Sweetest Faces EVER!

The last two days have been very busy visiting several different schools.  We have seen around 2500 kids.  Yesterday we visited 130 of the sweetest face orphans EVER!!  Most of the schools have between 300-500 kids, so it has been difficult to get on a personal level, of course you can spot some sweet faces quickly at the schools but our time there was short.  Yesterday we got to stay and play with the 130 orphans for a long time each one wanting to sit on our laps!  It was amazing the sweetest faces ahhhh!  Alot of the children are very malnourished they looked to be 4-5 years old when they were actually 8-9 years old.  They are using a Baptist building now to gather the kids in but our praying for a building of there own.  Today we visited Roberts boys.  Robert takes in high school boys, either orphaned or one parent.  He houses, feeds and watches over them.   Right now he has 19 boys.  We took them all backpacks and Bibles.  We bought the groceries and they prepared a great lunch.  Goat, rice, beans, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, bananas. We ate alot!!! Gio enjoyed the goat :) I think for the first time Gio is full! haha We have handed out all our school supplies and backpacks.  Our time here is quickly coming to an end!  We will be traveling to Mombasa on Monday to take a peek at the Indian Ocean, soak up some sun and enjoy another part of God's big world!  We will stay in Mombasa for three days and then head back to Nairobi to visit the giraffe center! I can't leave Africa without seeing the giraffes.  Please continue to pray for our journey to Mombasa and back to Nairobi!  Love you!!

Dusty Trail

The last couple of days have been very busy!  We traveled to Mumos home on boda boda's and went to his church. The service was amazing, great praise and worship.  After church we went back to Mumo's where we gave his mom, Beatrice some quilts and a huge bag 90 kilograms of maize for a gift. ( they insist it is cold of the evenings yet we are still sweating)! Today we went to two different schools.  The first was Kisayani, it was a school/home for the special needs.  There were 36 kids there all very sweet!  They enjoyed the supplies and LOVED the soccer ball. We then went to Kalulini where we handed out Jesus loves you bracelets and school supplies.  There were 680 kids at that school it was crazy to see that many kids around us, all wanting to hold our hands and talk. We then went on a home visit to woman's house named Mary, she was infected with HIV. She gave birth to twins not knowing she had the disease, infecting one of the twins.  We took her some cabbage, lentils, and rice, and of course a Bible..  The kids toys and suckers.  All very grateful for our short visit.  Today when we got back to the guest house we prepared a meal in the kitchen.  We bought some fresh vegetables and chapati we made homemade salsa ( with cilantro) guacamole, and pasta!  We ate ALOT!  It seemed to taste like home!!! Burgwin and Mumo both enjoyed our cooking :) The days are so emotional with the needs of everyone you meet.  I think mom would have brought home a little boy with down syndrome today if she could have.  She cried before she left!! It was a very hard day for her.  Tomorrow we are off to two more schools both very large.  Pictures are posted on facebook, I could not get them uploaded to my blog, sorry.  So why did I label this the dusty trail, well... I have come to be OK with dust on my feet, in my hair and most of all up my nose!! haha Love you all, continue to send your prayers our way!!! Loving every minute of it!

 Riding the Boda Bodas.  Yes, that's four people on one motorcycle :)

 Mumo's family

 Our first Sunday in Kibwezi.  Come to find out it was this pastors first Sunday at this church too. (far left)

He had quite the surprise when half of his congregation was white!

 This boys class mates called him "preacher".  He really loved his Bible.

 Mary's family...The little girl looking at the camera is the one with HIV

Our "home" cooked meal - buttered noodles, homemade salsa, and fresh cut pineapple.

Can you say YUMMY!!!!!

The Rescue Team HIV Center

Wow!  Day 1 was GREAT!  We went to an HIV orphanage, where kids and adults are tested for HIV and then schooled on how to take care of themselves and protect themselves. The myths are huge here about HIV, so education is very  important.  After the kids sang and danced and then we ate rice and beans, handed out suckers and lots of toys :) We walked down to watch some boys at a local school play soccer for us.  We took two soccer balls and I presented one to my team captain and Hadley gave one to hers.  Well after a team "pep talk" 1-2-3 GO TEAM!  My team pulled out the victory with penalty kicks. (good thing I have been brushing up on my soccer rules).  We rode a boda boda (motorcycle today) first time for me,  three people on one boda boda!  Pictures are hysterical :) Mom and Gio are feeling much better.   Excited  for day two!!  We are going to buy a modem tomorrow so I can hopefully upload some pictures. Continue to pray as we follow our hearts.  Love you all!!!



