Monday Day 3...

Last night the guys and I went and spent sometime with the boys in there kitchen/game/t.v. room-we played games with them, watched and listened to to some of them signing, then we brought out our iPods. The boys loved them.

This morning I woke up and realized I was locked in my room-Jerram had left out to run with a group of the boys and locked the door behind him-from the OUTSIDE. When the running group returned from there run and were stretching on the basketball court, one of the boys noticed I was waving from the window, and he came to my rescue...thank you Alex.

After breakfast I along with 6 other women climbed into one of the vans with Joel, and he took us over to Eastleigh to the the Women's Shelter. On the trip in Joel drove us through town, there were thousands of people walking everywhere ( I think I mentioned the droves of people in a prior post), he explained that since the election and all of the "displaced people" just roam the streets. I can't really explain the sights I witnessed I am trying to catch as much as I can with pictures, but Joel says that some of the people are not as receptive to getting their pictures taken, and the people may try to steel my camera if they see it. When we got to the shelter we were greeted by 6 or 7 little children, they came out of the building running and giggling. Maureen was leading a women's Bible study for a group of women who are "Street Moms", this is a group of women who live on the streets and every Monday they come to the shelter for the class and a hot meal. Paula and I had the opportunity to play with the babies so the moms could participate in class, they ranged in ages from 3 months to 1 year. We played with 6 babies on a 2'x4' foam pad. They were so sweet and just cuddled up close to us. The entire class was in Swahili, so I was not sure what was being said, but I would watch the women's faces and I could see the eagerness to hear the word. After the class came to a close we served the moms lunch, and then we got to serve the kids, all of them were very thankful.

We stayed til about 2 and then climbed back into the van and headed back to the farm. On the ride back Joel pointed out some of the "Bases" which are places where boys gather, do drugs, sleep eat, and live. Bases are along the same lines and US gangs. One fights his way to the top, the lower members are sent out to find food and things to sale to buy glue and other drugs. The biggest drug here is the sniffing glue-some of the boys have described the glue as making them not able to feel. When you are living on the streets they say they don't want to feel anything. It was truly an eye-opening experience. Joel also pointed out many of the factories, butcher shops, dairy farms, and a military base-I assured him that I would not be traveling into town with out him.

Good news for the Irving 3-today we got our bags finally.

We are now starting to work in the computer labs...

Until tomorrow-em