November 22, 2013-Africa--Massai Market, misc. photos by Lucas, and Meeting Robert and George

This is our friend Amy at the house we stayed at for the 1st 2 nights.  She is sooooooo quiet and sooo beautiful.  Lucas enjoyed just sitting and doing a puzzle with her before we left to head to Meru.

 On our way we stopped at the Massai Market.  It is a local traveling market of craftsman and women.  I have more video of this, and the people don't really like having pictures taken unless you buy from their particular "store" so pics are limited, but it was so colorful and the people were just beautiful.  The thing you hear from everyone is "Welcome"..."How are you?"  in their beautiful accents.

 Isaac found the guy selling "old" antique type African arts from all over Africa including Kenya and Ethiopia and other countries.  These things were a little more expensive so he was limited in what he could bring home.  Otherwise I think he would have taken one of everything.

 This is Lucas photography from the car on the way out of town...

 oh yes, we all hate traffic and Nairobi is PACKED with it.  He can't even read this sign, but we thought it was quite poignant.

 This is a Hindu Temple.  He got such a great shot of it.

 The trip from Nairobi to Meru is about a 4 hour drive.  Usually.  But, on Friday...not so much.  Traffice was horrific.  I think it took a total of about 6 hours or more.  We got stopped a few times by armed police men with rifles.  That is always a little freaky.  Can't take pictures of them of coursse.  I'm still not 100% clear on why they do it just randomly in the street.
In the car we had Freddy our driver, Paul, Linda, me, Isaac, Lucas and John.  I'm going to write an entire post about John eventually.  But, suffice it to say he is a grown up (age 30) still living at the orphanage run by the woman who took him off the streets in 1991 at age 9.  He had never really been away from Nairobi.  So traveling 4 hours to Meru with us was mind blowing.  Eating at restaurants was confusing.  He didn't really know what to do with the menu.  Didn't understand he could order whatever he wanted.  This doesn't mean he is illiterate or not smart.  Just a foreign experience for him.  Sweet sweet man.  Yet, has had so many many hard experiences in life including having been attacked and almost killed 3 years ago.
I say all that, because as we were about 1 1/2 hours from our destination, Lucas needed a potty stop.  So we pulled into Nuyugi (sp?) and went near a large "walmart" type store called Nakamart.  We parked.  And Lucas immediately saw these two boys standing on the other side of the fence.  John jumped out and without hesitation began speaking to them in their native tongue.  Lucas and John were unbelievable.  I am not sure if you can "get it" from these pictures.  John is in the hat and yellow shirt.  He couldn't get to them fast enough.  Can you see the sadness and desperation in the boys?

 We took everything we had for snacks in the car and gave it to them. Bars, beef sticks, munchies.  And a few Shillings.

 Lucas showed them how to open the packages.

 "like this".  Notice he is doing everything he can to reach through the fence to get to the boys.

 Isaac greeted them as well with smiles and handshakes.

 So here you have...
Robert...in black
George...in red
both street boys.  On the street 1 year and 4-6 years. (that detail has been a little unclear)
Mom left one at age of 6
And the other left because home was so ugly difficult and abusive.
It was chilly this night and Robert was in his only clothes..shorts and sandals with a tattered sweater.
Lucas (adopted but knows what it's like to live without parents). Trying as best as he can to show them compassion and ready to give him everything we have in the car.
John, a former street boy, grown and still trying to "make" it and with a tender heart so huge that I cannot put it into words.
All four "Orphans" at a certain level of their soul -- yes Lucas is no longer an orphan, but his heart "knows" unlike ours how these boys may feel.

 Lucas kept talking and talking and now calls them "friend".
We left them.  But, I could not stop sobbing at this scene.  It was over the top for me.  And actually for Paul, my brother in law too.  We were a complete mess.
We consider this moment a divine appointment.  Unplanned by us, but BIGGER than us.
We made a plan to meet them again on Saturday in the afternoon.
Story To Be Continued...

Desperation

and

Hope