Final thoughts by Danna

“His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?” “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.” (Job 9: 4, 8-9)

I opened my Bible randomly and read these verses last week as I was contemplating going outside late one night to look again at the wonder of the stars and constellations that can be seen from the mountaintop in Kenya, where we were staying. It was enough to compel me to go outside alone and sit on the mountaintop around midnight to enjoy the wonders of God’s creation. The vastness of the heavens, the countless twinkling stars, the Milky way, all speak of God’s greatness. It was awe-inspiring to think that the God who made the heavens and the earth also made each of us and has given each of us a part in His grand plan for the world He created.

Four years ago, when I first came with my family to Kenya, I had no idea how my heart would be knit to these people who live half a world away. Before we left that week, I felt that I had gained many brothers and sisters in Christ and I have longed to return to then ever since. When our group finally arrived on “the hill” about 2 weeks ago, I truly felt that I had come home again.

Four years ago, we were caring for only 11 children, so it was easy to get to know each of them. Since then we have added almost 60 more children, so I had many new faces and names to learn this time! In addition, there are several new caregivers who pour out their love on these children. I feel that my family has grown exponentially! Each of these children and adults has a purpose in God’s plan. They are each his precious children and I count it a privilege to know them and to get to watch them grow. Life there is still challenging in ways that we cannot fully understand, but they are so full of love and joy that it is contagious. Little things like water bottles and toothbrushes are causes for celebration. Praise songs are sung continually. Joy is everywhere.
There were so many memorable moments from this trip that I will carry with me for a lifetime. A few of the things that were accomplished during our six days on the hill include: physicals, including vision and hearing screenings on the 70 children in the home (plus a few adults); teaching health and hygiene (hand washing, tooth brushing, germ transmission, oral rehydration, etc) to almost 500 kids in the school and over 65 adults in the community; overseeing the building of the next phase of the children’s home; two “recruitment” visits, a talent show, lots of singing, movie and popcorn night, playing with the kids and getting to know each of them better, handing out sponsor letters, typhoid immunizations on the children and caregivers, visiting with local health officials, visiting two nearby hospitals, playing soccer/volleyball, a beautiful outdoor church service on Sunday and so much more!

There are so many stories to tell of God’s provision, His wisdom and His faithfulness during this trip. I pray that I will never forget how to be joyful in whatever circumstances I may find myself. God is faithful and He “shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19)

Pictures

Well -

We are back in America. Tired but joyful. God was so faithful in accomplishing His desires on the hill. Small details that we could not have predicted or planned for were taken care of and we have much to be grateful for. While we were on 'The Hill' we all remained healthy and full of energy. We had several bouts with sickness but not until we reached the safari hotel which was a much better place to be sick. Here are several pictures of our trip

Sherry-Tuesday, March 3

Ps. 33:8 ”Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” I read this verse today when I was looking out over the Mara. If I didn’t already believe in God, I certainly would now! The view is so vast and beautiful! It reminds me of the greatness of God! There is so much more than we can see. Like the verse says, I am humbled and stand in awe of our majestic Creator!

Many of us have needed this day of rest after a very full week with the children at Trans Mara Children’s home. One of the highlights was the Talent Show. “Uncle Nate” helped the children come up with acts for the show. Piper and Katy did a “short people” skit with their knees in shoes on top of a table. It brought a lot of laughs. Various groups of orphans sang songs and danced for us. They are so beautiful! I can imagine that singing brings a lot of comfort to them after the tragic circumstances they have faced. Uncle Nate played the guitar while the American and African children sang “God is so good” together. They also sang it in their native tongue. Besides the truth of the words to the song, a highlight was watching little Barnaba play a miniature guitar right next to Nate. Kira and Katie did a teacher/student African counting lesson that made the children giggle. What fun!

My personal favorite in the Talent Show was Noah Leboo’s puppet story. He used the monkey puppet with BIG teeth from Jill’s dental hygiene lesson. He had the children laughing out loud. Many of them are usually expressionless. It was so wonderful to see them gathered on the hill having fun! We celebrated their talents with a couple of “movie nights” where we watched video footage of the talent show and previous trips. I think the children enjoyed seeing themselves on the TV. A few of the Americans worked hard at making popcorn over a fire outside. It was late and some of the children were falling asleep. When the popcorn was brought in, the scene changed. There was popcorn everywhere as the children enjoyed a tasty treat American style. What’s a movie without popcorn?

