Slipper Mania...

When the Foster Group was here a few weeks ago, I took them to Oasis of Hope to check out the street kid program that they are running here in Kitale. Geoffrey, the Kenyan manager of Oasis of Hope was welcoming of them. He explained the vision and mission of Oasis and the different steps/plans of the centre as well.

The Foster Group was so impressed with the set-up that they donated money to Oasis to buy slippers (we know them as sandals/flip-flops in North America) for all of the children in both the drop-in centre and the four group homes that Oasis has. On Wednesday, Geoffrey went and bought the slippers (about 100 of them) and on Thursday, Daniel and I went to Oasis of Hope’s drop-in centre and presented the children at the center with new slippers. The kids were thrilled to get new slippers; slippers are inexpensive here but break very easy, especially when worn all the time.

On Thursday evening, Eva Joy and I went with Geoffrey to deliver the remaining slippers to the four group homes. Oh my gosh, we had such a blast. Although we spent minimal time with the kids, the time spent was awesome. The first house, properly called “House #1” was awesome. The boys there are total gems. As soon as Eva and I arrived, I noticed Evans right away, sweet Evans from the Glue Boys video. He looked the same, the same sweet face, just taller and wiser. 

One of the boys, Elvis, is preparing to start his KCPE (Kenya Certification of Primary Education) exam on Monday for grade eight. This is an extremely important exam as it will determine, based on his marks, what type of high school he will accepted by. So before we left, Eva and I sat with Elvis, laid hands on him and prayed for him. He was so happy to have us do that for him. We ended up praying for all the boys.

And with each house we went to, before leaving, we gathered together in a circle, held hands and Eva and I prayed for them.

It was probably one of the most fun evenings I have had in a long time. Again, although the time at each home was short, it was such a blessing to me to be able to meet these amazing kids who went from street kids (glue sniffers) to children with the chance to accomplish their goals and dreams.

Thank you Lydia and Geoffrey for allowing us to visit your homes. I will be visiting a lot more often…those kids are such a huge blessing. As soon as I get the camera cable, I will post pictures up here for you to see.

Love you all,
Meredith
xoxoxo