They say cleanliness is next to godliness. The Bible doesn’t say that, but all truth is God’s truth and tidiness is the truth. I’ve never seen a cleaner space in all of Kenya than the WorldComp Home of Grace Orphanage. In Kenya, there is chaos everywhere; people hanging out of buses, motorcycles weaving through traffic, trash heaps burning next to the flow of open sewers, but God has built a sanctuary for 17 orphans who have survived this chaos and have been given the gift of hope.
Home of Grace is a healing place. As one walks onto the campus, out of the chaos of the streets, the peace of God comes rushing in. Redemption has a tangible feeling here; every child you embrace tells the story, every smile speaks to the power of God to bring joy out of sadness, every one of these orphans testifies to God’s promise to set the lonely in families. Life has been cruel to each and every one of these kids, but to see them rebounding from that, and even thriving, gives me the faith to believe there is nothing God cannot do to restore and heal.
Anita is a good example of that. Not only has she lost her parents, but she has had to overcome some serious health problems as well. And yet, she has become one of the leaders to emerge from among the children here. She has an amazing gift. She can sing, dance, and light up the room with her big personality, but I was most impressed with her beat poem performance (pic below). I had just finished giving the kids a pep talk about looking your audience in the eyes and projecting your voice when public speaking, then she stepped up and blew us all away!
We didn’t arrive at the Home of Grace empty handed. We had some gifts from sponsors, but we also had watches from mama Valerie, some other nick-nacks, and my favorite; stick on mustaches. We had a photo opp as we were leaving because sometimes you just have to go crazy! I also taught them the water bottle toss challenge. The challenge is to flip the bottle once in the air and land it perfectly upright on the ground. It’s not as easy as it sounds with these bouncy Kenyan water bottles.
Finally, because of your generosity, we were able to bless all of the Home of Grace staff (there are five total) with a financial gift. These people are the true heroes. We come in as visitors with a lot of pomp and circumstance, but they are here for these children day in and day out. I guarantee you these kids are as well loved and cared for as any in Kenya. It is truly a miracle unfolding before our eyes; the redemption and total restoration of what the enemy designed for destruction. All I can say is “Asanti” (thank you) Jesus!