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Published: February 4th 2008
Their eager little eyes stare up at me hungry for interaction and learning. Their smiles are radiant, and suffused with an irrepressible joy. It truly is amazing how children smile with so much of their heart; so honest and kind. To look into their eyes is like staring into the soul of the world. It feels as if God himself is smiling back at you. To be in their presence transports me back to my innocence; to a time before the world had sunk its claws in. As I watch from a far, those memories of how I once played without a care in the world spring forward. Then suddenly a sense of duty falls over me. I know then that I must do everything in my power to protect that innocence and prepare them for this complicated world. I must nurture their dreams and fill their hearts with purpose. I must lead them by example and teach them those values that will guide them down the correct paths in their life. I must prepare them now for those choices they’ll make about love and hate, and forgiveness and faith. My hopes are to bring the best out in each of
them, because they surely bring the best out in me. And I’ll tell you one thing is for sure, I don’t need proof about God and heaven, because I look at the smiles on these children’s faces and the twinkle in their eyes, and I believe. Just look into the eyes of your son or daughter and you'll know exactly what I mean.
This past June, when I visited Kenya and the
Into Abba’s Arms orphanage (IAA) for the very first time, there was something that one of the kids said to me that stuck in my memory and makes me smile now that I’ve returned. I was in the boy’s dorm fixing a broken door on one of their cabinets and two of the boys joined me for some conversation. The eldest boy, Nelson, asked me if I liked their home and if I would ever return again some day. I quickly replied that I thought they had a wonderful place and that I would definitely try to return again. Nelson then said to me, “We have a lot of people visit us every year and everyone always says that they will return to see us, but a lot don’t…so, if
you’re not really going to return then just tell us you can’t.” A little surprised by his statement, I looked back into the inquiring eyes of the two youngsters and then honestly questioned myself if I thought that I would actually ever return. After a few moments of contemplating my answer, I replied, “Well fellas, all I can honestly say is that I would love to come and see you all again some day and I’ll definitely try my best to, but I don’t know what the future holds so I can’t make any promises.” Satisfied with my answer, the boys smiled and we carried on with our project, but in the back of my head, I continued to think about what he said...until now. One of the first things I did after arriving on site and greeting all of the children, was walk over to Nelson and say, “I told you I’d come back boy!” - and then I grabbed him in a head lock and wrestled a grin to his face.
Let me now introduce to you my little friends - the children of IAA: The Boys - Nelson, Francis, Simon, Joseph, Kennedy, George, Josephat, Kelvin (but
everyone calls him Kevin), Moses, Johnny and Solomon; The Girls - Caren, Eunice, Grace, Sheila, Maggy, Lydia and Ruth; The On-site Caretakers - Auntie Donna, Jen (out of the country), Christine, Monica, Ann and Daniel and their little daughter Janet (Shiro), James, Joyce, Sarah, Regina, Maggy (when she’s not in school) and yours truly.
My daily activities at the site fall under a wide range of responsibilities. In the mornings, I join the kids for breakfast and amuse them with my annoying antics. I occasionally accompany them on their ride to school and other days I assist Daniel with milking the cow. Yes sir…I’m the fastest teet yanker on this side of the equator…naa, not really, it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. I’ve become somewhat of a farmer though. I assist Daniel with all of his daily chores like shoveling cow poo (which always makes me gag something fierce), feeding the chickens and cows, hand digging lanes for planting in the garden, planting vegetables and whatever else needs attention. Besides farming chores, I’ve been working on various projects such as: painting the kitchen and pantry, building shelves for the sites new tool room, inventory and organization of
the tools, preparing to build a stone walkway between the different buildings (the supplies are in Nairobi and the conflict postpones the trip), erecting an antennae to get the site one wavy TV channel, and repairing the fencing that surrounds the property. Then, twice a week, the local villagers line up near the front gate to get water from the IAA well. Daniel and I control the flow as dozens of locals fill up their jugs. I didn’t realize what an impact IAA has on the community. Into Abba’s Arms provides clean water, a community church, and a place for the local children to play a couple days out of the week. This means that my hands are full of kids on Saturdays and Sundays. And this brings to light my biggest and most important job at IAA -entertaining children. I absolutely love it. I play soccer, basketball and wrestle around with kids on a regular basis. I’ve incorporated some new rules for my own entertainment, such as, a ten push-up penalty for any handballs in soccer and kicking in basketball. This has become a popular torture for my little friends who like to goof off. Everyone helps enforce it
and some even join in for the exercise. Now, they’ve also added some new rules for their Uncle Jeremy. I’m required to play barefooted a lot of the time and if I have to do push-ups, then it’s mandatory for me to have at least one person on my back…which usually becomes a pile on. I'm getting in shape though, despite having lost around twenty pounds since I left home in September. I feel like a kid again…with the exception of my joints of course.
