Our
time in Kenya has been filled with so much joy from the people we have come to
know and love. These relationships have also come with heart break and true
sadness. Yesterday we found a family with three children at the boarding school
lost everything in a house fire on Saturday. Ester is in 4th grade,
Stephen is in 2nd grade, and Jane is in preschool. These past few
weeks I have spent a lot of time with Stephen and his second grade class. This
precious boy stole my heart from day 1.
The fire got started because Stephen (the only one in the home) was
trying to burn a pile of ants that had come into their home. The flame got too
close to a bag near the ants and the whole house went into flames. THANK GOD
his grandfather saw the flames and saved Stephen from the burning house. The
house was burnt to the ground and the clothes on the clothesline are the only
things the family has left. This family was already living in deep poverty and
now they have moved in with their grandparents who already have multiple people
in their home.
When I heard this
news my heart broke for the family. When I heard Stephen was the one who
started the fire my heart shattered for this child. I cannot believe an 8-year-old
boy has to live with the trauma of that situation, let alone be left with
nothing. I immediately went to find the children to give them a hug and when I
saw Stephen he had a HUGE smile on his face. His house burned down, he has
nothing, he came to school in clothes he has worn for two days straight and he’s
smiling?? I learned from that moment on that the Lord is infatuated with Stephen.
He wants Stephen on this earth and I KNOW he has big plans for this boy. The
Lord has wrapped his huge arms around Stephen and he has allowed me to be there
to do the hugging for him. It is an honor that he is letting me love this
child.
Please, please,
please keep Stephen and his family in your prayers. We are doing everything we
can for this family while we are here and also trying to figure out how to help
when we leave.
