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Caleb’s Homecoming

Caleb is a happy, sunny boy who has lived at the Neema House since he was 18 months old. We adore him. But this November, after 6 years with us, he returns to live full time with his family, a loving family who is now able to care for him and themselves. 

Caleb’s Family

We believe that loving children well means loving their whole family. No family should feel that abandoning their children is the only hope to escape poverty, homelessness, or violence. We want to walk with these families to help them become safe, stable, and self-sufficient. 

This #GivingTuesday, our focus is on families like Caleb’s. Every gift you give today with go towards the needs of families reunifying- helping them overcome burdens like unemployment, lack of education, poverty, and homelessness. We believe every child has the right to be raised in a family and we pray for all our children to have loving permanent families. Join us today in celebrating what God has done- he has redeemed lives and healed a broken family. We praise God for his goodness and faithfulness. 

Read more stories about Caleb’s time at the Neema House:

Meet Caleb
Mama Caleb’s Story
Caleb turns 5

More Caleb news

Caleb Turns 5

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Last Saturday was a much anticipated day around Neema House….we had been talking about this day for months now because Caleb, our oldest, is the first to turn 5 and all of the big kids have been eagerly anticipating his party. We have heard the question “has caleb’s birthday arrived yet?” for many, many weeks now!

Caleb’s best friend Bethel also has a March birthday, so we decided to have their party together. The best thing about birthday celebrations here in Kenya is that they center around being together and celebrating the person who was born — and also food of course. About 45 people (half of them kids) came to celebrate Caleb and Bethel and it was a beautiful day of thankfulness that Caleb and Bethel are a part of our lives.

The kids enjoyed jumping on the trampoline, playing with balloons, eating a LOT of cake and snacks, and drinking a LOT of soda. Our preschoolers have been dreaming of bikes, so we decided that it will be their birthday present when each of them turn 5. Caleb made his hopes clear – a blue bike and a helmet. As much as our children end up happily sharing most things, we love any opportunity to give them their own things — special time alone with their caregiver, clothes that belong to them only, and some tangible items that no one will require them to share.

We are so thankful that our sweet and kind and thoughtful and bright and funny Caleb was born. He is such a gift to us all and we hope he knows that every single day, not just on his birthday.

Annie, Missionary

Visiting Caleb

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Caleb has been back with his mom and her caregiver, Nancy, for five weeks now. We praise God for how well Caleb has adjusted and the way he has been so beautifully welcomed there.

With the guidance of a social worker, who has a lot of experience with foster care and reintegration, we have been doing our best to make sure Caleb knows we still love and care about him even though he is no longer a part of our daily lives. It is also important for him to understand that his new family situation is permanent and that we love his new family and want him to also. So far, it’s been going very well.

A few weeks ago, we were able to take Caleb and several of his new “siblings” to a fun center to spend time with the other Neema House babies. They had missed their “big brother” so much and were overjoyed to see him. We spent several hours playing hard and finished off the evening with pizza. We miss Caleb every day but are so thankful to still be a part of his life–he is such a rich part of ours! We look forward to more outings at neutral locations as he continues to adjust to his “new normal.”

Annie, Visiting Missionary

Mama Caleb

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Caleb first came into our lives in October of 2012. We received a phone call one night that there was a baby boy (about 18 months old) who had been removed from a mentally ill mother who was living with him on the streets. He was staying in a foster home until another home could be found for him. We said “yes” not knowing what Caleb’s future would look like, but with a determination to love him well and fight hard for his best-to the glory of God.

When we brought Caleb to Neema House, we were relieved that he was no longer living on the streets with an unstable caregiver, but at the same time felt strongly that loving Caleb well meant loving his mom also. Giving Caleb the best meant giving him every possible chance to grow up in a family, namely the one that God had knit him into, on purpose. We decided to pray big prayers, trust a powerful and loving God, and do whatever we could to aid in Mama Caleb’s recovery. It took the help of many, hours and hours of searching for her in the streets, numerous doctor appointments, and several admissions to Kenya’s only mental health facility, but we’ve seen an incredible transformation since then.

