Today, we went to a town about 2 hours away called Kakamega. The reason for this trip was to go to a school where Charles’ wife works. (Charles is a local energetic pastor whom we’ve been working a good deal with.) Upon arrival we found out the school is for street kids to bring hope to the hopeless, love to the lonely and peace to their hearts. Currently they have 22 kids ranging from age 7-17 living there.
Please visit their site to see pictures and find out more information: www.kenyan-childrens-project.org.uk.
It started as a program to feed street kids once a week on Saturdays. After seeing the desperate need, a couple from the UK decided that they wanted to have a place where the kids could live safely. The streets were clearly not safe, nor a place for a child to grow up by himself. So, they acted on their kingdom dream. In 2004, I believe they started a place for street boys to live if they didn’t have anywhere else to go. Now, six short years later, they have a beautiful facility which not only houses and feeds the children but also has a school!
I was astonished at how well behaved the students were. They didn’t speak out of turn, they helped carry chairs when we needed a place to sit. They worked together very well. Their dorms were super tidy and mostly they just smiled and were filled with joy. I was shocked, expecting kids from the street with no real upbringing to be a little unwily. Just goes to show that by the grace of God and giving kids some attention and love, they are fully capable.
I was picturing in my head the couple that started it was silver haired and probably retired, but in reality it is the exact opposite. I don’t know how long they’ve been married or how old they are, but from the picture they looked in their early 30’s. This blew my mind! Thinking of Casey and myself going on year 2 of marriage and not knowing what our kingdom dream yet is. This couple obviously had a dream and acted on it and now it’s making a huge impact here in Western Kenya. Not only this school, but they are also starting a sister school on another section of the property for girls. I’ve also been encouraged that it’s ok that we don’t need our own kingdom dream, we can pigtail on someone elses. We’re keeping our hearts and minds open and just waiting to see what God reveals to us.
