Team 25 Day 6

Grab a tea or coffee... this is a long one!!

Day 6 

The weekend is almost here! We can’t believe how quickly this week has gone.

Today was an extra special day as we all got the privilege to celebrate the birthday of Monique, who turns 20 today! She woke up to the team singing “Happy Birthday” in loud voices, even though she asked for it not to be sung. We then gave Monique a birthday blessing and prayer for the day. Breakfast was served consisting of; the famous rolex and some juicy fruit. Piper lead us in an amazing devotion for the day. She had made the perfect analogy using two 10,000 shillings, one all new and polished and the other all scrunched and dirty. Would you still want the note even if it were ruined? The answer is yes as it still has value. She then went on to explain that God still finds us worthy no matter how used, dirty or poor we are. He still sees us all the same, we are sinners in need of a saviour. And we find value in Christ. Piper then prayed for the day and we headed off to Home of Hope.

As we arrived we were then greeted again by Jeffery and his soccer ball. Edith came in at the end of the team and had a tiny baby in her arms. As Leonnie started to chat with Edith, Edith revealed that Baby Billy had been taken to Home Of Hope by Police yesterday after being found with a mother who was reported to have severe mental health issues and was wandering the streets. We don’t know what has become of his mother. Baby Billy is 8 months old and is severely malnourished, he is HIV+, jaundiced and ha some skin infections over his body. From holding Baby Billy, Leonnie estimated he may only weigh approximately 2-3kg. Edith was about to take Billy to the hospital for rehydration and other medical intervention. Seeing Baby Billy so helpless, so unwell was a stark reminder of the reality of where we are. Yet knowing he was in the excellent care of Edith and the team, was a great relief – even in the midst of his very precarious hold on life. Leonnie, Piper and Liesje prayed over Baby Billy and as Edith hadn’t come back by the time we left to know how he is doing, please keep him in your prayers. 

We headed inside the new building where all the kids have moved in. We entered and saw some of the kids playing with some balloons which they went nuts over. Those joyful laughs will never be erased from our minds. After a few moments with the kids, we then got to work. We met Ronnie, Emma and Robert outside as they instructed us what we would be doing. We began to paint the house with brushes, mega rollers and baby rollers. Painting is a long job. It requires patience and determination. We painted for 3 hours straight. Exhausted after our hard work, we then stopped for a lunch break the home prepared for us. Lunch was some beautiful beans and chapatti. Energized and refreshed after our break, we then headed back over to do our finishing touches. When it was all done we looked upon our amazing hard work. Piper had an opportunity to pray for the school kids through the fence which was incredible sight to see. We then finally headed home.

After our much-needed showers and nanna naps. We then readied ourselves for yet another magnificent dinner, veggie fritatta and Leonnie’s favourite pineapple. We cleaned up and all secretly conferenced to create a surprise present for Monique with something little from our suitcases, along with an improvised card. Juliette made a nice cake for her and us all. After a sweet treat, we watched another video on ‘When Helping Hurts’. This video was based on restoration as a process. We learnt that if we keep giving things for free, its fixing a temporary problem not the deeper issue. The people need restoration with God, self and others. It is the process that helps in the long term.

We ended the night with a movie which Andrew fixed up for us, the classic Toy Story.

That’s our day, filled with so much life lessons. Stay tuned for the rest of our amazing journey. 

Enjoy the pics below for a visual idea....