We – the boys and I – returned a few weeks ago from our 11-day adventure to Kenya – 3 days of it spent in planes, ferries, buses, airports, and cars. No complaints there, as it isn’t every day that you fly over Greenland or eat Stroopwafel cookies in the Amsterdam airport! Our destination upon landing in Nairobi was an orphanage called Heroes of the Nation, which is a 4-hour drive north and 8,000 feet up in a town called Nyahururu. (No mosquitoes! A big selling point for me as a mom thinking about malaria!)
I’ve been digesting it all since returning safely home. There’s too much to say, so my photos and videos below will speak a lot of it for me. In a nutshell, Kenyans are some of the most joyful people I’ve ever met. You see pictures in magazines all your life of places like this and it seems so distant. But now this little campus on the other side of the world, as my older son put it, “feels like our other home.” From the moment our transport car was greeted out on the road by hundreds of singing and clapping children to the moment we drove away, waving goodbye to all of them gathered around us, I felt like I was finally realizing a dream that has been in me since I was a kid. A dream that there is something in Africa for me. Or could it be that there is someone in Africa to bring home with us? Hmmm…
Here are some short videos followed by photos of our time there…
Going to Heroes of the Nation changed our hearts forever. See photos below and if you’d like to know more, we are giving a presentation at Orcas Island Community Church in the Family Life building this Sunday, April 22nd, at 6:30 PM. All are welcome.
They surrounded us with excitement and curiosity when we arrived
In front of the girls’ dorm
Smiles and joy are the norm – I had to remind myself that these children are orphans
This is on one of the dorms
The girls’ dorm – two kids to a bed
Communicating with Dad back home
Learning and recording a new song written by one of our team members
One of the cooks who makes the meals for all 500+ kids each day
Studying time
Textbooks – These kids study HARD and most will go to college
They all have high aspirations
There is a “msungu” (white person) in the room
These kids smile and greet you and you feel so loved
The littles class
Kenyans typically don’t like chameleons but our msungu boy loves them
Getting directions for the carnival our team set up for the kids
The lines for face and nail painting were an hour long
Our guest house cook, Diana, helping to make balloon hats
The line for nails
Claire painted nails for hours
Ellie painted faces all day long
We Americans are so used to having “stuff” for every occasion but not so here
A carnival where the fun is in the games, not in the rewards
Elijah, the Religion teacher
Dancing is always welcome!
What a sweet face
High school girls
High school boys
Sweet Ivy
Every girl is beautiful and every boy is handsome
Susie, Assistant Director of Heroes of the Nation, adorning joy-filled Joyce
Little msungu, Director of Chameleon Relations, adorning himself
Weston and Violet are the Directors of the orphanage
Susie and Violet
We slept quite comfortably! Even had our own new hot-water shower in the bathroom. A few days earlier and we would’ve been bathing from a bucket.
The children wash their own laundry in buckets when they need to
Porridge time at mid-morning (sorghum)
Porridge time in the main eating hall
Children fill their buckets at the well for daily washing water; they each fill a bucket with filtered water from a huge outdoor tank when they need drinking water
The well is DEEP
The morning bell rings here at 5 AM – time to get water, wash, etc.
Special dances the kids planned for our team as their “guests”
Some kids fill in between the formal dances
Primary school kids amused by the dancing
High schoolers watching fellow students dancing to songs like “Zigwembe” (Google it!)
Simon is the Principal and every time I saw him he was lovingly hand-in-hand with a child
40+ tribes are represented in the kids here, where they are taught to honor each other
Thanks to all the Orcas Islanders who gave necklaces and beads!
Each girl chose a necklace class by class
Donning her new necklace
The girl in purple is leading them
Practicing dances before performing for us
We threw a dance party with glow sticks for the high schoolers one night; Pamela is on the left, Lucy on the far right
Wow!!! Edee, this is so beautiful!!!! I can’t wait to see all the photos! Wish we were close enough to watch your presentation❤️
Beautiful photos. Looks like an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing !❤️
Oh Edwe, my heart is full tonight after watching your presentation and that farewell letter just touch my heart very special. Thank you 😍🙏😍