Kenya trip blogger: Cole

Posted by annie, July 27, 2010

Cole Caldwell went to Kenya with Mocha Club in May/June 2010. Here he tells us about his trip.

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cole1

Hello there. I’m Cole. I’m a fifteen year old guy from Oklahoma. I recently went to Kenya. I thought it was going to be terrible but it was not. It was amazing. And believe me, when I first went I was dreading it, but it was the best experience I’ve ever had.

My favorite part in particular was Kitui. It was “eye-opening” to see how these kids live each day. While I was there I met a kid. He was so young he couldn’t tell me his name. That kid alone changed my life. We visited his house and it was terrible having to leave him to that life. I’ve thought about that one kid everyday since I have been home.

Not only was the trip awesome, but the people we traveled with were great. I got along with every single one of them, and I miss them all. I will be friends with them for the rest of my life.

If you are debating on whether or not to go on a mission trip or to support the Mocha Club, ask yourself this question: Do you want to save a life?

cole2

Peace. Love. Kitui.

Posted by annie, July 22, 2010

Here’s a beautiful video from our Kenya team member Carrie Vermillion recapping their trip in May/June 2010.

peace. love. kitui. from Carrie Vermillion on Vimeo.

Kenya trip recap: Laurin

Posted by annie, July 19, 2010

Laurin was in Kenya from May 28-June 11, 2010. Here she reflects on what she saw and learned while on the trip.

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“This little light of mine…. “

Darkness: AIDS. Rape. Poverty. Famine. Hunger. Contamination. Death. Religious Violence. No education.

In the midst of this darkness there is a light that glows, and I’ve never seen one shining brighter. I discovered it in Kitui, a small village outside Nairobi.

Light:

It was a verse scribbled with chalk on the wall of a mud hut that an orphan supported by Mocha Club memorized. I saw it in the smiles of Kitui orphans enthralled and overjoyed by a bag of balloons. It was an elderly woman with a goiter who selflessly gives all she has to provide for her orphaned grandchildren. It’s a woman who offers the only food she has to complete strangers and foreigners.
africakids

(A 19 year old boy is the caretaker of these two children as well as many other siblings.)

It’s a family that thanks God for providing when they haven’t eaten a sufficient meal in days. It’s when young girls who have been stolen of their innocence strive to become women of character and respect.

I saw it in the hope of an orphan Cynthia who trusts God to provide a chance to attend a university one day. It’s a woman named Jemima who, although sick, devotes each day to teaching and encouraging orphans. It’s her husband Michael who is optimistic during these health battles. It is a few men and their young adult sons who instill virtues and gentleness into young boys in a culture of abuse, rape, and violence.

I saw it in songs sung by AIDS orphans that say, “things already better” and “in Jesus’ name I am happy.”

Who am I to complain about an 8 am class when I can go to school ? …and to worry if my house is nice enough?

Who am I to hold tightly onto $7 a month (2 mochas… or 25 cents a day…or a few song downloads) when it will change the course of an orphan’s struggle to survive?

Who am I to wonder if God hears my prayers when he has provided so much more than I’ll ever deserve?

I do not deserve the opportunity to represent the people of Kenya, but because they have so beautifully shown me an abundance of joy and hope,

“…I’m gonna let it shine!”

To read more of my experiences, visit http://laurinms.blogspot.com.

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Partner with Laurin and support our HIV/AIDS + Healthcare project. Thank you, Laurin, for such a beautiful description of the people of Kenya.

Kenya Trip: Christi Nolan

Posted by annie, June 30, 2010

Christi Nolan was on our Mocha Club trip to Kenya from May 29 – June 11, 2010. She has graciously and eloquently given us a peek into her trip.

christi-kid

Before I began this trip, I wasn’t very religious or faithful. I was raised Catholic but rarely attended church. I had a few apprehensions about going on a mission trip. I knew that the people I was going with were fairly religious. I don’t know why this scared me so much. I didn’t, however, expect myself to be so moved, and at times, shaken by the faith that I witnessed.

