Lauren here again--
Quick 5 update
1. Team Belwop came last month and completely fixed up the house. It now has a fresh coat of paint in every room... bright yellows and blues, fixed the holes in the roof and the broken windows and left the home more beautiful than ever! We also got a donor to purchase a carpet, a stove, oven and freezer! The media team also got all the footage to make a documentary for the new year :)
It was an awesome time and I wish they could have stayed longer.
2. We also were visited by Russ and Kevin from Extreme Response who got to take a look at the home that we're hoping to purchase. It's a large property, IN TOWN, with many rooms for more kids and room for expansion. If we can get a "bridge loan" donation, Lord willing, we will raise the rest of the $150K and hope to purchase the home, move in next year and begin fixing it up. New kitchen, dining hall, and common room are what teams will be working on for starters. It's a cool place, finished, and the team plans to do all we can to try and get the dough to make the dream come alive with the help of churches around the US :)
3. Last week my friend Pelagie came down from Nairobi and took the kids swimming at a swanky hotel called Green Hills as a sort of early Christmas present. It was an awesome time and all the kids got to swim and have poolside snacks, and play on the play ground and run around on the soft grass. It was a beautiful time.
4. We got a new baby! Her name is Paris and she's almost 3. ADORABLE. Super princess-like, she loves wearing pink and refuses to get dirty. She talks nonstop and will be your best friend if you bring her a fruit lol.
5. This week we raised the rest of the money (over $5,000!) to start the "shamba" or Belwop Farm project! A biointensive farm that will bring supplementary nutrition to the kids diet through fresh veggies, as well as some extra income, we hope began this week. G-BIACK, a Grow Biointensive school is coming to help us plan it all out on Friday, and once we get the funds on Christmas day from the Indiegogo site, our hired workers (from Veronica's extended family) will begin planting! Her parents gave us the land for free, PS, which was awesome.
I have less than one month left and it feels so weird, but I've been so blessed and seen God bring a lot of new friends alongside the journey of building Hope a home. People I never would have expected, but am so grateful for. Below is a longer note for a more reflective look at life here:
NOVEMBER WALK
Walking down the hill to Veronica’s house from Belwop, it’s a muddy road on this rainy, November day. My once-white TOMS shoes are completely red, muddy, holey, and soaked through. Last night we had a fun night of praise and worship with only a tight leather drum to keep the beat, Mukimo for dinner (potatoes, greens, beans and corn masked together), watched Mexican soap operas (Maria de Semparada and Maximiliano got together on “Triumfo del Amor”… finally), joking, laughing, and lots of hair braiding.
I reflect on the night before, and how much I'm going to miss these moments. We stood and held hands in a circle and prayed for the meal. The baby Paris holds hands and looks around wondering what's going on. Jane, the oldest girl back from school for winter break thanks God for the many blessings she and her brothers and sisters have received. She thanks God for life, for courage, His Son, Mum, for me, and for all the people in the US who have supported them and who live far away...
“God, we know will never be able to repay them,” she says, “but we know you can. Father God I pray for strength and blessings on their lives. That you will touch them and give them comfort in times of sadness, and joy when they need it, let them know you love them. Bless the work of their hands and allow them to sleep well tonight.”
I look up from my walk, and realize for the first time ever, I am alone on this long rollercoaster road. No cars. No people. The only sound, in the distance I hear is African music from somewhere in the forest. For a moment, the world is perfectly at peace. I look down at the river valley below me and see rain falling the rusted tin roofs and the sky is that bright hazy overcast, with banana trees and about fifteen other species of trees all around. Light teal lichen grabs onto the bark, contrasted against the dark green moss on the tall skinny trees with plush canopies that only the tallest “long-neck” dinosaur could reach. The scary, fat black raven with a white stripe down the front croaks nearby, like a deep-voiced frog doing an impression of Darth Vader’s breathing. The yellow-bellied birds sing their sweet beautiful songs in reply.
In Veronica’s small hometown of Nyeri, Kenya, life is colorful; where the red dirt roads grow out of the earth naturally and traffic has “guidelines” instead of laws and the mountain only shows itself as it pleases, with bananas and mangos for sale and motorcyclist “cabby” toting rice bags, where Kenyan tea is made with whole milk that makes you remember how good food tastes and is meant to nourish you when you're hungry instead of bored, God is everywhere. And every time you turn around there is a new reminder-- in a pair of big brown eyes, and in the clouds that I swear are cathedrals higher than any I've ever seen, bursting through the ceiling cap of the sky, extending miles and kilometers heavenward towards their painter.
Here, Veronica returned home several years ago after marrying a godly man, raising six children of her own and working at a lucrative business in the big city, the Capitol Nairobi. It was in this visit that her life was ruined for good. A eucatastrophe- as Tolkein coined the phrase-- a “good catastrophe”- one where she met a child with no one to call father or mother and no place to call home- her heart was broken and her life, as she knew it, and by all outward appearances, was over. She and her husband had been given a calling-- a vocation. By Jesus, no less. One of those we've all read about-- on the road to Damascus or in the desert of Hebron or in a king’s court -- when the Holy Spirit busts in and said to sell everything, and start something radical and new. Jesus said forsake your business the comfortable lifestyle you’ve worked your whole life to achieve. Give up everything and follow me. Tend my sheep. Feed my lambs. The neglected abused and orphaned- the least of these- they are my precious ones, take care of them, for they now belong to you, they are now in your care.
