Return to Kitale

It is so good to be back in Kitale again.  Each year presents more blessings, relationships, and challenges.  Our trip started with some challenges that came in the form of flight cancellations and lost bags; the saga of Melisa’s lost bag continues.  We attended the opening of our regular church, St. Kizito’s, as a parish.   I know that others have written about the parish opening, but I am so thankful that we were able to attend and help with preparations.  I was filled with joy to see so many familiar faces in the large crowd that danced in celebration of the growth and strength of the church. 

At the parish opening I was met by Esther, a woman that I met the first year I came to Kenya.  I have known her two sons through camp and got to know her better after we were ushered into her home while we were going for a casual stroll in the neighborhood.  She has so much pride in her family and I have always enjoyed seeing her whether it is at church or when she comes to the social work office to collect food for her family.

 

I often have a difficult time articulating how much it means to me to return to Kitale.  I feel honored to be welcomed back by the inspiring Daughters of Charity that are doing amazing work all year round.  It has been wonderful to see many of the children that I had the first year I came and how they have grown up so much in such a short amount of time. 

I am thankful for my VLM community and our Kenyan young adult helpers that have been helping us put on a camp for the kids of the neighborhood.  Everyone has been working hard and we are learning every day how to better serve each other and the children attending camp.

We are on day two of our second week of camp and it was one of our first afternoons that there hasn’t been torrential rain for the older kids’ session.  We tried to take full advantage by doing a volleyball tournament ending with each group playing against the adults.  This eventually led to a game of adults vs. all of the afternoon campers.  It was probably my favorite afternoon so far because even the kids that are usually on the more serious side were laughing and cheering throughout the afternoon.

In the morning session we have several kids that have come in past years including Innocent and Joseph.  If any of you have read blogs from past years then you might remember the best friends that help each other out in different ways.  Joseph in deaf and Innocent is his best friend and barely leaves his side.  If you didn’t already know that Joseph is unable to hear, than you probably wouldn’t find out at camp.  He is running around and playing all the same games that everyone else is playing that at times involve singing and dancing.  Many people often forget and I think that says a lot about the sense of community and how many people look out for one another more than I have seen when in the U.S.

There are many aspects of Kenyan culture that I appreciate more and more every year.  One is the importance of story-telling.  There are times when we have been forced inside due to the rain and we have children volunteer to tell each other stories.   Story-telling is an art that is often times lost when we just turn to televisions and iPads.  There is a beauty in making something exciting, funny, or sad out of what was originally a rained out afternoon. 

I also see the importance of singing and dancing when working at this camp.  I used to think that so many of the children were so brave and I couldn’t believe it when so many volunteered to lead songs or dance in front of everyone; I have realized now that most of these children grow up dancing and singing.  There is so much joy  sharing in these moments with the children, and I also get to see how talented so many are without any sort of shame or embarrassment.  Many of the children make drum beats out of whatever surface is around and it only adds to the celebration.  Our next dance party is set for this Friday and we are all looking forward to it.

A man that works for the Daughters of Charity in Kitale has volunteered to use his talents in music and drama to come play music on Fridays.  He has shared pieces of his story with me along the way and I am honored to have him helping out at camp.  He has done so much work with teens that are struggling in the area by involving them in music and drama.  He is definitely a person that has used his own challenging experiences to relate to others going through difficult times to make a positive difference in the community.  We are waiting to receive a CD that has been made in the past months of the teens in the afternoon program’s music. 

That is all that I am going to share for now!  We have had many adventures that I will continue to share—including, but not limited to a spikey caterpillar, monkeys, jumping spiders, and green grams.  Thank you for keeping up with us, and we wish you all the best back in the U.S.