Called

‘Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Is 1:17’.

Sometimes I feel a great burden on my life. I think and pray for all the precious orphans He has entrusted into my life, the ones with no mother’s or father’s to love them. I also think about the kids I meet who live on the streets. Sometimes the burden feels so heavy and I feel so inadequate to fill the need.

However...!!! I am so grateful that it's not really about me. It's about Jesus. Each day He equips me more and more to be his hands and feet and to shine some love and light to these kids. I know that God has called me to do this work and I am blessed to be able to do it each day! I am thankful that I am in a place that I'm close enough to be a part of their lives. Your prayers are greatly appreciated! Asante sana!

 

 

Maji

Maji (Water)!

Jesus Helpers have informed me that they have finally been able to hook up water for the orphanage! Praise God! It is such a blessing to be able to help them in this way! In the past the children have been pushing a wheelbarrow, many, many kilometres and carrying back jerry-cans full of water! This is for bathing, cooking, washing...everything. It will be so nice for them to have it at the centre now and it will also free up the kids for more play time!  Pastor Steven is going out to purchase a large water tank tomorrow so they are able to store the water inside the orphanage compound.  J

 

‘The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me’. Mat 25:40

Thika!

This weekend I needed to get back into the ‘real’ Kenya- the Kenya I know from last year! I decided to head up to Thika to see my friend Mary for her birthday! It was SUCH a wonderful day...just what my heart needed. I set off from home just after 7am and arrived in Thika 2 hours later! I did some shopping for some school supplies as it is much cheaper there than where I live. The guys at the supermarket remembered me and chatted with me for a while.

I then went to meet up with a friend, Paul, who is a volunteer at AFCIC (The home for street kids). I had a wonderful morning with him and a few of the street boys. They were teaching me many new things in Kikuyu...which I need to practice a lot! J I also had fun playing with some small children who were around the centre. We then walked to the centre for small street boys and I had heaps of fun playing soccer with them all. After that I asked Paul to take me to a marketplace down the back of Thika. This market has a reputation for being a place where you can get things at rock-bottom prices. I was happy when Paul said he’d accompany me as I knew that I would have most probably been charged ‘mzungu’ price if it weren’t for his help.

Paul then suggested we play a little game in the market! It was SO much fun! He spoke with me only in Kikuyu and I tried to reply when I understood him. Everyone in the market was SO shocked that I ‘understood’ Kikuyu! Haha. This was a great technique as I learnt a bit more Kikuyu and the shopkeepers were much happier to sell me things for cheaper prices! I got 20 shirts for painting for $3.50! I was pretty proud of myself. I tried to respond with as much Kikuyu as I could remember at the time! I was also about to get other craft supplies and such for very cheap.

After this Paul walked me up to meet Mary and Trizah at Jogoo (the place where I lived last year!). It was so lovely to see my gals! I love those pair so much! We then went and had a very late lunch at the Jogoo Hotel where it was great to see old friends from last year. It was then really late and so I decided to stay the night with Mary and Trizah. It was a wonderful day and night and I miss days like this where I can play and joke with Kenyans all day! Can’t wait to do it again sometime soon!

 

Jesus Helper's on Facebook!

Jesus Helper's Children's Home Facebook Page! Like for all the updates! :)

https://www.facebook.com/JesusHelpersChildrensHome?ref=hl

Loving Compassion

This was my devotion for today...just thought I'd share...! :) With love. It's taken from a book called "Hope for each day" by Billy Graham.


In this is love, not that we loved God, but the He loved us! 1 John 4:10

"The supreme happiness of life", Victor Hugo said, "is the conviction that we are loved". Love is the first requirement for mental health," declared Sigmund Freud.

Unfortnuately, many people go through life feeling unloved- and unlovable. Perhaps they were constanalty critisised or ignored as children, or their family was torn by conflict. Perhaps they made bad choices about important issues in life- which only confirmed their belief that they were unworthy of love. This may be your experience.

But listen: I have good news! No matter the reason, your feelings aren't telling you the truth! God loves YOU, and if you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will begin to change. If He didn't love you, would Christ have been willing to die for you? But He did! The Bible says "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us" (John 3:16).

God loves you. Hammer the truth into your heart and mind every day! It will make all the difference!

Avocados!

Blessings from my neigbour's guard! Today he spent the day climbing our neigbour's avocado tree to collect these for me. He said it was a gift for me for being willing to talk with him on my way out each day! :) I will keep talking. :)

Brothers...

Today my heart is joyful! After a few weeks of trying to organise a catch up...I finally got to see 3 of my boys today! Words can not and will never descibe how much these boys changed my life (and I don't know if they even know that?)

I met them in 2009 and from the moment I met them...their lives spoke honesty, truth and a rawness. The story of their lives impacted my heart to it's core. They have all been through struggles which I can not imagine...and have chosen to rise above them. And each time I see them...I am SO much prouder of them. They have turned into strapping, honourable young men. I feel like what I can only imagine a proud mama would feel.

I am sad that I can't spend every day with them...and that I live on the total opposite end of Nairobi from them...but will cherish the times that we CAN share. You know who you are and I can't speak just how proud of you I am. Nakupenda sana. :) Love dada.