Wrapping up our time in Kenya

I can hardly believe our time in Kenya has come and gone.  We arrived a week ago Friday and we have seen and experienced so much!

Tuesday, we put on a fun appreciation lunch and celebration for the Heart staff.  We've been treated very well here at the compound and the staff has been very gracious to us. They have prepared wonderful meals and have worked so hard to prepare for the various events that HEART puts on. We enjoyed playing games, singing songs and celebrating the wonderful work that the staff does.

Wednesday we participated in a Freedom for Girls Fundraiser tea with some of the national Ambassador wives.  It was a beautiful event that raises awareness and support for girls as they begin menstration.  Many are not equipped with the education or proper supplies needed during their cycle and therefore, end up missing a week or more of school/month.  Over time, they get so far behind academically that they eventually drop out.  The program is designed to raise money ($5/packet of supplies for ONE YEAR for one  girl...that's one Starbucks for us!!) and awareness to keep girls in school.

After the tea on Wednesday afternoon, we had the privilege of hopping on a small plane and taking a 45 minute flight to the Masai Mara for an overnight stay and Safari.  What an experience!  I've always wanted to go on a safari and this experience blew me away!  We were picked up at the "airport" (aka a gravel runway and a small outdoor hut) that is run by the Masai tribe.  We were then loaded into two open jeeps and whisked away to the first phase of the adventure.  The Mara encompasses a vast amount of land that is inhabited by a wide variety of animal species.  Amongst those we saw were zebras, hippos, baboons, crocodiles, lions (including cubs), wart hogs (aka "Pumbas"), a fox, 
elephants, a rhino (which is a RARE find in Kenya...and who charged one of our jeeps!), giraffes, gazelles, wildebeest, buffaloes, Sabocat (sp?), cheetah (with his fresh Gazelle dinner!), Secretary bird, antelope, mongoose, jack rabbits, jackels, hyenas and probably a few others that I'm forgetting.  It was truly an amazing experience that I will not forget!  For our acommodations, we were treated to the experience of "glamping" in luxury tents that were equipped with fully operating attached bathrooms.  We slept with the windows zipped up, mosquito nets covering us, and the sound of frogs croaking us to sleep.  It was a fun experience.

Yesterday was the hardest day to swallow.  We started our day off with a brief visit to the Kibera WEEP center and slums.  The center was small but contained a sewing room, a small preschool and a small gift shop.  The women welcomed us with song and dance and were thrilled to have us visit their "family".  The surrounding area, however, was disturbing and absolutely heart breaking.  The dirt ground of the slums was covered with trash and the children were playing in the sewage runoff.  Dogs were laying on the ground looking lifeless, chickens were drinking from the sewage water and eggs were sitting out to be sold (from the same chickens, if you get the picture)!  It was sickening to witness and it seemed so WRONG!!   How could this happen and how could these people live this way??
Today was a great finale to the trip.  We celebrated the 9 WEEP graduates that have completed their 18 month training program.  The ceremony was held at HEART and the graduates proudly marched in dressed in cap and gown.   This day is a very special day for the WEEP women and it signifies the road to their new life ahead.  It's been a long journey getting to this place but from their training, they learned how to make varies items to sell such as clothes, beadwork, tapestries, etc.  And how to run a business from a financial standpoint amongst other things.  It was wonderful to see our new friends celebrate their victory and we will miss them as we leave Kenya!

Our time has come to say goodbye to our wonderful time here!  As we head to the airport and prepare for the long flight a head, we hold very dear memories in our heart!  I can't wait to share more stories with you all upon my return.  Goodbye Kenya!



and on Safari in the Masai Mara, put on a women's conference and visited the Kibera slums.  Today, we helped with the special graduation ceremony for the WEEP ladies.

We've been so blessed to be part of such an amazing life-changing week!  

  It's been a full and impactful week to say the least.  Each event has brought about its own emotions (from joy and excitement to tears and heartbreak) for what we have witnessed.  But, the work that is being done through HEART is truly life changing.  We have witnessed women who have come from the darkest places of despair and hopeless and by the grace of God, (and the work of HEART) have found hope, acceptance and a future of dignity and prosperity.  That, we witnessed today as the 9 WEEP graduates completed their 18 month program.    

Ngong WEEP Center and slums home visits

Today was day 4 of our time here in Kenya.  As expected, this was a very tough day for us.  We got a first-hand experience of what life is like living in the slums.  We met several of the WEEP (Women's Equality Empowerment Project) women who are single moms (most of whom have 2-7 kids) and have been abused or abandoned by their husbands and families due to their HIV status.  Many of these women were homeless or were struggling to make ends meet and support their families prior to coming to the WEEP center.   We heard several of the women share their heart-wrenching stories and we visited three of their homes.  The most impactful woman we visited has HIV and Cancer, yet she has one of the most amazing outlooks on life that I have ever seen.  Despite her determination to survive, she, and majority of the women there, have a deep love for the Lord.  He is their source of strength, hope and joy.

It truly blows my mind to hear where these women have come from and see where they are going.  The work that HEART is doing to make these success stories happen is an absolute gift.  I'm so thankful to be here to experience life first-hand and  I come away longing to help make a difference in changing more lives here in Nairobi!