Day 3 Monday - Kolfe

We finally got to meet the boys of Kolfe and what an experience. The two hours we were there flew by and we truly did not get enough time with the boys as we wanted. We must return soon.

We were greeted by a small group of boys who took us on our tour of the compound. The first building we entered was the library and we found all six computers with boys in front of them practicing their English. It was really neat to see how much school meant to them.

As we walked around we were shown the chicken coop where they raise chickens and saw a cow that Gladney provided to them. That cow looks so at peace, not realizing those boys cannot wait to have him for dinner! :)

We sponsor one of the boys at Kolfe, Malkamu, and it was great to get to meet him and learn a bit more about him. His favorite Africa Soccer Cup team is Ivory Coast and World Cup team is Brazil. We look forward to building our relationship deeper through time.

Theresa had a great time with the boys and you will quickly see the boys enjoyed her as well. They followed her around and posed for every picture she tried to take. These boys are truly amazing, so much energy and passion for life and such a desire to learn. They kept asking me how may languages I spoke which of course I had to answer only one.

We then had the opportunity to distribute the gift packs that we brought to the orphanage. These gift packs were put together through the efforts of some great friends and family including Nicole Anderson and Dr. Ali. In each pack were two packs of toothpaste, toothbrush, soap or lotion, book of daily devotions, and a wrist band from Olivet Lutheran, the church sponsoring the orphanage through Children’s HopeChest. All of the contents were put into a washcloth that was sewed into a little bag.

The boys were so grateful and organized. They quickly formed a line, and some of the older boys quickly distributed roles to identify and write down each name as they were given a pack. They are very concerned with every boy getting the same treatment so we were glad that we had enough. This also showed how valuable the sponsorship program is through HopeChest in that you donate $34/month that goes to benefit the entire orphanage while providing the boys a one-to-one relationship and providing spiritual discipleship on a weekly basis. If you are interested in sponsoring a boy at Kolfe, please leave a comment to this post.

Look at the joy in these boys – what a memory we have and we are already planning our return trip later this year.