Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a morning person…..  That being said, I woken up everyday hours before our alarm goes off!!  God only knows how I’ve managed to function this past week, but after today, I think I’ll take up being a morning person from now on.  Showing up to Kiamaiko this morning bright and early to hundreds of  joyful children singing to us was an unbelievable feeling.  Sid, Scott and I were thrown into our room to set up the stage for our epic puppet show only 5 minutes before we were to start and it was a great success!  Before arriving here, I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t have to work on the medical team because I thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it and where did I end up after lunch????  WELL… I’m glad to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong! Taking temperatures, getting people signed in, and assisting Dr. Don was an experience I’ll never forget.  Helping people who have everything from a runny nose to malaria to AIDS is an opportunity we wish more people could have.  We as Americans get so lost in how big or expensive things are in OUR world that we forget what truly matters.  In the economic decline of our society we still haven’t learned any of the valuable lessons that these people have ingrained in them.  These people have nothing and yet they are so rich.  Compared to them, we may be wealthy, but their wealth goes much further than we could ever imagine.  They are rich in spirit, in hope, and in love.  I’m elated at the progress the Pangani Center has made in the slums of Nairobi and I’m eager to see what awaits them in the near future.

Only 7 days left……  Dianna Lopez ( Kiamiko school)

Today I had the opportunity of being on the medical team at the school in Kiamaiko. Suzanne and I worked frivolously to take vitals on all of the patients before they saw Dr. Hoechelin. There were a few moments where I looked up to see hundreds of people in line and it was a bit overwhelming but the faces of the kids and parents made it all worth it. They were so thankful to be getting help and to be getting help. There was a child named John who was very timid but when I bent down to shake his hand and introduce myself he cracked a smile. I was then able to joke with him while taking his height that he was possibly the tallest one in the whole village. When he left to see the doctor his mother thanked me because going in to it, he was very afraid to see the Doctor, but when he left triage he was looking forward to it. It was amazing to see that when God is in control something as routine as checking height can brig a child joy. We saw 218 patients in total and will be able to see more tomorrow. Praise God!

Kaylee Messner ( Kiamiko school)

HOPE!!!
That’s what I wanted to see when I came here and that is what I have seen so far. It has been PERFECTLY illustrated by the kids. All the joy and love that these kids show is overwhelming and powerful and shines towards a bright future for Kenya. We started this morning in prayer and praise on the way to the school and it totally started the day off right. It was awesome helping at Madoya! It is totally a blessing to see the kids get excited for everything! They loved everything we did today! I got to work with Vince, Kaylie and Charlene to entertain hundreds of kids with a story. I got to portray Satan as a puppet and I did my best to scare the kids with my “Batman/Mr. T” voice. I think I did a pretty good job since I almost had a little girl cry.  They were all scared until they learned that if they read the Bible everyday and pray everyday they will be able to defeat Satan. Also it was really amazing to see a male teacher in the school, because a lot of the children don’t have a father and because of his dedication and love of the students they have a male role model. Later on today we worked with “Bring in the Light”. The first house we went to was Brooke’s sponsor child’s house. We were able to install a skylight into his ceiling of his home. We also got to talk with his older sister Carman, who is 13 and couldn’t go to school because she didn’t have the funds to do so. We were able to pray for her and we gave her a small painting that had a heart with the word “Love” written on it. When the skylight got put in place a beam of light settled around that heart and it caught all of our attention. In that moment, God showed that He is moving in Kenya and Jesus Christ really is the light of this world.  With Him there is always hope. 

Brent Ingram ( Madoya School)

Waking up this morning at 6:30am we quickly boarded our bus and headed to Kiamaiko for our official first day of VBS! We prayed that God would prepare our hearts for what we were about to see.  As soon as we arrived to the school the children sang us welcome songs as well as worship songs! It’s so heart warming and such a blessing to see how excited the kids get when they see us.  Their eyes are filled with joy and appreciation it literally brings me to tears! Leading worship with Natalya today was such a mind-blowing experience!  We taught the kids several worship songs along with hand motions and had a blast with it! I also was given the opportunity to help Dr. Don with medical assisting.  It was so amazing to hold the hand of a little boy or girl who had never seen a scale before and just love and comfort them through this. I remember looking up to what seemed like an endless line of patients but they were so eager and so appreciative to be seen and helped by us they didn’t even mind how long we were taking. I am truly blessed beyond words by these people! After VBS we worked with “Bring the Light” and I was in a group with Vince and our translator Robert where we went in the slums and shared with a group of men who had previously been street boys.  There were already 3 born again Christians in the group and 3 who accepted Christ today! We also had one guy who is thinking about accepting Jesus as his Lord and Savior and we are supposed to visit him tomorrow in hopes that he is ready to accept Him. God has revealed so much to me just within the short time we got to spend in Kaimaiko. I can’t wait to see the lives that are going to be transformed within the next couple of days!

Katelyn Daw ( Kiamiko school)