Stories

Here we go. Ok.

Well, today was actually the last day to be with the kids. 

And it was rough. 

Very rough. 

I'll miss my Bomani peeps

Naomi

Kazungu

Abraham

And Hadija. 

I'll miss them all sooo much and I love them. 

This is Naomi. 

She captured my heart the second I met her and literally did not leave my side the whole time we were at Bomani. 

Today, she asked me to take many videos of her singing to me so I could quote " view them when I get sad and miss her." 

How precious is she. 

Let me answer that-SHES SO PRECIOUS. 

This is her story. 

Naomi is in standard (grade) 3, is ten years old, and has nine brothers and sisters. 

She is one of three from her family that attends the New Life Bomani school, and the others either dropped out due to no money, or just couldn't go at all due to no money.

She told me that when she gets home, she helps cook and clean and take care of her younger siblings, and then sometimes eats and goes to bed.

She has a mother and father and older sisters who have babies that she is an aunt to.

She also carries her nieces and nephews as well as watch her younger siblings. 

And she's ten. 

She loves to sing and dance and has a beautiful voice:)

Just beautiful. 

And she loves to sing for others and make them happy with what God has given her, which I think is just awesome. 

She has just the best heart and loves her friends very much. 

Today was the Bomani 'vbs' day, and for the craft, the kids made bags that they wrote on and decorated. In case you can't tell, Naomi wrote "I love you Maddie" on her bag. 

I almost bawled my eyes out right in front of her when she showed me. 

She said "I wrote this so that whenever I look at it, it reminds me of you."

Aaaaand here I go again :'(

She gave me many letters on paper that I'm sure was hard to get for her family, which also made me weep, and I only wish I could bring her back home with me. 

I love her smile. 

I love her. 

We were walking along today, and randomly, Naomi says 

"Maddie guess what" Me: What? Naomi: I had a dream about you last night. Me: Oh really! What was it about? Naomi: In my dream, you took me with you back to America so I could have a better life. Me: *choking up, trying not to cry in front of her* Wow, I really wish I could. Naomi: Yeah, me too. I'll miss you, Maddie. Me: I'll miss you too. *crying*

These kids, they just have so many stories. 

So many. 

And they are so full of new perspectives, and ways of looking at life like you or I could never imagine.

 

But they are yet to be heard. 

And this is why we come.

To hear the stories of the broken. 

And to make them new again.

--Side note that doesn't have anything to do with the above post but you should still read it--

So, for the next two days, I will be on a safari, without wifi, and I think this post is my last for the trip. 

Because after safari, IM COMING HOME. :) / :(

So sad:( I've had such a great time venting my feelings and thoughts to you guys, and sharing a piece of my experience in Kenya. 

And I am loving all the support and encouragement and prayers. They are what keep me posting!

It was unbelievable. (To say the least)

I honestly don't know if there is a word to describe my experience here because it was unlike anything else. Ever. 

I will miss the kids and coming home and journaling online about it but all good things have to come to an end, right? 

And I miss all my family and friends back home<3 

I think my mom would have a conniption if I stayed any longer to be perfectly honest. Lol

So anyways, thanks everyone for reading my thoughts and I hope it has impacted you in some way as this trip has definitely changed my life forever. 

And I really do hope that Africa hasn't seen the last of me:)

Alright, well I have a super early day tomorrow! 

I love you all!:) 

God bless,

Maddie

Hurricane

So, I thought today was just going to be a storm. 

Man was I wrong. it was more like a hurricane. 

Crashing about and destroying everything in its path. 

The last minutes with my girls came fast and hard. 

And I just couldn't keep the tears back. 

I got about fifty letters from the eight of them and they are all so precious to me. When they started to tear up, I promised them I would come back. 

And dear lord I hope that happens. 

Because look at them. 

How can you say goodbye to those faces forever. 

Simple solution: You can't.

And tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my Bomani girls and few boys. 

And I just cannot say goodbye to them forever. 

Cannot. 

It's more of a see you later. 

But it's still hard. 

I will never know, until seeing them again, what will happen to them throughout the year. 

I really could never see them again.

It's amazing to me how kids can capture your heart the way these kids captured mine.

It's been quite the few days with these kids and I will never forget them.

They made my days with them so memorable and so full of life and happiness. 

We sang and played games and they did their vbs thing and found me right away after it was done. 

All I have to do is look at them and a smile is across my face:)

They asked me to pray for them. 

Not for themselves, but for pretty much everyone but themselves. 

For their mom, who is having a hard time taking care of all her children. 

For their friend who is having family troubles. 

For their siblings who don't go to Bomani or Vipingo and hardly get anything to eat. 

