Karibu!

We have arrived in Kitale...last night after the much-promised chaotic ride from Eldoret.  The traffic was atrocious...worse than LA on a bad day.  And six lanes of traffic in each direction is NOT what is happening in Kenya, FYI.  Wonderful Phillip, our driver from the last trip, met us at the airport.  And, honestly, once you see him, it's just an amazing sense of relief.  Phillip is here...we're all good.

The Karibuni Lodge surprisingly welcomed me with open arms.  (During my last visit Teresa, the proprietress, was annoyed with me for not wanting to sleep in a mouse and arachnid infested shack...well, our relationship was a bit bumpy.)  Actually, I'm sort of joking.  Teresa is really wonderful.  And she is caring for a new baby...which brings the grand total of boys in her house to three.  So let's give her some cred for that!  The new baby is Adam and was left on the doorstep.  The mother was supposed to pick him up last Saturday but didn't show...which Teresa said is really hard on her because she prepares herself to say "goodbye" to him every day.  :(

We had a late night dinner at the Karibuni but most importantly, we celebrated Kylee's 21st birthday with some cake and a Tusker!  There was some very merry singing of "Happy Birthday" late into the evening.  :)

Our first stop today was the orphanage.  Richard and Hellen came by the Karibuni and told us the kids were "jumpy" so we had to go to the orphanage as the first order of business or there would likely be a mutiny.  189 mutinous children does not sound like something I want to experience.

Here they all are...in a less mutinous mood...singing and dancing songs of welcome.  I cried when I saw some of my special friends.  (No surprise to anyone who knows me well.)

We reviewed all the progress in the orphanage...it's beautiful.  Everyone's beds were neatly made; personal items tucked under their folded blankets.  Church shoes stacked in the corner.  I toured more than one bed...let me tell you...and tried to make a fuss over each one.  "Come see my bed!!"

I found my girl, Millecent, when I first arrived!  She is the 10 year old that our family sponsors.  She's so shy...and so cute!!  I think she hardly wants to admit that we are a pair, yet she's at my side all the time.  I toured her bed...of course.  Photo op!  She's a sweet child...I'm hoping she'll look me in the eye soon! :)

I asked her to find Jackie (as I am informed she prefers to be called) and Cathrine, who are the sisters sponsored by my sisters, Janet and Jeanne.  I gave them both hugs and explained who I was...they seemed a bit confused by the crazy mzungu but I think they understood.  We had to leave quickly for a trip to the slums so I didn't get their photo, but I promise I will do that later today.

One of Jenni's many projects is to photograph and video the family of Rose at their home in the slums.  (This is the "new" Rose as opposed to the "old" Rose...who has lived at the orphanage longer and is quite lovely in her own right.)  Rose has 6 siblings, I believe, and the Mighty Acorn Foundation wants to tell their family's story to a broader audience.  So we spent an hour or so in the slums, with Jenni taking photos assisted by Kiara and Kylee.  The rest of us, of course, were swarmed by children...so precious.

Here are a few of my favorites.  Everyone wants their picture taken!! "Picha, picha!" 

And I thought this photo was interesting because it shows the corn cobs drying out in front of their home.  Corn cobs are used to fuel the cooking fire...no wood burning stoves here!  It started to rain just before we left so the six wazungu present (along with the rest of the crowd) started scooping corn into buckets and on to old cement sacks to get the "fuel" inside before it became useless.

So a friend requested a review of the happenings here in Kitale...so here is the quick summary.  The organization is called Seeds Children's Home...and it began in a very humble way.  A Kenyan couple, Pastor Richard and Hellen Makani, began about 10 years ago by feeding others at a newly formed feeding center.  They progressed to feeding more and more people and eventually opened the school in 2007.  The school currently educates about 350 children from age three through fifth grade.  They also feed an additional 50 children two meals per day six days per weeks...so that's 400 kids two meals per day six days a week.  That's a lot of rice and beans, let me tell you!

The orphanage was started in June 2011, and, with the addition of the Mighty Acorn House, now houses 189 children...with room for more.  The Seeds organization is supported by many groups.   There are churches in Colorado, Florida, Texas and a group called Chicks for Children in Arkansas that all support the work of Richard and Hellen.  The Mighty Acorn Foundation built the new orphanage (Mighty Acorn House) and has found sponsors for all its residents.  It's an amazing thing to see children's lives transformed by a safe home, full bellies and loving arms.  You can check out www.mightyacornfoundation.org for more information...if you like!  More children will be available for sponsorship soon.  :)  (HINT!)  

My friend, the "new" Rose (age 14, next year she'll be in 7th grade, favorite color: pink, best friend: Purity...what else do you need to know?) has been sitting next to me very patiently but now she needs a snack.  Time to go!

Tish