Tuesday
Mar132007
Africa in March:Update #3
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 02:25PM
Saturday, March 10th, 2007
Nairobi, Kenya
Sometimes in life you find yourself in a place which just resonates, a place which seems to touch the heart and soul and mind in a deeper and more profound sense than other places. For me, no other place I've experienced has resonated like Nairobi, Kenya. It is probably much too complex an issue for me to lay out on paper, but suffice to say that I am deeply moved by what I see, hear, smell and learn in Nairobi.
At the heart of this experience is the staff and children of the BCC. If you were to ask me, "If you could go anywhere in the world for vacation, where would it be?", I would probably answer, "New Zealand," or "Scotland." However, if the question was, "If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be?", I would answer, without hesitation or doubt, "The Baptist Children's Center of Nairobi, Kenya." Actually, this would be a bit misleading because the true answer would be, "Amongst the children of the Baptist Children's Center in Nairobi, Kenya."
Here is picture why: Lavenda, Agnes, Agnes and Edith
So it was that I found myself, along with 19 other similarly-minded people, pulling through the front gate of the BCC on a beautiful Saturday morning, preparing to spend a large part of the day in the very spot I consider to be Heaven-on-earth. After piling out of the vans, we spent a few minutes getting acquainted with the kids and then moved to the BCC's Dana Jones Dining Hall for a time of singing and worship. Accompanied by an aging CD player (whose cover was held in place with a small rock), we stood in amazement as the kids and their caregivers put on a concert for the ages (from my perspective, anyway.) Their voices, their Kenyan accents, their passion for singing...it all combined to produce possibly the greatest 15 minutes of music these 41-year old ears have ever heard. (To be honest, though, I think I say the same thing every time I hear them sing.) They sang primarily contemporary praise songs most of us had heard before, but I assure you, we had never truly heard them sung until then. It's as if we had suddenly found out why some of those songs were ever written; so they could be sung in that place with those voices.
After our time of singing and fellowship, we were able to spend some time playing and hanging out with the kids prior to lunch. This was a great time as the team really began to overcome some of the children's inherent shyness and started forming those bonds which are at the heart of the BCC experience. At around 1:00 pm, lunch was served. The BCC is blessed with a very hard-working and talented staff, including their two cooks, Agnes and Daniel (I think.) Meals at the BCC usually consist of a beef stew or beans, rice, and some sort of vegetable, like peas or carrots. With many meals, Chapati (spelling iffy, pronounced "cha-pa'-tee), a Kenyan staple, is served as well. This simple flour flat bread is similar in look to our flour tortillas, but is a bit thicker and has more moisture. The kids (and adults) love Chapati and always look forward to it.
After lunch our afternoon program began. The kids of the BCC were joined by two other groups: a small group from a "Compassion" children's home, and about 40 kids from the surrounding community (slum). The kids were divided up into 8 teams and rotated between crafts and soccer. All of the kids loved each activity, although soccer, being just as big a phenomenon in Kenya as it is most places in the world, was probably the favorite activity for the older kids. In the crafts area, an outbreak of face painting caught fire and the kids had a great time having polka dots, stars, fish, whatever, drawn on them. Once I get my pictures uploaded you can see how much fun they had with the face painting...there are some great photos (if I do say so myself.)
At around 4:30 pm, we started to wrap things up as we prepared to leave. It was hard to say goodbye after such a great day but, then again, it always is. All in all, the kids had a fantastic time and it was very, very rewarding to see some of the slum children having the opportunity to play soccer and face paint and meet us. The BCC tries very hard to integrate itself into the surrounding community, which isn't always easy, and offering these opportunities for the children of the slum goes a long way in accomplishing this goal.
After leaving the BCC, we headed back into town for dinner at Nando's (kind of a convenience store/fast food place) where we enjoyed either pizza or chicken. Then it was on to the Methodist Guest House for a time of devotion, discussion and, of course, Uno. It was a long day and everyone was tired, but it was such a GREAT day that I think everyone went to bed excited to get up early the next day for Day 2 of Sports Camp at the BCC.
I'll try to continue posting updates, but I must warn you, the internet is quite slow and troublesome at the Methodist Guest House and getting my posts up has proven to be difficult, as you might have surmised by now. Also, it will probably not be possible to post photos until I return, although I'll continue to try.
Final thoughts:
* Pray for the kids. They are so great, but face such a long and difficult road ahead. If I could snap my fingers and solve all their ills, I would of course, but I can't. They need our support, they need our prayers, they need our love.
* For now I am sticking primarily to straight narrative…what we did, who was there, what it was like, etc. After a while I will get more “interpretive” writings posted.
* Understand that I am not an official Buckner representative and the thoughts and opinions I express are mine alone. If you have a beef with anything you've read, take it up with me, not Buckner.
* My luggage was lost on the flight over and I've been wearing the same few clothes now for 5 days. Also, the gifts and stuff I wanted to give out are gone as well. Also, my computer wireless card is not available so I'm finding it extra-difficult to secure internet time. Also...also...also...you get the idea. It's all a bit disheartening (but tolerable). If you're comfortable praying for lost luggage, feel free. If not, at least try to feel a tiny bit sorry for me. If even that won't work, go ahead and laugh.
Nairobi, Kenya
Sometimes in life you find yourself in a place which just resonates, a place which seems to touch the heart and soul and mind in a deeper and more profound sense than other places. For me, no other place I've experienced has resonated like Nairobi, Kenya. It is probably much too complex an issue for me to lay out on paper, but suffice to say that I am deeply moved by what I see, hear, smell and learn in Nairobi.