For everyone but them. 

I can't stand to look into their eyes sometimes, because of all the pain I se in them.

And it cuts deep.

Really deep.

I so wish I could post all of the videos I have of the girls singing because they are just too precious.

Meet the Vipingo crew:)

Agnes

Patience

Saumu

Faith

Grace

Veronica

Rasso

Matilda

Their smiles just make me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. 

To see how incredibly happy they are about everything that their life brings/offers is a beautiful thing. 

They live in houses that look like this

Yet their faces look like this

Because simply put, metaphorical hurricanes will destroy all the stuff in this world. 

And stuff doesn't matter. 

God does.

And he can never be destroyed.

The storm before the storm

Today was supposed to be a low-key day, but it was only the storm before the real emotional storm. 

We went to both Bomani and Vipingo to prepare of the big VBS days tomorrow and Wednesday, and taught the sixth grade songs and the bible story so they could teach the littles. 

It was fun, but exhausting. 

And I got to see my peeps for the second last time. 

Tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my Vipingo girls. 

I love them. I love them all. 

And they wrote me letters today that almost brought me to tears. 

They said they loved me and they are going to cry when I leave and miss me everyday I'm gone. 

Tomorrow will be rough. 

And then on Wednesday I have to say goodbye to my Bomani peeps. 

Good. Ness.

But I really miss my home and all of the people in and around it.

But look at their faces. 

If you can't tell already, I have so many mixed emotions and I don't know what to do about them except for bawl my eyes out, which is what 75% of tomorrow will consist of.

All these kids. It feels like I will be here forever sometimes. 

But I won't. 

And that will be the hardest thing to process for me.

They sang for me so many times today and they are just so filled with joy I love it. 

All they want is to be loved. 

Kazungu reading the bible story:)

It was just too precious. 

Kazungu loves to play with cameras and take amazing photos. 

I'm gonna miss him too. 

I'll miss all my peeps. 

But now it's only the storm before the storm.

Emotional exlax

You all know exlax. I'll just leave it at that. 

If you don't know it, google's got your back. 

Anyways, some metaphorical (As my uncle Jason would say) emotional exlax poured into me today and I just broke down. 

For about half an hour. 

And it was much needed. 

Everything that I've been seeing and thinking about on this trip just kept flooding in and then something else came up and I just couldn't hold in my emotions anymore. 

And I don't know how to explain the feeling of how emotionally exhausting it is to see kids that are not being helped and not having power or resources to do anything about it. 

A bunch of us on the team were talking about this type of thing on the way to Bomani today. Someone said: "I never fully understood the need here. Pictures can only do so much." 

And I cannot agree more. 

Just like so many things, certain situations just cannot be understood by those who have not seen/experienced it. 

So I'm trying my best to describe what I see and experience. 

But there's so much. 

This is Naomi. 

She is in Standard (Grade) 3, and is ten years old. 

She has a total of ten brothers and sisters, and is one of two siblings that goes to Bomani for schooling. 

She stayed by me the whole time I first met her and also today and I love her to death. 

I had the kids write me letters today about what they want to be when they grow up and their name, grade, etc. But also, they all put that I was their bestfriend and they loved me:) I got a little leaky reading those a few minutes ago. 

And I feel I'm going to be leaky for a long time in the best coming days when I have to say goodbye to these kids for real. 

I don't know how I'm going to process it all. 

Anyways, the kids absolutely adored my sunglasses and camera and took some pictures all day and played around with my camera. 

A few minutes before we had to leave Bomani, the girls all stood around and sang songs to me. 

And it made me leaky again.

Her eyes just say so much. 

This was another little sweetheart that was with me all day. <3

They are all just so joyful.

Sometimes we all need a little emotional exlax. 

To keep pushing forward,

and do what we are meant to. 

Sticking

I love these girls. Seven of them literally did not let go of me all day today. 

It was amazing. 

After getting a late start to our day, we took the bus to Vipingo and had the big community day there today. All we did all day was hang out with the kids and made them happy. 

I think it made me more happy than the kids to be honest. 

They followed me around everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Even the bathroom:) haha

It was afreakingdorable. 

They also gave me two cornrows. Yes they hurt so bad and I was tearing up. 

But it made them happy so I went along with it:)

They must have played with my hair for a good hour and I may have lost over a hundred hairs, but it's alright:)

We also laughed for about 10 minutes at how white I am. 

So that happened. :)

I brought a bag of like 300 foam stickers and they were gone in roughly 2.8 seconds flat. 

I was mobbed on several occasions.

But it's about the kids. 

Not me. 

It's about that smile right there. 

And sticking next to me all day. 

Just sticking. 

