My Experiences as a First-Timer
By Jill Thiede
For me - it was an incredible experience. It was not easy. It was "messy". There were many situations and issues that pushed me far outside of my comfort zone. At times, it was necessary to just offer it up to God, and ask that He give me the inspiration as to what to do. I struggle when I don't know how to fix something - or how to help someone, and there were many times that I just didn't know what to do, but usually - God did, and we made it through, and in general - each of those situations worked out better than I could have imagined.
It is truly amazing to see the impact of the KenyaHELP program in Meru. The meeting with the scholarship students was great. A number of the students helped us with the projects at the Ruthiu Boy's Orphanage. I really enjoyed getting to know them a bit better.
These are smart and ambitious kids who are looking for an opportunity, and it was wonderful to see them taking advantage that KenyaHELP is providing them. I told the girls from St. Mary's School that I am keeping their list of names, and I fully expect in twenty years - I will be telling everyone that I met these women back when they were in high school - and in twenty years - I will be reading about them in the paper as Nobel Prize winners, and Presidents and important doctors and engineers. It is amazing to see what the Holy Spirit has done acting through KenyaHELP.
Oh... and the boys. The boys at Ruthiu's have taken a piece of my heart. It was interesting, but it was the older boys who really touched me. The youngest boys were adorable and playful and fun and I loved reading to them and tickling them. But the older boys touched me more deeply, and their faces stay in my mind more clearly. I think it is partly because they could communicate more in English - so we were able to talk more. In fact, they became my KiSwahili teachers - teaching me greetings and how to count to ten, and truly enjoying my HORRIBLE pronunciation. And they patiently said "Mbiuilli" over and over until my mouth made a reasonable approximation.
Our projects were VERY ambitious. In retrospect - probably too ambitious, causing more stress and tension that we really needed. But in the end - each had a good outcome.
The Chicken Coop had so many twists and turns and issues. But in the end - the orphanage director was THRILLED. It ended up as a two story coop - larger than some homes that we saw. But our goal was to provide them some means of self-sufficiency, and they have space to grow their chicken business. They have 50 laying chickens in the upstairs penthouse suite of the coop, with a contract in place to pay for the necessary feed for four months - when they should be able to support the feed with the egg sales. All of the chickens are old enough - and have been laying eggs at the dealer. In fact - the boys got their first egg on Friday morning before we left. The director of the orphanage is hoping to get donations of MEAT chickens for the downstairs coop over the next few months. And we left funding for an AWESOME KenyaHELP graduate (Joshua) to add a few improvements over the next few weeks. Joshua worked with us each day, and Charles gave him all of the tools when we were done.
Charles and Joshua replaced all of the cracked and broken glass in the windows around the whole orphanage. Charles and Josh also finished one of the main utility projects - the water distribution system. Charles had a dream... a dream that water would be available around the compound - and not need to be hauled by buckets everywhere. So Charles took his dream - got pipe and fittings, and delighted the women running the orphanage and the boys. The compound has a central water tank. Charles and Josh dug trenches and laid the pipe for two showers for the boys. They are mounted on the back fence - past behind the garden. I didn't get to see the boys shower - but Paul's pictures showed their delight. The cook got a spigot run right next to the cooking shack - so that she doesn't need to haul the water. And a tap was placed next to the outhouses so that they could be cleaned much easier. Amazing improvements.
We also cleaned out a room that had been a dirty storage room. The KenyaHELP students helped paint it bright white. We added a bookcase - and left books and flashcards - and all of Hannah's (Diane Wilson's grand daughter) flip-flops for the boys in this special room. A new table and benches should be delivered next week - so that they boys can have a special place to study.
Our other utility project was the "LIGHTING" project. Paul knew a local electrician (someone from church). Ruithiu's has electricity in the main room where the boys eat. Paul had Boniface (the electrician) run wires to the new study room, to the kitchen, to a fluorescent light out side of the coop, and finally - a light in the outhouse for midnight calls.
Finally - the Vacation Bible School was a resounding success. The boys put on a presentation of the Creation story for the neighborhood, and received much applause. The boys sang, made pipe cleaner giraffes, and wonderful seed pictures. Each got a little coloring book - and had a great time. We also made stenciled and stamped t-shirts with each boy - again with the help of the KenyaHELP students. When I asked on of the older boys how they thought the shirts turned out - he said that they looked "VERY SMART".
We distributed the many seeds and supplies around the area, both at Ruthiu's and at the other 3 orphanages that were visited. Everyone was very appreciative of the generosity.
As I think back - I think that the older boys at Ruthiu's that touched me so much more because I could see in their eyes that they knew how desperate their situation is. They know that there are no promises. They have a pain in their eyes that is undeniable. We saw many of the "street tough boys" on the corners in Meru. These are abandoned boys who congregate in the downtown area and sniff glue and get high to just forget. I guess my fear is that these beautiful and smart boys at Ruthius know how close they are to that existence. My inspiration is that these Ruthiu boys continue to fight it each day by going to school and pushing for excellent grades, in spite of the uncertainty of their future.
When these older boys carried in the 50 chickens on Thursday afternoon, they were just glowing. They were so excited and proud and happy. I spoke with each of the 10 older boys, and told them that we were counting on them to raise these chickens well, and to care for them, so that everyone could have eggs, and so that they could sell some of the eggs for money. And each registered the importance of their task. It was that afternoon that will stay with me most. So -- I would ask that everyone keep these 22 boys and 50 chickens in their prayers.
And finally - the safari. After the emotions and challenges of the two weeks - the 24 hour safari was wonderful. Giraffes, elephants, lions, buffalo, monkeys, baboons... it was amazing. I kept pinching myself. I was really only 5 feet from a beautiful lioness. Amazing.
Finally - major thanksgiving and prayers for all who took care of us on this trip. We had excellent drivers (especially Bundy - who has been driving the group for all five years), Blaise (the KenyaHELP country representative) and the hotel staff made us feel safe and cared for.
So.. now the work begins of telling the stories of that these students have entrusted to us - to try to maintain their scholarships and therefore their dreams, and goals, and hopes. As David (Paul's father the doctor) said as we walked through the GB airport today - "We did leave Meru a bit better than we found it". And I truly believe that we let those kids - both the KenyaHELP students and the Ruthiu boys - know that they matter to us in the United States - that they are God's children.