4th update

Yesterday when in Isilo as we were walking through the town to the restaurant for breakfast Njokie saw something in a ditch along the road. As we stood there looking I was reminded of what Bishop David says how we respond when we see something - somebody must do something. There in the ditch lay sleeping were 20 street boys. Some were just small little boys. There were two older boys sitting there with them - the "boss" boys as we are told. The "boss" boys asked us if we would get the boys water and bread.

After telling them we would return we walked on to the restaurant. As I stood in the door to look back I saw the "boss" boy threw small rocks in the ditch at the boys to wake them.

Njokie and John instead of eating breakfast went to find a place to get food for the boys. They found a restaurant where they would give them bread and Chai out the front door - they wouldn't let them come in. As we helped pass out the bread and Chai the boys asked us if we could help them go to school. They just wanted to go to school. They didn't even ask for a bed to sleep in or anything else - they just want to go to school. More and more street children came and Njokie made sure they were all fed. The boys then sang us a song about AIDS killing their parents.

S.N. gathered them all around and spoke with them. He told them he will work with a pastor to help organize footbal teams and he would give footballs to the pastor. There isn't a GOA church in this town. Somebody must do something and S.N. will do something. He told me he would develop a short and long term strategy.

Seeing and spending time with these street boys and knowing some of their parents died from AIDs can't help but make you feel urgency about HIV/AIDS awareness and testing. It is one thing to know there are 1.3 Million orphans in Kenya, it is another thing to spend time with them and hear their pleas for the opportunity to go to school so they can have a chance at being more than a street boy.

The GOA Peace Bus Team
(click on pictures for a larger view)

Praying for healing in Kenya, Connie

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