God has honored our humble desire to see Mama Caleb recover and be a part of Caleb’s life, and we praise Him for that. Just over a year ago, she was still living on the streets suffering from untreated mental illness and other sicknesses that were not being controlled. Today we are happy to say she has stabilized both psychologically and medically and is doing well. Though she is mentally stable and is now receiving the medications she needs to treat her other illnesses, she still has some special needs that require assistance. For nine months now, she has been welcomed into a family (with no biological connection) who lovingly cares for her and makes sure her needs are met. With support from P82, this family loves and provides for Mama Caleb as if she is their blood relative. It is truly an incredible sight to see the way they have welcomed her! We love her also and consider ourselves extremely blessed to know her.

Caleb’s Story

Caleb was living on the streets with his mom. They depended on the kindness of passersby and storekeepers for food and nourishment. He was removed from his mom by the police when he was approximately 18 months. It was discovered that his mom has mental health problems and was unable to provide him with the care he required, though she loved him deeply.

Caleb has grown into a compassionate, curious, bright boy. He is the eldest at Neema House and loves his role as the big brother to a family of babies. Caleb’s mom is getting help for her mental health problems, and we hope to reunite Caleb with his mom.

Welcoming Caleb

The team from Due West had arrived the night prior and we had just begun unpacking the bags upon bags of baby items you so generously gave and they so graciously lugged across the world. The phone call came around 9:30 or 10pm and the dancing and jumping and shouting and more dancing began.  “A baby!?!?!?!?” “A boy!!!!!????” “One and a half years old!!!!!???” I ran from room to room telling our watchman and groundsman (the only other Neema house occupants at this point) and even the walls and cribs : “a baby is coming!!!!” I could hear Phoebe’s smile through the phone as she told me. We excitedly picked out a range of clothes and accessories that I could pack and take with me as I met this sweet boy the following day.  There were so many thoughts and so much expectation and lots and lots of prayer during that 3 hour drive to Molo to meet our first little buddy.

This guy is a lover. He has spent his short life living on the streets with his mother who suffers from severe mental illness. His grandmother also has debilitating mental issues and is unable to offer him a stable life off the streets. Though we are excited to have him, his entry into our lives comes with great loss and pain. We know in our hearts  that his mother, no doubt loved this little boy as well as she was able. We thank God for not letting this family leave His sight for the past 18 months… Caleb’s needs were provided by shopkeepers and well-wishers who passed him on the streets daily. The boy was loved, though unconventionally… He is alive today because of Love.

He has spent just over a week now in our home and already calls it his own. He has the cutest dimple on one cheek and his giggle could melt even the hardest of hearts. He never meets a stranger (probably due to his last 1.5 years of street life) and is quick to greet any and every person he passes with a fist pump (saying “gota!”). The only time we ever hear him cry is when bedtime comes and another day of fun is over. We promise him we will do it all again tomorrow and he eventually falls asleep. 🙂 He still calls me daddy, but that’s fine with me!

This boy has filled Neema House with so much joy. He has made us into a family and we are beyond thankful to God for the opportunity to love Him. To God alone be the glory.

Annie

Christmas in Kenya

Christmas is a time to spend together with loved ones celebrating the good news of Jesus’ birth. On the first Saturday of December, our children, guardians, caregivers and staff gather for a Christmas Celebration! Each child will receive a package containing his or her new school uniform, and gifts from sponsors. New back packs and school supplies are always needed to start the new school year in January. We will have a party together to celebrate the Good News of Great Joy that is Christmas. Will you help us provide a wonderful Christmas celebration? 

$38 for a Stocking

  • School uniform for one child

$100 Christmas for a Child 

  • School uniform
  • Pair of shoes
  • Backpack and school supplies
  • Additional set of clothing and shoes
  • Gift
  • Christmas Celebration

$500 for Santa’s Sleigh
Christmas celebration for a Family

  • School uniforms for three children
  • Pair of shoes for each child
  • Backpack and school supplies for each child
  • Additional set of clothing and shoes for each child
  • Gifts for children and guardian
  • Christmas Celebration for a family
  • Food for guardian’s family for the holidays

This Christmas, you are giving more than school clothes and shoes. School clothes, shoes, school fees, food, and backpacks- these are the vehicle that we use to change our children’s lives for the better. They are touchable and tangible. But that’s not the true gifts you are giving our precious children this Christmas. Each week, we are highlighting the gifts our children have received this year, because someone like you cared, gave, and changed a life.

