I Was Hungry and You Fed Me

Today was the dedication of the Comet House Children's Home. Visitors from the community, school and church came to bless the house and the boys.  It was quit a moving service as we were all reminded that it takes a village to raise a child.  Guests were served a meal that we can only relate to a Thanksgiving meal with fresh goat instead of turkey.  Parents and families came, sang and offered prayers of blessing for the home and the boys. The group toured the home and parents got to see where their boys will live and study.

Fredrick introducing the boys.

Parker Gibson and Pastor Gibson cutting the ribbon to officially open Comet House.

About an hour prior to the dedication, the boys were invited in for the big reveal.  While they have watched us paint all week we don't think they had any idea of what was happening inside today when we sent them outside to play this morning.   The looks on their faces made it all worthwhile when they came in to find their new book bags filled with school supplies, curtains hanging in their room, new sheets on their beds, and baskets with their names on them filled with clothes Parker brought from the US. 

 

Outside of the showers they found new towels and baskets filled with toothbrushes and toiletries.  

It was all a bit overwhelming for the boys and us as we watched their reactions.  Morris was most excited about the new pencils - most only have nubs of old pencils to use at school.  

Peter's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the Bible Story books they each got - most have never had a book of their own.  Parker had to show Edwin that he was supposed to sleep between the sheets - these boys were sleeping on mattresses under a blanket with no sheets.  

Wycliff couldn't believe how soft his new pillow was - none of them have ever had one.  He actually crashed during the dedication ceremony and we just tucked in and laid his head on his new pillow. He slept for three hours!  We finally had to wake him so he would sleep tonight.

Perhaps one of the most moving things to have happen today was to have Naftali and Koang come to the Open House.  Naftali was a teacher who used to teach at The Compass School and Maga-tuini School.  Mtoto Africa helped pay Naftali's tuition as he earned his BS in Special Education and then paid his salary at both schools.  When he was teaching at Compass School, he taught Koang, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan" who made his way to Kenya.  Koang was 18 years old and wanted to continue his education that was suspended when he fled Sudan at age 12.  After finishing elementary school, Mtoto Africa paid Koang's high school tuition.  Koang graduated from high school last year and has now completed a computer course of study in technical school.

Koang, Naftali, Fredrick, Ethel and Parker.

Today we found Koang sitting on the edge of a bed helping teach Edwin how to read.  it seems we are coming full circle, seeing the folks helped by Mtoto Africa coming back to help a younger generation.

We closed the day with Jen introducing the boys to S'mores!  They loved them and must have had a least 10 each.  Needless to say, they were bouncing off the walls when we left for the evening. We commented that Jen should have been the one to spend the night at the house, rather than the poor housemother who worked all day in the kitchen.  We can only hope she was able to get them down to sleep after such a big day.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to the English Church service and then taking the boys to the Elephant Orphanage.  It should be another fun filled day!