Today was spent at the Oasis Center. I just kept thinking over and over again about the kids and the possibility of Oasis getting the opportunity to move to the property we visited yesterday. The more I think about it the more I pray that it will happen.
Of course Im slightly biased because I know and love these kids so much, but at the same time I feel theres no group that deserves it more.
They come to the center everyday. Some from an hour's walk away. They work hard in class and they play hard outside. These kids have added so many unbelievable things to my life, Im afraid Ill feel empty when I go home.
I wont be able to sit and watch P.I.G., Anderson, Etao, Collins, and the rest of the older boys play soccer.
There will be no little Brendas who will come braid my hair with her tiny, dirty little hands.
James wont walk up to me and hand me a picture he's drawn in art class.
No one will understand me when I say "Na ku piga" or "Enda Kipsongo"
No more "gotas" from boney little knuckles.
I wont have to try and figure out what everyone is saying because they'll all be speaking English. (This is both fun and frustrating).
Current Oasis Center
These kids come with nothing tangible to give other than themselves, but Im always fulfilled when Im around them. There's no place I'd rather be than with them. How is it possible to feel so filled with so much when they've done nothing but mile at me?
I want these kids to have this center so bad my heart aches and I tear up thinking about the possibilities they would have in that new center. I know Allison, Steve, and I are not the only ones. I can only imagine what Lydia and Geoffrey are feeling.
Potential New Oasis Educational and Vocational Center
I'm praying and asking that this happens. I pray and ask that the landlord would come through with permission, as well as the funds from donors. Those are the 2 main obstacles that stand right now.
I know I asked for help when the house boys were robbed and Christmas came around, and those who know me know I don't feel comfortable asking for money. But this is something that I believe so much in for these kids. Lydia says the hardest thing when it comes to support is that there is not many long term commitments.
My departing wish is to see these kids get to move to the new center.
I feel that through our blogs you've gotten to know these kids and the faces and
I'm suggesting that if this is something that you think you might want to help at all with, get in touch with Lydia at oasisofhope@mac.com.
Thanks for all your support.
1 comment:
Thanks again Daina.
I want to add something. People often say to me...."I wish I could help you...but, I am only (fill in one) a student, a single mom, working at a low paying job, a retired grandfather....etc, etc, etc."
Of course, there is dancing in the halls of my offices when I open up the mail to find an unexpected check made out for hundreds or (rarely) thousands of dollars. These are often the one-time donations that come out of the blue like a miracle to get us through a particularly tough financial challenge.
But, and this is a big one.....the majority of people who have committed to send reoccurring monthly donations are sending between ten and one hundred dollars per month.
When I tell people this...they often say..."Oh, I would feel silly sending you such a small amount per month." I always tell them...that just ten dollars will feed a child breakfast and lunch at Oasis of Hope for an entire month! Many of these kids come from the slum areas of Kitale...where they are cared for by a widowed mom or an auntie or a grandmother that is also caring for many, many (I have seen one grandmother with all of her 30 grandkids after HER 10 children all died of AIDS) children. Having a resource like Oasis of Hope is transforming families like these. Also, children who are fed seem to get sick less. They are also able to finally concentrate and learn in class because they aren't weak with hunger.....Ten dollars can do SO much.
But the key here is having many, many people sending a little bit. As the Bible says "Many hands make for light work". My dream is that EVERY person who has been to Oasis in person (and there are hundreds!) or who has been touched by a blog or a story or a photo that they read on the internet , or they were told by another peson...THAT ALL of these people would form a giant interlocking web of love for the kids of Kitale....ten, twenty, thirty dollars a month each.
I once blogged about Jelly Beans in a jar....how you never imagine how many are in there....in most contests of that sort, people always underestimate the number. I want a jelly bean jar for Oasis...full of loving, caring people giving a little bit each..until the jar is overflowing.
Do the math...500 people giving 20 dollars each would cover our ENTIRE budget for a month!
I know it is a really tough time in America right now. I know that for some people...there isn't an extra penny. But, for a lot of people...there is still money to go to Starbucks, to go to the movies or to wander around Target buying random items that catch their eye. How much more satisfying and life changing could it be to save a child's life instead?
This is my cause and my life. I know that not every person is going to care the way that I do. But, I know that Daina does, and Allison and Chris and Matt and Andrew. This group of twenty-something's spent a relatively short time working at Oasis over these past several months...and I know that their lives have been transformed by the experience.
I wish I could live in Kenya full time. But, I realize that the other part of my "mission" for these kids is the part where I help others realize the tremendous blessing and joy that comes when you give to another person. My life has honestly been transformed these past 4 years since Geoffrey and I decided to start Oasis of Hope.
I don't know if anybody has read this...but, I wanted to share a little bit more of my heart.
Again, my email address is oasisofhope@mac.com
Or, if you would like to speak with me directly about the many ways you can get involved with Oasis of Hope...call me at 714 264-8100. By the way...all donations that come through our U.S. account are tax deductible.
Thanks and God Bless!
Lydia Monroe
Executive Director
Oasis of Hope
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