 Burgwin Getting Ready to do an HIV test.

Results were negative :)

Kibwezi!!

Arrived in Nairobi at 1:00am.  Made  to Kebwezi at 4:00am.  Needless to say TIRED!! All our luggage arrived in one piece, and we got thru customs only having to pay 10 Bibles :) We are at the cyber cafe in town for some reason our iphones are not working yet.  Mom and Gio have been sick with headaches and upset tummy.  Not sure if they are just tired or if they have caught a bug.  They both slept thru lunch, and now we have walked to the market to look for some fruit.  Please keep them in your prayers  Tomorrow we are heading out around 10 to go to our first school.  Sunday we will drive to where Mumo lives and attend church with his family.  Will post pictures from Friday Saturday and Sunday on Monday. Miss you all!  Love you, and keep the prayers coming!!

 First day at the Kambua Guest House

What a way to wake up!



Ask and you shall receive.

I'm sitting in the Chicago airport blogging because I ran out of time before I left. I apologize. My house has literally been full of school supplies and Bibles for the last month! God is so good! I had two different people donate a total of 464 Bibles, and between 10-12 schools donate all there school supplies. When I asked the schools for their donations I had no idea what would happen, it was crazy!!! From Grandma and Grandpa Banks picking up 2 huge van loads to Branson Intermediate we had a house full! We sorted school supplies for about a week, so amazed at the supplies that were going to be thrown away and we quickly turned them into enough school supplies for 6 schools/orphanages in Africa. I won't even tell you how quickly I started thinking about what if I could get all the schools in Missouri to donate there school supplies at the end of each year! Mom quickly said let's get thru this trip first :) So when we loaded our truck this morning we had packed a total of 10 totes/suitcases 6 carry on bags equalling around almost 700 pounds of schools supplies and Bibles! I told you God was good! We checked all the totes and leave it to dad we had 2 out of all our totes that were at 50.5 pounds but they let us slide! Once again I am humbled at how God always provides for what pops into this small crazy brain of mine. I will keep you all posted and upload pics as I can! I have 20 days to touch as many lives as possible, so I may be a bit busy! Haha please pray for us as we finish our travels into Nairobi and as I prepare to be God's servant!

 Sorting through some of the school supplies that we collected

 

 

Waiting for our flight

Crazy Cupcakes

So I am totally in fundraising mode! I had seen where another organizaion used cupcakes as a fundraiser, I thought easy enough where do I start? Well one text to my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Vejraska thinking I may be able to put some in the teachers lounge turned into eight class rooms ordering cupcakes which equaled 196 cupcakes!!!! God is good :) Needless to say, they are adorable, and will be deliverd on time tomorrow morning. Thanks to mom and Katie (my Bible study leader) for helping me bake and decorate. A huge thank you to Mrs. V. your the best!!!

Katie and I

Fast Forward 1 Year

Wow! It's almost been one year since my trip to Africa. I came home and quickly got back into the same school, volleyball, school, volleyball schedule. I thought about the kids I had met and left everyday! I knew my work was not done, just had not figured out what God's plan was for me yet. Well let me tell you He has shown me. I have at the age of 15 started my own 501C3 non profit organization called Generation Next! My mission: Supplies For Life! My goal is to provide orphaned or under privileged children with the supplies they will need spiritually and educationally. I came up with the idea to fill a backpack with school supplies and a full size Bible for each child. We are heading back to Africa in June and I am praying that I would be able to provide 500 children with backpacks. Below are a few pictures of my first fundraiser. Chili's let us do a 10% back night for three nights. What a great success. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me and my crazy ideas :) What you wanna help? www.generationnextcares.org

Faithful Friends

Gio, Courtney and Kass

Helping at Chili's Night

The Brown's always supportive!!

Aunt Teenie and her friends!