The children of IAA are all so special; each in their own little way. Nelson is the oldest at sixteen and sure is a great role model for his younger brothers and sisters. He has also been a big help to me and a tough competitor on the soccer field. It’s too bad the older kids (Nelson, Francis, Eunice and Caren) had to go off to Boarding school just recently. They are all certainly missed. Francis was another huge help. He schooled me in Swahili, gave me farming tips and helped me whip up on the younger kids. Then there is Joseph (aka Corn Dog…I gave him this nickname to pester him) who continually
quizzes me on every topic under the sun. One evening, the kids all gathered around and I showed them some of my travel pictures. They especially liked the ones of me charming snakes and eating bugs. Well, after seeing the picture of me with a bug in my mouth, Joseph questioned what the Bible said about eating cockroaches. He soon had his Bible whipped out and turned to Leviticus, and then proceeded to read through every creature that it says we shouldn’t eat…trying to find one that I had recently snacked on. Ole Corn Dog sure cracks me up. And there’s Johnny, he is the youngest (besides the babies). He has a little smile that’s infectious. He loves to stand on my feet and ride around as I walk about the dorm. Kennedy is another whose smile lights up the room. He is full of so much energy and chooses to release it on his new uncle. The two of us wrestle on a daily basis. Kennedy joins his buddies Simon, Josephat and Kevin as my little soccer stars (of course when Nelson and Francis are gone). On Sundays we challenge the local boys to a game of soccer and
have yet to be defeated. My power forward is Simon, who is sponsored by my dear friends the Calverts. He is such a sweet kid. I tell him that I have talked to Kemble (who was part of the June Team) and that she sends her love, and he just blushes away with a shy, little grin - it’s so cute. As for Josephat and Kevin, they are my rough and tough ones. They wait until I’m locked in battle with Kennedy and Joseph, and then they pounce and destroy. Then there are my quiet ones - Moses and George. Moses recently (two days before my arrival) had an accident with the kerosene heater and burned streaks across his face. I’ve been applying ointment to his burns twice daily. He sits there and takes it like a little man. I can see in his precious eyes that he is worried about it scaring, so I reassure him that I’ll take care of him until it is completely healed. He’ll crack a smile and say OK in his meek little voice. The other quiet one is George. When I first visited IAA in June, George was so shy and seemingly sad.
He has some sort of eye allergy and is getting treatment from a local professional. He also gets headaches frequently. His sad little face stuck in my memory after leaving in June. I often thought about him and held him in my prayers. Upon my return, I have noticed a difference. He is less shy and has even formed a little bond with me. He sticks by my side often and has a smile that seems to be growing brighter each and every day. I must say that I love being an uncle; especially during playtime. There is rarely a moment that I don’t have one of the kids (usually most of them) daggling from one of my limbs. The boys try so often to team up and defeat me in wrestling, but you all know that’s not going to happen. I rise up like a towering grizzly and crush them in my paws. Uncle Jeremy rules this roost and plans to keep it that way.
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the girls. They're all little darlings that brighten up my day. Caren and Eunice are now in Boarding school, so I don’t get to see them anymore.
They have matured into young little woman and are greatly missed at home. That leaves Sheila, Grace, Maggy and Lydia, to be out numbered by the boys, but not overrun. These girls are tough and so cute at the same time. They all love to perform little dance routines and sing during church. They remembered my dance performance from this past June and have asked me to teach them some of my moves. So, I’ve meshed together a little Justin Timberlake and African tribal dance to create a delightful, but refined (don’t worry Beth), new groove. You may see it soon on MTV, so keep your eyes peeled. The girls, unlike the boys, often write me cute little notes to tell me how much they love their new uncle. I think it’s probably because I haven’t thrown them into a head lock and power slammed them onto the couch like I do the boys…although, I don’t exclude them from my frequent pestering, which my father trained me in so well. From just a simple facial expression, I can almost make Lydia blow Ugali out of her nose in laughter. But Grace, she’s a little harder to break. I must incorporate
some high-pitched, annoying sound to do the trick. Then there’s Sheila, who just sits there and gives me a look as if I’ve lost my mind…and Maggy, well, she knows I have.