Church on Sunday was such a blessing. We saw many more people from the community. It cracked me up that they had a portable sound system way out in the bush. We walked in as guests with the choir. Actually we attempted to dance our way in with them, but we looked more like African chickens. The choirs sang and danced, and we all worshiped God together under some very tall trees with a breathtaking view of the green, hilly countryside. We were asked to sing a song. Together we sang two verses of “Amazing Grace.” We felt God’s presence in a special new way. Children played with my hair, held my hand and soaked up any affection that our team had to give.

Dr. Mike was asked by Joseph to speak to the group. He humbly spoke of our desperate need of a Savior, something that all cultures have in common. The love of Jesus shined through him while the sun shone through the trees. Noah Leboo was brought into the middle. We all celebrated the success of his surgery together and thanked God that he was given the opportunity to have his foot deformity corrected. He anxiously awaits the day when he can play soccer again after his recovery.

I was so touched by the family atmosphere at the orphanage. I don’t think we should call the children orphans anymore. They have wonderful, dedicated, committed, faithful caregivers that work tirelessly to cook for them, support them, love them and teach them about the hope and love of Jesus. Just a few staff people take care of 70 children! Four children doesn’t seem as overwhelming after watching these servants care for so many! The older children help the younger ones a lot! Little Moses, one year old, has so many “mothers”! He has to be one of the most loved little boys in the whole world! God has turned the children’s tragic circumstances into an opportunity to shine His light to other hurting people. I am inspired by their courage and am thankful for all who have made Trans Mara Children’s Home possible for these precious children!

On a closing note, I am remembering the simplicity and beauty of life on the hill. I know that I allow my life in IL to become so busy at times that I miss out on some of the most beautiful parts. I am motivated to work on my priorities and love more sacrificially to bring glory to God!

Morning of Day 4 – Ann Smith reporting

It is a beautiful morning out here on the Hill. The birds are singing, roosters crowing, chickens clucking. We were awakened for the third morning in a row by the sound of a donkey braying. The wind is blowing over the hills as the sun rises. How easy it is to see God in the beauty and simplicity of life here. No one is in a hurry. Everyone stops as they walk along the well worn paths to give a greeting.
As I went to sleep last night, I couldn’t help but thank God for all of the many blessings we have encountered as we have been here. First on my mind are my dad and Anita Kaiser. I can’t count the number of times Livia and I have looked at each other and said, “What would we have done without their help?” My Dad has checked all of the boys and Anita has examined all of the girls. They have worked tirelessly and their experience has been invaluable. Livia and I have pre-screened each of the children and done all of the vitals and charting. Danna has done audiology screenings and the girls have been giving eye screenings. Each part has been important as there has been at least one child that has an issue in each area. What a blessing to have such experts here to make sure these children get the help that they need.

Today we have the opportunity to give typhoid vaccines to the children and their care givers. Then we will teach the community our health training. And this afternoon is a ceremony to welcome the new sheep. Yes! A sheep ceremony. Thanks to the Zoners at the Chapel and a few donors we were able to purchase 11 sheep. We originally thought we would get goats but they prefer sheep because they don’t get into the gardens and can eat grass rather than food that needs to be purchased. Three sheep will go to the orphanage, 3 to the widows. 3 to the women in the community, and 2 to the men in the community. They were so excited that they called everyone in the area to come and celebrate with a ceremony! We are looking forward to it! More tonight…

Scott K – Resident male reporting

Today, we had a truly rewarding day. Countless children were examined by our medical team and many others were taught of the benefits of proper nutrition and combating diarrhea and dehydration. Even though it is only our third day on the hill, I feel a tremendous bond forming with these children. As they have all come from so much pain and suffering it is wonderful blessing for these kids to have an “Oasis” in the storm of life. A highlight for me today after a hard (and tremendously rewarding) day was the quiet time spent playing and speaking with the children. As they get to know us, their affection grows and grows. I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to the beautiful country of Kenya !!!

Day 3 on the hill – Sherry Boyack reporting

God is awesome! His beautiful creation is so evident in the wonderful people and in our amazing surroundings! Simplicity is another beauty of our Maasai family so far from home. Today Katy and I taught handwashing skills to the 5th and 6th grades. They were so attentive, and we enjoyed interacting with them very much. The highlight of the hour was giving water bottles to all of the children filled with health & hygiene supplies. Each child was very excited to put his name on the bottle and call it his own. We held the water bottles high and cheered with joy! The teacher was so helpful with translation and was also excited to receive a water bottle. Katy and I were so blessed to experience their joy and the hope of better health. We are grateful for clean water coming to this community and for Living Water that can change our lives for eternity.

