Wow! And we
thought Day One was awesome, today was incredible!!
We began
with church service with the Huruma kids.
They have their own worship band, play their own instruments and have
incredible voices!! The worship service was 3 hours long and honestly, no one
wanted it to end. We sang, we danced and we heard the Word of God. Our Sewing Team was greeted by Mama Zipporah
and introduced to all of the kiddos. Pastor Tim Beal from Cornerstone taught us
from Luke 8:26-39. Reminding us that God can use anyone and any circumstance to
bring others to Christ. At the end of the service, we said our goodbyes to the
Cornerstone High School group that had been here for 2 weeks before us. Everyone was very sad to say goodbye, but it
was bittersweet as we were saying hello! Every student greeted each of us with
a hug! It was beautiful.
After lunch,
Mama Zipporah shared with us her life story and how Huruma Children’s Home was founded.
She began serving at an orphanage in Kenya and when God healed her from Heart
Disease, she knew she wanted to live for him and do even more. Mama started to care for a small amount of
children and that led to the 180 children she mother’s today, plus the 100 children
from the slums that she helps educate at Huruma School. She is an amazing woman,
our love for her is big and her love for us is as well. She radiates Christ’s light to others!
Sunday
afternoon brought a need we were not prepared for materially, but we were moved
in a big way to help. The uniforms of the students need incredible
attention. Almost every student has been
wearing their one and only uniform, six days a week, for well over a year. Can you imagine what an outfit of your child
would look like if they wore it every day? For OVER a year?! To say these
clothes needed mending was an understatement.
We did not come prepared for this, but that’s ok, because God led the
way and the clothes just kept coming! We
have mended sweaters, pants, shirts and jackets, sewn on buttons, and we had to
utilized the materials that we had brought (since we had no clothing patches, we
are making them from bed sheets). The
need is so great, it is overwhelming. But
slowly we are making progress as more and more come in. I’m amazed by this team’s talent and skills! They
have had to “make do” with supplies, yet have risen to the occasion with
amazing work! Thank you Lord! The kids are so grateful and so is Mama Zipporah.
Seeing her smile and the children’s is a beautiful thing!!
Later that
night, we went into the girl’s dormitory to read them books and play
games. It was bittersweet! Spending time
with these kids is priceless, but their surroundings are difficult to see. They are certainly living a life that is full
compared to their upbringing, but the overcrowded rooms, worn linens, tattered
clothes and shoes, and difficult smells are gut wrenching. Even with these conditions, they are grateful
for everything!! They loved the books and the games. Especially playing “big
booty” with Kristina! It was too cute! The girls are eager for their new dormitories to be finished. The construction is in process! We hugged them goodnight and looked
forward to our first full school week with the children!
Church Service at Huruma
Haiden and Deanne with Selma in the girl's dormitory. Immediately we saw their Leigh's Blankies on their beds from last year! And they still looked great!!
More girls and their Leigh's Blankies!
If you attend Cornerstone Church, you will recognize this dormitory. The church built a model of this particular room on our church campus this year to help raise awareness and funds for the Huruma Girls. It was pretty incredible seeing the actual dormitory IN Kenya. Seeing this on our own church campus moved so many people, they raised $120,000 to build the girl's a new dorm! They are anxiously awaited their new home. Their current conditions of cramped spaces and inadequate toilets/showers is heart wrenching. Many of these girls sleep 2 or 3 to a bed. But look at their faces, happy and grateful for all that has been given to them. They are amazing girls.
Their one and only toilet in the Girl's dorm, which also doubles as a bathing area.
This sweet guy was studying on top of his Leigh's Blankie. :) When I told him we had made that for him he eagerly said, Thank you! I love it.
The Boy's room with their special curtains made by a Leigh's Blankies.
To see Leigh's name throughout Huruma is incredibly moving beyond words. The students know who she is and the light her life was to us all. They are thankful of how God was faithful through grief, provided for Leigh's Blankies and brought us all to Huruma to serve them. Our hearts are full, yet we miss her no less than when we first lost her. We will have a lot to catch up on one day in Heaven.
Maria is an incredible volunteer of Leigh's Blankies. Her servant heart has sewed and facilitated many groups for our organization. Being in this room together with our curtains and blankies was certainly rewarding.
Sweet Hope and our Sweet Rylie.
Mending the clothes at Huruma!
Just an example of the mending that God put before us!
This is a BEAUTIFUL picture to us!! Missy taught Sweet Agnes, a former child from Huruma, how to sew the very first Leigh's Blankie at Huruma! Each blankies will also have their very own HURUMA FAMILY label with a silhouette of Africa on the opposite side. Agnes gave this first blankie to her daughter, Caren.
Agnes and her daughter Caren are VERY special to me! We have been messaging on Facebook for quite some time. When her daughter was born in Kenya, she was first wrapped in a Leigh's Blankie. Here is that picture!
