Today, Bobby and I visited the Giraffe Center, near Nairobi. This will be one of our best times with the animals! These animals that God made, are not only incredible, but smart and beautiful! When we came to the Giraffe Center, we were given a small wooden cup of “giraffe pellets” (treats). The giraffes love them and you are only supposed to put one on his/her tongue at a time. When the guide handed the cup to Bobby, he grabbed one and pretended to put it in his own mouth! The poor guy almost had a heart attack, and then realized Bobby was playing! The African people are much like the Haitians, in that they love to laugh and play!
There are five different kinds of giraffes. These were Rothchild giraffes. They have no bone “marrow,” so they are solid bone. You can see the picture of Bobby holding part of a giraffe leg. It was extremely heavy! God gave them these strong leg bones so that they could protect themselves. One kick can kill a human or even a lion!
Years ago, there were 135,000 Rothchild giraffes, but by 1979 there were only 120 left. One reason was hunting and the other reason was that people believed that the tail of the giraffe- if swished around, will drive away evil spirits and bring good luck. The politicians believed that the tail of the giraffe would get them elected.
The giraffes that were left were brought to “giraffe centers,” and this was one of them. This is where they are bred. These are just some of the beautiful creatures God made! We always wonder if there will be animals in Heaven… not sure, but the “lion shall lay down beside the lamb!” Tomorrow, we leave and fly deep into the jungle to our tent. This is where the animals are free to roam wild.
We are enjoying our time away, but yesterday was a tough day. We were missing Haiti and worrying about our Haitian children, but this morning, we gave it over to Jesus!
Today, on a very remote mountain road, we happened upon a group of men singing and working. Kim and I stopped to see what they were doing. It seemed like an odd place for a group of men to be working like that. They were planting banana trees by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
It was very hot, and they were dripping with sweat, but all sang in unison. The lyrics to the song were, “when I had money, I had friends, but now that I have no money I have no friends.” Though they sang this song, it was clear to us that these guys had each other. Though they had nothing, they were buddies. The Bible says a friend sticks closer than a brother. And a true friend is your friend no matter what your situation is. May we be that true friend to those around us today.
“Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord…” (Jonah 1:1-3)
Someone reading this scripture this morning has been called by the Lord to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” You are just like Jonah. You are going the “opposite direction!” You don’t want to leave your surroundings, your job, your friends, and the comforts of your home. So, you think you can “hide” from the presence of the Lord, but you cannot. And you will be miserable until you say “YES” to Jesus! Perhaps, God is calling you to Haiti or some other country. Don’t make God chase you down. You will regret it! Just say, “YES” to Jesus, or He may have a “big fish” (a whale) waiting for you until you say, “YES!” You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide! God bless you!
Thank you for reading Sherry’s 6:00 p.m. posts about the Love A Child children. She loves doing these posts because she loves the children. Bobby and Sherry will be in Africa from July 13th through July 25th. When they return to Haiti, they will resume the 6:00 p.m. post. Please check back then!
Haiti has the highest mortality rate for pregnant women in the Western Hemisphere. They often must give birth in filthy, unsanitary conditions, without a doctor, relying on unwise old wives’ tales passed on from generation to generation. We wanted to create a place where women could go to track their baby’s development, learn how to best take care of their new infant, and have a clean, safe space to give birth. With your help, we were able to create the Birthing Center which has saved countless mothers and babies over the years.
We wanted to visit the home of Karen Blixen, who wrote the book “Out of Africa,” which later was made into a movie in 1985. What an incredible movie it was, telling about this young woman who moved to Africa with her future husband “Baron” to start a business, but later ended up doing more for the poor Africans than you can imagine!
Enclosed are pictures of Karen’s house, which she moved into in 1917. There was a picture of Karen and her dog on the wall (black and white) and some of the historical, old, rusted farm equipment which she used to grow coffee on their coffee plantation. We can’t tell you enough about the movie “Out of Africa,” but it is such a touching story of how the life of one person can affect thousands! Here in this area (near Nairobi), everything is named after Karen… “Karen Medical Center,” “Karen Streets,” “Karen this, Karen that…” Everything you see is all named after one person who affected and blessed the lives of so many! She was “so good” to the African people. She has been gone for many years, but they still love her!
“The righteous care for the needs of their animals…” – Proverbs 12:10
Bobo, one of our donkeys, may be new around here, but he sure is getting used to all of the attention! He always has someone wanting to pet him, someone always making sure he has water, and maybe some who even catch a quick ride! Bobo is eating up the love from these kids, but when he is done, you will see him take off to the field for some quiet time! Haha. We all need that sometimes, right?
PS. We’re still praying for the other new donkey, Dede. She is not as lovable yet!
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbor, go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” (Proverbs 3:27-28)
The joy of helping the poor is beyond compare. If God has blessed you, then bless the poor! God has placed it in the power of our hand!
Thank you for reading Sherry’s 6:00 p.m. posts about the Love A Child children. She loves doing these posts because she loves the children. Bobby and Sherry will be in Africa from July 13th through July 25th. When they return to Haiti, they will resume the 6:00 p.m. post. Please check back then!
We flew 14 hours, and just landed at the Doha airport in Qatar. Beautiful airport! These people are oil-rich, and everything is first class. We rushed just as they were boarding our next flight to Nairobi, Africa. We land in Nairobi at midnight.
