# Paul's Kindfund summer experience
“I can honestly say that a piece of my heart is still there.”
It was a typical damp, cold Irish morning on 18th July when I said my farewells to my wife and son and headed for the half six bus from Omagh to Dublin Airport. Full of excitement (and also a bit unsure of what I was letting myself in for) I started my seven week ‘Kenyan Adventure’.
I arrived in Nairobi at half two the following morning—having flown via Istanbul—where I was met by Joseph, the Matatu driver, for a bumpy six hour drive to Ngaremara Children’s Home. Boy was I happy to see the smiling faces which greeted me! Pam and Ken were there, together with Alistair, Karen and Ros who were returning to Nairobi in the same transport, to go home.
I had an easy day to recover from all the travelling and settled into my room. It took a couple of days to adjust to this new world, enjoying my time with the children, showing them pictures from home and sharing stories and answering the many questions of ‘do you know my sponsor?’
On Sunday morning I had my first experience of church in Kenya, and it was just amazing. Freedom of worship and praise abounded with children singing and dancing to praise the Lord. And when they were asked to give a testimony, they all wanted to share.
The children shared the word…and boy can they preach! I was totally moved by the joy in the faces of the children as they praised the Lord wholeheartedly. For me, church will never be the same again.
Soon I headed up to Wamba Children’s Home where the younger children mostly stay. Even now, as I write this, I can honestly say that a piece of my heart is still there. I hugged a child if they cried; a kiss and cuddle if that’s what was needed. I just showed the love of the Lord the way it was intended; it was heaven-on-earth for me.
My next big trip was to the Rendille, to deliver food supplies in the Landrover. What an adventure! We reached our destination at night in a sandstorm, yet the children from the home and village still gathered in the dark and stood out in the storm for us, to sing and praise God: just amazing!
That night we just roughed it in a hut till morning, waking up with absolutely everything covered in an inch of sand.
It was a genuine privilege to be allowed to drive the ageing Landrovers, since they are so vital to Kindfund’s ability to get things done. Ken watched me carefully to make sure I was treating them well, and gave me a crash course (no pun intended!) in vehicle repair and a refresher on how to drive offroad. Then it was my turn to take the wheel as we delivered food supplies and brought the children to the summer Bible Camps.
I now think I could confidently deal with most causes of Landrover breakdown. Certainly, life on the road was never dull. And each trip we made, we prayed and thanked the Lord as we arrived safely at our destination.
Was there a highlight to my trip? There are so many I can scarcely distinguish them! But perhaps it was accompanying the children to local villages to allow them to outreach and share their faith with the people. It was a blessing to watch them joyfully sharing the Word, singing and praying for the sick and then distributing some food…“For God loves a person who gives cheerfully” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)
I would advise anyone, that if you can visit Kenya with Kindfund…then go for it. It will change your life for the better.
added on Nov 2Share:
