Habari!

Hi Friends!

We are so sorry we haven't been able to update more. We work so much during the day then at night all we can do is sleep. We are having such an incredible time in Meru. We absolutely have loved our time at the Thiiri Center. We have done a lot these past few days.

Monday- We arrived in Meru, and went to visit the MCK HIV & AIDS program led by Florence Murungu. We learned all about the program and what they are doing to help out with the HIV & AIDS problem. In Meru it has affected a lot of people. Many children are orphans due to their parents dying. There are a lot of children raising other children in Meru.

Tuesday- this was a very sad day for us, but also very hopeful. We started the day out by going to a fish pod that has been started by a HIV/AIDs support group. All of them are suffering from HIV. They will sell the fish to support themselves and their families. We also were able to help them out by planting grass with them. It was nice to work along side them.
After, we went to St Pauls school. The school has over 360 children. The rooms are very small. We were able to give them a lot of much needed supplies and toys. (Thank you FUMC of Lakeland and Alex Reiter!) The children were so happy to recieve all of the gifts. Most of them had never gotten a gift or toy in their life. We were able to play with them for a little bit, but then soon had to go.
We then went to a Methodist church that has over 850 members, which is very large for Kenya. We were taken to a school that they support and run. When we walked into the gate we all felt like the most famous person in the world. The children were SCREAMING and running to greet us. They loved us being there. They sang to us and it was the sweetest sound in the world. We left a soccer ball with them, and you would have thought we left them with a million dollars. They were so excited! Many of the children are very very poor or orphans. They survive only on the food that the school feeds them.
At each stop we have to make a speech to the people. Its always funny what we come up with.
Our next stop was to a young boy named Wilfred. His parents had died 4 years earlier and left him and his 3 other sibilings alone. They are now being taken care of by a guardian. We were taken to the parents grave sites and it was a very hard moment for us to listen to the young boy tell us about his past and his future. His goals are to be able to finish school and have a house of his own. I cannot even imagine being 14 and trying to take care of his sibilings and just survive day to day. The program we were with had just gotten him a mattress, so that all 5 of them didnt have to sleep on the same tiny bed. Their matresses are very small and thin. When you see the graves of people who have died due to AIDS, and their child is standing above it really hits you and you realize how big of a problem this is.
As we were walking from place to place we came across the sweetest 84 year old woman ever. She told Sam as she was dancing with him that he was known her boyfriend. Her husband is 100 years old and still goes to church every sunday. She super cute.
Next, we went to Stellas house. She had been bed ridden for over 6 months due to AIDS. She had just had a stroke, which had caused her to not be able to use the right side of her body. She was very weak and very skinny. She was such an incredible lady. We asked her what gave her hope to get through everyday. She said the Lord has gotten me through it all and will continue to help me until we meet. We were able to pray with her, which was an incredible experience.
The next house was very hard one for us. George once was a soldier and was at the top. He is know bed ridden and has not been out of bed for over a year. He has suffered from many strokes and is barely able to talk or do anything. He is basically a skelton in bed. It was very very hard for us to see. We were able to spend time with him and he was able to speak a little to us. Mostly he asked all about us and what we were doing in Kenya. When we went to pray Sam held Georges hand, which was barely anything. When we left he told Sam I wish for you the best. It was really hard to someone who has suffered so much from the virus, and once again it shows you how real this problem is.

On Tuesday we came across so many people living with HIV/AIDS. Many of them are now ignored by their family and friends. They have no one but each other. One of the most incredible things is they never lose faith. They have the strongest faith that any of us have ever seen. They praise God daily for everything he has given them. Many of us go a whole day and never once thank God that we are given each day. A day to live for him and for others. Thank you all once again for helping us be able to go on this trip!