Christin's Kenya Update 5/23

hello everyone!

things are going well here.

it is now tuesday afternoon and we are done at NLH for the day. i thought i would share some thoughts and reflections as well as answer some questions that i have been getting.

first, i truly feel as though i'm here doing exactly what i'm supposed to be doing. morgan and i have been hearing a lot about places in other parts of africa where the babies are starving at the orphanages and don't wear diapers because there aren't any. i have been very relieved to see that this is not the case here at NLH. the babies are fed and as much love as possible is given to them. however, the sad part is that many of these babies were in such horrible condition when they first arrived. it's hard to describe how small these babies are in comparison to what we see back home, but for example, there is a little girl, May, who was born on January 5 and weighs only 11 pounds. Many of these babies appear to be anywhere from 2-6 months younger than they actually are. it's not possible to send my pictures, but know you'll be seeing them when i get back home.

i feel as though i have been put in the position where i can do the most good--where i can share love and give of my time. this is a very fulfilling time for me and i'm cherishing every second of it. being here makes you realize how lucky you are to be American. worse comes to worse, you can't make it in the US, the government will step in with it's programs to help. here, if you can't make it, and your family won't help, you will literally starve to death. it's quite a reality.

currently, there are about 60 babies here at NLH. if they haven't been adopted by the time they are 3, they are sent to other homes, such as The Ark, where they will live. generally, if they are not adopted by that time, they most likely won't be. one thing that is so frustrating is the adoption process here in kenya. there is an abundance of children that need homes, however, the courts make it one of the most difficult things to do. an american wishing to adopt over here would have to live here for over a year in order to fully complete the adoption. even more, they would face strict opposition in the courts in order to be approved. when there are so many people that are wanting children, it's hard to understand why the process must be so difficult.

some random facts:

1) the nuns are not trying to convert me (so sorry melissa). but i did go to a catholic church here and it was crazy! they were clapping and shouting and even the priest was getting in to it.

2) the food is still ridiculously bad. last night i ate something that looked like mashed potatoes, but you needed a knife to cut it and your fork bounced off it it. apparently, it a staple here.

3) i will not be bringing a baby home (so stop asking me!). jeez!

4) today i saw someone mowing grass with a gigantic, double sided corn knife. imagine using that to take care of your lawn.

5) i actually rode on a matatu yesterday and lived to tell about it. i know, hard to believe.

well, that's all for now. i wanted to let all of you know that i appreciate the emails, thoughts and prayers--they mean a lot to me over here.

love,
christin