My Boys

Guess who crawled out of the drain today?  And you thought I was kidding!  (Reference the last bit of "Amka - Wake Up" and you'll be in on the joke.)    

Deanna asked, "Are there any poisonous lizards in Kenya?"  No idea.  You are on your own, my girlfriend!  Just recently decided I'm going to avoid all sinks for the duration of my visit.  Have no fear.  He was quite small...1 1/2 inches long and sort of cute, actually.

Out at the orphanage, trim seemed to be the theme of the day.  Denise, Jenna and Deanna picked up where the CO team left off...priming all the trim in the storage room.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.  Just be prepared to move quickly at the first sight of a rain cloud...it rains every afternoon.  Kenya is sort of like Florida in that way...well, not really.  Actually, not at all.

Today was the CO group's last day helping us.  :(  They were such an amazing bunch of people...I really enjoyed my time with them.  We are going to miss them.  But the good news is I have like 10 places to stay in Colorado Springs next time I go there!!

This is a photo of the entire raucous crowd...CO team, MJC team, 60 some children and staff.  Smiles all the way around.

The kids came in to see the artwork after returning from school...

and proved once again, that kids all around the world are the same.  Goofy faces everyone!  Veronica, Beryl, Jenna, Irene, Mike and Gordon remind us that gettin' a little crazy is fun!

My man, Mike, was a big help to me this evening when it was time to clean the brushes, rollers and trays.  Might have something to do with the very large chocolate bars I slid under his pillow and under Brian's pillow after they helped me with some jobs on Sunday night...not quite sure.  Nonetheless, the boy can clean...you can tell he's done some laundry in his day.

Mike and Brian...couldn't decide which of these photos to include...so you get to see both!  Love their personalities in the first one...and just such happy, handsome boys in the second.

I love these boys...and I'll tell you why.  They are stand up, hard-working, polite young men who have a real sense of responsibility toward the younger kids.  And their stories show me that this orphanage works.  

Richard personally took Mike from the slums.  He was addicted to sniffing glue and had a one way ticket to H, E, double toothpicks (as we say at the Teel household...where you also aren't allowed to say "crap" unless you are in the treehouse with your friends).  When he first came to the orphanage, Judy (the social worker) told me he would throw plates of food at her and rant...and now he willingly helps me clean my dirty paint trays and carries my back pack.  Come on!!

And Brian, sweet Brian, was a thief!  Judy said you couldn't leave anything anywhere...it would disappear and he would look you right in the eye and, quite convincingly, claim he knew nothing.  But with love and patience and security, he has grown into an awesome boy.  I mean, I call him my Swahili "mwalimu" (pay attention, people..."teacher"). He takes the time to slowly speak each word, form each syllable, and repeat it over and over until I get it.  The instant gratification required by "the thief" has been replaced by patience.  He also has a great sense of fun.  I always catch his eye in a crowd and give him the two-fingered "I'm keeping my eye on you" look...and I'm rewarded with that beautiful smile.

And one more photo of my friend, Collins...

Remember how I told you how impressed I am with Kenyan creativity and resourcefulness?  Well, clearly, it starts at a young age.  Collins fashioned a camera (Canon Supershot maybe??) out of pipe cleaner complete with rotating zoom lens. He wields his creation like a true paparazzi!  Smile! Checka, cheka!

Tish