Thanksgiving 2011
We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration! It has been very strange celebrating Thanksgiving here. The kids school gave a Thanksgiving break but only about half of Nicholas and Katherine's classmates are actually American. Katherine has had a wonderful time learning about the pilgrims/settlers and Native Americans...she loves to share all of the facts she has learned.
On Thanksgiving day, we decided as a family to spend the day in the Gachie community. The schools in Kenya are on a year round calendar and get off for the month of December, so our holiday came at just the right time. We were able to celebrate the last day of the preschool for the year, celebrate those children who are moving on to primary school in January and we got to share a message about giving thanks to the Lord.
Katherine and Nicholas had never met the preschool children before since they are in school. So this was a really special time for them to get to meet all of the kids that I talk about. It was beautiful to witness my children serving food and playing with these children.
Overall it was a wonderful day but of course things never go quite as we plan. The day began with rain, which is a blessing, however driving a car in the slums with the rain can provide for many challenges. The roads are dirt and there is a lot of erosion so as soon as we entered the community, I was concerned about getting stuck. We made it to the church and thought we were clear...however, we could not get over the big rock at the entrance! Thankfully several men were passing by in the rain and helped push the car into the lot but there was a lot of mud sprayed on all those pushing...including Vincent and Tim! I felt a little bad about laughing at Tim but he was such a sight, covered from head to toe with mud and soaking wet. Note to self, maybe I need to include a change of clothes in the car for my husband, this is the 3rd time he has gotten soaked from head to toe.
So once all of the drama of the car was over and we finally got inside, I noticed there were many extra children. There are 20 in the preschool class but there were clearly many more present, as a matter of fact, there were 30 children plus my own! Now I cooked based on the 20, so I was a bit concerned that there would not be enough food. Not to worry though, the Lord multiplied the food and there was plenty for everyone.
We began with sharing Psalm 107:1, Give thanks to the LORD, he is good; his love endures forever. As we were planning the teaching, we were a bit nervous about how to talk about giving thanks with the children. What did we know about what these children were thankful for? Many of them do not have family, food and sometimes even very little shelter. As we talked at home about what we are thankful for in American terms, we wondered how the children in Gachie would respond. The Lord is so very good! These children are thankful for many of the same things we are...as we asked the children to list what they were thankful for some of the very first things were: life, clothes, food, shelter, parents, books and teachers.
The Lord continues to teach me so very much about life and His goodness through this school and these children. I feel so very blessed that he has called us to serve in this place.
There is no running water and the borehole is not in operation so we made a "tippy tap" for handwashing. The kids really enjoyed it...we are hoping that it will "catch on" and the children will wash their hands more frequently. So many of the runny noses are probably from lack of sanitation and handwashing.
As I said, the Lord multiplied the food for everyone to have plenty. We had 4 chickens, 12 pounds of mashed potatoes and 4 pounds of green beans...and there were leftovers! Talk about loaves and fishes!!
On Thanksgiving day, we decided as a family to spend the day in the Gachie community. The schools in Kenya are on a year round calendar and get off for the month of December, so our holiday came at just the right time. We were able to celebrate the last day of the preschool for the year, celebrate those children who are moving on to primary school in January and we got to share a message about giving thanks to the Lord.
Katherine and Nicholas had never met the preschool children before since they are in school. So this was a really special time for them to get to meet all of the kids that I talk about. It was beautiful to witness my children serving food and playing with these children.
Overall it was a wonderful day but of course things never go quite as we plan. The day began with rain, which is a blessing, however driving a car in the slums with the rain can provide for many challenges. The roads are dirt and there is a lot of erosion so as soon as we entered the community, I was concerned about getting stuck. We made it to the church and thought we were clear...however, we could not get over the big rock at the entrance! Thankfully several men were passing by in the rain and helped push the car into the lot but there was a lot of mud sprayed on all those pushing...including Vincent and Tim! I felt a little bad about laughing at Tim but he was such a sight, covered from head to toe with mud and soaking wet. Note to self, maybe I need to include a change of clothes in the car for my husband, this is the 3rd time he has gotten soaked from head to toe.
The sun came out and the day was beautiful but in Vincent's words, "the mud is a blessing".
So once all of the drama of the car was over and we finally got inside, I noticed there were many extra children. There are 20 in the preschool class but there were clearly many more present, as a matter of fact, there were 30 children plus my own! Now I cooked based on the 20, so I was a bit concerned that there would not be enough food. Not to worry though, the Lord multiplied the food and there was plenty for everyone.
We began with sharing Psalm 107:1, Give thanks to the LORD, he is good; his love endures forever. As we were planning the teaching, we were a bit nervous about how to talk about giving thanks with the children. What did we know about what these children were thankful for? Many of them do not have family, food and sometimes even very little shelter. As we talked at home about what we are thankful for in American terms, we wondered how the children in Gachie would respond. The Lord is so very good! These children are thankful for many of the same things we are...as we asked the children to list what they were thankful for some of the very first things were: life, clothes, food, shelter, parents, books and teachers.
Florence (Vincent and Mama Moraa's oldest daughter)
Writing what they are thankful for on their paper
I got the first smile ever from the little guy on the right after showing him his picture on the camera
Rosemary and Lucy
Lucy, Deborah, Mary & Phyllis
The Lord continues to teach me so very much about life and His goodness through this school and these children. I feel so very blessed that he has called us to serve in this place.
There is no running water and the borehole is not in operation so we made a "tippy tap" for handwashing. The kids really enjoyed it...we are hoping that it will "catch on" and the children will wash their hands more frequently. So many of the runny noses are probably from lack of sanitation and handwashing.
The tippy tap is so simple. Empty jug with 2 holes.
As I said, the Lord multiplied the food for everyone to have plenty. We had 4 chickens, 12 pounds of mashed potatoes and 4 pounds of green beans...and there were leftovers! Talk about loaves and fishes!!
The children waited so patiently for everyone to be served before eating. The little boy on the left in the green sweater is Elijah (he has epilepsy).
After lunch it was time for recess. Lydia, who is Vincent's niece, led games for the children.
At the finale, Vincent shared the story of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25).
The boys really enjoyed having Nicholas to play with.
We thank you for your prayers on this day. The Lord blessed each of us in an amazing way. Please continue to lift up the community of Gachie to the Lord. He alone can break the bondage of drug and alcohol addiction, and crime that plagues many of the homes and families. Pray that each one of the young lives involved in this preschool will glorify Him. Praise that we have seen recent evidence of how the Lord has used this place as a safe haven for these children. Praise the Lord for the servant hearts of Vincent and Mama Moraa. Please pray for His provision for each of these children.
Oh, wow - I thought the mud thing happened AFTER the big event...but it was before!!! Oh, the joys of Africa....Loved the pictures and the stories. You guys are doing a good work there - and these children will remember the 'wazungu' that came to their school and told them about God for the rest of their lives!
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