Yes, that’s right – I made another trip to HopeCC. I woke up Friday morning and felt that I was to go along with a local dentist scheduled to check out the condition of the teeth of the children at HopeCC. My husband agreed and three days later, I was on a flight bringing me to Nairobi. That is the quickest trip to Kenya that I’ve ever made for myself.
But God had a plan. I was so blessed to be able to have 3 seats on both long flights to Nairobi so I had a good sleep and felt quite rested when I arrived. I met the dentist there and we traveled around the city checking out the availability of dental equipment but there was one big problem – the dentist’s luggage with her supplies did not arrive with her into Nairobi.
Now what? We had planned to spend two days in Nairobi until Papa Louis arrived before going to HopeCC. We met him at the airport that morning and discovered that the dentist’s luggage had arrived! I was so grateful to God for that! So off we went to HopeCC.
It is always touching to be welcomed by the children singing songs as we enter the gate of HopeCC. I was very excited because I had not told Mama Lucy that I had decided to come. She gasped in delight when she saw my face in the car! It is good to see one’s sista! Though my time there was very short (4 days!), it was a most blessed time together with my big family.
The dentist set up her examination room above the dining hall and processed to examine teeth. Alice and Sharon, 2 students who are aspiring to become nurses, loved to be part of learning about teeth. There were about 10 students per grade whose teeth were examined and the dentist did some extractions and minor work. In total she examined about 120 children’s teeth and treated about 21 students with extractions or cleaning as well as some temporary fillings. Thank you Michelle for doing such a great job! Now we will await the decision whether a team of dental professionals will go there at a later date.
There was a big change in the appearance of HopeCC when I arrived. Already the second floor of the new clinic was being worked on. When I left HopeCC the end of January, blueprints had been drawn and we prayed in dedicating the land on which the clinic was going to be built. Now it was happening! It is anticipated to be complete and functioning by June, resulting in a doctor coming once a week and a nurse being present 3 times a week to meet the needs of the children. Present in the building will be examining rooms, a lab, meeting rooms and a place for dental work to be done. How wonderful to able to offer healing and relief to the physical ailments of the children.
Mama Lucy is also planning for the construction of a baby dorm to house her growing babies. Her passion is to rescue many more abandoned babies and give them a future of hope and purpose. So many new projects and how is Mama Lucy going to manage?
But she has realized that she cannot do it all by herself anymore so has delegated various individuals to take charge of the different areas of operation within HopeCC.
There is now a teacher living in the dorm with the boys, a head master each for the primary and high school, someone in charge of the gardens and of the livestock. Mama Lucy has given them freedom to govern their area and they will all report to her.
Gerald, her oldest ‘son’ helps her very much with administration and fulfills the pastor position of preaching the Word of God. Mama Lucy loves to pursue her vision of HopeCC and is planning a trip to USA and Canada in May/June in order to secure partnership with churches for prayer and finances. The price of food has doubled due to the continuing drought. It has required deep trust in God that He will be her Jehovah Jireh, the God who supplies her needs. She is a woman of deep faith in God and a woman of vision.
Papa Louis is the person who has made the basketball court a reality. Three years ago the children didn’t even know what a basketball looked like. But with a cement floor in the open sky, they are able to play on the double court day after day, even during the rainy seasons. No mud! The children of HopeCC spend hours of playing a variety of games on that cement. Over the last 3 years, Papa Louis, his daughter and the on-site coaches have instructed and encouraged skilled basketball playing. It just so happened that when we arrived at HopeCC, the high school basketball team was playing at the district tournament. Mama Lucy was notified of the outcoming scores, game by game.
They won the first game, the second game, the third game! The fourth game! There was much hollering and cheering from us as report after report was given of their victories. They won the fifth game! All of their games were won with an average of 20 points more than the opposing team! Their last game had many penalty calls made against them that seemed unfair, so they lost by 2 points. But the team was going to the provincial playoffs! Wow. Mama Lucy was overwhelmed that these once street children had achieved such a great accomplishment – only possible by the power of God! The 12 students arrived back to HopeCC Saturday evening. There was a mighty cheer from the rest of the family as they entered the campus. The team was full of victory and marched into the dining hall with might as they sang a song of gratefulness to God. When they were all standing in front of the room, they stood at attention and everyone sang the Kenyan anthem which is a prayer to God. It was a very touching moment. We were all very proud of their hard work and the goodness of God. What a witness of God changing lives from hopelessness to hope! That is the work of God.
Papa Louis is now organizing the work project of building a soccer field at HopeCC. The children are excited and look forward to excelling in ‘football’ as they call the sport.
Every time I go to HopeCC, something new is happening. It is evidence of God unfolding their theme verse = “For I know the plans I have for you, they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11) God is faithfully opening the way for the children of HopeCC to live the reality of hope. Exciting!