So Veronica and her husband did that. They told their friends the vision God had given them, and their friends rejoiced. They promising to join and help in any way they could to run the home. To protect women and children and they called the place Belwop- BEtter Living for WOmen Project- and the house was born. Children came and filed into the tiny 3 bedroom house with a bed to sleep on and food in their tummies. They had a "mum" to tell them to wash up! And do your homework! Instead of begging for bread, they studied at night. But soon darkness came, Veronica's husband grew very ill and passed away, suddenly, just a few months after Belwop first opened its doors. And the friends fell away. Veronica was alone in her calling. How could God let this happen? Especially to a woman so faithful? I ask this question out of my unbelief, but Veronica says to me: “Shiko (she calls me that, my kikuyu name meaning little girl) do you know the last thing my husband said to me on his death bed?”
“What?” I ask, still indignant on her behalf.
“He said, ‘God will give you a nation. A kingdom.’ And you know what?”
“What?” I say again, like a child, only a little less angry.
She grabs my hand.
“He has. Yes. God is good...” and with a firm grip and her sad, wise eyes looks into my soul and whispers: “God will do it.”
The home should never have started. The friends fell away like Job’s and no one could afford to pay rent. Somehow... A daily miracle began to happen. Though there was no money, no oil in the lamp, no twenty shillings for electricity, no dollar for beans, no income for rent, no well for water. God heard Veronica's prayer, every day, and somehow, someone would show up at the door last minute with a bag of rice and beans, or Kate's father would front the water bill, or a young American girl named Hartley would show up to the soccer field and play with the kids, only to return to the states and start an entire organization to support these kids. The church down the lane brought new and used clothes and embraced the children as their own.
My dear friend Kate would read emails to me back in 2007 and my friends and I would listen to these miracles with fascination, always was something new but always went the same way. There was an impossible need, the eleventh hour would arrive, and then God showed up in different clothes every time.
The home was still accruing debt and V asked for us to pray for her. She was going to host a banquet for dignitaries and bank owners in Nyeri and Nairobi in hopes of paying the debt and building a new home that belonged to her and the children fully. Kate got an idea to combine our love for music, coffee and Kenya in an event called True Religion where we could raise money for this woman. I had read a verse that week in James- that book in the Bible that tells us that faith without works is dead… I wanted to know what he thought religion should be, because in my generation religion is a bad word that means fundamentalist rituals that make judgmental people hate other people.
But James gives us crazy specific definition for what religion should be. REAL RELIGION. Not singing impassioned promises or picketing at abortion clinics or a five point series on abstaining from sex or condemning homosexuality on national TV… James says that religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
To take care of widows and orphans in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
To take Care
Of widows
And orphans
In their distress
Waking up in my small bed at Belwop, I suddenly realized I have less than a month left. I have been beyond blessed to have lived here for almost 5 months, and have learned so much. I’m torn between two ridiculously strong emotions-- one an intense love and attachment to this place that causes a sadness at the prospect of leaving, and the other, a great anticipation, joy and excitement at returning home to the US-- to my friends, family and familiarity. With both of these emotions, comes a feeling of extreme gratefulness. And I just wanted to thank everyone who supported and encouraged me on this journey. So THANK YOU. You have been a big part of restoring my faith in the Church as a body, on a very personal level, and whether you're believer or not, to all my friends I want to thank you for supporting Belwop, whether through prayer or giving of their gifts of time, money, resources, words of encouragement and love to these kids and Veronica from oceans away. Words cannot describe the impact you have had here, and will hopefully continue to have. The van is running, the garden is growing, the kids are healthy, clothed, educated, well-rested and HAPPY! I have been so blessed by my experiences and can’t wait to return to hear and share stories with all the people I love back at home (or maybe to get some of you out here with me next year to experience it for yourselves ;) Take care of yourselves, and know a little piece of you is here in Kenya.
All my love, Nakupenda sana,
Lauren
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
COOL THINGS
Lauren here--
So in the last two months, a LOT of cool things have been going on here at Belwop, here are the top 9:
First, the Van-- Belwop owns one! Let me tell you a quick story about “The Battery.” Immediately after we bought the van last month we ran into some… complications. Like, you know, it not running. We had just spent a very pretty penny on purchasing the van, insurance, a new paint job, new spark plugs, oil change, new wheel caps and tires, power steering fluid, balancing and other little fixes… then the car flat out wouldn’t start a few days later. I was upset, “A lemon,” I thought. Luckily I didn’t have to deal with it because I got to go visit my friends the Adams in Nairobi for the weekend. And Veronica, being much more patient and forgiving than me, began her work. She called the car dealer and, instead of chewing him out for selling her a shoddy vehicle, merely said, “The mechanic told us we need a new battery. We don’t have the money for it-- 6,000 Kenyan shillings. But God will provide, and when he does, I want you to help us find the right one.” The car dealer, (whom I now finally trust, Mr. Moingi) responded as shocked as anyone. He’d unwittingly sold her a less than reliable set of wheels, and yet she still treated him with kindness and camaraderie in the deal.
