En-Gedi Mission Trip Update #10 (Final)
Friday, February 16
We spent part of Friday morning and part of the afternoon with the En-Gedi children.
Our usual routine when spending time with them was to put our aprons on and greet the kids who could communicate. Then, each of us spent a few minutes with the immobile, non-communicative children, talking to and touching them, trying to coax some smiles, giggles, or other responses. Sometimes, our efforts were rewarded and successful; others were not. Some children tried to mimic or copy what we said or did. Each child is unique and special and responds to being talked to, touched, and loved. How anyone could consider harming or mistreating them is beyond imagination.
The communicative and higher-functioning children usually became excited and loud when we arrived in their building. We moved with these children to another room to help keep the atmosphere quiet and calm for the other children and caregivers.
We sang songs, played, talked, and sometimes were silly with the kids.
Each child has a story of being unwanted and unloved by one or both parents. Some remember their parents and history; some do not. ALL of them call Margaret "Mom" and delight in her presence and love. They are a family!
During our time at En-Gedi, three parents came to visit their children - one father and two mothers. When Margaret takes a child into the children's home, the parent(s) must sign a contract stating they agree to visit their child regularly. Sadly, most do not.
If a child is ill, the parent(s) are contacted, informed, and asked to come and visit their child. Margaret said some parents only want to be contacted when their child dies and must be buried.
We tried to understand a culture that has believed for so many generations that a disabled child is a curse or bad omen and how difficult it is to change that stigma. Margaret is working to change the stigma and prove that GOD gives life and breath, and every life, whether "normal" or differently abled, bears the image of God, has value, and deserves our love and care.
In the early evening, the five of us drove to an adventure park and resort just six kilometers from En-Gedi. Margaret heard they had a zip line. Indeed, they did! After a tour of the resort, four of us were harnessed and took turns zipping down a cable!
We agreed it was fun, but the abrupt stop at the end (a padded pole) was a bit of a surprise! Thankfully, we all were intact and drove back to En-Gedi for a late supper before retiring for the evening.
Sunday, February 18
We were up bright and early Sunday morning. Our beloved cook, Rose, prepared another warm, nutritious, wonderful breakfast for us. We ate before dressing and attending an 8 am English service at Margaret's church, the Kitengela Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA).
It was not difficult for the pastor and elders at the front of the church to see four visitors present. We were asked to stand as we were welcomed and applauded. The church choir even sang a special welcome song for us!
We were privileged to observe the Lord's Supper with Margaret and her church family. What a surreal experience and blessing to participate in this sacrament with these brothers and sisters in Christ on the other side of the world!
It was a joy to worship and sing familiar hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "No, Not One" together!
During the service, the children came forward to lead the congregation in reciting the Apostle's Creed. There were SO MANY children, each dressed so nicely!
We were so blessed to worship with Margaret and her church family! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
After the service, Margaret introduced us to some of her friends. We talked with Wilfred, the En-Gedi Sustainability Project Engineer, whom we had met earlier that week. What kind, warm, and welcoming people! A few young children even walked up to us, shook our hands, and welcomed us (maybe they wanted a closer look at us and our pale skin?)! We took a photo of these cuties!
We returned to En-Gedi and enjoyed another delicious meal skillfully prepared by Rose. Then we rested a while before going to see the children.
We'd been telling the kids that our time at En-Gedi was coming to an end. Lord willing, we would leave the following evening. The kids were a little more somber this afternoon during our visit. They voiced their desire for us to stay "forever." We told them we each have a family and jobs waiting at home. We assured them we'd never forget them and keep each of them in our hearts and prayers.
How easily these children had taken up residence in our hearts!
Monday, February 19
When we awoke and prepared for breakfast, Karen informed us she had received word that our flight from Nairobi to Frankfurt, Germany, Monday night (via Lufthansa Air) was canceled. Karen contacted her travel agent in the U.S., but he could not confirm that our flight had been canceled. We were told it was the airline's responsibility to rebook our flight after a cancellation.
Realizing there was little we could do, we ate breakfast and revisited the En-Gedi kids. Nothing could have lifted our spirits more (Some of us wondered if the children had prayed for our stay to be extended)!
Margaret, a wonderful hostess, decided a sightseeing drive to the Great Rift Valley to divert our thoughts from our canceled flight was needed.
As shown in the photo below, the Great Rift Valley begins in Egypt at the Red Sea and extends south 9,600 kilometers (5,965 miles) along the eastern side of Africa, ending in Mozambique.
Margaret took us to Lake Naivasha Resort, where three of us had spent a weekend with her in 2020. We hoped to have lunch and see hippos in the water. However, the President of Kenya, William Ruto, was at the resort for meetings. There were people, vehicles, and security personnel everywhere. We found our way to a different resort and enjoyed coffee and cake.
We drove to an area where there were several tea plantations. What green, lush, wooded areas we saw! The soil there is very fertile because we saw many fields of different crops and roadside stands overflowing with produce for sale.
It grew dark as we made our way back to En-Gedi. As we drove, we came upon a most unusual sight! A man was lying across one traffic lane on a six-lane road! We saw him lift and lower his head, so we knew he was alive and had not (yet) been hit by traffic. Margaret guessed he might be intoxicated. We wondered why the men beside the road didn't move him before he was hit by a vehicle. Naturally, our attention was focused on the man on the road, and none of us saw the speed bump directly ahead! As you might guess, we had quite a jolt! Oh, the memories we made!
Tuesday, February 20
Karen received word - AGAIN - early Tuesday morning that our flight from Nairobi to Frankfurt had been canceled a second time. She contacted her travel agent, and by noon, our flights home had been rebooked and confirmed!
We had our last visit with the En-Gedi Children, gave lots of hugs and kisses, and said our goodbyes to the kids and caregivers. We assured them they'd be in our hearts and prayers until we saw them again.
We packed our belongings and souvenirs and drove to the Nairobi airport for one last meal with Margaret.
Soon, we had to check in for our flight and begin our journey home. We hugged and thanked Margaret for her hospitality and for caring for us during our stay. What a wonderful, blessed time we have had as sisters in Christ!
Karen and Brenda had less than smooth sailing on our way home. Their reservations did not show up at the ticketing desk for some reason! After what seemed like hours in the sweltering heat of the airport, their boarding passes were confirmed and printed! Their bags were checked, and we were on our way!
Some 10-11 hours later, as we were about to board our plane in Frankfurt for Chicago, Karen and Brenda realized their boarding passes did not include seat assignments. They inquired at the boarding gate and were told to go to a different airport area to check on this. Kristin and Diane watched their carry-ons as they hurried to ensure they could get on the flight to Chicago.
The final boarding call for our flight was announced, and there was no sign of Karen or Brenda. A quick phone call to Karen was made, and HALLELUJAH - they had their boarding passes in hand and were hurrying to the boarding gate! As it turned out, the flight to Chicago was not very full, so we could all spread out a little and fly comfortably.
Nine to ten hours later, we went through customs in Chicago, re-checked our bags, and boarded a much smaller plane for Sioux Falls. We were happy to be back in the U.S. (and in cooler temperatures!). Thank goodness, there were no more surprises!
We reached Sioux Falls around 2:40 pm on Wednesday, February 21.
What a blessing our trip has been! God is GOOD - ALL THE TIME! We were so happy to be home with our families again, though we miss the Margaret and the En-Gedi Children already!
Thank you for joining us on our journey to Kenya!
