KISII 2023 - DAY 12-2: OUR DAY WITH THE CHILDREN

After our strenuous football game (see the post below), there was no time to rest. We drove back to the orphanage where Vivian was to have a class with the girls, and I with the boys.

Vivian had a larger assignment for her class, since she had some specific teachings that she wanted to bring to the girls. She handed out wonderful provisions for all the girls for their personal use. These items were made by the ladies of a church in Western South Dakota, Vivian’s childhood church.

I had my class with the boys
in the lunch hall

I simply wanted time to talk with the boys and to begin to get to know them better, as well as giving them the opportunity to get to know me.

After I told the boys a little about myself, I opened the time up for questions. I recall from the very first time that I was in Kenya, when I had several meetings with some pastors and having them ask me questions. It was an interesting and enjoyable time. I never knew what kind of questions to expect, and neither did I from these boys.

At first, there was just silence, as one would expect with boys that age. But then one of the older boys opened up.

“Do you shave the sides of your face, or does your beard only grow on your chin?” he asked me.

I have what I think is called a goatee beard, and it never occurred to me that kids would wonder about this kind of thing. I think that I, and now Larry, are the only white people most of these boys have ever seen. Why would they expect we would be the same as the men in their country?

“I shave the sides only, but Larry shaves his whole beard.

“How old are you?”

“71.”

“How did you manage to reach such an old age?”

“By the grace of God,” I replied.

Afterwards, Vivian looked up what the expected life span is in Kenya. It is in the early 60’s. I expect up in the area of the orphanage, where life is hard and nutrition is often lacking, the life span is much less. I am sure that these boys were amazed at the athleticism that I showed on the football field at such an old age.

“What is the discipline used in schools in America?”

Vivian's Evangelism Class

I told them that in these days physical discipline is rare, and if a teacher so much as gives a high school kid even a small shove, he should expect a visit from the police.

All the boys cheered at this. They thought that it was great!

But I told them that it was not all a good thing. Because of these extremely harsh rules against the teachers, discipline and the behavior of the kids in the schools in America is appalling compared to Kenyan schools. The kids here in Kenya are so well behaved that my butler Larry is convinced that politeness is in their genes, Of course we know it comes from a proper training. The difficult thing is to come to a proper balance in discipline.

I asked them how their teachers discipline them in school. I received a one-word answer.

“Caning.”

Vivian's class with the girls

So my class went until it was time to gather in the church. Vivian then had some lessons in evangelism for all the children. She told them things that she had learned that had been helpful to her when telling others about Jesus.

After that, Vivian along with a Pastors Joel and Vincent handed out personal cards containing small gifts from yet another of our

childhood churches, this is one my boyhood church in Northern Wisconsin.

All the kids received a card that also contained gifts

I have been so glad that Vivian has finally been able to come and share some of the things that she has wanted so long to share with the kids, and to have the opportunity to meet everyone and connect with them. She even told that this was one of the most meaningful mission experiences that she has ever had.

Saturday was our day with the children. I took a picture of each child wearing their name tags, so that we can get to connect their faces with their names. These are all really good kids. It has always been my prayer that we lose not one of them to the world, and so far my prayers seem to have been answered. It is simply a pleasure to get to know them.

We thank you for your prayers for each one.