“Of course!” he said, “I will be happy to help however I can.”
That was Friday afternoon. Friday night, Veronica held up her cell phone (which is virtually used as a credit card here) and prayed, “God, You have this money. This is your van, and we know you are able to send this money to my phone in one instant if it is your will! God, let this van run by Monday!”
The next day….
Veronica got call from a man who had seen her interviewed on the news 3 years ago about Belwop. He was a well-wishing man from Nairobi that she’d never met in person. He asked how she was doing then said, “Does your MPESA account still work by chance?” (MPESA= Visa on your phone). Veronica told him, yes, it did. He said, “Good, I have a small gift for Belwop. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.” The end. No details asked or offered. Just a token for whatever the home may need.
The next morning, she got a notification.
6,050 Kenyan Shillings…50 for withdrawal, deposited into her account. 6,000!? The EXACT amount we needed for a new battery. And, maybe you’re a skeptic like me, but that is weird... what a random number? 6,000? Maybe 1,000, or 5 or 10, but 6? As God is my witness, and as the saved messages can attest, she NEVER told him the amount we needed.
Anyway, she went straight to Mr. Moingi with the cash and, smiling, said, “So? Did you find that battery?”
He was so stunned, he immediately dropped what he was doing and helped us get a shiny black and yellow new battery. Then Moingi said he wanted to help further, calling his friend, he hooked us up with a car painting service and got our Belwop logo painted on the side, FOR FREE! I will hold off on sharing how the sign of the “Belwop Children’s Home” saved us from several tickets another time.... but that's how the Belwop van got rolling.
A new miracle, every day.
Okay, #2, our new mini bio-intensive garden is popping! David Martinez came out for 10 days and with the help of all the kids, Veronica, her two sons Denis and Tony, in ONE DAY we dug and planted 6 ½ beds with a handi-made fence and gate. It’s got cornstalks, tomatoes, cale, cabbage, broccoli, bell peppers, peas, and cilantro (“denia”). It’s about a month old, and so far it’s flourishing! Praise God for making beautiful things out of dust. :)
Third, the Belwop Project Media Team is coming!!! YESSSS!!!! October 14 they arrive, with Extreme Response representatives Russ Cline and Kevin coming a day early. Kate Johnson and her husband Aaron, along with Colby Peck, Mike Farnham and Geoff Spencer are coming for 6 days to help make a documentary-style video to distribute to churches and get them involved. While they are here they will also be helping with renovations around the house, playing with the kids, and checking out some wild animals on the savannah. I am SO excited… more mzungus. I won’t be the only pale-skinned kid on the block J
Fourth, Mesa First Assembly of God Church raised $17, 166!! WHAT? We have been partnering with Travis and Jena Clark and their ministry called "The Well" for just over two years and what an incredible impact they have had. Their mission is clear: Build Hope a Home. For those of you who don’t know Hope, she is one of the babies at Belwop, raised since she was left at the hospital almost 5 years ago. Today she is a beautiful, vibrant, jump-rope-skippin’ girl who bears the namesake of Veronica (Vera Hope= “True Hope”) and one of the inspirations for this church way out on the other side of the world. This also spread awareness as Travis’ CD dropped and all the youth got behind this vision to “Build Hope a Home,” and are beginning to make plans to make that dream a reality with their own hands. Can't wait to come back here one day with some of them ;)
Fifth, we are planning an income farm. Long story short, we decided not to build the home way outside of town and have begun the search IN town. That being said, game plan changing, we still want to use the acre of land that Belwop owns in the fields of Mweiga. We are partnering with a biointensive growing school called “G-BIACK” and are currently in the throes of negotioations in hooking up to the community water project. Indiegogo givers are helping make that a reality, and has even sparked some sustained sponsorships for the home. INCLUDING, one anonymous couple, who has committed to $100/mo to pay for rent!! God is good, all the time.
Sixth, Operation Smile visited last week, and man it was fun. They had a blast with all of us and we made friends with them quickly. We played with balloons, learned about dental hygiene, healthy eating, and Stop-Drop-and-Roll! The coolest part was that Mary W. finally got the chance to get corrective cosmetic surgery on her ear and is healing beautifully! What a smile it truly brings to a 14 year-old when she looks in the mirror to have a growth removed and an ear magically morphed overnight!
Seventh, Facebook page and video are up! If you haven’t had a chance to see these two things, stop reading, go to File>> Open new tab>> www.Facebook.com and check out "Belwop Rescue Centre"… the vid gives you an idea of what it’s like out here… then you should immediately “Like” the page! The word is spreading, things are moving, and we’d love for you to be apart of this family.
Eighth, the girls went back to high school. Monika and Jane are attending one of the top boarding schools in Kenya, Muruguru girl’s school, and are at the TOP of their class!? You have to test into this school, and they are doing awesomely well. I don’t know that many tri-lingual high schoolers who know they want to be an engineer and a judge, but these girls have a goal and they are extremely focused. What’s also great is that all their fees and tuition paid for this semester. Sometimes it feels like, every month, it’s by the skin of our teeth that things like this are made possible, that they will return for the following term, but every time, GOD DOES IT!
Lastly, we have been searching and finding houses and properties, and we have found a potential home. Actually it is more than a home, it is an entire facility, a large 3-building property that can house and school all the children-- meaning, Veronica’s plan to one day open up a Belwop school would happen sooner than expected... Monday she and the owner are meeting with the the bank to discuss mortgage options. This is one option of several, but we are continuing the search. It could be a huge answer to prayer and leap of faith all in one, but I’ll keep you posted. All in all, we are keeping our hearts and minds open, alert, and in constant prayer. Til then, please pray that the kids remain happy and healthy, that as we move forward in faith with the Belwop Project in our quest to give more kids hope and home, we continue to be good stewards with the gifts we have been given, to spread the word, partnering with the Church body, wherever the members may be found, and that we may live a life worthy of the Gospel in all that we do.
All my love and joy,
Nakupenda sana,
Lauren Cray
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Belwop Van!
She told the man in the grey suit, in kiswahili, "This van is for the glory of God."
He answered in English, "Madam, I am also a Christian. And what you say, about this being for the glory of God, it troubles me, because I know it is true, and I have never given so much time to pay off a vehicle. Give me an hour to think it over. What you say has moved me, but I just don't know yet."
We had offered him 750,000 kenyan shillings down, and 300,000 to be paid off in 10 months, providing they fix some things with the large matatu van.
As we sat for that hour at the restaurant of a hotel called Banana Leaf, treated to a free lunch by the manager (who is preparing for our October team's arrival) we received another call.
"I have found another van," said the first honest car salesman I have personally met, "Come outside and see!"
It was love at first site...
An 8-seater, silver Toyota van. Air conditioned, swivel removable seats, shiny and new, with a white sticker that scripts "Noah" on the back bottom corner window.
"Noah's ark" we call it. And it was at exactly our price range.
For 600,000 KSH. Half of the "matatu" 14 seater van, it would be ours. The seats not as many as a bus by any means, but exactly enough to tote building Extreme Response teams, as well as half the kids at a time, to and from church or Nairobi or the moon or wherever :)
"This is beautiful. This is ours!" Veronica exclaimed.
And it was so. We did not need the other vehicle, and the man did not call back after the hour.
That day, we put a deposit down. As we signed the papers, we saw the man in the grey suit walking towards his matatu, head down. Veronica walked up to him and said, "This was not the time for us to have a bus, but maybe one day. A better one that will hold us all. Now you know about us, and your children at Belwop." He looked very sad, but smiled and nodded, and shook her hand as we got into our new car.
The next morning, after a long adventure at Barclay's bank with "introducing" me to Veronica's account from my US Wells Fargo via paperwork, we paid the whole van off in HARD CASH! We then got a call from a friend of V's called Mr. Mathenge (Mr. Marengue as I call him... "marengue" in kiswahili means Pumpkin) called us and wanted to know if we could find another vehicle like it.
"I have just purchased the same vehicle for my personal use, but I got it for 1.2 million kenyan shillings! How did you get such a deal?"
"God gave it to us!" I said on the phone.
"Could you ask Him if He has any more offhand?" he laughed.
Yesterday, after giving the ark a nice car wash, and making the inside velvet cushions smell and feel like new, we drove it to Belwop. It was Zipporah's 10th birthday, so we had double chocolate cake and ice cream, sang happy birthday, then piled into Noah's ark and took off.
Would you believe it?
We ALL FIT.
All 20 of us.
Maybe all those species in the fertile crescent, thousands of years ago, could fit in that big boat after all?
Not two seconds out the gate the kids began to sing:
...
This is the day,
(This is the van,)
That the Lord has made!
(That the Lord has bought!)
I will rejoice!
(I will rejoice!)
And be glad in it.
(And be glad in it...)
We sang praise and worship at the top of our lungs and drove all round the town of Nyeri, Kenya, thanking God, waving at our neighbors, some of them looked confused but most were excited, and when we returned home to Belwop, 9 year old Irene prayed over the van in beautiful Swahili, thanking God and her mom and sisters and brothers, both here and in the US for our new van.
Praise God, glory to Him in the highest, now and forevermore.
Amen
He answered in English, "Madam, I am also a Christian. And what you say, about this being for the glory of God, it troubles me, because I know it is true, and I have never given so much time to pay off a vehicle. Give me an hour to think it over. What you say has moved me, but I just don't know yet."
We had offered him 750,000 kenyan shillings down, and 300,000 to be paid off in 10 months, providing they fix some things with the large matatu van.
As we sat for that hour at the restaurant of a hotel called Banana Leaf, treated to a free lunch by the manager (who is preparing for our October team's arrival) we received another call.
"I have found another van," said the first honest car salesman I have personally met, "Come outside and see!"
It was love at first site...
An 8-seater, silver Toyota van. Air conditioned, swivel removable seats, shiny and new, with a white sticker that scripts "Noah" on the back bottom corner window.
