After a fun day in town, I headed over to Discover to Recover center to spend some time with the kids who live there. I love these kids so much and it was great to just spend a few hours with them. It was a little sad because in the back of my mind I kept thinking about how much I will miss these kids. Who wouldn't miss these faces?

Morgan

Benjamin

On a lighter note, today I got to spend the entire morning with Junior, Allan and Stella in town. Since leaving Endebes last year they live at the school so it is an extra special treat to go off campus. We went all around running little errands to make sure that these kids will have everything they need until the next time that I get back over here. It was so cute just to see how excited they were and to share those happy moments with them. I love these kids so much.

Junior, Stella and Allan happy to get new shoes that fit.

They were all still wearing the ones that we bought them last year.

All the Kids together

Junior

Allan

Stella

To Endebes

Sorry for the lag in posts yet again. I am trying so hard to fit in as much as I can as I prepare to head home in a few days. I am very sad that this trip is so short, but am enjoying every minute of being here. We finally made it out to visit Protenciana's mother, Pamela. . Last year we learned that Pamela was HIV+ and is stuck in a very desparate living situation. The Kenyan government offers free ARV's at the district hospital, but they need to be taken with three good meals a day or else they make the person very sick. This is a major problem for Pamela because there isn't enough food around, so she doesn't take the medicine. Pamela lives with her two sisters and their children. We have taken four children out of the house to ease a bit of the load, but now there is not any one old enough to collect firewood and Pamela is too weak. So while her sister is at work during the day Pamela stays home and cares for the kids.

We decided to take Pamela to the hospital to get the medicine that she needs and we took baby Marvelous with us. This was the most serious two year old that I have ever seen. I spend lots of time around kids at home and this baby did not smile even once during the entire first half of the day. It turns out that Marvelous had not eaten since the night before and it was almost 2:00 in the afternoon. So while Pamela was at the hospital waiting for the lab results we all went to lunch. After we ordered, Margaret, the headmaster of the school that Prote goes to, asked me if I had ever fed a baby before. I told her that it was a part of my job and Marvelous was in my lap before I knew it. So when the matoke, cooked bananas, came I started mashing them up and feeding her. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. She was lunging toward the spoon everytime it was lifted out of the bowl. This tiny baby ate the entire plate of food, which was probably about 7 whole bananas. Afterwards, Marvelous lit up and smiled for the first time.

It was a heartbreaking experience to see the true face of poverty. I have no idea what it is like to not know where my next meal is coming from, but this is something that this young baby thinks about everyday. It is a sad, but very real part of life out here. All I can do is pray for this family and others like it that God will provide for them.

Baby Marvelous

The house

It has been raining lots here. Last year there was a drought and this year the crops are getting too much rain. Our Endebes trip was delayed because the roads were too muddy for us to make it into the village. We are planning to make the trip out there on Monday. Until then here are some more pictures.

Cyril from Oasis of Hope

Here is a picture of me in town with Victor, who lives on the streets of Kitale.

Surrounded by tons of cute kids at Purpose Driven Academy.