Day 12 - For God so loved the world ...

We have two who are staying at the lodge today, Andy and Julie. They both need to be near the bathroom if you know what I mean? Keep them in your prayers.

We arrive at the nursery school excited to see what was accomplished while we were away. We don't really know what to expect but we know they had plenty of hands on deck. We were pleasantly surprised!

Here are the renewed steps. The had taken out the top step to make it more level with the entry to the classroom. This same color was put on all the floors over the new cement to make it easier for cleaning. 

 This is one of the new sinks that was installed. They ran a line from their water tank down to the kitchen. They put a sink inside the cooking area as well as this sink. The plan is when the children arrive, they will wash their hands before they go into their classrooms. The also want them to take their shoes off and put on flip flops while in class. 

 Paul was wondering if he should grow his hair out ... What do you think? 

There wasn't much to do at first. This drove the men crazy as they wanted something to Get to work. So, they put a new seat in a chair, they put handles on two brooms that were broken, they put supports on a table, and we even saw Pastor Rob sweeping! 

Here is Tom with Samuel and some of the young men who have come to help. There really has been a bond that has developed between the men. Samuel is such a hard working man and loves helping with our project. He always has a smile on his face. 

Joy has a baby on her back, Kenyan style. This is baby Mary who has come to the school most days. She is so sweet ...

Even Pastor Rob couldn't resist a cuddle with baby Mary. She is just 3 months old.

This was suppose to be a trash box but as you can see, it became the latest toy to play with ... Just like home, right!

Our day ended a little early as we were invited to go to Irene and Dennis Tongoi's home for dinner. We were being picked up at 5 whichever became 5:30 because our taxi got a flat. The ride took us almost an hour because of traffic. We got to see more of Nairobi which was nice. 

Our hosts served us an amazing dinner. After finishing our meal, Irene told us her story of how God humbled her to change the way she thought about the poor and her journey to start New Dawn, which is the High School in the Huruma slum. Her husband told us how he was raised in a wealthy home but attended school with the poorest of the poor. He had always had a heart for he poor. They both attended a conference that changed their lives and which helped Irene to challenge her faith and beliefs. Through her changed life, Irene decided she needed to hp the children of Huruma succeed and she opened New Dawn. 

Dennis concluded by saying, "For God so loved the world that he ... Wrote a check!" So many people would say, why come to Africa when you can just send the money it took to come but that's not what Christ did. He built relationships and walked with the people. He took time to listen, and to teach, and to pray with, and to die for. 

We have built relationships here in Kenya and we're glad ... Some of you reading may want to come and build your own relationships. You won't regret it, it's worth the time, the effort, the money, ... It's worth far more than you'll ever realize.

Just so you know, the ride home took 10 minutes. Traffic!!

Good Night everyone ... God Bless