At the heart of this experience is the staff and children of the BCC. If you were to ask me, "If you could go anywhere in the world for vacation, where would it be?", I would probably answer, "New Zealand," or "Scotland." However, if the question was, "If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be?", I would answer, without hesitation or doubt, "The Baptist Children's Center of Nairobi, Kenya." Actually, this would be a bit misleading because the true answer would be, "Amongst the children of the Baptist Children's Center in Nairobi, Kenya."
Here is picture why: Lavenda, Agnes, Agnes and Edith
So it was that I found myself, along with 19 other similarly-minded people, pulling through the front gate of the BCC on a beautiful Saturday morning, preparing to spend a large part of the day in the very spot I consider to be Heaven-on-earth. After piling out of the vans, we spent a few minutes getting acquainted with the kids and then moved to the BCC's Dana Jones Dining Hall for a time of singing and worship. Accompanied by an aging CD player (whose cover was held in place with a small rock), we stood in amazement as the kids and their caregivers put on a concert for the ages (from my perspective, anyway.) Their voices, their Kenyan accents, their passion for singing...it all combined to produce possibly the greatest 15 minutes of music these 41-year old ears have ever heard. (To be honest, though, I think I say the same thing every time I hear them sing.) They sang primarily contemporary praise songs most of us had heard before, but I assure you, we had never truly heard them sung until then. It's as if we had suddenly found out why some of those songs were ever written; so they could be sung in that place with those voices.
After our time of singing and fellowship, we were able to spend some time playing and hanging out with the kids prior to lunch. This was a great time as the team really began to overcome some of the children's inherent shyness and started forming those bonds which are at the heart of the BCC experience. At around 1:00 pm, lunch was served. The BCC is blessed with a very hard-working and talented staff, including their two cooks, Agnes and Daniel (I think.) Meals at the BCC usually consist of a beef stew or beans, rice, and some sort of vegetable, like peas or carrots. With many meals, Chapati (spelling iffy, pronounced "cha-pa'-tee), a Kenyan staple, is served as well. This simple flour flat bread is similar in look to our flour tortillas, but is a bit thicker and has more moisture. The kids (and adults) love Chapati and always look forward to it.
After lunch our afternoon program began. The kids of the BCC were joined by two other groups: a small group from a "Compassion" children's home, and about 40 kids from the surrounding community (slum). The kids were divided up into 8 teams and rotated between crafts and soccer. All of the kids loved each activity, although soccer, being just as big a phenomenon in Kenya as it is most places in the world, was probably the favorite activity for the older kids. In the crafts area, an outbreak of face painting caught fire and the kids had a great time having polka dots, stars, fish, whatever, drawn on them. Once I get my pictures uploaded you can see how much fun they had with the face painting...there are some great photos (if I do say so myself.)
At around 4:30 pm, we started to wrap things up as we prepared to leave. It was hard to say goodbye after such a great day but, then again, it always is. All in all, the kids had a fantastic time and it was very, very rewarding to see some of the slum children having the opportunity to play soccer and face paint and meet us. The BCC tries very hard to integrate itself into the surrounding community, which isn't always easy, and offering these opportunities for the children of the slum goes a long way in accomplishing this goal.
After leaving the BCC, we headed back into town for dinner at Nando's (kind of a convenience store/fast food place) where we enjoyed either pizza or chicken. Then it was on to the Methodist Guest House for a time of devotion, discussion and, of course, Uno. It was a long day and everyone was tired, but it was such a GREAT day that I think everyone went to bed excited to get up early the next day for Day 2 of Sports Camp at the BCC.
I'll try to continue posting updates, but I must warn you, the internet is quite slow and troublesome at the Methodist Guest House and getting my posts up has proven to be difficult, as you might have surmised by now. Also, it will probably not be possible to post photos until I return, although I'll continue to try.
Final thoughts:
* Pray for the kids. They are so great, but face such a long and difficult road ahead. If I could snap my fingers and solve all their ills, I would of course, but I can't. They need our support, they need our prayers, they need our love.
* For now I am sticking primarily to straight narrative…what we did, who was there, what it was like, etc. After a while I will get more “interpretive” writings posted.
* Understand that I am not an official Buckner representative and the thoughts and opinions I express are mine alone. If you have a beef with anything you've read, take it up with me, not Buckner.
* My luggage was lost on the flight over and I've been wearing the same few clothes now for 5 days. Also, the gifts and stuff I wanted to give out are gone as well. Also, my computer wireless card is not available so I'm finding it extra-difficult to secure internet time. Also...also...also...you get the idea. It's all a bit disheartening (but tolerable). If you're comfortable praying for lost luggage, feel free. If not, at least try to feel a tiny bit sorry for me. If even that won't work, go ahead and laugh.
in Africa
Africa
Reader Comments (3)
Oh my girls!!! They're still as beautiful as ever. Tell them all I said hello and love and miss them!!
Super,
Good pic. Good write up. Incredible. I know you can't even put it into words, though you make well-written attempts. I'm sure the visit to the slum will be equally as life-changing. We're praying for you and the team. I hope you found your luggage.
Look forward to hearing all about it.
Jeff
This picture made my day. Reading your update made me feel like I was right there with you guys. Keep loving the children as much as possible for us back here who can't be there with you all.
It is strange that I laughed, felt sorry for you, AND prayed for your luggage situation? :)
Keep up the good work. You and the team are being prayed for!