Update from Eileen

Tuesday in Kitale our team split up to experience several different experiences. Revee' and I had the opportunity to join Daniel and Anne on some TI work. We walked into town where we met our first challenge - crossing a rather deep water pipe ditch on a 2 x 4. Fortunately Daniel was there to lend a hand across otherwise I'm sure I would have fallen in the ditch. We headed across the street to the hospital where we met up with Sopora, the Hope Bright Future Home manager. She was there with Martin and Stella who were receiving care for chicken pox and malaria. From there we met Anne and some Kenyan government officials at the Children's Welfare Department. Hopping into the back of a truck we headed fro the market to pick up rice and beans for the widow's project we were going to visit. I went with Anne to pick up the beans. She grabbed my hand as we wove our way through the crowded market place with Kenyan men calling out mzungu (white) behind me. We darted down an alleyway where on either side vendors were selling beans and maize. Mission accomplished we met up with Revee' and Daniel who had gone off to purchase a super sized bag of rice to go with the beans. Soon we were off on our primary mission which was to assess a widow's project which claimed to be taking care of 20 or more orphans. Daniel explained that thorough assessment is necessary because often times these claims are a scam. A few minutes into our trip the truck broke down but it wasn't too long before the problem was fixed and we were on our way toward turkana. When we reached our final destination we were welcomed by twenty or more women dancing singing and making some strange African sounds. As Revee' and I stepped out of the truck we were engulfed by the women giving double side hugs to each one before being led up to the porch where we would then shake hands with all the men. Soon we all sat down to hear the story of their need for support from the Children's Welfare Department. It didn't take too long to determine that the story didn't seem quite legitimate. One of the first signs of something off was when a rather well fed Kenyan woman got up to speak prompting us to wonder if there really was an issue with feeding the kids. Then the woman who they claimed was the teacher led the children in song, but the children didn't seem to really know the song or seem to have a connection to the teacher. Afterward we inspected the dwelling which again did not seem like it was really being lived in - very suspicious. Before leaving we spent some time interacting with the children who were supposed to be the primary focus of the meeting with this group. Daniel asked several of them if they lived with these women to which most replied that they lived down the road. It was pretty clear that they had rounded up some children to pose as their orphans. Daniel also pointed out that the children would have appeared more malnourished and shown signs of ring worm on their  scalp. Daniel's gut feeling was that what we saw was a scam which was hard to accept because we were hoping that there would be a legitimate need. All in all it was a fascinating experience to learn how Ti goes about investigating potential projects. Daniel and Anne's commitment to helping widows and orphans requires sound judgement and a discerning spirit. Kenyan children and people pull at your heart strings but today I learned that effective ministry means having a firm commitment to your mission. We can trust God with his decision to trust us as he leads us to those who truly are the neediest.