They Came

I previously told you about Chelagat and her family. I was hoping and praying they would make it to the clinic on Tues. Well they did! Jeptoo (the mom) got the four youngest children across the river and to the clinic. William and I had decided that we want to do all we can to get these kids back on their feet again. So we informed the clinic staff to do everything that was indicated and we would eat the bill.

The three youngest are now on antibiotics for respiratory infections. All are malnourished and have been de-wormed and given multi-vitamins. William and I have been agonizing about what we can do to help this family without handicapping them. We don’t want the mom to become reliant on handouts; we want to help her find a way to take care of her family. But at the same time they are really at ground zero. They are going to need a hand up before they can move to the next step.

So yesterday afternoon William and I met with David Tarus. He is our director as well as William’s uncle. He had loads of experience with these kinds of situations and we knew that he would have wisdom to offer. It turns out our timing was perfect. ELI will be building a secondary school over the next year or so. The organization has recently purchased land for the site and there are a few houses on the property. The current residents will be moving out next week. David offered that we could bring the family to stay in one of the houses for the next three to four months. He told us that he would guide us through the rehabilitation process. The children will be closer to the clinic and will be much easier for me to access at their home.
It will be up to William and me to put out the money for food, bedding, clothing etc. We are currently under-supported but we both feel strongly convicted that this is what we need to do. David told us “You have no idea what the outcome will be. Sometimes they thrive and sometimes they crash. But you have to try or you will never know.” We will be meeting with the mom, Jeptoo, sometime before Monday.

Please pray for wisdom as we begin this huge undertaking. At this point I don’t think she would be resistant to help but you never know. I just want to see these children have a chance. Their faces are so lifeless right now.

Before leaving for Kenya I shared lyrics of the song “May the Words of My Mouth” on this site. The song really spoke to my heart. William has recently fallen in love with the song as well. The chorus says “For this is what I’m glad to do, it’s time to live a life of love that pleases you. And I will give my all to you, surrender everything I have and follow you. I will follow you.” Last night he was listening to the song over and over. He turned to me and said “Michelle this song is about those children. Helping them is part of surrendering and following what Christ wants us to do.” I promise to keep the updates coming as we continue on this journey.