Kenya 2013 - Day 2

Day 2 was the day that I was the most anxious about going into this adventure. We spent the day at an orphanage in Nairobi that provides a home, love, and care to children especially those who are infected with HIV/AIDS. I am not a baby person and lots of little children at one time can make me nervous. (There is a reason I taught middle school and high school students!) Despite all those nerves, our team is committed to community and they were incredibly encouraging to me as they knew I was going to be stretched this day.

We spent the morning learning about the ministry and the influence the home is having, not just Nairobi but around the world as they are helping families adopt these beautiful children. Then we were able to head outside for playtime in the yard. As you can see, others on our team aren't like me. They love the little ones...

...and really I did too!

Teaching this beautiful girl how to use a camera.

Lunch time

Lunch time went pretty well. Dinner time, not so much. The first boy I tried to feed kicked his bowl off the chair. The next girl just screamed the entire time I tried to feed her. Finally I was handed another little girl who loves to eat. I'm glad all of that added some entertainment for the rest of our team.

I'm sure you aren't suppose to have favorites, but this little girl was mine. She was a very sick little girl so I got to spent some time holding her before I prayed with her and put her to bed.

Despite my nerves, it was a good day and I made some new friends who I got to play ball with all afternoon.

These two taught me a good lessons as I sat and did the same things over and over again for what seemed like hours. It wasn't even a full hour of "1, 2, 3" throw the ball or "1, 2, 3" bounce the ball but their reaction was the same every time, until Bill tried to catch it on camera. They laughed and laughed and each time their smile got bigger and bigger. It was pure joy to them and very repetitive to me. It never got old to them. They knew what was coming and yet they still were excited.

It reminded me of how I react when I see God move. God is constantly working all around us. We see it over and over again and yet I seem so surprised when he does. I shouldn't be surprised when he does, but I am. I'm excited about it...until I see someone watching. Then I have the crazy idea that I should hide my excitement and awe for fear of what others may think. It makes me wonder how much I'm missing because I'm more afraid of other people's responses than I am willing to just bask in God's goodness.

It was a good challenge for day 2, to keep my eyes open for God moving during our trip and celebrate each moment with great joy.