On Monday, I went to Nairobi to visit my sponsored child through Compassion International. My church Heartland sponsors the Africa Inland Church Kiserian. My sponsored child, Mercy attends that church.
We left Arusha around 3:00. It took about four hours to reach the town we were staying at for the night. We stayed at the Kaputie Hotel.
In the morning, we left the hotel at 9:30 am. We met our compassion guide about twenty minutes away. We were then on our way to Kiserian. It took about an hour to reach the town. The hour long road was very rough. The paved part was so full of potholes that we drove much of the way either dodging the large holes or driving on the side of the road. We finally arrive in Kiserian. The town is very busy. We stop at a local supermarket to buy some food for Mercy's family. I felt so out of place in the supermarket. It was chaotic!
After we left the supermarket, we were headed to the church. We actually passed the road and our guide said there was a lady waiting by the side of the road. We seen her and turned in. she was walking a girl. The guide goes, "That's Mercy." I couldn't believe it was her standing there waiting for us. We pulled into the driveway and when we got out she gave me a big hug right away. Of course we were taking lots of pictures.
The first thing we did was meet the director of the program and meet some of the leaders. We had muffins and tea. They showed me Mercy's records. It had everything in it from how they spend the money that is sent to her, her school report cards, medical records, and other comments on how she is doing. It was very interesting to see everything. It showed the purchase of her uniform, shoes, and school supplies. The food that is bought for her every week. It even showed when she received Christmas gifts and birthday gifts. I think they wanted me to know that the money I send to compassion is really spent on her. I was most impressed with all her progress in school. This year she had very high marks and very good comments.
After tea, we went on a tour of the facility. First we saw a building that is in progress. He told us his vision of what they want to do with the building. Then we saw the playground and preschool facility. Finally we saw the church.
Then we went to Mercy's house. She was so cute loading up in the car. Then when we arrived, she held my hand and walked me down the path to her house.
We went inside and was greeted by her aunt. We found out that Mercy's mom just got up and left her three children. When the aunt found out she went to get the children but couldn't afford to keep them. The government came in and took her brother and sister and put them in an orphanage somewhere. Since Mercy had gotten sponsored they left her with the aunt. Mercy and her aunt were so grateful for being sponsored!
During the house visit, I gave Mercy a backpack of goodies. She was so cute looking at everything. She pulled out a pair of pink flip flops and she dropped them and ran in the other room. The aunt started laughing because she ran in to wash her feet so she could wear them. They fit her perfectly! I gave her a book and I videotaped her reading through it. It was so special! The final surprise was a doll. She grabbed it and gave it a big hug! She loved it! After the gifts, the aunt told us how thankful she was for our visit and our sponsorship. She was so cute when she said, " I know you could spend your money on something else but we appreciate you spending it on Mercy. May God bless you with riches." The time at Mercy's house was worth every penny it cost to go there.
Finally we went back to the church for a special lunch together. Mercy was so happy to receive such a nice lunch. She ate everything! Then came time to say goodbye. She gave me the biggest hug ever. It was sad to leave her as we drove off.
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