a ps, from me

a ps, from me

Jul 9, 2008

okay, so I’m cleaning out the garage while B is away. yes! he’s good with his hands. he makes things. he built me a house. i’m proud of him. but . . . um, well . . . how do I say? the garage (his work area) could stand to be organized. so i’ve jumped on that one in this my chance ---- cuz he’ll be gone for almost 3 weeks and if i do a bit every nite when it gets cool here in TX, i think i’ll get it done.

but during work hours today, i put together the sponsored kids letters with their Term One report cards and got them all addressed and ready to mail out. i found a few letters to me among the notes and i got all mushy and teary-eyed and missing the love of kenya.

so when that happens, i often write. usually stuff that i don’t ever go back and read becuz if I did --- i’d be all shy that i said all that. or whined. but --- oh well, i’m not one for pretense and if someone out there doesn’t like the fact that i whine . . . then they don’t have to read it. plus, even if they don’t whine ---- they do other things wrong. so why pretend that we’re all perfect? i don’t know. we all have our unique imperfections. i guess i’m just more vocal with mine.

here’s my email i sent out:

Friends,  Okay - yes, I'm getting entirely sentimental as the team leaves. I apologize for the length of this email. I have been pretty quiet recently so maybe I'm due:). As many of you know, we had offers to go to an elite resort for our honeymoon in December as well as for the whole family to fly back to the States for Christmas and I had turned both down because I was involved in the orphan work in Kenya so much that I couldn't even bear to leave for even a short while.  But then the election violence broke out and God, in His sovereignty, had taken us out of the country ahead of time . . . and didn't make it possible for us to return, with our small children. If it had been just me - I would have been back in a heartbeat. Those two months in Egypt were the toughest two months of my life as I waited to see what would happen to the Kenyans whom I now call my family, but as I stayed behind with the immediate family God had also called me to care for. I'm still reeling and trying to figure God out (tough job)! But God, in His perfect plan, knew that there was no getting me out of Kenya without literally ripping me out and with our kids the ages that they are here (I have a junior/senior and a freshman this year at home) --- they also need a legitimate chance for an education - which we weren't able to give them when they lived in Kenya. Talk about my heart torn between both worlds and responsibilities.  But as I'm going through sponsorship letters today to send out to the sponsors of the Legacy kids, I've come across a few personal letters that were written to me and stuck in there with the rest. To be honest, one of the envelopes was sent to me back in May but I didn't have the heart to open it until now because I knew it would just make me weep. Yet I find encouragement that Brian and potential full-time staff members have gone to Kenya this week and that that is a reminder that this is God's vision and work --- not mine - -- and that He cares for these legacies --- these lives --- and He has a plan, even if I'm not physically there right now . . . He has a plan for them . . . and it is a good plan. In that encouragement, I opened the letters to me today. Yes, tears came. But they are tears of joy.  Can I share with you a letter from an 18-year old girl who lost her mother to AIDS when she was only 15, that age that is already so difficult? Her father has multiple wives and as is the case in tribal Kenyan culture, he does not take responsibility for the children of his deceased wife. She was left to the care of an aging grandmother, who already had other orphaned grandchildren to watch after -- and not enough money to educate them all. That's when I met her. That's when my heart broke and was inspired. It broke for her situation. Yet it was inspired for her hope in such a hopeless situation.  Here is her letter to me --- I've typed it out in its entirety:  "Dear Mum,  I greet you in the name of Jesus. I hope you are doing well, as for us we are fine despite the fact that we had problems in our country. God has provided good security for us.  The main aim of writing is to thank you for what you have done. Actually I never dreamed that I could once meet someone with a heart like yours. I never thought that I could get someone to support me in my education. I thank God for giving you life and pray that He may continue giving life.  Although I haven't got the sponsor, I pray for the one who will support me and I promise that I will work very hard, no one will regret educating me.  Having the ambition of being a doctor so as to look after God's people, I pray that God will give me life, knowledge and wisdom.  I wish you and your family a happy year as we see God's blessings.  Solome Mukhuana"  Praise God for Solome! Praise God that He has since raised up a sponsor to partner with her! She's in school and she's finishing her high school degree on her way to following her dream of becoming a doctor someday. Here is a short video interview I did with Solome last year:  http://incarnatingchrist.ning.com/video/video/show?id=1648113%3AVideo%3A627  Her letter so exemplifies the hearts of the Kenyans that I know. What a sweet testimony of faith and hope and gratitude and hard work. It is nothing short of an honor to try and help them follow their dreams . . . even if my help is limited by my own fallibility.  We currently have sponsors for nearly all of the children for 2008. At the moment, I'm only lacking two. One is for Domian who is an "at-risk poor" boy, the age of 11. He lives with his mother but his father has died. The other is for Diana who is orphaned by both parents. She's 15 and despite life's circumstances, she finished her public school free education (up through 8th grade) as the top student in her class. If you know anything about the free-school situation, you know how difficult it is to learn when there are no books, few papers and little teaching. It was then (in 2006) that we transferred her to a private high school. Kenya does not provide any high school that is not private and tuition-based. She fared well and entered her sophomore year placed 46th out of over 150 students in her grade. I just got her report card for this term and she has already moved up to 18th place out of over 150 students. Her strengths of study are Biology and Agriculture.  Should Diana not get an education, her future is bleak. She comes from a slum area of Kitale where most girls will be used for purposes against their wishes and many will end up with HIV, unplanned pregnancies and no work opportunities. Please pray with me for a sponsor for Diana to finish out her schooling and if you are interested in partnering with her --- let me know. She's a lovely girl and may God grant her the dreams He has inspired her to have. I've attached her photo to this email. I had previously paid for her tuition off of a one-time unspecified donation in 2006. But that runs out this year.  Okay --- you won't be hearing from me again:). For a bit - sorry for the lengthy email. I don't want to fill up your email box so much but thanks for partnering with us and for listening as my heart is full with thoughts and prayers for Kenya.   Peace,  Heather