The lost is found

Purity, our library volunteer, reading during the August holiday.

 

This August has been a month of discovery and beginnings. It is one of the three school holiday months so I see much more of the children I support. This August was non-stop action. In June we learned the project I lead was awarded a grant to start a library and to provide some of the children with career counseling - both of which kicked off this month, in addition to our annual "Adventures Unlimited" workshop for the younger orphans. Due to bus fare being out of reach of most of the students, we set up libraries in two locations. We were also provided with a recycled computer for the students to learn computer skills. And in the midst of all the preparations, I continue to learn about life and language and the challenges these children face. It's been a bit overwhelming.

Often the challenges seem so big. Perseverance has new meaning for me now, and not from my own personal trials, but the ones I see before these children. Educational systems, lacking infrastructure and little probability of employment after school. That's the big picture. The daily picture has more to do with getting soap, kerosene for a lamp to study at night, and enough to eat. I wonder if I'm like a person at the sidelines of a marathon, handing out a glass of water to keep the runner going until the finish line. I've been asking myself the question about how to better serve the children. 

In the midst of all these activities, there has been a number of moments that have reminded me to have hope. Here's a few of  them:

• Watching the two young men who are training to be teachers, as they tutored our students who are behind in their classes.
• Seeing the enthusiasm as one of them offered to mentor a struggling teenager.
• Listening to the children read aloud.
• Seeing new interest in reading.
• The commitment of 4 Community Based Health Care Project counselors to listening to the struggles of the children and encouraging them.
• Finding the lost! Three children who had been "lost" to us showed up this month at various activities we had.
• Three of our high school students brought their grades up from D average to C average this past term.

Two of our "lost boys" who appeared again this past month.  Gotta love those smiles.

I had the honor of visiting this family - a great-grandmother of 88 yrs who's doing what she can to raise this little 4-yr-old!

The local Catholic primary school had an impressive festival with singing & dancing.

One of those moments ... I was looking for a new perspective & saw little shoots growing out of an ancient Baobob tree that had been cut back - and we thought left for dead.  Yay for new signs of life!

Katana, far right, listening to the concerns of some of our Form 2 (Sophomore) boys.

The Mombasa trio have become a quartet!  Welcome back Coralis!

How do you say octopus in Swahili?

Today I met an octopus fisherman. I am at the St. Margaret Mary Cottage for a three night-vacation with my friends John & Cindy. We were out this morning at low tide, wandering through tide pools, trying to avoid stepping on prickly sea urchins nor threatening sea life more than necessary. I had to marvel at all the little creatures around me - colors, shapes, creatures different than I've seen before. It was if I was within a Dr. Seuss book.

There is a coral reef along the coast, and in some places the surface beneath our feet would give way, like walking on a thick mat. I hope the soft coral is forgiving as it was hard to avoid as we made our way out from the shore.

There were two men busy prodding in the deeper pools so I asked them what they were looking for. The reply was "Njoo!" Come! and so I went. I found out what he was fishing for as he successfully caught it and threw it to me. A slimy, slithery octopus. I was not graceful nor grateful, screaming and jumping back. He had no trouble capturing it again and holding it for all of us to touch it, as its ink ran down his arms. Later he came back with a gift for me of a big shiny shell, a refreshing change from the many salesman who wander the beaches.

The multitude of life that surrounded me - as I watch the sand come alive - brought me a sense of awe. What appears dead or lifeless scurries away or grips the earth as I try to move it. Fragile, resilient, beautiful, iridescent or camouflaged. A moment to realize the Divine.

May you be so blessed today.
Mary

New Beginnings

Today I said farewell to a student that is starting college this fall. I've been able to help coordinate the donation for some of her university fees as well as help her get some of the things she'll need. I felt as if she was my own daughter, sending her off to school and trying to think of what she might need. I asked her to select a few snacks for the overnight bus trip to Nairobi tomorrow. When I asked which ones she liked, it was humbling to hear she'd never had store-bought chips before.

Tonight as I joined my roommates for prayer and reflection, I sat before a candle reading love love love love on it. I had been searching for what to tell this young woman who is starting a chapter that will forever change her life.

I also thought of how much this student has affected me, certainly due to how bright and honest she is - the kind of person who you want the best for - and perhaps from the memories of my time in college, but also knowing how this opportunity will change the future of her family. She has the chance that her mother and late elder sister didn't. She won't be limited to washing clothes, selling vegetables, or braiding hair like so many other women who weren't able to finish primary school. She won't be a story of a teenager pregnant too early who entered a relationship knowing she would get enough food to eat or be able to pay for simple things like soap.

In spite of the daily challenges that come before me, the things big and small that I struggle with, this new beginning gives me hope. I am grateful for being able to part of it.


And the candle reminded me that it is my belief in love that brought me here - a love that can overcome all else. The words sound too easy - but I hope to start fresh tomorrow.

With prayers for all those entering into new beginnings, Mary

I didn't think you'd come

My title comes from the words of one of my students today when I met him at his school. He's in Form 4, the last year of secondary school. It's an intense year for students since they spend most of the year preparing for the national exam that will take place in late October to mid-November. They won't find out their results until next February or March, to know whether they will be one of the lucky few to get government sponsorship to attend the university.

I had just seen him (let's say his name is Zach) on Saturday, when he brought his younger brother to our workshop for students in primary school. I was surprised to see him, since he's one of the students who is difficult to trace. His story is not too uncommon for a middle child of three boys who were orphaned by AIDS. His two brothers live with two different uncles in two different areas. Zach has stayed in the family home to make sure that it remains theirs. Land rights are not respected, particularly in an urban area, where traditional mud houses like his get knocked down when someone comes in with money to build something new.

He told me on Saturday that he's hoping to bring his younger brother "home" to live with him next year. Both he and his older brother are finishing secondary school this year and they want to live together in the simple home built by their parents - which I understand & admire, knowing that they will struggle to find casual labor jobs to put food on the table.

In the meantime, I told him today - it's game time. Now is the only chance he has to improve his results. He was inconsistent in going to school last year - which isn't uncommon for kids left on their own. As a result, he's far behind in his math skills and performing poorly in other subjects, in spite of being bright. We have a volunteer tutor set up to meet with him on Saturday & I'm not sure how much ground can be made up, but I want to encourage him as much as I can.

From what he said to me today, I wonder how many other adults have let him down. I know I'll never know his whole story, but today was a good reminder of the importance of just showing up.

Speaking of showing up ... we had a few new neighbors drop by our kitchen window

Busted! We realized that it wasn't the neighborhood crows that took a loaf of bread from the kitchen a few weeks back and left the bag outside.
The getaway ... down the drainpipe ...

and down the alley ...

... to the coconut tree. We had quite the stare down. I outlasted them, possibly because they were more entertaining to watch than I was.