African Halloween

Well, to be honest, it doesn't exist. There is not even a mention of the event. Not to worry though, we celebrated it anyway. I am too tired to explain now, but I promise a full explanation will be given tomorrow.

For now, enjoy YOUR Halloween, and be safe.

these kids..

I have always known that children, especially ones who have suffered or are suffering, have a special place in my life. There is nothing more heartbreaking then a child who is suffering due to circumstances that have nothing to do with them.

For the past couple of days I have been working with some kids who have been through more tragedy and heartbreak then anyone that I know. I have been collecting their stories, and histories as well as their ambitions in order to create a book of their profiles, for use in sponsorship, and records. It is impossible to express the suffering that these children have experienced without hearing it from them, and watching as their eyes begin to tear up. Steve has planned for each of them to have a profile with their picture on it, as well as a short video of them all, in order to document their story.

Surprisingly it hasn't been their stories that have moved me most. I hear similar stories almost everyday, not to say that that in anyway degrades their story, But it is their faith, and love of the LORD, that moves me. Through all that these children have been through, the betrayal, the tragedy, the abuse and the all around suffering, they have unwavering trust in the LORD. I want that faith, I want to be able to look to God through anything and thank him, to just be happy with being loved by him.

Here are a couple of the kids:






This morning I went to hang out with the Oasis kids for a couple hours. My friend Kamao (spelling?) decided that he just wanted to hang out in my lap all day; and that was fine with me.

Dr. with the Robinsons

Every morning I wake up, and I have some idea of what the day will hold. I usually know the general "skeleton" of everyday. Most of the time things are going on that I don't know about, and that is where "mom" (Allison) comes in, she knows about everything. Today was a great example of this.

I woke up knowing that on Tuesdays we go to Oasis in the Morning and then I go to Purpose driven Academy. What I didn't know was that we were having dinner with Sister Freda and Richard. I was so excited when I got home and found out that Daina, the house cook, was making Lasagna. I love to eat food that isn't rice and beans, so this was like the ultimate meal.

We ate, laughed, and had a great time. I love the Robinsons, that is their surname, because they bring so much life, and peace to any situation. There are some great pictures from the night, and they can be found here, on Daina's blog.

I love you all, and hope God is doing amazing things in your life, he sure is doing them here.

FOOTBALLERS

Today was a typical Monday. In the Morning we went to Oasis, where we talked a bunch about some issues that are going on. I love hanging out with those kids, they make me so happy.

Later in the day the boys from house one and two and the Oasis center street boys teamed up to take the boys from the Showground Primary school. We had a great time hanging out with the other boys as well as watching the team play with all their hearts. They are a great team on the train tracks, but a large field is a bit of a struggle for them. They played well, but lost 2-0. We are going to practice and take them on in a couple weeks, I am confident that we have them next time.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY

Today it hit me, I live in the future. All of you back in the States are Ten hours behind me, that is awesome. That means I get to experience EVERYTHING before you.

Then I realized that that is not true. All it means is that the sun rises and sets first here. Whatever, for those few brief moment that I believed I had somehow traveled in time, I felt so powerful, it was worth it.

Sundays are some of the most predictable days that we have here in Kitale. Every morning we go to church, then we go to the coffee shop, and I hang with the kids (and distract them) as Allison helps them with math (or maths as they call it over here).

Today was a little different though. As I was hanging out at the Coffee shop with the kids, James (my Kenyan friend who is coming to the states for school soon) called me up and told me that he was going to watch the Chelsea game in town. Being a fan of the Blues I was so excited to go watch them play against Liverpool at home.



The game was great, although Chelsea lost, ending their 86 game winning streak at the bridge, but the place that we went to watch it was even better. The place was called "Line Moja" which means, Line One. It is just a mud hut, with a tv connected to satellite, and benches where around 100 dudes sat watching the game. It was the most hilarious clash of technology, and simplicity. This place was just another example of why I love Kenya.

