Three of us crammed into the front seat of a pickup in the middle of a traffic jam. Bob Marley's "One Love" blares from some cheap speakers on the side of the road. This is Kenya. Our trip in Kenya has varied from week to week. We've met a lot of different people and been a lot of different places, but I think the last two weeks have definitely been my favorite. With school out for a one month "holiday" we have been spending time at First Love in Karen with 23 girls ages ranging from 7 to 17. All these girls have one thing in common, however. They are orphans.
Chris and Irene have a small photo album in their living room containing the individual stories of all these girls. Many of the girl's parents have passed away due to AIDS, while the more dramatic story includes two girl's mother being murdered after the post-election violence in 2007. Whatever happened in their past, none of these girls have had an easy life. Losing your parents at any age is hard, but add to that being raised by family members, many of the times without the resources to feed another mouth, living in an environment like Kibera and you have hell on earth. By those standards, First Love is a veritable heaven on earth.
Three square meals a day along with 4 o'clock porridge (think more soupy Cream of Wheat), a roof over their head, a bed to sleep in, and clothes to wear are all provided. Add to that the love of multiple "moms, dads, uncles, aunties" and of course "sisters" and the mix is almost perfect. These girls also participate in nightly devotions, and attend church. I do believe most, if not all have an active and personal relationship with Christ. After spending some time with the kids at the Raila Educational Center and then these girls, it's easy to tell the difference between them. Not only is their demeanor cheerful, joyful, and downright bubbly, but you will be hard pressed to find a more loving group of girls anywhere in the world. Everyday Kevin and I are swarmed with little girls giving us hugs and asking us to play games (soccer has been a favorite so far), read (which most of them enjoy), help with English homework, or simply spend time with them. Frankly, I do believe my heart has been stolen. I will be sad to leave them when we make our journey back to the United States, but it's wonderful to have been a part of their lives personally for these past few weeks, as it will be to still be involved in their lives as a church. God is doing amazing things here and it's a wonderful thing to be a part of.
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