Today, Saturday, was by far the most emotionally draining day that our team has experienced and will experience. If you read below on the last few blogs, you would see that we were attending a funeral for Veronica, the little girl who had been HIV positive and then recently came down with chicken pox. Ultimately, her immune system could not fight the chicken pox, and sadly she passed away. However, as death is always a surprise and full of pain, Veronica is rejoicing with our Lord and Savior. How sweet it must be.
Apparently, I am the “funny guy” of this trip. That really isn’t that hard when there are only two guys matched up with 9 girls. If you ever wondered what the lyrics “try to catch me riding dirty” would look like, picture 40 adults and children piling into a van(matatu).....max seating is 14. The shocks were reduced to nothing and every little bump we hit, our bodies were screaming. Not to mention, the van is hardly street legal with the driver flying down the road( if that’s what you want to call it ), with really no regard to anyone else. Truly an experience. Words don’t do it justice.
Our team was not really sure what to expect today. We arrived at the Hope Bright Future home around 9:30 a.m. and immediately the kids were swarming around us. As comfortable as the children were with us, it seemed as though the kids knew us their entire lives. They truly were just waiting to be embraced and wanting to feel a some sense of love. Something that this trip has definitely made me realize, is that I have taken for granted my entire life is parents who unconditionally love me, and wouldn’t give up on me when their lives got to hard.
We were able to play a few games with the kids including hide and go seek, which is not as easy as you would think since we were the only ones who really understood each other. After that, we then played red light green light. That was much easier and all the kids had a blast. Then we were off to the funeral.
Entering the funeral was probably a spectacle in itself. 15 Americans entering a very secluded village that took about 5 minutes of driving, to get to. They were very hospitable though once we arrived. They had seats ready for us and the kids that were in the shade. Not all the villagers even had shade. The funeral service lasted over three hours. But this was definitely not a typical service. Veronica was an orphan, yet there were easily over 20 members of her family. At devotions tonight with the team, Meredith(TI Staff) said that in over 2 years, not one member of Veronicas family came to the home to see her. Yet, each member of the family; aunts, uncles, grandfather, brothers, sisters, and cousins all had something to say about little Veronica. Doesn’t really add up to me. But then again, the entire Kenya culture has thrown me for a loop since being here.
After the service our team was invited into the uncles house for a rice, cabbage, beans and potatoes. It was really goood, and I’m not just saying that. I even ate the cabbage. That says a lot!
Man, this post seems like its taking forever. Maybe Andreas wasn’t that long after all.
After lunch, we took the kids back to the HBF. This was the most fun I had this entire trip. We played 20 v. 20 soccer in the yard. The kids were nasty at soccer. Seriously. Kenya soccer is legit.
Okay, this “update” is turning into a minute by minute detail and I am beat. We ate grilled cheese and raman noodles for dinner. A touch of heaven…if your not lactose intolerant. I think Gatorade would have made it just a little bit better. A great thirst quencher.
Overall, this trip I think has really just begun. This bubble that I have lived in for my entire life has just been popped and now the process of digesting what we(I) have seen and experienced has just begun. We are all very excited to see how God uses this trip to impact our lives in the near and distant future.
-Mr.Windle-
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