Purpose: Adventure

Happy Birthday Allison! Today, as you may have guessed was Allisons birthday. we had such an amazing day, there is no way for me to describe it except through pictures.

Allow me to set the scene: We went to a place called Captain Davis', it is a sort of tiny safari farm, and resort. They have some animals, and ssome great things to do which we did. My favorite part about the day was when I signed the guest book and under purpose of visit I wrote, "Adventure", because that is what we were looking for. Here is what happened:

Talked to this guy

Saw a rhino

Saw some zebra

Saw a treehouse


Drank a Coke

Saw a nest

Saw a Giraffe

Saw an Ostrich

rode an ostrich

Alice rode an Ostrich (So did Daina but I was to scared for her life to get good pictures)

Some great times were had by all, and all in all it was an absurd day. I hope that Allison had a great birthday, I know I had fun. Happy birthday my friend, you are an amazing person.

Dog-gonnit

Oh today was great. Daina and I went to sister Freda's to hang out with the kids, and paint a little bit, while Allison went into town and made some copies for here math tutoring that she is doing. It was a nice, typical day here in Kitale, but when I got home that is when the real good news arrived. WE GOT TWO DOGS! I was so excited to have two new friends to hang out with. They are little Rottweiler puppies, and they are so great. They don't have names yet, we are going to wait and let Steve name them. All in all they are probably the best news that I could have gotten today.

Simple things

I have noticed a pattern in the things that make me happy these days. I have been really holding on to the simple things that life has to offer, it sounds so cliche, but those small things are making me so happy. Today I read on the Internet about my sister scoring a goal in their match against Fullerton, and I started to tear up. I was so proud of her, all of the work that she had put in over the years, and all of the commitment made me so proud to be her older brother. Of course we have our differences, but I am so proud of the accomplishments she is making on the field, or should I say the pitch? Congrats Alana, on being an accomplished college athlete, and being my little sister (lets face it, being my sister is something to brag about in itself.)

As I was walking into the house today from getting my laundry another simple, but great, thing made me so happy. I heard some kids chattering, and I looked to see if it was our neighbors so that I could say hello, but then I saw 5 kids scurrying around one of the trees on the other side of the compound. Usually we don't let kids on the compound just because if we let one, there would be no end. I recognized the kids as some that go to Oasis. When I walked up they screamed my name, and then showed me some fruits in their hands. When I looked up in the tree I noticed they were gathering all the guavas from our guava tree. They were up in the trees, jumping all around it, hitting it with sticks, doing everything they could to get them down. I don't know why but seeing these kids gathering these fruits made me so happy, they were so excited to grab one off the tree and bite into it. Personally i don't enjoy these guavas, and these kids aren't exactly well off, so I was more then happy to let them have as many as they wanted. (plus their not really ours anyways.)

I can feel God softening my spirit, and I thank him for every ounce of joy that I experience in the small things that occur in life.








Also, I now have proof that Dinosaurs live in Kitale:

Ladies and gentlemen I give you Pterodactyl

Ohh Hell naw ALIEN...

Today I became an Alien. I am now a Legal ALIEN in Kenya. I think that this is the closest I will get to actually traveling to space, and It is good enough for me.

Today the girls and I went to Eldoret, the fourth largest city in Kenya, to renew our visas. It is about a 90 minute drive, but we had a great time. There is a restaurant there called the Eldo Grill that has delicious PIZZA. It was great to eat something so familiar, although I think I will have garlic breath for the next week. The best part about the day though was that we got passport pictures taken for our visas, and they are amazing. We have the negatives as well so we are going to blow them up, and let me tell you, there was no smiling being done in that office, all business. Renewing my visa today means that I have been here for three months. Thinking back, it is hard to believe that three months ago I was just figuring out what it meant to be here, and now I feel like this is my home.

The countdown to Matts Gillens getting here is now at 16 days. In 16 days I will be hanging out with one of my best friends, in one of the best places I have ever been. There are no words to describe my level of excitement.