Danna Herden thoughts

Though our time here has been very busy, I have had such a wonderful time getting to know all the children who are new since I was last here. They have been patient with me, reminding me of their names when I ask again! Another thing that the children still love is to see themselves in pictures. When we arrived, they all wanted their picture taken and then they wanted to see it. Their joy at seeing themselves in pictures was contagious! Then they began taking pictures of us and each other. They were having so much fun it was hard to get the camera back at the end of the evening.
Last night I had a wonderful time playing with some of the local children with my flashlight. They were very intrigued with the flashlight and would chase the light on the ground as I moved it around. The squeals of laughter that erupted when they would jump on the light and try to catch it made it difficult when I finally had to stop for dinner.

Noah Leboo Update – Jill Hayward

I had the most touching experience with Noah Leboo today. Noah as you remember had his foot repaired last week and he is cruising around all over on his crutches! We were sitting on the ground and he was writing in my little book. We each have these little books that have all the children’s pictures in them and I was letting all the kids write in it. They love seeing their picture and how much we care for them. Noah told me that he no longer wanted to be a driver and a teacher; he wanted to be a professor. He asked me to change that information in my book and then he asked for my pen. I watched as he wrote “I love Gregory Woodside” on his palm. Gregory is an 11-year old boy from Gurnee, who sponsors Noah. He had his classmates write ‘Get Well’ letters for him in the hospital. I was so touched by his love for this boy that he has never even met!

Day 2 on the Hill – Livia reporting:

“ This morning we accompanied Vincent and LeMashon to the Kilgoris clinic for a follow up medical visit. We met with his health care professional and discussed his plan of care. We then met with several regional public health officials talked about the major health issues, preventive health topics, and causes of death in the region. They expressed their interest working together to improve the health of the orphans. It was such a great learning experience to see the how the local clinic operates and listen to the perspectives of the local health care professionals and public health officials. We realized the importance of having transportation from the orphanage to the local clinic, as the road to get there is very rough, and the walk is very long (2 hours). For example, if a child is ill and needs to be transferred to the clinic, he would currently need to be carried in a blanket by several men.

This afternoon we continued to do physical examinations on the children, working from the older children to the younger ones. It is so much fun addressing each child individually and getting to know their unique personalities. Each child is a gem."

Day 2 on the Hill – Interviews from the girls

“When I was walking Lemashon down the hill to Miss Danna to get his ears checked, I let him hold my sunglasses. He was smiling when he had them on. Last year he was so sick. It made me really happy to see him doing so well.” – Piper Hayward

“Today after we were done teaching, the kids started to feel my hair like it was gold. Then we started to walk up the hill and all the school kids came around us. We taught them how to do the wave and they taught us how to play some of their games. It was really cool to share what we have with them and have them share what they have.” – Katie Smith

“We started walking down the hill and we saw Mercy and Rose and Barnaba carrying tubs of water from the creek. We decided instead of going back that we would help them carry it to the orphanage and it made us feel good that we could help them.” - Kira Herden

(Thank God for the well! It will be an enormous time saver and life saver for this community. We have found out that this area of Kenya has the worst water in the entire country! We already knew that it was difficult to access, taking more than 45 minutes to just get it to a home and then needing to boil and filter it. Thanks to all of you who have helped contribute to this project! You are making an impact beyond description.)

“Tippy Taps are hand-washing stations that are made of empty jugs. They have soap that hangs by a string near the jug. Today we made 5 of them and we’re going to put them up at the orphanage for the kids. It was long but fun!” -Katy Boyack

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

We arrived last night in the rain, greeted by the children singing. Yesterday’s travel was long, but the roads were much better than on previous trips. I had an unforgettable time with a group of about 12 kids. I was sitting on the grass after having taught two health sessions in the school and there were children laying all over my lap and all around me. Half of the kids were boys. All they wanted was to be touched. They were so loving and just eating up all my arm rubs. They were laughing as I was trying to learn the Maasai language. I never realized how significant it was to them that I knew all their names. Every chance I got, I called them by name and they would just melt. Two children in particular just clung to me for hours, Jemila and one of the newest kids, Boke. Jemila actually took off her little beaded ring and put it on my pinky to give to my daughter Willow. As I was missing my kids at home, I was happy to put all my mother’s love into these precious kids.

