I wanted to focus this second part solely to the stories of the kids and people I was able to meet. Hope you enjoy this second blog!
While we were in Meru, we not only had the opportunity to serve at the  orphanage, but also help some of the people in the village. Catherine is a 28 year old woman who has been bed bound most of her life. Her leg was cut off because she had stolen milk from the neighbors as she hadn't had much to eat. Her mother works selling bananas, and Catherine spends her days laying in her "bed" as she can't walk. The place where she lives wouldn't be categorized as a home here in the U.S as it doesn't have much to it. I think this place would be categorized as a shack or a stable because this place isn't bigger than the size of a bathroom, the ground is all dirt, and the walls are made out of wood. This place would be more fit for an animal, but unfortunately, these are the living conditions of Catherine and many others in Meru. When we were invited to visit her I had no idea what I was going to be facing until I got there. As we entered the village, I began to look around and the village seemed like a typical Meru village surrounded by lots of Palm tress, goats, chickens, and cows and humble little homes.  However, the beauty of this village changed as soon as I stepped in Catherine's home. Her bed wasn't really a bed, the ground was covered by her feces as she doesn't have a bathroom nor a person to help care for her daily needs, and the walls that surrounded her were covered by cow webs. Soon after we arrived, we all took a few minutes to encourage Catherine, pray for her, and provide her some of the clothes we had brought with us. She was so overwhelmed by the amount of things we got her as she had never seen so many things in her life. However, clothes weren't enough. We decided to stop by a near-by grocery store to buy her food and personal items as the only food she ate were bananas. We went and bought enough of everything to last her for a little while and when we got there she had a big smile on her face and she felt blessed. After giving her the food we got, we said our goodbyes and before I stepped out I said: "Catherine, God and I love you very much!" And all of a sudden her smile got even bigger and this filled my heart with joy. I have heard recent reports about Catherine and I hear that after that visit and some of the items we bought her, Catherine is full of hope and happiness! Praise God for this. 

During our entire time in Meru, I got to know some of the kids in the village and got very close to these blessings. Fortunately and unfortunately most of these kids have parents but live in poverty every day. We heard the story of 3 kids whose father can't afford to keep them anymore, so he approached Pastor Paul to see if we could take them at the orphanage. This man couldn't handle the pressure of caring for them that one day he decided to poison his kids not only once, but 3 times!! I couldn't believe this when I heard it. This man said he didn't understand why they wouldn't die, but if we didn't take them, then he would try something else to kill them because he didn't want them any more. My heart sank when I heard this story, but at the same time it was definitely a sign that God has a bigger plan with these 3 children as they didn't die. I haven't heard about these kids yet, but I will be following up to see their status. However, please help me by praying for them every day as they need our support in prayer. 

Now, changing gears a bit here, if you know me, you know I have a very big heart for kids and I wasn't going to leave Kenya until I had the opportunity to pray for these kids and get to bless them. One of the days we had the opportunity to invite the kids from the village to come eat, get some new clothes, and get their feet cleaned so they could get shoes (most kids don't have shoes there). I was asked by Pastor Tasha if I would like to wash their feet,and my heart jumped with joy. As I began to wash their little feet, I began to pray for them and declare blessings over their lives. I then began to see a glimpse of their future and God was telling me at that moment they would make a big difference in this world because of the seeds we had sown. After we fed them and clothed them we sent them off to their families and they left filled with joy. We had definitely made their days and won their friendships forever. I know God's plans are higher than their plans and His ways are higher than their ways- they are going to be ambassadors of His kingdom (Nicole, Tony, Dennis, Sharon, all the Ivonnes, Junior, Sylvia, Brandon, Ilda, Christine) Love you all very much! you all have a special place in my heart. 

Sorry these are taking so long to write! I am making this one short, but stay tuned for more stories in Part 3 which I promise to post sooner than this last one. Also, I apologize for all the grammatical errors! I am not a writer by any means- I just want to share what's in my heart :)