NEW BUDDIES IN KENYA

LITTLE ORPAN BABY IN SUDAN

The LRA struck down this little baby's mother with a machete while she was in the sling on her mother's back. These precious orphans are now being protected in a special home by missionaries who nurture and love them.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2009

              Five years ago today, Jeremy went to be with Jesus.

"I shall rise from the dead...I shall see the Son of God, the Sun of Glory, and shine myself as that sun that shines. I shall be united to the Ancient of Days, to God Himself, who had no morning, never began...No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die."

                                                                                                                                          ~ John Donne

ABBY IN SUDAN

            "Only the heart knows how to find what is precious."
                                                                                         ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

BEN IN KENYA

"Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the  remainder is needed by others."

                                                                                         ~Saint Augustine

LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY

The baby that Abby is holding is an orphan as a result of the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Sudan. The  mother was struck down with a machete by the LRA with the baby on her back. This guerilla army was formed in 1987 and is in armed rebellion against the Ugandan government.  They have abducted an estimated 75, 000 people over the years, forcing women and young girls into sexual enslavement and young boys to become part of their army, training them to mutilate and murder.

ORPHANAGE IN YEI, SUDAN

This is the orphanage that the missionaries talked about at the Sudan border. They brought the team here when they arrived in Yei. Many of these kids lost their parents due to the violent acts of the LRA.

AT THE ORPHANAGE

  

         Abby might want to bring someone home with her!

YEI, SUDAN

UGANDA/ SUDAN BORDER

Some of the team met these three missionaries from Sudan. They help run an orphanage in Yei of about 80 children. Many of the children are orphans as a result of the violence of the LRA.

MAASAI PEOPLE OF KENYA

The floors are dirt and there is no electricity. There's a drought and an extreme shortage of water all around Nairobi since it hasn't rained in three years.  

TYPICAL HOMES OF MAASAI PEOPLE

It is hard to imagine homes where babies have to crawl in dirt.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE CLINIC

ICROSS is an incredible organization, relieving the suffering of thousands.

NO NEW SCHOOL SHOES

How much we take for granted here in the United States!

TIME FOR VACCINATIONS

 Ben is able to ensure that school kids receive their vaccinations before the start of school. 

EDUCATING HEALTH WORKERS

Ben is teaching a class on the HIV life cycle to community health workers.

ICROSS CLINIC IN KENYA

The Maasai people cook over open fires so children with severe burns, unfortunately, are seen often at the clinic.

LIZ IN SARAJEVO: MARCH 2009

It is amazing to think that  these kids had just met. You would never have known they were from three distinct and divided regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. See next post that explains why Liz was with these kids in Sarajevo.

LIZ IN BOSNIA

My daughter Liz is the Program Director of IDEA, the international debate team at Willamette University. Last March she  traveled to Bosnia with the Youth Leadership Program. People from these three regions in Bosnia---Banja Luka, Tomislavgrad, Tuzla-- rarely interact and there are major prejudices towards one another.


 The purpose of the Youth Leadership Program is to take 6 students and 1 teacher from each of the three regions, bring them together and have them visit the U.S. for 4 weeks, where they attend a Civic Education Institute at Willamette, work on community service projects together, visit high schools, live with host families, and overall learn how we as Americans come from all different religious and ethnic backgrounds, but still volunteer and work together to make our communities a better place.

www.michaelmeegan.com

This is the Irish doctor who started ICROSS in Kenya 25 years ago. He has become famous for the work he has done in his clinics there. Ben will be working with him. These are a few of the books he has written:

August 2008--Ben in India

My son Ben and 3 other STUDENTS FROM SEATTLE went to India in August 2008. They WORKed WITH THE ORPHANS, WIDOWS, AND LEPERS OF DHARMAPURI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA.

JEREMY SHAWN CARSON 1973-2004

HE NO LONGER HAS TO IMAGINE