Shalome

How do I summarize a packed-full week in Israel? Focusing on of the historical and holy sights I visited seems somehow inappropriate considering hundreds of civilians who are currently being bombed in Gaza.
But since I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to visit both Israel and Palestine as a tourist, let me try to share a little bit of what I saw and did. I spent the week with my dear friend Liora and her partner, who not only acted as superb tour guides, taking me to Haifa, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea (as well as hosting a fabulous Christmas dinner), but also provided a constant analysis of the current situation and took me to protests against the occupation. As a result I learned much more than I could have expected, and also had the chance to catch a glimpse of what it is like to live in country in conflict. To see some photos of my trip click here.
The day before I left, Israel began bombing Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians. At a peace protest in Tel Aviv, Israelis young and old chanted “No, no war. Yes, yes Peace.” If only they were listened to.

Shalome and best wishes for a peaceful New year.

Oh Goody - Gifts!

My sister sent me an email the other day asking what I wanted for Christmas. My first thought was ‘oh goody gifts!’ and I rubbed my hands together in anticipation of…. Well I couldn’t think of what. I thought about DVDs but I can get those here, and online, for much cheaper than buying and mailing them. Then I thought of clothes (coz Carolyn has great taste) but then I couldn’t think of what in particular I needed. Since I move a lot, I really don’t need any more stuff to lug around. So I emailed my kind sister back a little sheepishly - I wrote, “why don’t you just make a donation to Emmanuel Center instead of buying me a gift.”

So if you’re like me and tired of buying and getting stuff, why not give to Emmanuel Center. We have even come up with Creative Christmas Cards, so you can truely share the joy of Christmas with the children at Emmanuel Center, and with your family and friends.

Here is how it works:
Pick a Christmas gift item from the list bellow. Donate the amount online and email lkell@sd48.bc.ca (my darling mother) who will mail you the card. You get a lovely card to give as a unique gift and the children at Emmanuel Center get something they need. You can also just give online in the name of a friend or family member. Any questions just email mom (lkell@sd48.bc.ca)!

Here are your gift card options:

Full of Beans - Beans are a staple component of the diet at Emmanuel Center. A gift of $75 will keep the children full of energy for a full month.

The Long Walk to School - School shoes cost about $15, and with 40 growing boys Emmanuel Center is always needing to replace somebody's shoes –the kids can't go to school without them.

Give Education - Secondary school isn't free in Kenya. In fact tuition fees are about $400. Therefore it isn't surprising that most kids miss out on a secondary education.

Got Your Goat? - For $40 there is nothing the kids at the center like more than having a goat to roast. In fact it's a Christmas tradition to slaughter a goat. Don't feel bad for the goat, celebrate with the kids who rarely enjoy meat and love using every part of the goat… the head makes soup… the hide makes drums… and you don't want to know what they do with the eyeballs.

Food in the Belly - It costs only $1000 to feed all 40 kids each month! That might not seem a lot compared to the typical grocery bill in a North American family, but it adds up at Emmanuel Center. So please consider feeding the whole center for a month through a generous donation.

Fun'n Games - The kids at Emmanuel Center literally wear out soccer balls –they play with them until the leather cracks and the stitching dissolves.Donations of $20 to our recreation fund replace soccer balls, buy other recreation equipment and even allow the boys to go on field trips hiking and camping.

Thank you to everyone who has given in 2008 - you helped educate 40 former street kids, gave them a home when they had no where else to go, and ensured they had a healthy, happy year!

A Christmas Story

One day, just a few days before Christmas, a little boy was looking for a place to lay his head and rest. He went to his Aunt’s house in Kibera slum, where his mom lay coughing up blood, but his Aunt said, “there is no room for you here.” He went to a church, but the pastor said, “there is no room for you here.” He went to the children’s AIDS hospice, where his brother lived, but the lady said sadly, “there is no room for you here.”
The little boy made himself a bed out boxes in a ditch. That night he dreamed of a soft bed, with a red Masi blanket.
The next day he went to a mosque that gives alms to street kids. He said thank you for the 20 shillings they gave him and asked if there was a place he could sleep. They said, “There is no room for you here.” He bought bananas, but he dreamed of eating a Christmas feast of goat and sweets.
The night he slept in his box in the ditch. He had just begun dreaming about shoes for his tired feet when he was woken by a police man with a stick beating him away. His tired feet ran, pitter patter, over the cracked pavement, broken glass and rotting garbage, and away from the police man.
He ran and ran and ran, until he found himself on the outskirts of Nairobi. The Ngong Hills rose up like seven knuckles and above the tallest peak was a bright star. The boy decided to climb to the star. His feet bled and his stomach rumbled but up, up he hike.
Along the way he was joined by Masi with their cattle. “Where are you going?” he asked them. “To the star,” they said. The little boy followed them and just before dawn they reach the highest peak and the star shone down illuminating all of Nairobi.
The little boy was tired and curled up on the grass. One of the Masi wrapped a red blanket around him and said, “if you dream under that star, your dreams will come true.” The little boy nodded sleepily and fell fast asleep.
He woke to the sound of children laughing. All around him little kids in new shoes were running up and down the hill. He smelt a sweet smell in the air and before he knew it a big boy thrust a bone under his noise. “Want some goat?” the big boy said.
The little boy hadn’t eaten meat in years and quickly munched on the bone. All of a sudden he didn’t feel tired any more. He ran up and down the hill with the other kids. One of them noticed his bleeding feet and handed him a pair of blue shoes, “you can have these ones, I have two pairs” he said. The little boy danced in his new shoes to the drumming and singing of the other kids. One of the big boys handed out sweets and said, “ok let’s get going,” and all the kids started to run down the hill.
The little boy ran after them calling, “Wait can I come.” The other children replied, “Of course, there is room for you here.”
The little boy found himself in a simple house, with a big room full of bunk beds – the sign over the door said Emmanuel Center. The children pointed to one soft mattress and said “you can sleep there,” and the little boy spread his red Masi blanket over it. “Merry Christmas,” he said to his new home.

I love to tell stories about the boys at Emmanuel Center and, while this isn’t a true story, I often think of the street kids in Nairobi when I hear the story of Mary and Joseph and how there was no room at the inn for them. There is no room for the 250,000 street children in Nairobi in most homes or orphanages in Kenya. Even more sadly, there is no room for them in the policies of governments and agencies that ignore their suffering. Even Emmanuel Center can only house, feed and educate 40 at a time. But we try to help those we can, hoping to remind them that they do a space in the hearts of people who care. This Christmas please consider sharing some of your Christmas joy with street kids in Nairobi. You can donate online at www.emmanuelcenter.com