Playing Catch-Up

We are a couple of days behind in blogging, but between being busy, problems with the internet, and lots of people sharing the computer, here we are! First, an update about the rest of Wednesday. Then we will update you about Thursday and Friday as soon as we can.

While Dave, Tom, Ashley and Shelley all went out on Care and Compassion, Cameron, Suzy and Joe went to go talk with a school that we were wanting to work with that afternoon. While they were out, Ruth, Anneke and I (Dan) all rode the boda boda to downtown Kisumu in order to run some errands. The boda boda is a bicycle taxi. There is a driver on a bike that has been modified with a second seat on the back that the passenger sits on. Downtown Kisumu is a short boda ride from the CHI house/office that we are staying in. However, it is a new world compared to the village or even the part of town that we stay in. Of course it is a bit more developed, but there are so many people out and about on their business all in the same place. There are many shops and vendors all competing for business and there is a lot to see while you are walking the streets in downtown Kisumu. For those who don't know, riding the boda boda is something that Dave has been wanting to do since we arrived in Kisumu, so he's a little jealous, but he will have his chance soon!

After we all arrived back at the house from our various tasks in the morning we ate lunch and prepared to go to Agape school for the afternoon. For those of you that remember Dave's post from Sunday about the street children, Agape school is one that is specially focused on reaching the street children. The school provides education for both boys and girls and also provides housing for some of the boys as well. The population of the school is about 110 boys and about 20 girls. We started with the entire group together and performed a skit, gave testimonies, and sang songs. We then went outside and played three rather large games of Simon Says. When we arrived to the school, a few of the boys pointed at Dave and said "Chuck Norris," so when we introduced ourselves he said his name was Chuck Norris and they all found that fairly amusing. Because the group was so large we played Simon Says in three different circles, but Dave's group was able to play "Chuck Says."

After the games we divided into three groups - two groups of boys and the girls. At that time we presented the Choose to Wait lesson that was prepared to each of the groups. When we preform our skit, give our testimonies and sing songs, all of these are incorporated into the lesson. The same message is presented in a variety of fashions, and explained in the teaching. Taking part in the lessons is a very important part of the student's learning experience here, so the teaching is very interactive and is designed to allow the students to participate as much as possible. Even in the classroom we begin with an activity that involves their creativity and leads into the point of what we are teaching.

After Agape school we all returned home, ate dinner and spent the evening together. When we arrived home, Solomon and George were here with a boy they had brought from one of the villages. His name is Isaac and he has open sores all over his body. They mostly infect his legs and feet but are also on his arms. His stomach is also infected with some sort of disease that is causing it to bulge quite largely. Jisca gave him some treatments for his legs and some medication, but at the end of the day the boy must go back to the village where there is nothing really there to help him. Please pray for Isaac. He is a sweet boy but is suffering immensely. You can see in his eyes that he knows he is being kept from a normal childhood and he would love to be able to play with the other children.

While we were all gathered, Anneke grabbed a bow-and-arrow and played with him shooting at a tree for a while and he loved that quite a bit. After that Jisca gave some care instructions and the boy went on his way. However, after seeing the bow-and-arrow a few of us had to give it a try as well! I didn't hit the tree once, but Ashley got it on the third try! Cameron gave it one shot before dinner, but missed, so I guess the girls just have better aim than us!

After dinner was completed, we had a special treat. David and I were able to gather some Sugar Cane to bring home from Ombeyi, so we all gathered and ate that for dessert. It was a treat, and quite the experience for everyone to get a taste of the sugar fresh off the stalk.