Karibu Kitale!

I have been back in Kitale for three full days now. It is so great to be here and see all faces that I have missed since I have left. The first place that I visited was Oasis of Hope. I expected to walk into the room and have people remember my name, but I was blown away by their excitement. The kids are the same, but I was impressed to see that Oasis is expanding and adding more programs to make the lives of street kids better. A new addition to the program is occupational training. They have a sewing room with twelve new machines and the kids will be learning to sew so that they will be able to have a trade of their own as they get older. The boys can also learn carpentry and welding as a trade. One last addition to the program is a computer room, so that the kids can be able to learn some computer skills. It is funny because these children live off of the streets or come from families living below the poverty line, but in some ways they will be better equipped with advanced job skills than other children in their
community.
I was also able to go back to Sister Freda’s Hospital. She was wonderful as usual and her heart for the sick and hurting never ceases to amaze me. I went into the room where the sick children stay and was blown away when I saw Baby Anne. She was brought into the hospital on my trip last year with her mother, who was very young and very sick herself. Her mother had to go back to her family so Anne stayed behind at the hospital She weighed about ten pounds at six months old and was sick with Tuberculousis. They were scared that she would not recover, but under the watchful eye of Sister Freda and her staff she now looks great. The picture on the left is that Anne looked like when she first came to Freda’s and this is what she looks like now. She is adorable!
Today I got to return to Purpose Driven Academy. This was one place where I spent a lot of my time last year helping out the school and spending time getting to know the kids that go to school there. We drove up to the church in the back of a pick-up truck and the first kid that I saw was Junior. He was one of the kids that we picked up last year and took out of a bad living situation and brought them to school. These kids had only one outfit and had never set foot in a school before. I was so excited to see him and he looked just as excited. As soon as my feet hit the ground he threw his arms around me and gave me a huge hug. Shortly after I was greeted in the same way by many of the other kids that I had made relationships with. This picture shows me with (from right to left) Stella, Junior and Elizabeth. Just a few of the many great kids that board at Purpose Driven Academy.
I cannot even begin to describe to you how good it is to be back. It seems as if I had never left and that nothing has changed except the kids are taller than they were the last time I saw them. Thanks for taking time to time check out my blog. Stay tuned!

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6 Responses to Karibu Kitale!

  1. The Mish June 13, 2010 at 4:42 pm #

    This all sounds so great. We are so proud of you!!! Fun to read about what you are doing!

  2. Matt McGill June 13, 2010 at 6:53 pm #

    the mish is mean, she didn’t even tell me about this blog!

  3. Chip Hubert June 13, 2010 at 11:33 pm #

    Awesome, Sammy! Love you lots, praying for you. Love, Aunt XOXOXO

  4. Lisa Foto June 17, 2010 at 9:25 pm #

    Hi Sammy! So fun to see what you are up to in Kitale. Say hello to Pastor Steve and I think Matt Gillen is over there with you too or he will be very soon! Cute pictures of all of the kids. Praying for you and your latest adventure with God!! ~Lisa Foto

  5. Elizabeth June 18, 2010 at 1:15 pm #

    Sammy great to see what you are doing : ) You are Awesome!!! Love you ~ Take care

  6. John June 29, 2010 at 1:33 am #

    Sammy,
    We are all so proud of you and the love you the kids there in Kitale

PO Box 2021-30200, Kitale, Kenya

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