For the month of May, we have been working in Kitale, Kenya at a school/orphanage called Great Mercy Development Center. It was started by Judith and Evans Mutange in 2001. The school began on their doorstep, and has expanded to over 150 children. Some students live here, while others come in each day for education. Some students have been here from a young age, knowing no other home but Great Mercy. They also have a farm with crops and livestock to teach children skills and how to grow their own food. The Mutanges (including their 4 natural children) have given their lives for the benefit of vulnerable children. They do it all based on faith and the Lord has used them to bring children from rags to riches, most prominently the riches of knowing Christ.
A great blessing when coming here as a volunteer is that they want us to use the passions and skills the Lord has given us. We get to put those various things to use to help expand and assist the things they are doing here. Some of us are teaching, some are doing repairs, some are helping with their website, etc. We are also leading Bible studies and joining in the various activities that the children are involved in.
I have had the privilege and the honor to work with their students doing social work and counseling. I have done home visits, sat and heard about students lives, counseled them on various things, prayed for them, and most importantly, I have had the opportunity to just love them both in my office and also throughout the day.
As I was going through their case studies the other day, it broke my heart. I read 160 stories from kids 2-20 years old of heartbreak and hardship. The stories looked like this…
Orphaned.
Abandoned at the hospital at age 6 when it was discovered he was HIV+.
Watched their mother shot in 2007 due to post-election violence, and then their house was burned down.
Parents living in poverty, cannot pay for school fees.
Broken Marriage.
Abandoned by his mother on the street when he was 1½ years old.
Born out of wedlock. Father unknown. Mother poor.
Single orphan. Abandoned by father. Mother deceased.
Lived as a street kid for many years. (Usually meaning they sniffed glue and begged for money.)
Father died. Mother poor. Mentally disabled due to untreated jiggers.
Parents are divorced. Mother broke her back and can’t work. Mother can’t afford school fees. Eldest child walked 4 miles to Great Mercy because he wanted an education.
Feedback I got from my teammate the other night was that I love broken things, because I see how they can be turned into something beautiful and new. Although these situations were hard to stomach, they were redeemed as I met with each student. When I looked into their faces, I did not see the things that have happened to them, I saw the face of Christ. These kids have big dreams and even bigger hearts. They are eager to learn and determined to walk forward in their futures and to use their pasts to help others. These same children have dreams of becoming…
Doctors.
Preachers.
Pilots.
Nurses.
Lawyers. (One student said she wants to defend abused children and even criminals,
because she believes that they don’t actually desire that lifestyle.)
Someone who helps fellow orphans.
Engineers.
Agriculture Officers.
Many of them struggle in school but are working hard. They beg you to teach them anything new that they can learn. Despite their struggles in school, these kids can quote and explain scripture better then some theologians. They trust the Lord and know He is faithful to provide. Their voices are angelic as they sing praises to their heavenly Father each morning and evening during daily prayers. Their prayers are innocent and yet eloquent and powerful. They are being given the gift of life here by having their basic needs met, they are being given an education, and most importantly, they are growing up knowing the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord.
If the Lord is stirring your heart to help with this project, or to sponsor children, please email me at: [email protected]
We are blessed to end our journey in this place with these precious faces. All praise be to God!