Today is...

There is this song that the children at Discover to Recover Center sing, and it goes like this:

“Today is my favorite day.
God made it a special way,
I love tomorrow and yesterday,
But today is my favorite day.”

After hearing and singing the song I don’t think that there is any way that I can hear it without smiling. There is just something about the song that makes me so happy, and especially when the kids sing it to us.

Sunday was a great day. The girls and I went to church together at lighthouse where we have become official members, and then we headed our separate ways. Allison and Daina went to the coffe shop to tutor the Oasis boys in Math and English. I on the other hand had some work to do. I did a bunch of laundry (by hand), and then did some reading. I must admit that I did watch a little Alias as well.

I just realized that this post is a string of very random thoughts, but that has been this day, a string of random events, all coming together to create a great day.

DTRC

Yesterday was Friday, so naturally Allison and I went to Discover to Recover. I now know what it feels like to be famous now. As we were rolling up in our taxi all of the children started screaming and clapping their hands, then they broke out sining something about welcoming us. They are all such amazing kids. I had brought my computer to do some work there, and naturally as soon as the kids discovered there was a camera in my computer, it went all downhill.




I think the kids had a fun time looking at their distorted faces, I know I sure did.

Thursday.

As you know from reading my blogs, I enjoy Thursdays. I love the fact that we can hang out at the house until around 11, and then we get to go swimming with a bunch of kids. Today is the first time that I will be swimming so I am excited to see how it goes. I think that the best par tis that we get to eat fries for lunch. That is like me dream, eating only french fries and drinking soda for lunch.

Day 2

Yes this was the second, and last, day of sitting around and doing nothing. I watched some ALIAS, read some Harry Potter, Thought some thoughts, had some laughs and overall enjoyed myself. Tomorrow we begin the hectic schedule again, and I could not be more excited to do so.

I was thinking about the trip to Kakuma and Lodwar, and I thought that I wanted to let you know more about it right now, but then I remembered how impatient I was when it came to this internet here, so I once again refer you to Daina's and Allison's blogs. They do a great job with uploading pictures, and telling the stories. I sometimes feel bad for pirating their blog, but when i think about it, I don't feel that bad. Thanks girls! (just click on their names and it will take you to their blogs.)

I pray all of you are doing well, and that God is doing great things in your lives. I love all of you.

Chris

HOME, SWEET HOME.

Well I have been gone for a week, and I am sure that all of you are wondering where I was, and what I was doing. Well the girls and I, along with a pastor from town, headed to Northern Kenya, to a place called Lodwar and Kakuma. There is no way that I will ever be able to describe the trip to you on this blog, so I am going to sum up a weeks worth of stories and experiences with this picture:

Yes, all is good with American relations in North Kenya. Thanks to me.

I also wanted to post this picture so that you could see how nasty sweaty I got; as well as how sweet my new hat is.

Lazy Su..um Saturday.

The rain never stopped, it just kept coming down like it was hell bent on drowning all the inhabitants of Kitale town. I can't complain though, I got to stay in most of the day and do some reading, writing and thinking. I also got some time to go into town today by myself. I love going into town and just observing. Today however I saw something that really hit me hard.

I was standing around talking to a couple street boys, and I noticed one that I had not seen before. Something wasn't right though, standing there staring I couldn't understand why my heart was hurting more then ever for this one. Then I noticed it, she was a girl, the first one I had seen. A street girl, it even sounds terrible to say; not that street boy isn't horrible. I don't know what it was about her that just made me want to cry out to God and ask him; why? She was sniffing glue, not unusual, but for some reason I could not stand to see her inhale the toxic fumes. Her eyes were empty, and I cringed to think about what terrible things they had seen and experienced. She just stared at me as I tried to talk to her, but my terrible Swahili was only matched with her worse English, my heart wept for her. I know her name is Josephine, and that she is 14, but other then that one can only guess where she comes from or where she is going. Even know, every part of me that hates what happens in the world is screaming for justice, and my heart aches. I have cried a lot while living here, but for some reason this idea of her and the rest of the boys in the rain tonight kills me.

This brings me to my next question: what the hell do I do? It is a thing that is always on my mind, and constantly in my prayers. What can I do? I am confident that the Lord has put me here for some reason, and I may not fully understand why for some time, but for now all I can do is try my best to follow His lead.

T.G.I.F

No, not the terrible restaurant, but the real thing; Thank God it is Friday! I love Fridays because I get to hang out with this guy:


His name is Churchill, and he is an awesome dude who lives at a place called discover to recover. This place is an amazing place where children form the surrounding area can come and get food and an education. The area is a slum of sorts, where the children come from very poor homes. Most parents in the area are uneducated, so the need for education is not important to them; that and the money to pay for uniforms and school fees just isn't available. Churchill is actually an orphan, he was brought in by his brother who was his guardian at the age of 7. Churchill is HIV positive, and that is the reason that he lives at the center. The center is also a place for children who are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS to come and get counseling. Patricia Sowa and her husband Francis run the center. God has blessed them with unbelievable opportunities to travel the world and speak on HIV/AIDS; and considering that Patricia has been Infected with HIV for around 10 years, it makes her an incredible source of wisdom on the subject.

Then we went to the Oasis girls house and had the most amazing dinner. All of the girls are so great, and the food was probably the best that I have eaten in here in Kenya. I ate so much that I think that I was gong to throw up all over the floor. But it was a great time.

With Great Power Comes...

So, for the past couple days I have been reading the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series. I know what you are thinking, I am a complete nerd, a 21 year old dude who loves reading about teenage wizards and warlocks. If you think that I don't think myself a dork, you are sorely mistaken, I am quite enlightened to this fact. That is beside the point that I am trying to make however. If you have been keeping up with Allison's blog you would know that the other night we watched around 45 minutes of episode two of Star Wars, and you will also know that we watched Indiana Jones (all three). this recent overload of awesome has once again thrown me into a funk about being merely human. I want so badly to be able to wield a light saber and use the force. Or even cast a few spells on people, just for fun of course. Maybe I could find a few ancient artifacts, all while fooling the Nazis. But then I remember, I am just a dude, a dude who can't do any of those great things. And that is the way I was feeling for the past couple days, simply human.

That all changed today though. I was reading my bible in Acts, and I stumbled upon a simple human who did some really awesome things. His name is Paul, and his power? The holy spirit. So today I decided to shape up, get out of my funk and do something awesome. It feels good to be empowered.

(Editors note: This blog was purely for entertainment value. Nothing that was said by the author was meant to be takes seriously, except the part about Paul being awesome)

On a more "Kenyan" note, tonight we went to dinner at a dear friends house after a long day at the pool with the kids. Onesmus is actually Geoffry's brother as well as the Caretaker of Lydia's compound. He has a great little boy named David who is seven, so naturally our humor is the same. All in all it was a nice day, like i said last week, I love Thursdays.

I told him to make a face that made him look terribly awkward. I succeeded, he just got angry.

Crane Swinging

Wednesdays are the longest days of all. In the morning we went to Oasis for a couple hours and do the usual stuff (the girls work and I play). Then in the afternoon the girls and I met with Ben and Christine who run the high school Gilgal. We had to talk to Ben because we are going to Lodwar and Kakuma (spelling questionable) to work with the Sudanese refugees. Then after lunch we headed to Gilgal so that we could do the usual Wednesday things. Daina taught a great class about rocks, then we answered questions and then I taught some P.E., which basically means I ref. a soccer game. Just an average Wednesday, but our Thursdays are a perfect compliment to our Wednesdays, so everything is great.




Oh and a little something else, we found an amazingly fun thing to do in town. There is a crane by the train tracks that goes unused, that is until we found it. We now use it as a great wing, one of the funnest things to do. So here are some pictures to prove it: