Having Fun on Independence Day

We had been told that Thursday (June 1) was a national holiday, but I had little idea of what to expect of Kenyan Independence Day. It didn't seem like there were typical celebrations planned, either. Perhaps there were big celebrations in Nairobi, but in our village, the biggest excitement seemed to be that the children would have no school, and that the visiting team from California would get to play games with them.

The children’s home directors had asked the visitors to plan something fun in the afternoon, and since the team had discovered some mitts while helping us sort through other supplies, baseball was the plan. The Kenyans had never played baseball before but boy were they quick learners! The children played first with some adults intermingled on each team. After about an hour or so the adults decided it was time to play their own game. Can I just say I have never enjoyed watching baseball as much as I did that day! The “sidelines” of the playing area were loaded with children, mothers and the few Americans, like myself, who simply wanted to watch.

The Kenyan men were all smiles as they set out to conquer this new game, and laughter would erupt as they swung at the ball and raced from base to base. I think it was the happiest I’ve seen the parents thus far - sweet joy. Everyone near that field was blessed, infected by a joyful spirit, the kind you find at some summer picnics, neighborhood parties, or even our own Independence Day celebrations.

It was a wonderful afternoon to top off the week of goodness the American Team provided. Some of the highlights of their visits were when they led morning devotions at school. The story of Noah and Moses would never be the same! While the kids were at school, the team worked on other projects around the compound.

Four o’clock would roll around and sure enough, 30 minutes of exciting, encouraging, tutoring would ensue. (One of the team members is an occupational therapist and was able to work with specific children with learning disabilities.) At 4:30 a sport or craft would follow, depending on the day. It is quite a challenge to do a craft with 50 children that don’t understand American English all that well, but this team succeeded! The children were left calling, “See me!” to show off their precious crafts of which they were so proud.

All in all, I’d say it was a packed week of fun thanks to the patience, generosity and commitment of the American Team.

From Kenya,
Christy Thomas
Intern