I’ve only heard bits and pieces of her story. There is so much I do not know about her, but one thing I do know is that part of the reason we are here, in Kenya, is to love and encourage her. She still doesn’t know my name, but I’ll never forget hers. Her name is Milka, but we call her Mama.
I was the first one to see her, the first one to receive her smile and warm embrace. We’ve only known her for two weeks, but her house has become home. Her living room has become the place we have our quiet times, the place we eat meals and the place we come to recount the day. She has provided us with a resting place, a place to lay our heads at night and for 7 people who have been traveling the world for 7 months that means everything.
She gets worried when she does not see all 7 of us together. If one of us is missing from the living room she says, “I have 5 girls and only 1 boy. Where is my other boy?” We all laugh and explain where the other “child” is, but she is serious when she says, “I know that I have to count my 7 children before I go to sleep at night.”
Every night after the 7 of us meet to discuss the day, Alyssa goes down the hallway to Mama’s bedroom. From the living room all we can hear is Alyssa say, in her sweetest voice, “Mama…Mama, it’s time to pray.” Each night she comes in with a smile and each night we thank God for this sweet woman and ask that He continue to bless and protect her.
God continues to amaze me with the people He has brought into my life on this journey. They have taught me what it means to truly love and selflessly serve.
Here is a video of Mama (on the right) and her friend Josephine. They were gracious enough to help me make a birthday video for a friend.
