Malaria Sucks
So, 3 days before I was to return home from Kenya, I got Malaria. Let me tell you, all the trouble and hassle of taking preventative is well worth it. I have never been so sick in my life. But, enough is enough..Here’s a synopsis of my trip..
Being in a 3rd World Country for three months has its perks and has its let downs. Learning about the culture and building relationships with people halfway around the world is definitly something of the “2000″. It was definitly the trip of a lifetime. So anyways, let me tell you what Brett and I did while we were there…
Everyday I would head to an orphanage about 3 miles from where we were staying. It was an all boys orphanage–20 boys, all under the age of 10. Needless to say I played alot of soccer and making mud/clay toys!! I would head over there after lunch and wash the dishes. Then we would all sit down, sing songs (in English and Ki-Swahili), then if I had an interpreter I would tell a Bible story or two and then play games. What really made an impression on me were the relationships I built with the boys. Each one of them were abandoned by family members claiming they could not take them in. So the fear of rejection was huge with them! Being able to just love on these boys was a huge thing to them. They are taken care of by a couple–Andrew and Esther, but since there’s only 2 of them, it’s hard for them to show all of them the love they need. There was a desperate need for volunteers there. I didn’t understand why people wouldn’t come help, until I understood this.
Orphans, Street Kids, and Widows are seen as the dirty, nasty, outcasts of the society. They are the lowest of the low on the African totem pole. People who are associated with them are seen just as they are–outcasts–the untouchables. If you are seen even talking to one of these people, you can be disassociated with city council members, school officials, and even clergymen and churches. No one wants to be associated with these people. So, when Kenyans see these white, “rich” Americans coming in and working with and playing with these kids and people, they are stunned. They can’t believe that we would come to Africa to work with these kids. So we were an example–not only to the kids, but to the adults as well.
We did more things, but right now I’m too tired to write about them. I’ll do it later, when I’m not still nauseated from Malaria and not exhausted from the plane rides…