Precious.

Nakupenda

Language is such an interesting thing. There are some Kiswahili words that I just can’t get. Take for example the word for “cow.” It’s “ng’ombe”. I can’t say that for the life of me. Also, there are certain words that Kenyans really have a hard time saying… and names- like mine. Kirsten seems to be a nearly impossible name to pronounce so we switched to “Kiki” which seems to roll off the tongue a little easier. The kids are so cute, always yelling, “Tena (“again”), Auntie Kiki!” or “Kuja (“come”), Auntie Kiki!” They’ve taught me a quite a bit of Kiswahili… I’ve learned to say, “don’t eat that, don’t climb, sit down, come back, give that to me”, and other commands that attempt to keep them from eating rocks and pushing each other over. I feel like I say these things too often. These aren’t words that I especially enjoying saying, but they are necessary to know and use for a safe environment. Another phrase I’ve learned is, “Nakupenda.” These words are ones that the kids have taught me most about. “Nakupenda” means, “I love you.” Their expressions of love have made a profound impact on me and have truly touched my heart. Moments that bring me the most joy are when they rest their head against me. Whether it’s Rebecca walking over to where I am sitting and laying her head on my arm or Joshua wrapping his tiny arms around my head and squeezing his cheek against mine or Faith sucking on her two fingers and leaning back against me while sitting on my lap or Manu running up to where I’m standing and grabbing my leg and leaning his head against it… I just love it. To me, there are few greater demonstrations of trust. They love and trust like I only hope to do. I feel like I have seen and felt just a small piece of what God must feel when I come to Him and fully trust and rest in His arms.

82 tiny hands

This past week was an exciting one. Sweet little Phyllis went home to her new family on Friday. She’s has been doing so well. Her new mom came in several times before Phyllis went home with her, so we were able to watch them bond and see how happy they are together. Earlier in the week we got two new babies! Nathan is almost a month old, and Joel is around 10 months old. They are both very healthy, and they are happily adjusting to this new environment.

Phyllis and I

With new babies, we are pretty full here. We’re at 41 babies right now so it keeps all the caregivers and staff on their toes. I’m so excited that we are able to care for so many babies and give them the love and care they need to grow.

In the evenings, Mary Howell, Kari, and I have been giving some extra help down in the toddler room. These kids are so full of energy in the evenings and so fun to be around. Yes, there are tiffs that occur on a daily basis, but we do our best to help sort them out and we end up having a great time. Two, three, and four year olds are just so funny to be around. Bubbles are especially entertaining to a lot of them, and I nearly died laughing when I saw their expressions as they ran around trying to pop bubbles! They're just so precious...

A New Home

Recently I was able to witness an adoption here at AGC Baby Centre. Jessica, who is 16 months old, went home with her new family. She now has a mom, dad, and big brother to love her. Before they went home, we had a small send off service for her. Staci, the director of the baby centre, the administrative staff, and the caregivers were all present- all people who have loved and taken care of Jessica while she has been at baby centre. One of the caregivers got up to speak. She was talking in Kiswahili so I couldn’t understand her words, but I knew by her voice and her eyes exactly how she felt about having the privilege to know and care for Jessica. It was such a moving experience to witness Jessica’s transition from this home to a new home with a new family. Several other people from baby centre spoke and finally both of Jessica’s parents said a few words. They gave the Lord the glory for bringing them to baby centre to find their new baby to love. Soon after, they all got in the car and headed back home. My heart is so full. This day was such a testament of God’s faithfulness. He sees each one of these little ones and has a plan for them all.