Tuesday, July 9, 2013





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.