October 21 - Londiani and Chesyliot

It takes about 1.5 hours to get to Londiani from Nakuru.  On my first trip here in 2008, it took three hours.  The roads here have improved so much, its hard to believe.  When we arrived at Londiani Orphanage we were greeted by all the kids, who were home for the Heroes Day Holiday.  After a bit, David Koech, our director here, told me he had in-laws in town and needed to make a quick visit a few minutes away.  Stephen volunteered to go with him, so Susie and I thought we were left with the orphanage kids.  After a few minutes we realized that most of them walked over too, so we were kind of alone.  That was a bit weird.  But we made the most of it, walking around the area, seeing the nearby river, and enjoying the amazing view.  We even ran into Andrew, the man who donated the land for the orphanage. He lives in Nairobi now, but was home for a few days.

Soon, everyone returned and Susie and I spen more than an hour and a half answering their questions about America, and our lives.  We both really enjoy this time, it gives so many “teachable moments” when you can sense the meaning behind their questions.  As we walked out of the dining hall, we saw that a massive fog had rolled in over the Great Rift Valley. Londaini is situated on a ridge with a million-dollar view, and last night it was worth a billion. After dinner we had evening devotional; awesome as usual.

This morning after some quality time with David, we made the very short driveo over to Chesyliot Feeding Station.  This place is run by Richard Koeach, David’s brother.  The people here are always so welcoming.  The widows gave Susie an amazing purse as a gift.  There were many kids I recognized, especially a little girl called Joylene.  She is about 6 and reminds me so much of my daughter, Morgan. (If Morgan was African!)  She’s not afraid of anything and smiles and laughs at the drop of a hat.  She reminds me that behind all of the statistics of how many orphans we are assisting, there are real kids with unique personalities and amazing potential. 

After lunch we departed for Kericho, where we made a supply run and settled into toe Tea Hotel for the night.

Tomorrow, Kericho Feeding Station.  Be Blessed!