"Noah's ark" we call it. And it was at exactly our price range.
For 600,000 KSH. Half of the "matatu" 14 seater van, it would be ours. The seats not as many as a bus by any means, but exactly enough to tote building Extreme Response teams, as well as half the kids at a time, to and from church or Nairobi or the moon or wherever :)
"This is beautiful. This is ours!" Veronica exclaimed.
And it was so. We did not need the other vehicle, and the man did not call back after the hour.
That day, we put a deposit down. As we signed the papers, we saw the man in the grey suit walking towards his matatu, head down. Veronica walked up to him and said, "This was not the time for us to have a bus, but maybe one day. A better one that will hold us all. Now you know about us, and your children at Belwop." He looked very sad, but smiled and nodded, and shook her hand as we got into our new car.
The next morning, after a long adventure at Barclay's bank with "introducing" me to Veronica's account from my US Wells Fargo via paperwork, we paid the whole van off in HARD CASH! We then got a call from a friend of V's called Mr. Mathenge (Mr. Marengue as I call him... "marengue" in kiswahili means Pumpkin) called us and wanted to know if we could find another vehicle like it.
"I have just purchased the same vehicle for my personal use, but I got it for 1.2 million kenyan shillings! How did you get such a deal?"
"God gave it to us!" I said on the phone.
"Could you ask Him if He has any more offhand?" he laughed.
Yesterday, after giving the ark a nice car wash, and making the inside velvet cushions smell and feel like new, we drove it to Belwop. It was Zipporah's 10th birthday, so we had double chocolate cake and ice cream, sang happy birthday, then piled into Noah's ark and took off.
Would you believe it?
We ALL FIT.
All 20 of us.
Maybe all those species in the fertile crescent, thousands of years ago, could fit in that big boat after all?
Not two seconds out the gate the kids began to sing:
...
This is the day,
(This is the van,)
That the Lord has made!
(That the Lord has bought!)
I will rejoice!
(I will rejoice!)
And be glad in it.
(And be glad in it...)
We sang praise and worship at the top of our lungs and drove all round the town of Nyeri, Kenya, thanking God, waving at our neighbors, some of them looked confused but most were excited, and when we returned home to Belwop, 9 year old Irene prayed over the van in beautiful Swahili, thanking God and her mom and sisters and brothers, both here and in the US for our new van.
Praise God, glory to Him in the highest, now and forevermore.
Amen
Friday, August 12, 2011
Kenya Dig It?
Lauren here again! I arrived safely and soundly Tuesday morning at 3:30 AM and have been adjusting well. Making tortillas, burning my foot with oil because I was lazy. Washing clothes in the tub, playing tickle monster, hanging with the kids and showing them the wonders of an iPod :)
Work begins here in Nyeri soon! Veronica leaves tomorrow to go to the retreat in Madrid with the Catholic sisters for 11 days. She is very anxious about leaving the children, as it has been a very cold winter for them here, and she has never left them for more than a day or two. She has never been on an airplane and asked me all about it. I taught her a little Spanish in exchange for some Swahili :) The weather for me is not terrible, but low 50's at night is freezing for Kenya, and so V has moved the smallest babies into her own house on the other side of town while she is away. Today we played games all day, and the kids have been drawing and coloring like mad! we have already filled two walls with all the pictures they have colored, and, if I may say so as an artist myself-- man are they good! They only need the tools, the resources, and the talents just rush out of their fingertips with such dexterity!
We are getting things in place to hit the ground running in September- discussing who to hire as a project manager and hooking up the water lines. I am asking around for purchasing a van, and V is trying to discern whether we should hold out for a little more cash (m*pesa) to buy a really great NEW van or not. We are also researching places for teams to stay, ike Belwop Project in October. I visited St. Mary's Boys School today where teams have stayed in the past, but Veronica stresses she wants teams to be as comfortable as possible and wishes to look elsewhere. The dinner will be a wonderful night, I am sad to miss it, but I know our hearts are together and our hands are doing work far apart. The house is drafty, but the kids are eating well every day. Today after playing the American football game "500" and coloring for hours, we took a late lunch/ early dinner of rice and cabbage and watched Anne of Green Gables (one of my all-time favorites) and it really had a new ring to it this time. Seeing an educated girl who had been orphaned, rise above her circumstances, use her imagination and good spirit to lift those around her was inspiring today. I looked at the older girls in the room and they were enraptured by this red-haired girl, who became first in her class, just as they did, and they smiled with every victory and blushed with every interaction with Gilbert Blythe. What a time to be a teenager and taking care of the younger ones, keeping the house clean, washing the clothes AND keeping up with their studies. Amazing.
David, my boyfriend, comes in 11 days and will be keeping busy as we plant a garden at Belwop and attempt to make a great video for the donor dinner. These kids are hilarious and adorable so, look forward to that! That's all for now! Asante sana (thank you very much)
Nakupenda (love)
Lauren
Work begins here in Nyeri soon! Veronica leaves tomorrow to go to the retreat in Madrid with the Catholic sisters for 11 days. She is very anxious about leaving the children, as it has been a very cold winter for them here, and she has never left them for more than a day or two. She has never been on an airplane and asked me all about it. I taught her a little Spanish in exchange for some Swahili :) The weather for me is not terrible, but low 50's at night is freezing for Kenya, and so V has moved the smallest babies into her own house on the other side of town while she is away. Today we played games all day, and the kids have been drawing and coloring like mad! we have already filled two walls with all the pictures they have colored, and, if I may say so as an artist myself-- man are they good! They only need the tools, the resources, and the talents just rush out of their fingertips with such dexterity!
