Humble Hearts story and photos

For a great story on Humble Hearts school in Kenya, click here. It gives a great picture of what the school is really like.

I heard a speaker at church six months ago speak on gratitude. He had served six months in Iraq and he said he noticed how much we take for granted here in America. He spoke of how we tend to complain about our blessings. Instead of being grateful for a cell phone, teens might complain that they don’t have unlimited texting. Or instead of appreciating that we have a car and don’t have to walk, we complain that it isn’t the newest model or doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that we wanted.

I knew the Angel Cottage dorms at Humble Hearts were seriously overcrowded. I didn’t realize, however, that there were 4 to a twin sized bed. I can’t imagine trying to get any sleep with 4 people in one bed. I have donated money so the girl we sponsor could have a new mattress. I didn’t realize that due to the cramped space, there is no place to put it. If you would like to contribute to the new Angel Cottage that is being built, click on a previous blog I wrote here to find out how you can donate.

Angel Cottage at Humble Hearts School

I have posted here before about the child we sponsor through Angel Covers who lives in Kenya. She is a beautiful child, but unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding about disabilities, some people in Kenya view deafness as a curse. Her mother has a boyfriend who does not want her around, so rather than being able to go home each day, she stays at the Humble Hearts School in a “dorm” called Angel Cottage. I use the term “dorm” loosely as it is a sheet metal building with dirt floors and it is far too crowded for the number of children who live there. During the rainy season as you can see here, they have as much water indoors as they do outdoors. Angel Covers is attempting to raise money to build a new Angel Cottage for these children who desperately need a new place to stay. It will be constructed of block instead of tin, will have concrete floors and will be much larger than their present home. Unfortunately, the construction is going very slowly as the funds have just not been available. Angel Covers has come up with a great idea for a fundraiser for this project. If you click on this link you can purchase a brick for $10.00 in honor of someone you love. What a great gift idea for the person who already has everything! One person did it as a memorial in honor of someone who had recently passed away. I recently learned that you can purchase up to 3 bricks with a message that is 3 words long. Actually, you can purchase as many bricks as you want, but any one message cannot be longer than 3 bricks with three words. For example, “We love Grace” is what I am having put on the 3 bricks that I am purchasing. Once the Angel Cottage is built, the bricks will be engraved and then painted as seen here. When you click on the link to make a donation, choose Africa as the country, Angel Cottage as the program, and under “notes”, put the word that you would like on your brick. At a loss as to what you would like to say? Words such as “faith”, “hope”, “love”, “determination” and “courage” are great choices that come to mind. Give today, and give these deserving children a place that they can truly call home.

Dire situation in Kenya

This is Grace. I adore her, even though we have never met. I’ve only communicated with her through letters, but she means a lot to me. In this photo she is proudly modeling a dress that we bought for her, since previous to this time she only had one school uniform that she wore daily. My family has sponsored her education in Kenya for the past couple of years and hope to be able to do so indefinitely. We sponsor her through an amazing organization called Angel Covers.

Angel Covers works with orphaned children in a variety of countries, helping to educate them and provide for basic needs. Grace is profoundly deaf and attends a school called Humble Hearts in the slums of Nairobi. She does have a family, but in Kenya, deafness is often viewed as a curse, and the deaf are shunned. Grace’s mother started a relationship with a new boyfriend a few years ago and he threw Grace out of the house, so she lives in a very humble setting at the school.

The violence and killings due to the aftermath of the recent political elections in Kenya is having a profound effect on their country, and recent estimates say that more than 350 are dead. As I have viewed images on the internet of people suffering and dying in Kenya, it is hauntingly familiar to the violence that broke out in Haiti in January 2004 when President Aristide was deposed by a military/revolutionary coup. At that time, I had my dear, sweet four year old still stuck in an orphanage in downtown Port au Prince. By the end of January, all flights going in and coming out of Haiti had come to a halt, and I couldn’t do much more than pray for her safety daily.

I don’t have a daughter in Kenya, but I do have someone there who I truly care about, and I hope when you see her face, you realize that the victims in Kenya are not nameless or faceless. I worry about Grace’s safety and the safety of other children there. Beatrice, the director of the school said that they are OK so far, but that nearby stores have all shut down which means their food supplies will only hold for a couple of days.

You may not know anyone in Kenya personally, but those who have been killed are someone’s child, or someone’s mother or father.
If you are one who prays, please pray for the innocent victims of this violence in Kenya, and pray that the senseless killings can come to an end.