The Gift of Family: Caleb’s Homecoming

The Gift of Belief: Charles and David’s New Skills

The Gift of Encouragement: A Song of Hope

The Gift of Wonder: By a Busy Road

Thursday in Nanyuki

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Today we split into two groups: some of us attended ILI training while the rest of us took the Project 82 preschool kids to an animal rescue center in the beautiful Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club. The children loved seeing the animals up close and personal, including Caleb who rode on the back of a 150-year-old tortoise! Some were a little afraid — like Sammy– but thankfully, he had Barbara (or Gigee!) to protect him!

We met back at Neema House for a delicious lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and chips. How on earth can something so simple be SO GOOD? I don’t know, but many of us we agreed it was one if the finest meals we’d eaten in Kenya … Or maybe ever! When we tried to get back on the bus to return to ILI and the big kid Neema House, our bus was blocked in by two mistimed loads of rock dumped on the road. Our driver Joseph tried to get around the rocks and became stuck in an intractable trench. Gabe prayed over the unfortunate situation and then everyone set to work to get the bus unstuck, with the neighbors coming out to help. We were so relieved when it finally rolled free!

The ILI group gathered to do street evangelism, while the others traveled to the big kid Neema House to have a birthday party for Isaac and twins Alice and Lily. The “grandmas,” Barbara and Lynda made sure the party room was beautifully decorated and delighted in watching the kids open their presents. The team (minus a couple germophobes) loved the Kenyan birthday tradition where the birthday kids serve every person at the party a bite of cake. When it started to pour rain outside, the big presents of three bikes with training wheels were hustled inside and the kids rode them around the living room in circles!

Later that night, we learned that both Gabe and Conor were part of leading three young people to Christ during the street evangelizing time. Gabe told the young lady he talked to that the angels were rejoicing in heaven at the very moment she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior, and don’t you know they were and are! Gaylyn reminded us later that there is no more important work that we can do than bringing people the good news of the Gospel. Because these two young men were willing to “GO” (Matthew 28:18), they were chosen to take part in God’s plan of salvation for three precious lives whose eternities are now secured.

Matt reminded us that we can have a passion for the harvest right in the place we live, and he encouraged us to consider how we can live that out effectively when we return from Kenya. Gayle reminded us of what a privilege it’s been to work with everyone on the team, but especially to see Lynda and her grandson Gabe come and serve together in Kenya, a desire that Lynda has expressed to her friends and family for several years. Carey closed our final evening together in Kenya by reading Scripture’s account of the last supper, where Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, an expression of God’s love for us “made complete.” Then, as the Lord asked us to do, we washed each other’s feet as an expression of our love for Him, made complete.

We are so grateful for the support of each of our prayer partners and family members and for all the ways that you sacrificed and prayed to get us to this place. All of you are in our hearts, and our families have expanded hugely this week to include YOU! Pray for safe travels and a sweet time of reunion when we all return home.

God bless.

Erica, Mission Team Member

Loving Babies

At Neema House

We began the day at Neema House, Project 82’s infant rescue home. When we arrived, all the babies were finishing their baths and getting dressed for the day. Annie sat with us, and shared each baby’s story, including how the baby came to Neema House, his or her health status and whether or not the baby is adoptable. Many of the team members had read the babies’ stories in a blog or Facebook post, but holding the baby and hearing the conditions under which they were abandoned really brought the stories to life.

In the afternoon, Caleb, Alice, Lily, Hassan and Isaac joined us. They have grown so much and are flourishing in preschool. Some of the team members took the older children to an animal rescue center and enjoyed watching their excitement in seeing some wild African animals up close.

Ron and Paige once again spent the day building a goat shed. We cannot thank them enough for their hard work. Anyone need a goat shed? I would highly recommend Ron and Paige.

Lord, let us not judge why a baby is abandoned, but know that it is our responsibility to care for and love each baby. Father raise up Kenyan families who will embrace the concept of “foster care” and want to become part of the solution as we work through churches to develop a program. Thank you for loving each of us, not because of what we do, but because of who you are. Amen

Anita, Executive Director

The Grace House

Finally.

A post about the babies I have so fallen in love with the past 7 weeks.

Neema House is a ministry of Project 82 that rescues babies out of really tough situations (parents with mental illness, parents passing away, abandonment) and gives them medical care and works to supply any other need they may have with the hope that after some time, they will rehabilitate them back to their families if possible, or find another family to care for them. Right now there are five precious babies–Caleb, Lily, Alice, Hassan and Isaac.