When the children are off at school, the sounds of babies crying can be heard echoing throughout the site like the noises of the wild. These untamed creatures go by the names of Solomon, Ruth and Shiro (Daniel and Anne’s daughter). Ranging from one and a half to three years old, these little stinkers are so cute, but so mischievous. Everyone has to keep a watchful eye on Solomon and Ruth, or they’ll wonder off and get into something. They love to head towards the construction zone for the new dorm. They see it as a big playground and are drawn to it like magnets. They also see their new uncle as a giant toy. Just after arriving, I made the mistake of collapsing to the ground and shrieking in pain (pretend of course) after Ruthie smacked me across the leg. Now, Solomon and Ruth take a punch at me whenever I’m within swinging distance. They love to cause their uncle pain. It brings a huge smile
to their faces and they yearn to inflict more. And then little Shiro has here own little game she likes to play. One of the older kids taught her a game called “Statue,” where upon her command (shouting “Statue”) I’m required to freeze until she says “off;” unless I have my fingers crossed. I’ll tell you what…that little booger yells out “Statue” all day long. I’ll be on the other side of the property working, and I’ll hear her shouting “Statue” from far, far away…so of course, I have to freeze in mid swing and hold there until I’m released. This has really slowed down my production and made many days feel like I’m in slow motion. One afternoon she froze me there in the yard and left without saying “off” and I didn’t thaw out until the next morning.
The boy’s house mother (Monica) recently took her yearly two week vacation, so I’ve filled her role. I am Uncle Jeremy - House Mother extraordinaire. I sleep beside the boys at night to watch over them. Before sleep, they all pile into my bed, and the adjoining bed, to listen to my stories…which they make me tell every night
before they’ll go to sleep. My hopes are to fill their hearts with dreams and the courage to go after them. Sometimes my stories spill off into deep, wise discussions about who’s more powerful: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Daredevil, Mr. Freeze (that’s Corn Dogs favorite…don’t ask me why), and last but not least, Uncle Jeremy. Of course after much debating and physical torture, they all come to realize that no one defeats their uncle (all though Mr. Freeze would come close because I hate the cold). In the end, I told them that Jesus is the most powerful of them all and they all joined in agreement (because he’s the one who gave their Uncle Jeremy his powers). After discussions and my long and highly, exaggerated stories of worldwide adventures, we finish with a prayer (alternated through the group) and then fall fast asleep. Many nights I have trouble sleeping because of the miniature, saggy mattress I’m on and the many sounds coming out of the boy’s mouths while they sleep. Just imagine yourself surrounded by eight young boys…many of who, talk in their sleep…in Swahili. And ole Corn Dog’s bed is the closest to me and he’s the biggest snorer
of them all. May God grant me peace.
I’ve learned over the years that children have a way of holding your heart captive and changing you from the inside out. I’ve seen it happen time and time again with my friends. I’ve watched the girls become mothers and the guys remain kids…naa, my buddies have impressed me so much with how much they’ve grown. Not only have these children changed my friend’s, but they've also made a huge impact on me. As I’ve set back and watched them all grow, my heart has done so as well. They are the future and remind us of our past. We hope to steer them around those obstacles we hit, and avoid those pains we felt so deep. Being around all of these children here at IAA has really made my heart smile, but at the same time, it has made me eager to see all of my friend’s children when I return.
One child in particular has shown me how thoughtful and unselfish a child’s heart can be. Trey Moore, the son of my life long friends - Bobby and Jill, recently set up a little lemonade stand to raise
money for the children of Kenya. The amazing thing is that it was entirely his idea. Bobby was showing his boys some of my past pictures from Africa and Trey decided that he wanted to do something for them. Trey, and his little brothers Tyler and Turner, printed off the pictures from my site, made themselves a stand, and sold lemonade for those less-fortunate children. Since then, I have received e-mails from numerous people wanting to give something to the children of IAA. It has been very inspiring. So, if anyone wants to donate something, simply e-mail and let me know, and I will reply and direct you to where to send the money. I haven’t decided what exactly to put the money towards yet, so any suggestions would be great. Just remember that there is a conflict going on over here and we don’t have access to many resources.
As for the conflict that is plaguing Kenya, I’ve decided to talk about it in a separate entry. I know that many of you are aware of these events from the news and internet, but it is much worse than most of you probably think. I will discuss all
Crazy Kevin
Don't let that smile fool ya!of this very soon (in a few days), but as for now, I simply ask that you lift up a prayer for us at IAA, the people of Kenya, and most importantly, the innocent children of this country. The heart of Africa lies in its children. Despite the burdens they may have, they still wear bright, white smiles on their dark little faces. They see each day as a blessing and thank God for what they have. They are a lesson to us all and should always find a place in our prayers. May God bless the children of Africa…Bwana Asifiwe!
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Zac
non-member comment
Keyan children relive my childhood, God save them.
It breaks my heart, what these children must have had to endure and suffer through....with you there. You have probably created a lasting custom of "the monster" and "the powerbomb" that Keyan children a hundred years in the future will have to endure from their parents who learned it from their great grandparents who learned it from you. You are Legend. Just kidding, I'm sure you've brighted the lives of these children to a degree that will last with them for the rest of their lives. Keep it up and stay safe.