We are getting things in place to hit the ground running in September- discussing who to hire as a project manager and hooking up the water lines. I am asking around for purchasing a van, and V is trying to discern whether we should hold out for a little more cash (m*pesa) to buy a really great NEW van or not. We are also researching places for teams to stay, ike Belwop Project in October. I visited St. Mary's Boys School today where teams have stayed in the past, but Veronica stresses she wants teams to be as comfortable as possible and wishes to look elsewhere. The dinner will be a wonderful night, I am sad to miss it, but I know our hearts are together and our hands are doing work far apart. The house is drafty, but the kids are eating well every day. Today after playing the American football game "500" and coloring for hours, we took a late lunch/ early dinner of rice and cabbage and watched Anne of Green Gables (one of my all-time favorites) and it really had a new ring to it this time. Seeing an educated girl who had been orphaned, rise above her circumstances, use her imagination and good spirit to lift those around her was inspiring today. I looked at the older girls in the room and they were enraptured by this red-haired girl, who became first in her class, just as they did, and they smiled with every victory and blushed with every interaction with Gilbert Blythe. What a time to be a teenager and taking care of the younger ones, keeping the house clean, washing the clothes AND keeping up with their studies. Amazing.
David, my boyfriend, comes in 11 days and will be keeping busy as we plant a garden at Belwop and attempt to make a great video for the donor dinner. These kids are hilarious and adorable so, look forward to that! That's all for now! Asante sana (thank you very much)
Nakupenda (love)
Lauren
Sunday, July 31, 2011
7 days and counting...
Hey friends!
Lauren Cray here writing... So I'm in Chicago with my awesome friends the Wallaces, finishing up a documentary job, getting mentally prepared to make the flight to Kenya next Sunday! Done a lot of flying these last two weeks but I am PUMPED out of my mind. BONUS: I learned my yellow fever shot is good for 10 years, (winning!).
So much has happened this summer, I can't wait to get started.
First up, Veronica finally gets to go on her first vacation in years as a guest of the Catholic Church in Spain for a short retreat. She deserves it!! She takes off the day after I arrive, so looks like kids and I are going to start things of with a big party (while the farmer's away...)
Been in contact with a few people in Nairobi, friends, but also people of influence I have yet to personally meet. I can't wait to see Pelagie and the Adam's while I'm there, it will be good to have familiar faces so far from home.
We still have a ways to go with fundraising to complete the entire project, but it seems like pieces are really starting to fall into place. Please pray they continue to do so!! And as V always says, "God will do it." She has faith that moves mountains... and orphanages.
Kate's church, Coast Hills, raised a whopping $7,500, and by her church, I mean a bunch of elementary and jr. highers!! Dang. My Indiegogo site is almost up and has raised almost $5,200, which puts our grand total of just over $27,500 which means we reached our first goal for "Phase 1" of building!!! We can dig that water line, hire a project manager, get that 10 foot wall going. Maaaayyybe we can start looking at those 15 passenger vans?? I hope. That would be nice for transporting teams. I'll keep you updated on that.
The wall? Yes, unplanned original expense.
Necessary? Absolutely.
The Prez of Extreme Response (the other Non–prof with whom we are partnering) was told recently a very large cat (Simba= lion in Swahili) was seen roaming around the Belwop 2.0 property, so um... aside from protecting all our gear from being stolen, nobody wants to be eaten by a lion, so a wall it is!
Other cool news, teams are beginning to formed to start building. Joshua Henry, med student/ future doctor extraordinaire (and my oldest friend since we were 6 months old) is coming out to help. Team Belwop is sending a media team in October (when we hope to start putting up that wall). Coast Hills may send a team, maybe a few other churches. Also, David Martinez (this rad guy I know ;) is coming out to help for 10 days and maybe start the garden/ make a short video to be shown at the fundraiser dinner October 1st in Anaheim at the "White House Restaurant"-- more details on the dinner coming soon!
If you or someone you know would like to get involved with building the orphanage-- scratch that-- building this HOME-- please contact one of us. My email is laurencray4@gmail.com and I will have access to it from across the pond. Til then, hasta luego!
With God all things are possible.
His Kingdom come!!
Nakupenda,
Lauren
Lauren Cray here writing... So I'm in Chicago with my awesome friends the Wallaces, finishing up a documentary job, getting mentally prepared to make the flight to Kenya next Sunday! Done a lot of flying these last two weeks but I am PUMPED out of my mind. BONUS: I learned my yellow fever shot is good for 10 years, (winning!).
So much has happened this summer, I can't wait to get started.
