Boys' House Visit

We went out to visit the boys at our new boys’ house and had a great time with them. They really are good boys. The older ones are so great to take care of the younger ones. Sibling birth order is a big deal in this culture and it is interesting to see how this is quickly becoming a family and they are taking on those roles.

 These are the three older boys (Moses, Patrick, Richard) passing out sweeties (candy) to the neighborhood kids.

I usually do not like to take pictures when I go into the general community. I don’t like to attract attention to myself, and my bright and shiny white skin is already hard to hide! You can see how a crowd gathers just by our being there.

But….I got a new phone (which was a HUGE blessing!) and it has a camera! Now, it is not near as obvious to take pictures as pulling out a camera would be. Plus, my camera is a Canon Rebel, which takes two hands to use and is not very inconspicuous. Ha. The phone….perfect!

We - I -have been working hard on it, and Julia is finally getting more comfortable with getting down out of my arms and mixing with the kids of the community. She didn't like working on it for a long time and was quite clingy. I didn't give in and refused to hold her all the time and she is finally feeling comfortable in the kid crowd. What a big girl she is!!

So, now you can experience a little of the typical Kenyan town life. City life is more developed, village life less. This is very typical middle life Kenya. And this is where our boys live, along with Joshua & Hellen.

And you don't see camels walking around the town every day, but it is normal enough to not be a surprise to anyone. It was a fun treat for Susan, our visiting intern.

We sat with the boys while they had lunch before we headed back to the baby house. It is so great to see them in this family setting after being on their own. They are truly enjoying the opportunity. I am so proud of our boys and how they are adapting. 

One more boy will be adding to our family in the next few days. Please continue to pray for the boys and their transition to new home and school. Going from the roaming life on the streets to a stable family environment may sound like an easy transition to us, but for some of these boys, that is all they know. That is familiar and comfortable to them. It is not as easy of a transition as you might think. The streets, sleeping on concrete every night, roaming and searching for their food all day - that is more familiar, that is "home" to them. Structure and school can be a hard change of pace for them. However, the older ones in particular, do recognize the gift and opportunity they have been given. 

Thanks to everyone who supports HCO financially and through prayer! THAT is how we are all working together to change the lives of these amazing boys!