Greetings from the Smith Family -

Winter-in-Africa-but-still-feels-like-it-should-be-called-summer break began with a not-so-fun, but memorable, trip to Aberdares National Park... not so fun because it was cold and rainy and we experienced just about every Kenyan snafu possible, from realizing our cottage "located on the edge of the park" was actually a three hour drive from the park, to not being allowed to hike without an armed guide (in case we stumbled across elephants of which we did not see one the entire time) who had to be paid for at a ranger station two hours outside the park, to accidentally drowning our entire bag of skittles (saved for this trip) with our water supply which overturned when we got stuck in the mud. Things brightened up as we spent the next four weeks enjoying visitors and spending lots of intentional time with the children on The Hill and in The Valley. We topped it all off with Uncle Ronnie time in the Maasai Mara. 

 

That's what we did...  

Visitors!

What we want to share in this letter is one of the special events we experienced...  

 

Her name is Vineous, and she was the first child to be cared for by The Valley community. She never knew her father because he died during a tribal border dispute a few months before she was born. Then, she lost her mother to AIDS three months after she was born. In fact, the only reason Vineous is alive today is because a well-wisher urged her mother to use medicine when she became pregnant and encouraged her not to nurse Vineous once she was born. Because of this, Vineous never contracted HIV and lived. 

Vineous (left) the day Oasis met her in 2012

Baby formula is as expensive in Kenya as it is in the US. However, with an average income of less than $2 per day for a working Kenyan, feeding a nutritious diet to a baby whose mother has died is nearly impossible. Vineous' shosho (grandmother) found herself smack dab in the middle of the impossible. She was a widow herself and lived off the yield from her small field of crops. How was she to ensure Vineous' survival?  

Shosho Vineous and Ann

Shosho struggled for several months, feeding Vineous a thin watery porridge, but even that was a challenge. She finally took her to the church and begged the pastor for help. Pastor Moses had compassion on little Vineous and took her into his own home. She was the first of many children he would come to care for as his own. When the community heard of this now public situation, they helped... and they brought more children. And so The Valley Children's Home began.
 

Last week, we had the privilege of introducing Vineous to two of the members of her sponsor family. Words cannot begin to describe the magic that happened at that moment. For Kathy and Rose to see, face to face, the child for whom they've prayed and sacrificed, and for Vineous, who has clung to a picture and some words on a page, to tangibly feel arms of love wrapped around her - it moved us in the deepest regions of our souls. When God brings two worlds together over the love of a child, it is miraculous and awe inspiring. We can only rejoice in our simple human ways and praise Him!
 

Rose, Vineous, and Kathy

Shosho Vineous praying with the Fords. Two worlds collide over the love of a child!

Over the next three months, we plan to add 20 children to the sponsorship program at The Valley! If you feel called to step into the life of a child at The Valley, we welcome you with open arms. Please contact Oasis and we can get you set up with this life-giving opportunity. info@oasisfororphans.org

Thank you so much for all you do to support our family. We greatly appreciate your prayers and your monthly gifts that allow us to remain here.  

 

Much love -
Ann for the Smith Family

Caleb meeting his sponsor, Katie, in The Valley

Frank and Zoe meeting their kids in The Valley