Lee McGraw and Dirubi

Wednesday was our last day at the orphanages, so we decided to go out with a bang! We traveled from Kericho about two hours to Dirubi and Lee McGraw orphanages, near Sondu. Dirubi was the first orphanage and Lee McGraw was one of the most recent. They are about seven kilometers apart. We went to Lee McGraw first.

At Lee McGraw, the primary kids were in school, and having end of term exams, so they were not there. Some of the secondary kids were there, and that was perfect for Steve, Allison, Stephanie, and Joel. Steve spent our entire time there talking with these kids, and they were enthralled with his stories of America, the good and bad. He also encouraged them in their education, and reminded them that their country was in their own hands; they could make it better if they had the will. It was inspiring to watch.

Some of the ladies went around to every bunk in the dorms and put a beanie-baby and sucker on each pillow. Only moms would think of that, that’s why I was so glad they came. Leah held court with some of the secondary girls, taking pictures and showing them to the girls. Becca had a group of girls playing tic-tac-toe on her iphone. Later they sang a song into her voice recorder app; that will be cool to hear later. Jason played with some of the widows kids who were there and took great video of the site for me. Thanks Jason!

When we were leaving, Charlton was really itching to have a run. He had been a good boy and stayed away from the streets of Kenyan towns where we stay, but he was ready to fly now. He zipped off his pant legs (convertible shorts) and ran the entire seven kilometers from Lee McGraw to Dirubi! We followed him in our vehicles, and we went as fast as we could but he still arrived right with us. There are some cool pics of this on the Picasa web album, click the link to the right.

The most impressive thing about Dirubi is the calm. After the near-chaos of Kericho feeding station (I still can’t believe all that) it was refreshing to feel a sense of normalcy. Dirubi has been in operation almost five years, and these kids have a healthy glow and the easy familiarity of a community. Very cool. We toured the new additions, a tailoring room and the director’s house, and soon the kids arrived home for lunch. Their two choirs treated us to concerts and they were very good. Don’t be surprised if a video of that shows up in worship soon.

Another thing I noticed on this visit at Dirubi was the church building. Keep in mind that this was a church that Thomas established 12 years ago. It has 250 members, and has outgrown its building twice. The current structure is incomplete and in need of a lot of work. Why, you ask? Easy, they spend all their money helping orphans. GCR men, I’m thinking “mission trip”, what do you say?

We got some great pictures with Thomas under the mango tree where the church first met, and then we were on our way to Nakuru. Tomorrow we act like tourists in Nairobi and put most of our party on a plane home tomorrow night. Susie and I will stay for two more days in Kamulu, holding meetings with the WBS workers and the orphanage workers before leaving for home Saturday night. Stay tuned, there is more adventure to come.