10
Year Old Girl Forgoes Birthday Gifts; Choosing To Fund A Fun
Day for Children from the Kenyan Slums
HEART had the awesome privilege of bringing the WEEP women from
Kibera and BulBul and their children to Paradise Lost by buses.
This is a park where you can ride camels, ride in paddle boats,
play on swings and explore a cave. As director of children’s
ministry I had planned activities for the children. We sang
songs, told stories, health teaching, played with bubbles, and
colored. I also never go without my puppets and they were a
big hit. We had 52 children so we divided the children into
3 groups and gave each group a different color hat. You could
see the HEART/WEEP kids all over the park in these colorful
hats, which made them easy to identify. The children loved the
camels. The screams of joy of the children riding the camels
could be heard by their mothers (and all other park visitors).
They loved the caves. Peanut butter sandwiches, chips, cookies
and soda were also provided during the day’s activities.
The last activity was the boat rides I decided to sit and hold
a little girl that was crying and tired. As I held her and comforted
her she fall asleep in my arms. As I watched her sleep and breathe
peacefully, I was reminded of what HEART is doing to keep mom
alive through the WEEP project so these precious children are
not orphaned. As I cuddled her I thought what a blessed little
girl she was, because she still has her mom to continue to hold
her. It is a day I will never forget.
The women said that they joined their children in singing all
the way back home, back to the slums. They were truly happy;
it is a day they will never forget.
This day was funded by Alexandria, a 10 year old girl in Colorado,
USA, who decide she did not want any gifts for her 10th birthday.
Instead she wanted to pay for a “party” for the
children of WEEP. |