First day on the hill - Scott Hayward

I will apologize up front for this posting as it will not be nearly as exciting as the last one by Ann. While the team is on the hill, they are struggling with the internet connection. Hopefully they will be able to navigate a solution soon so that we can get some direct information and some great photographs. What follows is an update from Jill and Nate over the phone....

The team made it to the hill on Tuesday late afternoon. The drive was fairly uneventful, but thunder clouds rolled in making their arrival to Kilgoris and the TMD community spectacular. While it rained quite a bit, it did not limit their progress. They were a little worried about the sleeping arrangements, but Joseph cleared out his entire house and filled it full of beds. Sounds like the accommodations are working quite well. I can only imagine the arrival ceremony: probably about 30-40 men and women dancing and singing thanks to God for their arrival. They were all up late talking and preparing for the first day of work. The power situation at Joseph's was a little iffy; on and off. The portable generator was having a hard time keeping up and came to a complete halt when they plugged in the new laser printer that they brought out from Nairobi. They set out the following morning to purchase one that had the necessary power.

Nate was up first at 5am and quickly put his plans in motion. No surprise there. Last time he was there, he made it to the children's home so early one morning that he forgot to change out of his pajamas. Nate quickly scouted out the appropriate rooms needed for the teaching and medical evaluations so that the team could hit the ground running. The first day was a full one for everyone! The medical assessment teams got to work and made great progress. The expertise of Anita and Dr. Matlak were very obvious as they went from child to child. The teaching teams also had a great start. Jill's oral hygiene monkey was huge hit with the little kids who were a little rambunctious (sp?). The hearing tests run by Danna were also very successful. They were able to move the generator far enough away so as to not affect the results. A lot more work to go, but great starts on all fronts.

Nate had quite a bit of time with the General Contractor and his engineering team and it was great that he was there. As much detail as he put into the drawings, there is always a need for clarification. One of the big discrepancies was the target elevation of the new dormitory floor. They were using some pretty old technology which resulted in some errors. Nate quickly pulled out the Site Level that one of our team members donated on our last trip and corrected the situation (thanks Bob!).

Jill described a very special moment that she had with some of the smaller children there, specifically with Jamilla. To put this in context, Jamilla was born on the same day as our youngest daughter Willow, except 8,000 miles apart. Jamilla and Willow struck up almost a sister like relationship when we were they last April. Well, back to the story: Jill found herself laying down in the grass taking a little break with kids climbing and laying all over her, including Jamilla, Boke and many others. This went on for some time. At the end of their lounging time Jamilla removed a small beaded ring from her finger and gave it to Jill and said in very broken English "this is for Willow". Willow will wear that ring for a long time. Just a reminder of how important our friendships are to these kids and to us.

The last update is on the food. We always prep our teams to expect to be presented with things that they may not recognize or particularly enjoy. But hey, the least we can do is eat what they eat - it is only for 6 days. Well this trip is a little different. Joseph has a cousin who is a chef at a very high end resort in the Maasai Mara called Little Governor's camp. Guess who is on the hill doing all of the cooking for the team - yep, the chef! Still probably not like home, but it sounds like they are doing quite well.

That is it for now. I wish I had more details from others on the trip, but I only had a chance to speak with Jill and Nate. Please continue to pray for them and they have a lot of work ahead. Specifically you can pray for the installation of the well pump, holding tanks, generator, valves, controls etc.. They have received a proposal from the drilling contractor yesterday and will be sifting through it tomorrow (Thursday). It is a little expensive!

Joyfully,
Scott Hayward

Monday Feb 23 - Nairobi in a Day - Ann Smith reporting

The team all safely arrived last night and surprisingly 'ran into' the other Chapel team that had been in Kenya as they were leaving the country. What a fun reunion on the other side of the world.

Today was a tour of Nairobi. The team split up with the majority of them going to the beautiful Kiambethu Tea Farm. Tea is the second major export of Kenya and is primarily run by the British who colonized Africa many years ago. It was a good opportunity to see why Africa suffers so much. Many of their valuable resources are eaten up by outsiders and while end up doing the 'grunt' work and getting paid very little.

