. They were each unique and so different from each other, but one thing they all had in common was a parent to love and care for them in a home of their own!

Babies, Beds and Being Busy

Wow, it's hard to believe how fast the week is going! We have tried very hard to spend as much time as possible with the babies while finishing all of our projects. It is a balancing act and it's too easy to feel like you should be working on a project instead of just sitting and holding a baby. We had to make baby hours where we would just stop whatever we were doing and go spend time one on one with the kids. There is no better way to spend a morning than holding, playing and loving on beautiful babies. They love it too and often fall asleep! The weather has been beautiful and it makes it nice to sit on the grass in the sunshine. The birds were singing in the acacia tree near the play yard. And I was so surprised that I have only seen one pigeon! The previous October team must have won the pigeon war! We worked hard on finding clothes out of the storage room for each baby to wear for the Baby Centre Reunion. The biggest challenge was finding enough shoes in the right sizes for each child. That is definitely going to the top of the list for the next team - shoes of all sizes! Colleen finished up her murals in the crawler nursery and Pastor Don finished painting the new entrance sign. Team members are starting to have "favorite" babies and the babies seem to know it! In the evening we took finger puppets and bells down to the toddler room. Stephanie and Cassie brought a veggie tales cd and we "danced" to the music. The bells were attached to a shower ring with ribbon. Of course it didn't take them long to realize if they bit on the ribbon hard enough they could bite the bell right off. We quickly confiscated them...we hope! Everyone was very tired at the supper table but it was a good tired. God is so good!

Serving in Salgaa

After getting off to a late start (they were quite amused that the wazungus were late as it is usually a Kenyan trait to not be quite on time), we headed out to Bible Study at Salgaa. We met in a small room and had a lesson on spiritual warfare. It was encouraging to see the growth in these new Christians as they have now been meeting together to study the bible and encourage each other for about 9 months. We split into two groups and visited several support group members who were ill. We also got the chance to pray with a woman who was discouraged because she and her husband had not been able to have children. It was a blessing to minister and pray together. We know God hasn't given up on Salgaa and He is working together for their good. We then went back to the church for the support group meeting. There was a student that needed to make a final presentation for a class so she came and shared with the group about cancer causes and prevention. We had to leave early because we were going to stop by the local IDP camp and the baby centre water project. So unfortunately Colleen and Donna, who had worked so hard on their presentation, were not able to share it today. The team was exhausted after ministering all morning but were happy to have been able to help with such a valuable ministry.

Beach Balls

The other big hit that Cassie and Stephanie brought was blow up beach balls. Of course they immediately started kicking them around like they were soccer balls! They played with them until they were taken in to eat their morning ugi.

Blowing Bubbles

Cassie and Stephanie brought ingredients and supplies to make giant bubbles. So this morning we decided to all go try them out. At first the kids had mixed feelings about them. Some were completely unimpressed. In fact we caught Faith sitting on the edge of the grass eating dirt! Some were just unsure about what these wazungus (white people) were up to! Then there were several who really got into it. John chased them all over the yard and popped quite a few! Michael enjoyed the help of several of the team members to reach those floating too high. And Emmanuel was determined to "do it himself"! But Paul was the most excited of all! He had a huge smile on his face and followed each bubble until it popped.

Meeting the Babies

It was very hard to pack and eat breakfast - we were all ready to head to the baby centre as soon as we woke up! The trip from Nairobi was uneventful except for the excited scurry for cameras when we saw the occasional zebra or baboon. The roads were exceptional all the way until we turned onto the road back to Ngata. Then we were met with packed dirt and deep ruts. The short bouncy mile seemed like forever until we pulled into the front gates. The Toddlers were out in the yard playing and it was so tempting to leave the suitcases in the vans and go play. But since our drivers were returning to their homes, we quickly unpacked. After a short orientation, we were finally able to meet the babies! Well at least the women of the group! The men started working on shelves for the 3rd wing. We ladies settled into the middle nursery and it didn't take long for the kids to jump on our lap, or snuggle in for a hug. We helped feed them blended bananas and were instantly in love! Amos kept us entertained with his hearty laugh and comical smile. Moses kept our ears ringing with his constant crying (he's not too fond of wazungus)! Rose was just a little sweetie. And everything Shadrack did was absolutely adorable! Missionary Robyn Moore was here for baby check ups and Cassie was kept busy consoling some not-to-thrilled Toddlers while they were checked out. Please pray for a few of our babies who are not feeling well at this time. The men were able to go into the toddler room for a little bit before coming up for supper. It was a very good and productive first day and we are so blessed to be here!

Ministry in Mathare

Showers fell overnight in Nairobi and we all wondered what effect that would have on the road leading down to the Orphanage we were going to serve in that morning. Although the rain was much needed by the gorgeous plants and flowers all around us, it made transportation into Mathare more difficult It was too muddy for the drivers to take us down so we had to go in on foot. Our group stood out as we carefully made our way down the slippery slope all in a line. Missionary Robyn Moore took the lead and set a quick pace. It was difficult to take in all that was around us because of the concentration it took to not fall. But we were keenly aware that we were being watched and sometimes even touched by those along the path. The small children would yell out in unison when they saw us saying "how are you, how are you"! We arrived at a single door in a blue wall that was the opening to the orphanage. From inside we could hear the voices of children singing praise songs to Jesus! There was a long narrow pathway that would serve as our place to hold Sunday School for about 150 kids of all ages. We played games with them, taught them about the Good Samaritan, fed them peanut butter sandwiches and colored with them. But the most important thing we did that day was to love them. Later as we reflected on the morning team members made the following comments:

"Although it felt like we couldn't do much for these kids in the short time we were there, we were able to put a smile on their face and make them laugh. They were able to be just kids for a few hours."

"I loved that a little girl crawled up on my lap, snuggled in and fell asleep. Then a boy who was sick came and sat beside me and leaned his head against me. I am glad I was able to comfort them in such a simple way."

"If the trip had ended at noon today and I got on the airplane and went back home, it would have been worth it!"

"We have a serious responsibility!"

"I don't want to forget... I want this to forever change my thinking."

"I've got to remember to pray for these children."

Please pray with us right now for the children in Mathare. For those who are in leadership at those orphanages. For the impact it made on us to be a lasting one. For others who are called to minister to the "least of these" to answer the calling. For each of us to do our part. Until there are no more orphans....

The October 2010 Team has arrived!

We are finally able to get to a computer to update you on what has been happening with our team!
Our flights went very smoothly and a tired but happy group arrived in Nairobi late Saturday night. It felt good to be on solid ground again. On our way home from the airport we passed Nyayo Stadium where a soccer game had just finished. The fans were exiting the stadium blowing their vuvuzelas. Our driver mentioned that he maybe shouldn't have come this way. We learned the next day that 7 people had been killed and many more injured by being trampled at the stadium that night. We thank God for his protection even when we were unaware of any danger! And we look forward to what he is going to do in us and thru us in the next two weeks!

On Our Way!

Team Members (l-r): Steve Widder, Colleen Sweeney, Ezra Schmucker, Cassie Lengacher, Pastor Don Rohrer, Donna Rohrer, Stephanie Wong, Jolinda Lengacher, Jamie Lengacher and Jeff Simpson