26 July 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
“So enjoy, blessings today as you journey in His work and play,
may your toes be splashed, your hearts washed,
and your tears enthralled …
as you step into those unexpected moments of God …
where He is no longer in the mist,
but in our midst!” Author Unknown
Thus far this summer Bill and I have received great refreshment to
our spirit, mind, and body. Teams always refresh us with their
enthusiasm, energy, and willingness to share themselves. We
are so proud of the hospital and its programs and as we watch
and listen people who are experiencing them for the first time or
re-experiencing them, we are filled with joy and new enthusiasm,
and overflow with thanksgiving.
Our family’s coming has provided us with so much refreshment.
Yes, some was even edible, like the pepperoni that will top our
home made pizza and Hershey almond chocolate bars that will
satisfy Bill’s sweet tooth. But far beyond that they helped us
laugh and relax and enjoy the incredible beauty
and wonder of Kenya and Maua.
I can’t remember when we have laughed so much and we just
don’t laugh enough. Too often our work and responsibility seem
a bit overwhelming and we tend to forget how important it is to
laugh. What a gift from God laughter is. The laugh lines around
our eyes and lips have grown much deeper and so has our hope
and faith.
Our safari was exceptional. I thought I would share a few of the
unusual or new animals or sights we saw rather than mention
the long list of animals. But we saw them all!
We saw a Black Mamba (the fastest moving and most poisonous
snake in Kenya) eating a rock python. Now incase you were
planning to come to Kenya and are afraid of snakes the good
news is this in an incredible sighting as you almost never see
a snake in our area or on safari in Kenya
Black Mamba eating rock python Zebra leading a crossing of the river
We saw the migration of thousands of wildebeests and zebra and even
saw them crossing the river filled with crocodiles. We were amazed to
see a river crossing where the zebra led, a rarity. We saw 5 crocodile
eat an adult wildebeest. We saw a Serval cat, one of the smaller cats
in Kenya, and one we have never seen. We saw a female lion
approaching two males which led to a wild chase, and finally one male
taking the female as his mate. However, before accepting her he leaned
down on his front legs and smelled the ground where she had been lying
and then raised up with a most dreadful face as though he was expressing
how terrible the smell was! We also watched two lions on their honeymoon!
Serval cat Male lion on his haunches smelling the ground The male lion making the face after smelling
While my family was here they helped build one of the five AIDS Orphans
homes the hospital and teams are building this summer. When they arrived
at the home, my sister was absolutely amazed as they were helping to build
the home of a family they had visited when they came to see us in 2002.
So here is THE REST OF THE STORY.
This family, headed by a beautiful, smiling, toothless grandmother, lives close
to the hospital. When we visited her in 2002, she and 3 orphans lived in a
small wooden shack. Two of the children were at school and the grandmother
was caring for a toddler. The house they lived in was locked, so the grandmother
brought the key and opened it for us to see inside. he inside walls were partially
covered with black plastic to keep out the cold and rain but there were big gaps
between the wood that was not covered. It had a very uneven dirt floor which
was partly covered with rags to sleep on. In one corner was a small fire that
still had a few red coals and in the other corner was some green bananas.
We were all stunned at the condition of the home in which the grandmother
and children lived.
After we left Kenya, this grandmother was chosen as the recipient of a new
home that was paid for by a Walkathon done by the AIDS Orphan’s to help
one of the neediest families. It was the first home built.
Original home we had seen in 2002 Home built with money raised by the AIDS Orphan’s Walkathon
There are now more children as the grandmother is taking care of another
daughter who is HIV+ and her children, whose husband died of AIDS.
There are both girls and boys and thus they need a two room house.
Today Bill and I walked to the home to see the family. To our sorrow
the grandmother wasn’t there but the daughter and many children were.
Bill asked who was going to live in the new AIDS Orphan’s home – it is
finished but the cement floor is not dry yet so they have not moved in.
There are 5 or 6 children and the grandmother who will live in the house.
Four of the children were out playing or working. The mom/aunt called
and two little girls, Mary and Nelly, who were sleeping in the original
house in which we had seen the grandmother, hurried out to see us.
They were in what they had slept in so their mom/aunt told them to
change. We didn’t want that but they quickly ran and got some
water from an older child who was washing some clothes and
washed their faces and then dashed back into the old house.
Quickly they returned wearing their school uniforms, the best clothes
they have. Nelly was so precious in her torn and tattered cardigan and
huge smile. Her eyes sparkled with life and joy.
Mutembe, Kendi, Mary, Nelly, Kevin & Franklin Mutembe holding Kendi, Mary, Nelly, Kevin & Franklin
After my family had left in 2002, I had gone to talk to my best friend,
Alice Limberia, to tell her about the AIDS Orphan’s homes we had seen.
I was having difficulty sleeping I was so devastated with the condition in
which the children and their grandmother’s were living. Alice listened to
my description and then shared this story.
When she was a small child her favorite times were visiting her grandmother.
She stated that her grandmother’s home sounded much like the home I had
described except I had left out how much love existed in that tiny home.
She explained that in the early evening her grandmother would build a fire and
cook their evening tea and porridge which they would all share and then when
darkness came they would sleep as close to each other as possible. Alice
explained that she always slept right next to her grandmother and the heat from
the burning coals and her grandmother kept her warm but more than just warm,
loved and cherished. Alice in her patient and loving manner had smiled and asked
if the grandmother had seemed unhappy. “No”, I answered. In fact, I couldn’t
remember a more beautiful smile and she had even danced with us – a dance of joy!
Thus as the children posed today in front of their new house and smiled their beautiful,
joy-filled smiles my heart didn’t ache but danced with the knowledge that these children
in their poverty have more joy and thanksgiving than most of us will ever know. We may
have big, warm, nice houses with comfy beds, running water, electricity, and stuff, ah
the stuff, but what does it take for us to feel joy and thanksgiving? Perhaps what can
bring us the greatest joy, thanksgiving and refreshment is experiencing their joy and
helping in some small way to make their lives healthier, helping meet their basic
needs (clean water, food, shelter, a latrine, two school uniforms and a pair of shoes!)***
Refreshment of spirit, mind and body comes in many ways for each of us. Being with
family and friends and watching them experience the joyful and thankful Kenyan people,
the stunning wildlife, and the incredibly beautiful landscape has certainly given us much
needed refreshment. Shaking the hands of 5 children at a new AIDS Orphan’s home and
watching their radiant smiles provides refreshment and renews hope that “nothing in all
creation can ever separate us from the love of God” and that love is everywhere in creation
if we just open our eyes to see.
***If you would like to support the AIDS Orphan’s this is how you can:
The AIDS Orphans Program: $15 per month feeds and educates a young AIDS Orphan.
Advance Special #140161 – AIDS Orphans’ Project, Maua Hospital, Kenya
Write your support check to your UMC and put it in the collection plate with the Advance Special #
and name in the note at the bottom of your check or
To make a gift by credit card call: (888) 252-6174 or
To make a gift on the internet go to: gbgm-umc.org/advance/donate
In His grip,
Jerri & Bill Savuto
savuto@maf.or.ke
Maua Methodist Hospital
Box 63, Maua 60600
Igembe, Kenya
“A nonpossessive life is a free life. We belong to God, and the God to whom we belong has sent us into the world to proclaim in His Name that all of creation is created in and by love and calls us to gratitude and joy.” Henri Nouwen
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