not all who wander are lost....

I leave tomorrow morning at 4am for Nairobi with Daudi for Kijabe Hospital. It is a major hospital in Nairobi that specializes in back surgery/treatment. Since this was planned a few days ago, I have been experiencing an intense mixture of stress, worry, and excitement...its super intense! I'm worried about the smaller details of this trip like the appointments and meeting doctors. It is nothing like the US where you can book an appointment...we are going tomorrow in hopes to see the orthopedic surgeon and see what they can do for him. I'm excited because by the end of this week I will have three kids visiting three different hospitals getting the medical treatment they need. One will be getting glasses so she can see clearly in class and medicine to stop her eyes from hurting so much. Another will be getting his ears fixed and finally be able to hear normally!! And lastly...my Daudi has the opportunity to get surgery so he can run and play without pain or exhaustion. I think it was this week, these different events that are unfolding that I am reminded I did not come here as a 22 year old girl running away from life after graduation. Something much deeper brought my heart back here and being that its only been 3 weeks...I am more than excited to see what the next 4 months look like.
With that all said, I will let you all know how everything goes! Pray for my kids!!!! :)

love as he loved us

I feel encouraged daily by God's word and everyone supporting me back home. In the next couple of days I will be taking three of the children to the local hospital in LTK (Loitokitok) in order to get a referral for the hospital in Nairobi. Two out of the three have severe medical issues, so please keep them in your prayers as we travel to see how much surgery will cost along with medicine. One has spina bifida in the lumbar portion of his back (lower back) that is causing the child pain and was never treated. Another has microtia which is the closing of the cartilage around both of his ears, therefore the child cannot hear properly. The last one, has eye pain that causes her to cry and have trouble in class. These kids are smart, funny, and amazing. I love each them so much and I cannot stand the thought of them being in pain or suffering. So that is my first priority now this week.

pictures

The guest house...also known as my home for the next 5 months

Jennifer and Dinah:)

Mt. Kilimanjaro, my view every day

pilipili hoho

pilipili hoho...this is my new favorite Swahili word. It's just fun to say, and it means green pepper! Just a fun fact for the day!
I have been going through all the case files
from the old social worker that recently left. There are 47 kids currently living here at Teule and each one has a file with their history and education information. Erastus, the director here at Teule, wants to make the documentation system more organized and prepare it for the next social worker. I have enjoyed the time spent together as we look at each child individually and talk about what needs to be added to the file and how it can be updated. I really love what I am doing, but it is not easy going through all the files and reading each child's case history. Abandonment, neglect, abuse, child labor...the list really goes on. All of them are bright, funny, and have good hearts and they now also have a home with an education. I think as time continues I will get better at figuring out what to say on this thing...processing the evils that are done to children is not an easy battle. Please keep them in your prayers and thoughts.

Teule Kenya

I finally made it to Teule! I started off the day by going with Catherine (one of the cooks) to the market to buy some avocados and mangos! I spent a lot of time with Catherine and she is just one of the most wonderful people I know. We weren't even in the market yet and I had 2 marriage offers from Massai men...but I tell them I'm "married" ;). It seems to work if I stick with that! After we came home from the market, I finally unpacked and settled into my room here. It feels so good to be here and I still cannot believe it sometimes that I am actually in Kenya!! When school let out I got to see the kids, it was so fun to see the all! We played about 100 rounds of duck duck juice (they can't pronounce goose!)and about 9 times out of 10 I was the "juice", so I am exhausted from running around all day! I am looking forward to my work here, I know I will be busy helping with all the cases here at Teule. I am meeting with one of the directors here at Teule tomorrow to begin my job of reviewing cases and seeing what the next step is for the child individually. I am going to take some pictures soon so you all can see what Teule looks like and some of the awesome kids who live here! Love you all!

Here we go....

Not completely sure when it will hit me that I am in Kenya...and will be for the next five months. I would remind myself on the plane that I'm actually going back and I'm sure the people next to me thought I was crazy because I couldn't stop smiling! In a few short days I will be in Loitokitok and spending everyday with the kids at Teule. Even typing that out makes me happy, haha, but I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported and prayed for me. As excited as I am for the next five months I am aware that it will come with some trials and maybe even some frustrations. But such is life. Even as I sit here at 5am (cannot sleep!), I never would have imagined "older Erika" living in Kenya...alone...for five months, but now I can't imagine not being here. As I stand outside of my realm of comfort (Libertyville,IL haha) I know that God is beside me the entire step of the way. So whatever happens in the next five month and I guess even the rest of my life...I know that I do not stand alone which is the greatest comfort I have.

Pictures of Kenya

This is the view of Loitokitok which is where I will be staying for the next 5 months. It is also the location of Teule! :)