Who would have known that luggage tagged in the ATL airport would never make it on the plane to Kenya? That I would spend 10 days living out of my carry-on...
Who knew that "jet lag" was a legitimate phrase for needing to press reset on your biological clock?
Who knew that "jet lag" was a legitimate phrase for needing to press reset on your biological clock?
Arriving in Kenya, we made our way to Naomi's Village (NV). Bob and Julie Mendonsa and the rest of the NV staff were so welcoming and inviting for us to join the ongoing ministry of serving the kids and the surrounding community with the love of Christ.
The names, faces, and stories of these children from the NV website were now weighing heavily on our hearts as we heard their laughs, their cries, and their pleas for us to push them on the swing, kick the soccer ball, jump rope in the yard, and join them for bedtime devotions.
Our team, comprised of Georgians and Texans, took our good-spirited Southern hard work and hospitality to serve the kids of NV for two weeks. VBS, school work, soccer games, baby changing, story times, outdoor movies, bonfires & s'mores, and church services were all part of our itinerary for the duration of our stay.
Not a moment was wasted from setting out to accomplish all that we anticipated among the sights and sounds of the Great Rift Valley. While we served the children, visited the local hospital, and contributed to the needs of a nearby IDP camp, we were also afforded opportunities to see other forms of the Kenyan landscape such as Lake Nakuru, Mt. Longonot, and Nairobi.
One of the greatest takeaways from our trip is the message that the NV staff continues to instill in the lives of these orphaned souls: "Hope begins when a child belongs." Life is a gift! God has, in His infinite plan, set these children on a course to encounter excellent healthcare, education, and spiritual instruction to influence their peers, communities, and country with the power of the gospel; the life-giving gift of Jesus Christ. They aren't merely being rescued from an inconceivably difficult life of abuse, neglect, or malnourishment. They are being rescued from death to life and with this life they are declaring the goodness and greatness of God to the world!
The names, faces, and stories of these children from the NV website were now weighing heavily on our hearts as we heard their laughs, their cries, and their pleas for us to push them on the swing, kick the soccer ball, jump rope in the yard, and join them for bedtime devotions.
Our team, comprised of Georgians and Texans, took our good-spirited Southern hard work and hospitality to serve the kids of NV for two weeks. VBS, school work, soccer games, baby changing, story times, outdoor movies, bonfires & s'mores, and church services were all part of our itinerary for the duration of our stay.
Not a moment was wasted from setting out to accomplish all that we anticipated among the sights and sounds of the Great Rift Valley. While we served the children, visited the local hospital, and contributed to the needs of a nearby IDP camp, we were also afforded opportunities to see other forms of the Kenyan landscape such as Lake Nakuru, Mt. Longonot, and Nairobi.
One of the greatest takeaways from our trip is the message that the NV staff continues to instill in the lives of these orphaned souls: "Hope begins when a child belongs." Life is a gift! God has, in His infinite plan, set these children on a course to encounter excellent healthcare, education, and spiritual instruction to influence their peers, communities, and country with the power of the gospel; the life-giving gift of Jesus Christ. They aren't merely being rescued from an inconceivably difficult life of abuse, neglect, or malnourishment. They are being rescued from death to life and with this life they are declaring the goodness and greatness of God to the world!
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