BIKIDZAYA – REPORT 1

Jambo Rafikis,

We must share with you all, our heartfelt appreciation for you. For your giving hearts, your generosity, and most of all your support, you are why this year’s effort is possible and will be successful; so thank you or in other words Asante Sana!

For some of the returning travelers the recent changes in Kenya’s infrastructure were shocking. There has been foreign investment---so many of the roads just outside of Mombasa have now been paved and turned into toll roads. Soon we returned to the rough paved and unpaved roads I have been familiar with, as we traveled north to Rabai and the warm welcome of the “Momma Kamoti” home.

After unpacking and organizing the supplies we needed for Bikidzaya’s mural we were scheduled to paint today. This has been a tradition we look forward to as the final step before we hand over the finished school to the village.

As part of this years’ correspondence, we have gathered thoughts and impressions from the team that they want to share directly with you.

Michaela - “to write the feelings of today’s arrival at the village is hard because, it wasn’t just a feeling, the spirit of love was abundant and as a mother all I could do was ‘try” to match their love. As I moved around the village the children appeared to look at me in awe, and it was I who was in awe of them. The capacity of loving a total stranger, to accept me completely without knowing me was such Christ like love it was overwhelming.”

Steve – “There are many things to say about arriving in village. The highlight of the day is the mural that we painted on the classroom wall. What a gift and a great tradition that will last for years. Something that can do as or part of the construction project.”

Cory and Lauren – “The team help Lauren and I paint the mural for the school in  Bikidzaya. Many of the villagers helped facilitate our team to get the mural done in record time. We will be returning to the village to dedicate the building and toilet block on Friday. We will be returning to the village on Sunday to attend their community church. We are all excited to become closer to the village and help build a lasting school that will create hope for the future for years to come.

Rhet and Ellerie – “Ellerie loved seeing all the kids and having them greet us with song as soon as they could see the van. The children and Ellerie played games and danced. We had a great time painting the mural and loved seeing it come together.”

Levi – “Bikidzaya was an amazing experience especially for our “first time” visitors. The children were waiting for us singing and dancing us into the school campus. The mural was finished and is beautiful! We danced amuch of the day and had a great time. Today was a day to remember filled with small hands and big hearts.”

Chelsey – Starting this trip, I thought I was here to help the children in Kenya. That we come here every year to make a difference. What I found out was wasn’t that we are here to help them, rather that they are here opening their hands , and their hearts teaching us about gratitude, and accepting love. I was amazed that people that seem to have so little seem to be the happiest people I have ever met. Today can’t adequately be written down, what I can say is today changed my life.

Christopher and Judah – “This is my third time and Judah’s first time. Spending the last seven years helping Judah’s Granola project grow has been an effort of complete love and commitment. The effort continued in traveling here through the travel time and flights there was a flight that Judah was so tired he feel asleep as soon as he sat down in the plane. Today as we drove down the hill toward Bikidzaya we could see the children waving excitedly and could hear the singing carried faintly with the wind. Leah asked the driver to stop the van so we could be greeted by the children personally. As our parties met the children, and mothers  they took each of us by the hands, then danced and sang us into the school yard. This is something that must be experienced, there is no other way to capture the essence properly. As we painted, Judah grabbed a soccer ball we had brought for the children and played with the children. (that was something to watch). We were about a third of the way through painting when I heard the unmistakable sound of a harmonica, which lead my heart and soul to the sound. After quickly finding the source, I could see one of the most beat up harmonica’s I have ever seen in my life. As a fellow harp player, I saw a need to share, thankfully I had brought two harps with me, so we made a trade and I am now the happy owner of a well-loved harmonica from Kenya and Moses is a happy owner of a Maritime harmonica in the key of C.”

As we left the village the children began to sing a Swahili song which has a chorus of “what you have done for us was made from love”. How fitting because it is because of your love that the village of Bikidzaya has a school filled with bright minds and joyful hearts. Asante Sana our Rafiki’s and Families. 

Authored by Christopher Rawson