I do remember Friday the 18th of May 2012. Stephanie and Christa had just set their feet on Shibuli soil for the first time in 2012. It was Christa’s first visit to Africa and therefore, Shibuli.
TGD students and the Cornerstone community were all present to welcome the donor community represented by Stephanie and Christa. It was TGD on one side, Shibuli Cornerstone NFE School on the other side with Stephanie and Christa alighting right in the middle of the unique and vibrant human panorama, singing joyfully and ululating, all for the glory of God Most High for arrival of the visitors.
Yes, that’s still fresh in my mind. The welcome, the vibrancy in Stephanie and Christa to be reunited with their Kenyan family and above all, the joy of expressing their love to the children by being good ambassadors of the donor community. Now, that last bit is what makes this day special. The joy of expressing their love to the Kenyan community.
The TGD students had sung, Christa had taken her time to shake hands with each and every person in the compound (of course young and old, male and female. I mean, ALL!), the cornerstone choir had presented their wonderful songs of praise and the Cornerstone School children had garlanded the guests. It was time to go shopping in preparation for next day’s big activity, The Sponsored Children Distribution.
Okay. It’s already midday so let’s get into the car and go buy items for next day’s distribution. “Wait!” That’s Stephanie. “What is it?” We all ask. As I look outside the car window, I see Humphrey and other pupils rushing to have their lunch as usual. “Look at that shirt! He isn’t the only one though,” adds Stephanie.
By this time, it has come to our attention that Stephanie is talking about pupils with tattered shirts and true to her words, they are quite a number. When I talk of tattered, I mean it. At one point you’d imagine that a pupil is putting on a rag or a piece of cloth around his or her body, exposing the entire back or belly. If it wasn’t for the T-shirt underneath, then half of the skin would be exposed. We all get out of the vehicle and both Stephanie and Christa now want to know how many pupils are wearing tattered shirts. Henry takes upon himself to find out who is who in the shabby garb. The rest, as they say, is history.
>>>Fast-forward to Thursday 7th June 2012. The pupils are over the moon. You can see that for yourselves. They woke up knowing nothing about the new uniforms; shirts, blouses, tunics and pair of shorts.
Two hour earlier:-
Henry has been working in the background to ensure that the tailor is up to the task, doing the right thing and on time. The tailor is done, Henry has collected the uniforms and they are right with us. As Frank asks Mama Rose (popularly known as Mama Sheila) to have the pupils gathered in the church, nothing crosses their minds that it’s anything to do with the uniforms for over thirty of them.
We all congregate in the church and after a word of prayer from one of the teachers, Henry calls out the names of the beneficiaries. One look at them and you read all the melancholy in their faces. Poor children! Just imagine them in those ragged shirts, shorts and tunics. What would they be looking like one month from now? Some are ashamed of looking at the camera while others would rather hide behind their friends. They are conscious of their situation and they think they’ll be on their way home in a couple of minutes. They think we want to send them home for putting on tattered shirts.
Their faces are asking, “Is that their intention? Are we going home because of our torn shirts? After all, that’s the common denominator between all of us standing here.”
I look at Humphrey. He looks scared. I imagine him asking, “What about the camera man? He is busy taking shots of us. The last time I appeared before a camera, I was smartly dressed. Gosh! Please, this is an embarrassment.”
As we ask the ‘torn uniform’ pupils to follow us out of the church, the rest keep wondering what will happen to their colleagues. Little do they know that they won’t go back home in the same frayed uniform they came with in the morning. Up to this time, the uniforms are in a big black plastic bag outside the church. As they line up for another photo from David, Henry reaches for the bag, gets out a heap of well-sewn uniform and immediately, the young ones brighten up. It’s joy, celebrations, laughter and screams of bliss. They are over the moon and above all, their lives will never remain the same.
This is the kind of joy you can’t explain in words. They are in new school uniform today because of you.
Thank you Stephanie and Christa. We didn’t know that what you saw on 18th of May 2012 would culminate into this wonderful experience to these dear ones. You saw, you were touched and you took action. Glory to God Almighty and may He bless you with Abraham’s blessings.
This is just the beginning of celebrations on what the Lord has done through the donor community. Check out more photos on www.facebook.com/tgdkenya or at
m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.458004680894831.118607.285054111523223&type=1&m_sess=soBNvymG-_VtWTP46.
Beverlyn’s home, Grace and Everlyne, Wallace and Lina Valarie, Fredrick and Walter, Fridah, Paul, Cynthia, Asman, Noel and Ben, Yvonne, Benjamin, Emmanuel, Abednego, Gladys, Shaline, Zainabu, Lillian, Brenda, Elizabeth and Lydia all have a story to tell. Actually, all the TGD sponsored children including the frontrunners, have a big smile on their faces. I’ll be telling you why as the Lord grants us life.
Till then,
Be blessed.
Regards,
Joseph Omuto.
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