Wipe your tears; it’s time to go. Saying goodbye to Kenya.
As the long-term team spends their final day at The Maisha Project, we are sad to be leaving the place we have called home for two whole months. It reminds me of a quote I read by Miriam Adeney, and she said, “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.” Every person who has ever had the chance to come to Maisha will verify this quote is undoubtedly true.
This summer has been the biggest summer yet here at Maisha. We are so proud of all we have accomplished with the help of the 6 amazing teams that spent their summer serving at Maisha. Thank you to Broadway Baptist Church, North Pointe Church, Vintage Church, Bridgeway Church, and our independent travelers for making this summer one to remember. As we reminisce, lets take a look back at all the big things that have happened this summer at The Maisha Project.
- The REVEAL of the Maisha 2014 Light the Future Choir
- Our name change from “Maisha International Orphanage” to “The Maisha Project”
- The building and painting of our new toilets
- Receiving our permit to open the Maisha Clinic
- Groundbreaking of our new Maisha Academy
- Launching The Gospel Project
- The first annual Maisha Run For Life Marathon
- The successful Maisha Academic Award Ceremony
- The distribution of our Solar Lights
- Receiving new tables and benches for our dining hall
- Using new plates and flatware for the first time
We are also proud to say Maisha is finishing building a new toilet in our slums office. Once the construction is finished, we will be launching our new feeding project in the slums.
Over the course of this summer, we have also had 17 children become sponsored through Maisha’s Legacy of Hope Project. Although we are overjoyed with this number, we still have around 160 kids left to be sponsored. Please continue to share the word about these amazing children, who still need their education to be funded. If you would like more information on how to help, visit www.maishaproject.org or email Jenny Thibodeau at jenny@maishaproject.org.
As we say our final goodbyes we are grateful for the time that we have shared with all 643 beautiful children, and the relationships we have built with them. Friends, there is nothing like serving here at Maisha. This summer has sped by, and I am heartbroken to be leaving. Thank you for taking this journey with me, and keeping up with all the crazy adventures we have been on this summer. I have enjoyed writing these stories and sharing my life with you over the past two months. If you are not already, I highly encourage every one of you to get involved with Maisha. That doesn’t mean make a two month trip to Kenya. It could mean doing something like volunteering your time to help in the OKC office, sponsoring a child, volunteering to help fundraise for a choir child or finding a Maisha project that you are passionate about. These kids are real. They’re not just in the pictures, and even the smallest thing you do could change their life completely. Thank you again for following my journey. For the last time—I’m Lauren Hatfield and this is Live from Kenya—The Final Blog.