Friday, August 13, 2010

The Mzungu Cry

In my heart I know that a day well spent is a day spent with the people you love.  Many days I get to spend time at the IDP camp just down the hill from where we live in Kijabe. An experience in itself, the 30-45 minute drive is full of bumps, and then bigger bumps, rocks, pikis (motorcylces), people, and the occasional donkey. After several hours spent at the IDP camp, I usually return home very dirty and very tired, both emotionally and physically.  But, I always return home with a grateful heart that God has given me another day with sweet friends.

Spending much time at the camp has allowed me and several of my friends to develop a bond with many of the children.  What a delight to see their personalities come out in full as they get used to the mzungu who is around so much.  There were several who, when seeing me and friends coming their way, would immediately break into what we call "the mzungu cry!"  I never knew I could be so scary!  Over the course of time, however, the children have learned to trust us and share a little piece of their hearts with us.  There are others who would never smile or giggle. Some of those very children now run and squeal with delight when they see the car pulling into the camp. It is not that I or any of my friends have done anything amazing. Really, there are times I think we are a little boring.  But, God has placed this love in our hearts for these children and it is our joy to spend our time in their presence.

My friend Jillian, who happens to be an excellent photographer with a tender heart for African children, is visiting us for the next few weeks. She has already captured beautiful images of some of these little ones.

Meet some of the people I love:

Joy.  Every time we came walking towards her, Joy would bury her head and let out a loud "mzungu cry!" That was, until about 2 weeks ago.  Slowly warming up to us, Joy now lets us hold her hand and smiles and giggles when she sees us coming. What a cute smile she has!




Peter. Formerly known as "Peter the Pincher."  He earned his nickname by pinching the other children and us. Many of our early visits ended with him crying and fighting with the others. Peter has learned to relax a little and is now all fun and games.  




Vanessa and sister Trisha.  Many of you already know of Vanessa and Trisha. We met them only about 6 weeks ago.  Fleeing from the IDP camp to Mombasa, their mother left them to the care of an elderly grandmother who has a full time job.  Vanessa, 6 yrs. old, has become the primary caregiver for her younger sister Trisha. Our first meeting of Trisha found her covered in mud and feces, a rash from her neck to her feet, and sad tears.  Vanessa, very stoic, kept her distance as she watched us day after day.  On my last visit to the IDP camp, Vanessa ran to greet me with a skip in her step and held my hand tightly as we walked to one of the tents. Trisha is all about Emily! Emily and her have a special relationship as Trisha has felt Emily's love for her. How precious to see these genuine smiles! 





Martin. I don't know a lot about Martin, except that he loves to wear Superman pjs and loves to mimic whatever we say.  Martin stayed in the background for a long time.  Only recently has he emerged to play with us during our visits.  He loves to repeat whatever we say in his sweet sing-song voice.  My favorite is to hear him repeating "The Barney Song"...I love you, you love me...





Kamau. Cynthia.  These 2 are not related, but they are 2 of the most lovable children in the whole camp. Kamau, 4  yrs. old, is 1 of 10 siblings.  Drawn to Kamau on our very first visit to the IDP camp, we spent almost the entire time trying to make him smile, to no avail. He is not smiling in this picture, but he is normally all smiles now! Bob is Kamau's favorite. It is a sight to see Kamau skipping and jumping all the way from his tent right up into Bob's arms.  Cynthia, whose mother is dying of AIDS, is 11 yrs. old. A beautiful young lady, she is smart and full of hugs.  Cynthia loves to take Emily to her tent and prepare chai for the 2 of them.  





I share these faces and brief stories with you as a reminder that the heart of a child, though it may be covered with layers of hurt and fear, is still soft ground.  Scripture tells us to "guard our hearts above all else because it is the wellspring of life."  Many of these children have learned to guard their hearts. They've been wounded by the evil acts of others; they've gone hungry at night as they try to sleep in cold tents; they've seen their parents weep as they have adjusted to a life that was forced upon them.  But, we have seen that in these guarded hearts, there is the heart of a child that still wants to laugh and play and love.


Naomi's Village.  Not all of the children above need Naomi's Village, but some of them do.  These children are why we press on to complete Naomi's Village. We long for the day they'll not have to live with such guarded hearts.  

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Me and Meryl Streep

When I was in college my favorite movie was Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.  The beauty of the country of Kenya, the romance of it all, and Meryl Streep's clothing captivated me.  Not once during the numerous times I watched the movie did it ever occur to me to actually go to Kenya.  I was quite content viewing it from the other side of the screen - the other side of the world. 


25 years after Out of Africa hit the theaters, I find myself living in Kenya.  My family's Kenya experience began in July 2003 when God very clearly led us to Kijabe, Kenya for a one month stay. Emily was 5 years old and Will only 4 years old.  Looking at pictures of our first trip to Kenya, I have since exclaimed to my husband, Bob, "I would have never taken them to Kenya back then if I had known how little they were!"  During that month we experienced beauty that left us speechless, suffering that left us heartbroken, and ridiculousness that provided much laughter. We left Kenya in 2003 not knowing if we would ever return.  


Those of you who have had the opportunity to visit Kenya know there is something about this country and her people that find a permanent place in your heart.  It was no different for us.  


After 3 subsequent trips to Kenya, our family moved to Kijabe, Kenya in August 2008.  My husband is an orthopedic surgeon and is working part-time at the 2 local hospitals in Kijabe. I taught high school math at Rift Valley Academy for the past 2 years, but have resigned from that to focus entirely on the children's home we are building.  Emily and Will attend Rift Valley Academy and love living in Africa. Together with Lost Orphans International we are building a children's home called Naomi's Village.  There is more information about what our family is doing on our website (the link is listed above).  It has been an interesting, exciting, frustrating, hilarious, heart-breaking ride in Kenya.  Most days I am touched anew by the beauty, the suffering, or the ridiculousness of Kenya. We do have a website and I also have a facebook.  Recently, however, I felt the need for a personal space to write to help me process this life in Kenya.  I chose a public forum because some of the experiences God allows me to be a part of just need to be shared.  I look forward to sharing life in Kenya, seen through the eyes of this suburban mom, with you - wherever you may be!