Look Into Their Eyes

Every time I look at one of these kids, I see so much. 

The hurting, the pain of everyday life just kills me. 

But they always are smiling, and it's beyond inspiring. 

Today we had a change of plans and took a 'sea safari' where our guide, (who was coincidentally named Jesus HA) showed us a bunch of sealife along the coast of the Indian Ocean in front of our hotel.

It was awesome. 

^^Sea cucumber

I love how all of the kids get so excited when they see any form of life. It's awesome. 

Their little faces just light up and it's just great. 

^^Sea spider on Hamisi. Which, by the way, Jesus put on my arm and I was absolutely freaked out. 

Also the kids love to take pictures, and I let them use my camera actually today(AHH). (Don't worry I made them wear the strap)

Walking on the beach was incredible. It's unlike anything in the states and I love it. 

^^This was me and Jason's group today and I love them. The girls played with my hair and asked me about how I got here and said they would pray so that I could come back every year. And they carried my bag for me. They also laugh at darn near everything I say and it's hilarious! All of these kids are just so precious. The boy with all the shoes just took everyone's and tied them all up and threw them on his back! These kids are so interested in everything and so disciplined. They are just the best kids. 

Jesus and Nassir:) LOOK AT NASSIR'S SMILE. 

After the sea safari, we went to get ice cream:) It was a good day for us all. 

There goes my fro again.

Oh goodness.

SELFIE

It is so beautiful by the ocean. Omgn. 

After the ocean, we sent the kids back to their schools and went to hang mosquito nets in the village of Bomani. 

(Ok that pic was from yesterday lol) But we also went today. 

Anyways...

The picture below was a stroke of genious of mine:) The sand says Kenya 2014 and I had the kids put their hands around it:)

Look into their eyes. They tell a story unlike any other. 

Faith without action is dead.

This will take a good chunk out of your day to read and/or process:). You have been warned!

When walking through tthe villages today and hanging nets, I saw a verse from James painted on a family's door that really hit me: James 2:17 "In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. " The simple bluntness and powerfulness of this verse just blew me away. I thought it was perfect. Hanging the nets today gave me a whole new perspective into the real life of many children in our schools, and their families. 

This is what it looks like for a normal family to live. What does it look like for your family to live?

Definitely not this, I'm sure if that. 

Take time to be thankful for what you have, because, even the little things are so much more than some of these families could ever imagine. 

Moving into a high note, we got to spend time with some Bomani and Vipingo class 6 peeps at the Kenyan version of a zoo called Holler Park which was awesome. 

^^My group for the day:) They were so awesome and absolutely loved taking pictures of everything and everyone:) It was a good day.

^^Yes that's a real living tortoise and it's huge. They even have a sign that says to not sit on them!

^^This is a picture taken with no zoom. I was actually that close! It was unreal. The kids got to feed the giraffes right out of their hands and it was so cool!

^^ZEBRA! (I had to)

Anyways, after the fun time at the zoo, we headed straight to Vipingo to eat some lunch and spend time with the kids there:)

I can't.

^^ I had this group of about six or so girls hanging on to me for dear life the whole time we were with the kids at Vipingo and it was great.

^^Their smiles could light a room thousands if miles away. Literally.

I love every moment with the kids and every moment spent holding a kids hand, or just asking them their name in Swahili. Because sometimes that's all they need. The really shy littles do this downright adorable thing where if you ask them a specific question, and the answer is yes, they raise their eyebrows to respond yes. It is the most adorable thing ever and I love it. 

^^Me and my Vipingo girls:)<3

They all sing so often and with such enthusiasm. I love it. They sing in their games, they sing as a greeting, and they sing just because God made them and gave them a beautiful gift. And yes they do sing beautifully. After hanging with the kids for a while, we had lunch and then went to hang nets. One of the best opportunities I have ever had in my life to serve others and make a difference. It was awesome to say the least. It is so fun to practice my Swahili and having them laugh at me when I mispronounce words;) I'm learning so much from the kids and have picked up on phrase like "crazy white person" which, you never know!

We asked people to come into their homes and hang nets, hung them, and then prayed with them, asking for peace and protection over their home. It was awesome. 

I wish y'all could see the huge smiles and hear the words of gratitude from these people. 

It makes all the difference in the world just to say hi or put up a mosquito net or have a conversation. 

It's incredible. 

I also can say (with pride) that my hair has never been as big as it was today in my entire life. 

I had a legit fro. 

It was insane. 

So was the humidity. 

^^A Kenyan named Julius played around with my camera and I let him take a pic of me:)

So to say the least, I love it here.

And faith without action is dead.

The door is open, all you have to do is walk in.