Riley Banks, Age 17: Building Schools and Opening Orphanages

Riley Banks, Age 17: Building Schools and Opening Orphanages

50 Sweet Pamoja students!

Well as most of you know, I just returned home from my fourth trip to Africa. This year was one of the biggest as I opened my first school, Pamoja.  Handed out around 900 hygiene kits to young school girls in Kibwezi as well as held a VBS! (Vacation Bible School)  God has been doing some amazing things thru Generation Next! I am truly blessed to be able to follow His lead and surrender myself to HIm!

Pamoja Grand Opening

Dedication of the building.

One group of school girls with their hygiene kits.

Last night of VBS

Generation Next - Current Issue - 417 Magazine

Generation Next - Current Issue - 417 Magazine

My First Real Publication!

     So 3 years later after a lot  of hard work, I was lucky enough to get an article published about Generation Next in Rural Missouri Magazine! The response has been amazing! I have answered more calls from people wanting to help,  from cash donations, to quilts, to kswahilli tracts, making drawstring hygiene bags. I can not stop smiling!  Finally what I have been dreaming and praying for is all coming together. I am feeling over blessed (if that's possible).  I am of course going to upload the article for those of you who have not got to see it! For those of you who have please bear thru my excitement :)
     I can not end my blog with out saying thank you to Jeff Pardeck who has ALWAYS been one of my biggest supporters and lined up the interview with The Rural Missouri Magazine.  Which then leads me to Heather Berry who drove down from Jefferson City to interview and write the article and became an instant loving friend! Thank you everyone for your continued love and support!!
                                                                                                                      Ahhhhh God is good!

Busy 16 year old girl!

This one is going to be short and sweet, in hopes that my followers are still out there wondering what I have been doing for the past year.  Yes, I did make another amazing trip to Kibwezi in June. Started my Junior year of High School and of course trying to get my non-profit Generation Next off the ground.  My June trip to Kenya was very successful as we finished a school, sponsored a medical clinic, and handed out 200 hygiene kits to young girls my age.  I can't begin to tell you how God's been working in my heart.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my trip.  I will blog about each individual accomplishment as each deserves their own post.  Here is a teaser... I promise to blog again before the year is up :)

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!!!!!