Hope Community Center

I wrote 48 pages in my journal about my experience at Hope Community Center a.k.a. "Mama Lucy's" in Kinangop, Kenya. The good, the bad and the ugly. It feels pretty overwhelming to write about it here. Spending 4 1/2 days at Mama Lucy's was supposed to be THE highlight of our trip. I will definitely say the place changes you. But not in the way you would think. These beautiful kids were rescued from life on the streets and given a roof over their head. But they still go every day without many basic necessities. They are still scarred and in need of healing. Overall, I believe our team did a good job of showing affection, attention and love to 200 kids who needed it. We did the best we could with the resources and direction we were given.

Thank you to my friends who contributed toward the washer and dryer fund! Lucy bought the washer and dryer and they arrived the morning before we left. I had the opportunity to teach the older girls how to operate the machines. A unique experience I will not forget.

Below is a little taste of Hope Community Center on the day of our arrival. If you want to hear about the other days and my analysis of the week, call me.

Day 1 - Arrival:

Before arriving at Mama Lucy's, we stopped in the town of Naivasha at a small walmart-type store called Naivas. We bought a ton of stuff for the kids and babies: school notebooks, plastic pants for diapers, cloth diaper fasteners, underwear for the girls, plates/cups, soap, laundry detergent, bleach, a basketball, and more. I loved being able to spend the money that my friends had given me for this purpose. We drove out of town and onto the bumpiest dirt road I've ever travelled on. In the early evening we arrived at Hope Community Center and all the kids in their uniforms came out to greet us. They were shy and cute. Mama Lucy was not there. After unloading our luggage and store purchases, we joined the kids for their nightly "devotion" time of singing, prayer and a message led by Gerald a former HCC kid (now 25 years old) and on a break from college. I loved their music. Their voices were loud and their tone was beautiful. Lots of clapping and movement and yet bet I joined in! Then dinner was brought in a HUGE cauldron full of beans that took four older boys to carry. We helped dish out large portions of beans to the kids and served them. We would have been happy to eat what the kids were eating, but Jackson, the cook and a few older girls insisted they cook separate for us. They were so generous and the food tasted great! All week we ate rice, cooked greens (kale), cabbage, ugali (corn meal), chicken, hard boiled eggs and yummy fried bread called mandazi. And of course, hot tea. We stayed in a 3 story dorm-style building with running water and a toilet. Before bed we prepped for the next day's activities including health check ups (by our 3 nurses), outdoor games, and indoor learning activities and crafts.

An interesting first day but just the beginning of an interesting week...