Power of your words

The power of words—saying you will do something sends an energy in to the world and if we don’t follow through, souls are injured. Theirs, because they do not forget, and ours because we won’t feel good about who we are.

I believe it is as simple as seeing a need, and choosing to do something about it. Being philanthropic doesn’t require any special skills, but rather, a choice to care.

The Mara is a special place of mysterious and unplanned surprises. Just yesterday I jumped from our 4by4 only find a hidden pair of eyes peering curiously at me. The eyes of a baby hyena wondering about my efforts to find a place to relieve myself. Yes, I then made another choice: I would wait!

Today we go back to our school, the Mararianta, and yes, I suppose we have adopted them as part of our extended family, to see the children and how your generous donations have been put to good use. To date, many children have been given missing parts to their school uniforms—a sweater, regulation shoes, a shirt and at times an entire uniform. You see, children cannot go to school in Africa without a uniform, so if a parent cannot afford the uniform her child is denied an education, an education that is so imperative if our world is to come together and change for the better.

Supplies for the classroom were purchased and a tailor has come in to mend the older uniforms—you see, nothing is wasted. Books, pencils, a small salary for the dedicated teachers and a small play area has been added to the school. The sound of children playing and laughing fills a part of me that just has to burst forth in a big smile.

Some children have received a scholarship to attend school. It costs $20 every three months. The Chairman of the school, a wonderful man named Phillip is clear that learning is a group effort; the parents must help out and not just receive. It keeps the exchange clean and we like that philosophy.

During our last visit in September 2016, we learned that the children are hungry and we made a promise to come and build a cafeteria or meal room. Today we meet to map out what began as a cafeteria. You see, the children receive one small amount of porridge each day—that is all they have to eat. How can you learn when you are hungry? How can you grow when you lack food? How can their hearts be eased when their bellies ache? And so we saw a need and chose to address it.

We are just simple people who decided to act when a need was put before us. We don’t belong to any large organization, nor have administrative red tape, we are simply us; a group of caring individuals who chose to make a promise and fulfill that promise. We put the energy of action behind our words.

And so we have returned to Kenya and today will break ground for the new kitchen, meal room and more. We are meeting with the Fundis who are the equivalent of the masons. We’ve had an architect figure out the loads for our stonework and carpenters and more to begin our project which has beautifully grown in to a meal room for joyous meals, a kitchen to infuse the food with love and care, and of course a storage room to harbor food to wait out the droughts that destroy the badly needed crops.

Today we break ground together. The volunteers who generously gave money for our project are with us in spirit, my volunteers who graciously dropped everything to come to Kenya and help out, the parents who want more for their children, the headmaster, teachers and chairman of the school who want to support their extended family and our friend, Jackson Looseyia who has assumed many roles to help our cause. He is cherished for his big heart and extended willingness to support our cause take care of his beloved Mara and give back to his people.

I say thank you to all and keep us in your prayers this day. I haven’t dug a foundation in a while nor laid brick upon brick to create a room, but I do remember how to care, how to love and how to laugh and that will sustain us this day.

Blessings to all,
–Christel