First up, Veronica finally gets to go on her first vacation in years as a guest of the Catholic Church in Spain for a short retreat. She deserves it!! She takes off the day after I arrive, so looks like kids and I are going to start things of with a big party (while the farmer's away...)
Been in contact with a few people in Nairobi, friends, but also people of influence I have yet to personally meet. I can't wait to see Pelagie and the Adam's while I'm there, it will be good to have familiar faces so far from home.
We still have a ways to go with fundraising to complete the entire project, but it seems like pieces are really starting to fall into place. Please pray they continue to do so!! And as V always says, "God will do it." She has faith that moves mountains... and orphanages.
Kate's church, Coast Hills, raised a whopping $7,500, and by her church, I mean a bunch of elementary and jr. highers!! Dang. My Indiegogo site is almost up and has raised almost $5,200, which puts our grand total of just over $27,500 which means we reached our first goal for "Phase 1" of building!!! We can dig that water line, hire a project manager, get that 10 foot wall going. Maaaayyybe we can start looking at those 15 passenger vans?? I hope. That would be nice for transporting teams. I'll keep you updated on that.
The wall? Yes, unplanned original expense.
Necessary? Absolutely.
The Prez of Extreme Response (the other Non–prof with whom we are partnering) was told recently a very large cat (Simba= lion in Swahili) was seen roaming around the Belwop 2.0 property, so um... aside from protecting all our gear from being stolen, nobody wants to be eaten by a lion, so a wall it is!
Other cool news, teams are beginning to formed to start building. Joshua Henry, med student/ future doctor extraordinaire (and my oldest friend since we were 6 months old) is coming out to help. Team Belwop is sending a media team in October (when we hope to start putting up that wall). Coast Hills may send a team, maybe a few other churches. Also, David Martinez (this rad guy I know ;) is coming out to help for 10 days and maybe start the garden/ make a short video to be shown at the fundraiser dinner October 1st in Anaheim at the "White House Restaurant"-- more details on the dinner coming soon!
If you or someone you know would like to get involved with building the orphanage-- scratch that-- building this HOME-- please contact one of us. My email is laurencray4@gmail.com and I will have access to it from across the pond. Til then, hasta luego!
With God all things are possible.
His Kingdom come!!
Nakupenda,
Lauren
Friday, July 22, 2011
the results are in, people!
what a week it has been!
the children from coast hills community church have been working every afternoon to bring in money for the building of the new home in kenya for the past four days, doing everything from
chores
to lemonade stands
to bake sales
to making & selling art and bookmarks
to cleaning toilets
to seeing if their parents would actually pay for them to be quiet for 30 minutes... (it worked. she got twenty bucks!)
i am thrilled to finally announce the final count on the fundraising for coast hills community church's svbs/flood camp week...
{drum roll please...}
chores
to lemonade stands
to bake sales
to making & selling art and bookmarks
to cleaning toilets
to seeing if their parents would actually pay for them to be quiet for 30 minutes... (it worked. she got twenty bucks!)
i am thrilled to finally announce the final count on the fundraising for coast hills community church's svbs/flood camp week...
{drum roll please...}
$7,453.73
which translates to
672,731.73 Kenya Shillings!
it is such a beautiful thing when the Church comes together to accomplish something that is so close to the heart of God. thanks to all who participated prayerfully and financially, and to those who have just recently joined us in the journey of building a new home for the children at Belwop Children's Home in Nyeri, Kenya.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always...
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:9b-10, 12
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
the movement of summer and momentum of fall
as i write this, the BP team and i are in a new phase of what we will be doing in the next several months.
two very important things are coming up:
1. we are currently in the middle of coast hills' svbs/flood camp week, where Belwop is the focal point of all the fundraising for missions. the kids from both svbs and flood camp have raised already several hundred dollars, and it's only day two! updates coming on totals at the end of the week.
2. lauren leaves for nyeri, kenya, in two short weeks! i had the privilege of spending several hours with her during the day today, and her incredible heart for the Lord and for these children is so apparent as she has prepared to spend the next four months with them, and will return home on december 24. she also has access to this blog, and you will be hearing from her often as she updates us on what is going on over there.
3. we are having a fundraising dinner on october 1, 2011, at the white house in anaheim to raise funds for the building of this new home. it will be a beautiful night with speakers, pictures, and of course some fabulous music with a scrumptious meal. if you are interested in attending, tickets are $100/person and the invite is open to all. for more information, email us at thebelwopproject@yahoo.com and we will be in contact with you.
that's all for now... thanks for your support and for showing your love to "orphans and widows in their distress..."
james 1.27
kate johnson & the BP team
two very important things are coming up:
1. we are currently in the middle of coast hills' svbs/flood camp week, where Belwop is the focal point of all the fundraising for missions. the kids from both svbs and flood camp have raised already several hundred dollars, and it's only day two! updates coming on totals at the end of the week.
