Wow! What an amazing day. First of all, I'm in Africa!! I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that.
Today, we spent the day at Paradise Lost. A beautiful park in Nairobi with water falls, ancient caves you can go far into, and a river that runs along the back. I was nervous about this day because we were spending it with a large group of children and their mothers who were bussed in from the slums. This would be their one day a year to get to spend the day in play. These people live in some of the worst conditions, have seen great pain and suffer from HIV/AIDS. What could I possibly offer? My hope was to be able to encourage them and let them feel loved and accepted just for who they are. When we got off our bus, they welcomed us with that same sentiment. Children, came right up to us with handshakes and hugs. They were dressed in their best outfits and showed us the best manners. They grabbed onto our hands and just loved on us. The women gave us big hugs and big smiles welcoming us with such warmth. I felt like family right away.
The kids loved playing with our cameras. When we would take their pictures, they would rush over to see it on the digital screens. That made them so happy. Some would be allowed to hold our cameras and take some pictures of their own and you could see importance written all over their faces. A camera is something so normal in my life -can't take it for granted so much now seeing how much it lit up the faces of these children. Even the moms enjoyed having their pictures taken.
The children got to play and do crafts. It appears the favorite craft was the jewelry made out of pipe cleaner and beads. They walked around with stickers on their foreheads and their self made jewelry. What seemed the most pleasing to them was just to hold our hands and walk along with us. Some pulled us where they wanted, some just wanted that simple affection -acceptance.
We spent some time with the mamas having a devotional and creating braided bracelets out of embroidery thread. Oh my heart, I feel so humbled. Some of the women were eager learners and got right into the project, some simply enjoyed just visiting with their friends, and getting to relax for a bit. Some just didn't feel good at all. But in the end, every woman completed her bracelet and tied it around her wrist. Some women actually wore them as necklaces. I was so touched by their sweet spirits.
One of the ladies from the HEART center brought her keyboard and as soon as she started playing it, she was surrounded by the women and children who danced and sang exuding such joy. I loved watching the women dance. They have this natural rhythm in their movement that I tried to imitate but couldn't. I just looked awkward -so I stopped but I sure enjoyed watching them.
One of my favorite moments of the day was seeing the moms jump rope. They counted how many times they could jump before stumbling on the rope. They played just like kids. They laughed and played and I can still see their huge smiles and laughter.
It was a very good day. We left them with colorful jewelry that they got to make, food in their tummies, singing hearts and hugs. It just hurts knowing what and where they went home to.
No comments:
Post a Comment