This is a house full of dedication and love. This staff works tirelessly to make sure these babies are so loved, cared for, nourished and challenged. On top of that, they spend countless hours working with families to prepare them to reunite them with their children if they are willing, or find the best situation these babies can be in so that they grow healthy and happy and loved. They firmly believe that children belong in families, NOT institutions. It’s hard, hard work. But it’s beautiful work.

So now, meet the babies. I have three weeks left here and I am already dreading leaving them–I can’t begin to describe all of the things their tiny little selves have taught me. The resilience of these kids is incredible, but even more incredible is the greatness of our God for rescuing them and working wonders in them and the people around them.

Caleb

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Caleb is the big brother at Neema–he just turned 3 about 2 weeks ago! He loves taking care of the younger ones–sometimes a little too much (bossy-pants).  He has a giggle that will melt your soul, and is extremely ticklish. He can watch the movie Cars and listen to the song The Wheels on the Bus about 12 times a day on average (so I’ve calculated). He loves to learn words in English and is extremely observant and smart. I love to watch his big heart care for his family and the people around him!

When Caleb was found, he was living on the streets with his mom, who they found had a mental disability and was not able to care for him in a way that was best, although she loves him dearly. His mom has been receiving health care and has been doing very well (despite a recent setback with TB–something you can be praying for), and we are hoping Caleb will get to go and live with his mom again soon!

Hassan

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Hassan loves to laugh…and get into trouble. He can be such a delight, and loves to be held. He always makes quick friends whenever visitors come! He also loves to dance, swing, and play on the slide in the front yard.

He has also come a really long way, and has improved drastically since he got here. When he was a tiny baby, he was abandoned multiple times until one day his grandfather came in and found him alone on his bed, malnourished and ill.  Since being at Neema, he has learned to walk and talk, and his nutrition continues to improve!

Lily

Lily

There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not having a good laugh about something this precious girl is doing. She is so vibrant, giggly, and mischievous. She’s the one who has to turn everything into a game, or into something funny! Just looking at her silly faces and seeing her curious nature puts a smile on my face every day. Gosh I love her and her goofy self!

Lily came to Neema with her twin sister Alice–their mother loves them, but had not been able to care for them properly due to a mental disability. Lily and Alice both were about 18 months and severely malnourished–they were so skinny, they could support their heads but not sit up, and both had rickets due to lack of Vitamin D.  However, they’ve both made incredible transformations–Jesus loves them SO MUCH and has taken care of them in a way that only He can. They have gained lots of weight–Lily is such a chunk! She is wearing 3T clothes now, which is amazing. They are walking and talking and jumping and dancing just like other kids their age. Thank you, Lord!

Alice

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Alice. Without a doubt the most loving two-year old I have ever met. This is the girl that will hug your neck for seemingly no reason at all. Any bump, scrape, or tear on anyone and she is the first to say “Pole, pole” (sorry, sorry) and will gently pat the injury and stroke the face of the one injured. She is so caring, and loves to laugh. She’s absolutely adorable, has taught me so much and I’m blessed to know her.

Like Lily, Alice came in with a lot of challenges, but God has been so good and has helped her grow in so many ways!

Isaac

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Adorable–the first words that come to mind when I think of Isaac. Those chubby cheeks and four front baby teeth are to die for! He is so sweet and can be so snuggly. Like Lily, he is also a chunk, but it is too precious for words. He just started walking a few months ago and is all over the place! He has learned to jump, and is talking as well. I have so much love for this boy!

When Isaac came, he was very sick. He was extremely skinny due to malnutrition and had scabies, pneumonia, and perforated eardrums. Again, God has worked wonders in this life. Isaac, after many doctor’s visits and intense care, is chubby and happy. He has overcome so many things, and I am so grateful to get to see a walking miracle in front of me.

If you want to know how to pray for Neema House, here is how–endurance and patience. Working to reunite these children with their families or finding places where they will thrive is difficult, tiresome work. But it is worth it, and the staff here knows it. They want, more than anything, for these children to have full lives–and they are willing to do anything to make it happen. Pray that Annie, Elly, and the rest of the P82 team would not grow weary. That God would continually sustain them in fighting for these children and for their families, and that His ministry would grow. I am SO thankful for this team and how the Lord is using them to change these kids’ lives.

This blog was written by P82 intern Katherine in March 2014 while she was serving and living in Kenya. The photos were taken by Katherine too. You can read more about her time in Kenya and see more photos on her blog, http://www.katherine-claire.com/.

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Psalm 82:3

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