3. we are having a fundraising dinner on october 1, 2011, at the white house in anaheim to raise funds for the building of this new home. it will be a beautiful night with speakers, pictures, and of course some fabulous music with a scrumptious meal. if you are interested in attending, tickets are $100/person and the invite is open to all. for more information, email us at thebelwopproject@yahoo.com and we will be in contact with you.
that's all for now... thanks for your support and for showing your love to "orphans and widows in their distress..."
james 1.27
kate johnson & the BP team
Saturday, June 18, 2011
our humble beginnings
this first post on this blog marks the first truly documented footstep in the journey of coming alongside the belwop children's home in building them a new facility to live in. we have only just begun to see the depth and the power of what love & faith in our huge God can do in bringing us together for such a cause, and it may be the most humbling experience of our lives.
my name is kate, and i first visited veronica, the belwop home's founder, in the summer of 2007 on a medical missions trip with my dad. i visited several orphanages in the tiny town of nyeri, kenya, but veronica's heart and vision for the children she was taking care of tugged at my heart and made me aware that something must be done to care for these children.
veronica is unique.
she is one of a kind.
she is wisdom and patience and beauty and rugged, persevered faith.
she is Jesus with skin on to these children.
she sold it all, moved back to nyeri with her husband to start a children's home in 2005.
the children literally came off the street, into a home.
her friends abandoned her.
she pressed on.
her husband died a year-and-a-half later.
she pressed on.
her faith in God's provision did not, and does not, waiver.
"God will do it," she says.
six years later, 23 children have a hope.
23 children have a home.
education.
freedom.
no fear.
Jesus.
coming back to America with a dream for these children beating in my heart, i told my friends something needed to be done; they had no money. they were living in a rented facility and accruing debt.
so we did fundraisers.
lauren cray, a close friend in college, caught wind of what was going on at belwop, and she has jumped on board in falling in love with the children of belwop and herself has visited and become a vital role in the process of helping veronica build a permanent children's home.
our friends (and spouses!) are a part of this, too:
aaron johnson (my amazing husband),
kristen carter, geoff spencer,
randi bergsma, dominic laing, casey williams, jeff gerards,
chadwick & chaili trentham,
greg spencer, mike farnham,
and so many who are a part of our various, post-college communities throughout southern california.
this is our team.
our vision is to come alongside veronica in building a new, permanent home on the property that we already have.
we are about $17,000 in to a $100,000 journey.
join us in praying, supporting, and coming with us to actually build the new home in nyeri (it's true! we want you there!).
lauren cray will be leaving for kenya to work on the preliminary building details on august 7th, and this blog will be frequently updated by her while she is gone.
simultaneously, the bp team will be working hard on the upcoming trip in october as we prepare to tell the story of veronica, the children, and belwop through the art of film, and bring it back home to churches and organizations who want to participate in this phenomenal, God-orchestrated project.
we will also be updating this blog during that time.
thank you for taking the time to hear the story of veronica and the children, and for supporting and loving us as we take baby steps forward in helping build a new, permanent home for the children of belwop children's home in nyeri, kenya.
.james 1:27. religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
may His Kingdom come,
kate johnson
my name is kate, and i first visited veronica, the belwop home's founder, in the summer of 2007 on a medical missions trip with my dad. i visited several orphanages in the tiny town of nyeri, kenya, but veronica's heart and vision for the children she was taking care of tugged at my heart and made me aware that something must be done to care for these children.
veronica is unique.
she is one of a kind.
she is wisdom and patience and beauty and rugged, persevered faith.
she is Jesus with skin on to these children.
she sold it all, moved back to nyeri with her husband to start a children's home in 2005.
the children literally came off the street, into a home.
her friends abandoned her.
she pressed on.
her husband died a year-and-a-half later.
she pressed on.
her faith in God's provision did not, and does not, waiver.
"God will do it," she says.
six years later, 23 children have a hope.
23 children have a home.
education.
freedom.
no fear.
Jesus.
coming back to America with a dream for these children beating in my heart, i told my friends something needed to be done; they had no money. they were living in a rented facility and accruing debt.
so we did fundraisers.
lauren cray, a close friend in college, caught wind of what was going on at belwop, and she has jumped on board in falling in love with the children of belwop and herself has visited and become a vital role in the process of helping veronica build a permanent children's home.
our friends (and spouses!) are a part of this, too:
aaron johnson (my amazing husband),
kristen carter, geoff spencer,
randi bergsma, dominic laing, casey williams, jeff gerards,
chadwick & chaili trentham,
greg spencer, mike farnham,
and so many who are a part of our various, post-college communities throughout southern california.
this is our team.
our vision is to come alongside veronica in building a new, permanent home on the property that we already have.
we are about $17,000 in to a $100,000 journey.
join us in praying, supporting, and coming with us to actually build the new home in nyeri (it's true! we want you there!).
lauren cray will be leaving for kenya to work on the preliminary building details on august 7th, and this blog will be frequently updated by her while she is gone.
simultaneously, the bp team will be working hard on the upcoming trip in october as we prepare to tell the story of veronica, the children, and belwop through the art of film, and bring it back home to churches and organizations who want to participate in this phenomenal, God-orchestrated project.
we will also be updating this blog during that time.
thank you for taking the time to hear the story of veronica and the children, and for supporting and loving us as we take baby steps forward in helping build a new, permanent home for the children of belwop children's home in nyeri, kenya.
.james 1:27. religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
may His Kingdom come,
kate johnson
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