The other party went to do a video shoot of Noah in the hospital. He is now a 'movie star.' Look for this video to come out when we return!

After this, the team met up at the Nest. The Nest is a home for children whose parents are in prison. These precious children previously had been left homeless to fend for themselves. A wonderful lady named Irene Baumgarter caught a vision for saving these children and has opened up a home for them. There are 75 currently living there. Once the parents are released, they are given parental training and assistance re-uniting under supervised care. We were particularly interested in seeing how they care for 70+ children as that is the same amount that the Oasis Orphanage will house!

We finished the day with dinner at the Java House!

Tomorrow we head off bright and early for the Trans Mara! Please pray for our safe travel!

Sunday, Feb 22 - Ann Smith reporting

Noah Leboo is one of the now 70 orphans in the Trans Mara Children's home. After leaving last year and accepting the role of Health Provider for the children along with Livia, we began making plans to visit Kenya again. About two days after taking on this role, I started thinking about Noah and his congenital foot defect. And then I couldn't stop thinking about it. We began exploring a road that has ultimately led to his having surgery at Kijabe hospital here in Kenya.

Today is day 4 post op and was our first opportunity to lay eyes on him. He is doing awesome! He is pain free and smiling. He is very excited that his foot is 'straight.' A family from America gave up Christmas gifts this year to pay for his surgery and sent him a book. He absolutely loves it! His sponsor family sent letters from their son, Greg's, sixth grade class and he is looking forward to reading all the letters. We met with his doctor who said he is healing wonderfully!
What a huge answer to many, many prayers!

The team is off!!!

The rest of the team got off last night from O'Hare, all 10 of them. It made us a little nervous when we learned, however, that the computers for the whole international terminal were down, not a very comforting feeling. After a good 90 minute wait, they came back on the check in went smoothly. I just love the image of people from Oasis standing in front of a mountain of footlockers with huge smiles. God has great things in store for this team. I am especially excited for the two "3 generation" families. Ann Smith has both her father, Dr. Matlak and daughter Katie with her and my wife Jill has her mother, Anita, and daughter Piper along as well. There is also a Herden 2 Generation mother daughter team (Danna and Kira) as well as a Boyack 2 Gen. team of Sherrie and Katy. Sherri and Katy are first timers for Kenya. We are also blessed to have the husband/wife combo of Livia and Scott (first timers to Kenya too). Lastly, the well seasoned world traveler, Nate who has been in more developing countries than I have States.

Flight left got off the ground at 5:50 and made it to London just fine. The should be arriving Nairobi about noon today our time.

Got word from Ann who is already in Nairboi. Joseph and his son Michael along with Vincent's brother came in to Nairobi to see Noah Leboo as he is recovering from surgery. They have hooked up with Ann, Dr. Matlak and Katie and are all headed to Kijabe hospital together. I am sure Noah will greatly appreciate the greeting committee.

We hope to get blog posting directly from the team as they get their feet on the on the ground in Kenya. Please keep them in your prayers for the next 2 weeks.


Scott Hayward

Oasis for Orphans Medical Missions Trip 2009

Team I: Ann and Katie Smith and Dr. Matlak depart tomorrow for Kenya while Team II will depart on Saturday. Team II members are: Nate Kaiser, Danna and Kira Herden, Sherry and Katie Boyack, Scott and Livia Krzeminski, Anita Kaiser, and Jill and Piper Hayward. We are frantically getting all the trunks packed and making all the arrangements for our families that are left behind.

Great News: One of the children in the Transmara Children's Home underwent surgery yesterday to correct a deformed foot and hand. His name is Noah and his surgery was a success! We are so blessed that he had such a wonderfully skilled doctor! Now he begins the healing process and our team will be there with him to bring him back to Trans Mara from Kijabe. We are thrilled to be a part of such a momentous occasion in the life of this child! Please pray for a thorough and speedy healing of his foot. Many of you may know this already, but we are especially thankful for the family that stepped forward to pay for his surgery, as well as, his monthly sponsor (Gregory-age 11!) who had his classmates write get-well letters! Knowing that we are partnering with so many selfless and generous people is so encouraging!

We are still working to secure free immunizations for all the children through the Kenyan Ministry of Health. These children need basic immunizations and since we are bringing several RN's and Dr. Matlak with us this would be the perfect timing to get them done. As a small organization we could not afford to pay what the pharmacy was requiring, so stay tuned for updates on that!