Chalice and Esther didn’t show up Sunday, Chalice’s legs couldn’t
make it and a friend from Nairobi showed unexpectedly for a visit. But we went for a follow up on Monday, and
when Esther saw us she was so happy. She
said Chalice was resting and I told her we got the photos and money ready for
her, which she was so happy and hugged us so much, she was elated. I gave them the passport photos and the 500
shillings it would cost to send everything and they said the application was
filled. Then Luann and Charity gave them
money to get to town to get it done. With Chalice blind he isn’t able to work or make money, and every
afternoon to evening Esther goes out to a small wooden food stand on the
streets and tries to sell food, but the money coming in isn’t enough for their
support. Chalice then appeared in the
doorway when someone told him that we had arrived. Esther and Chalice were so excited, Esther
jumping up in Swahili saying how grateful she was and how God was so
wonderful. Then after all this, Chalice
opened up Monday about he used to go to a Roman Catholic Church for years
before his blindness and so he knew a lot about Jesus but never experienced Him
like this before, and we asked him if Christ has been in his heart instead of
just head and he said “No.” To
be quick, Chalice came to the Lord later, it was so awesome. I shared him the story of Mark 2 about the
paralytic and told him I can’t promise God is going to make him walk all of a
sudden, but Jesus said first “your sins are forgiven” meaning that
his sins were a bigger issue than the physical problem. But he came to the Lord and then we all
prayed a huge blessing over him and when he opened his eyes he said he saw
something in one of our members hands, something white, saying he could finally
see something!! He also said he prays
for boldness and courage for us as we continue our mission trip and that God is
so present when we come. I can’t
describe how much the feeling of the Holy Spirit was in that small muddy walled
room and the eight of us. So maybe God
is healing his eyes slowly. He told me
he hopes before I leave in a couple of weeks he would be able to see me. How awesome is this story?!! We meet this lady, lets us in her house and
we lead her to Christ, pray for her blind husband and God answers this prayer
of the disability form, we go further to cover the costs and items for them,
and the physical showing of God’s love leads her husband Chalice to the Lord!
Most young adults his age are either on the streets trying to
survive or have been lucky enough to get to a university. At the age of twenty-two, you expect to be
called a man. Frances is not one of
those people, though time will tell which path in life he takes. Frances is a student at the PISTIS school here
where our team visits the classes and spend time with the orphans. I met him as he walked into an office while I
was with a teacher talking about the economy of Kenya and the hardships of life
here succeeding after education. Because
most people in grade twelve finish at the age of eighteen, Frances had to drop
out a lot because of not affording education. Frances received a speech impediment at the age of ten, his siblings
have abused him his whole life and still do, his father died last year with troubles
of breathing eventually choking to death, and his mother doesn’t have much in
life to offer for his future but her love and support. His confidence is very low in life, resulting
from his past. The Lord really placed
Frances on my heart so much that I am meeting him constantly for the next few
weeks. He’s a really smart person and
soon he will take the national exams that if he does really well will help him
go to university. He said “I would
like to apply for university,” and I told him, “You will
apply!” This past Tuesday I sat
down with Frances and helped tutor him, but for the next twenty minutes got to
know his past and his life, and I am trying to let him know that he has to
build his confidence, can do anything if he works hard and has faith in
God. I am asking for your prayers for
Frances, one with an unfortunate past, but with help can have a bright
future. I truly believe that God has put
him in my life here to invest in; at least encourage one life to succeed.
Meet Simon, one of our ministry helpers here that has an unique
story that results from the ministry of the orphanage and school. When Simon was a small child, he grew up in
an abusive home where his dad hit his mother, and Simon wasn’t older than five
his dad thought Simon should be a man and hit him also. Simon’s dad was a serious drunk and each day
was a nightmare for him. At the age of
five, Simon ran away, never seeing his home again because he couldn’t take
it. He ran away to a nearby town close
to Nakuru, and met other homeless street kids of Africa and learned how to
survive for years by stealing, doing drugs, finding food in trash, and other
things. “I did everything wrong you
can imagine,” said Simon. He came
back to Nakuru in 2000 as a young boy, the same time Bishop Laban and Gladys
started their ministry, and he heard there were people who were giving kids on
the street clean food, cleaning their clothes, and water. Each day Simon at the age of ten would go to
the ministry place our contacts started and receive those things. When Bishop and Gladys started opening up
their church for these streets kids who would become orphans and sleep on the
floor, Simon decided he didn’t want to go back out on the street anymore but
stay there. For the last ten years Simon
has been loved by Gladys and Bishop, received Christ, and education, and at the
age of twenty has now graduated the school they started and works for them and
leads worship for their church now. He
has pretty much been our guide the whole time we’ve been here and is one of the
funniest people we know. He goes
wherever we go, speaks on behalf of the Africans we met, and has been such a
shining light. Simon said, “When
nobody loved me, God loved me, and He never gave up on me. I didn’t need drugs anymore because Jesus was
enough for me now.” Simon has the
biggest passion for the kids on the street because he truly knows what they go
through. He is lucky, because most of
these kids don’t make it, and his life is now a sign of the result of this
ministry.
(little John is on the right)
One of our little orphan kids who spend a lot of time with us is
named John. He was brought to the
children’s home when he was eight months old. He was given for life after his mother died moments after his
birth. He was then left alone under the
care of a blind grandmother, but John survived by the grace of God when good
samaritans found him and brought him to the home. He is just an example of the kids were have
here. Unfortunately, we also have a lot
kids that have had abusive history from parents or death of sickness;
especially HIV. Please pray for these
little ones.
( a church here in Africa,. one mud room)