One of my concerns was our team. Two weeks with a group of almost 20 strangers? Would we gel? All sorts of questions were running through my mind. Every doubt I had was erased by the first day. We were a family. After each day, we would all meet and debrief. We’d go around in a circle and share our high and low points of the day. We laughed, we cried, we prayed. We bonded.

kenya-team

Going into Nairobi everyday and witnessing the poverty and despair was hard. The Kibera slum was the worst display of poverty I’ve ever seen. Some days, I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. Seeing so many kids, most with no parents, just roaming around, covered in filth will haunt me forever. Hearing stories of girls being raped and beaten on a daily basis. Seeing sewage running alongside the houses. This is what I struggled with on a daily basis. I’m cranky in the morning if I don’t have my coffee at a certain time. How can I justify that? Nobody can. Nobody should.

At New Dawn School, we had a chance to sit down with the grade 10 students in groups of about 8. I got asked all kinds of questions about my life, career, and school. I learned about these kids. It was my job to try to inspire them, to convince them to stick it out. What could I say that would make any bit of a difference? My life compared to them seems so easy. Sure I’ve had to deal with difficult things, but nothing like what they go through daily. Turns out what really needed to be said was that ‘I believe in you’ and ‘never give up’, sayings that in our culture are so clichéd. Cheesy indeed, but it’s what they needed to hear. That we believe in them. That we are praying for them.

I have been tested. I’ve been challenged. I’ve had to face some pretty difficult emotions. It’s been 2 weeks of the most intense and beautiful experiences of my life. It has knocked me down. It has lifted me up. It has taught me faith. It has challenged my faith. It has inspired me. It has shown me my true purpose in life. It has made me stronger. It. Has. Changed. Me.

dancing

The work in Nairobi is far from over. The task is daunting. Take a lesson from the Kenyan people: they don’t look back. They push forward. With hope. With faith. I hope after you read this, you become part of the solution. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. No more sitting back.

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Join with Christi to support the Kitui Orphan Project and other Orphan Care projects throughout Africa.

Catherine is back from Kenya!

Posted by annie, June 29, 2010

A few weeks ago, we introduced you to Catherine right before she headed with Mocha Club to Kenya for 2 weeks. Now that she has returned, we wanted to hear about her trip.

Catherine was in Kenya from May 28-June 11, 2010. Here she recounts one profound experience from the trip.

catherine

We pulled up to the school in Kitui to an organized group of children singing loudly and clapping their hands. Truly a beautiful sight. I sat by a woman named Jamaima who is basically the mother of the children at this school/ orphanage in Kitui. Mocha Club funds this school as well as provides food for these children to take home to their guardians. Don’t miss that word: guardians. Each of the children at this school do not have parents but rather an Auntie or Grandmother that takes care of them. I asked Jamaima about this situation. She cannot accept children as official students at her school if they have at least one parent living or there would be a multitude of children wanting to become students.

Jamaima is so strong as she has been very sick and hospitalized but continues to do all she can for these children. She lives on her faith for the Lord. I asked her about two of the kids sitting in front of us- the only two children that were not wearing uniforms. She told me that they are visitors at the school-they have at least one or two parents still living so they cannot become official students; however, she has an open heart for these students as they are not necessarily cared for by their parent(s).

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Over the days in Kitui one of these visitors stayed with Jamaima every night. Her name is Canini. She was very quiet but seemed to have such grace and peace. She didn’t talk much, but she had a sweet smile and deep hugs that you felt into your bones…. Jamaima knew she couldn’t take this child in as an official student but kept her under her wing anyways.

These children find happiness at this school though they walk miles from their homes. It is amazing to know that Mocha Club is providing for these people. Mocha Club is a part of their lives. We got to hand each family food provided by the Mocha Club. These children would get to eat at night thanks to a simple $7 a month. Sharing this moment with these people in Kitui really hit home- we are the hands and feet of an organization that changes people’s lives. A small amount of money allows children to eat. A small amount of money lets guardians provide for their families. A small amount of money is keeping these people alive. Don’t wait to become a part of something that is truly making a difference in the world.

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Join with Catherine to support education projects in Kenya and throughout Africa.

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