Friday, July 5th - Kenya

Guest post by Team Member Sophia Luwis

It has been a long day of sitting in the car, experiencing strange/smelly bathrooms, and poor Kenyan conditions, but also a great day to see God work through it all. We woke up at the Floral bright and early for breakfast. Some of us got some coffee and then we hit the road! On our way to Mogogosiek, we stopped at The Rift Valley viewpoint. It was AMAZING! God truly made this world beautiful. There was also a small shop there, so we were able to do a little shopping J.

Also along our journey, we stopped at a children’s home that our guide used to work at. This home was not too different then some of the other homes we have visited. Conditions are not the best especially when compared to our American standards. And yet, the kids are happy and the staff does their best to love them. These children are also VERY disciplined. All public school teachers in Kenya were currently on strike, but yet these kids continued classes by teaching themselves - now that is dedication!

At one point in our continued journey we all bought some roasted maize from a roadside stand. It probably was not the best idea Joe has ever had, so if we get sick, we will blame him. Even though the maize tasted like burnt popcorn it was perfect for feeding the baboons we found farther down the road.

As you drive into the high lands of Kenya, everything gets really green and tropical. Everybody we have met describes it as a Garden of Eden and in this garden is The Mogogosiek Baby Home. It is incredible here! The children are beautiful. They had a great staff watching over them and a wonderful environment around them. God has really blessed these kids with good people and a good, but temporary, home.

Even though these babies are in a good place now, the stories of how they got there are hard to hear. There is one baby in particular whose story has, I believe, touched everyone on our team. This baby’s mother had given birth and probably only hours later dumped her newborn baby into a long drop

(squatty potty). The nurses said it was only by chance that someone saw the top of her head and pulled her out. Now, most African babies are beautiful, but this little baby girl is the most gorgeous baby I have ever seen in my life! I cannot pretend I know what her mother was thinking when she put her in the toilet, but I hope and pray that one day God will touch her life and that the same happens for this beautiful little baby.

The rest of the day consisted of us meeting two more chariot of home interns, eating freshly skinned cow and chapatti, having a devotional and prayer time and then going to bed. The devotional was based on Hebrews 10:39 “ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”