Below are a few excerpts from members of the Michels Group who traveled to Kenya in April to celebrate the opening of the Sean Michels School for Special Needs.

___

I liked playing with the Kenyan boys and girls at Sean's school.  We played soccer for more than an hour in the hot sun.  The other kids can run real fast on bare feet, even on rocks and sticker bushes.  I made a new best friend; his name is Dixon.  Another boy had crooked feet but he was the best soccer player and ran real fast.  I liked Kenya and sleeping there but it was hot. 

Kyle Michels (Age 6)

I wish I had a gift for words and could express my feelings about our trip, but words can't even begin to tell  what an amazing experience we had with our new friends.  From the moment we arrived in Kenya, I loved the people and the place.  My heart broke for the poverty level and I wished that we could do more.  The look on the childrens'  faces was priceless and their smiles were pure joy.  A day hasn't passed since our return home that I haven't thought about our children, Sean's school, and the many friends we left behind.  We hope to return next summer and spend more time with our "adopted" children.

Lisa Michels

Our first arrival at the Sean Michels School for Special Needs Children was one of the highlights of my life.  I felt overwhelmed at the audience that had come their to greet us and to thank Koins for Kenya.  I was so surprised such a modest amount of money could go such a long way.  I also richly enjoyed working with some of the fathers of the children that would be using the school.  There was an instant comraderie and love between us, albeit from two dramatically different cultures.  I knew from working with them how grateful they were for the school, and that this investment would be taken care of for many years to come. 

Rowe Michels

After a crueling 2 days of traveling we arrived in Kenya.  Our flight from NY to London was delayed due to fog but we arrived at the airport almost 3 hours early and they offered to rebook us on an earlier flight.  Problem was that that flight ended up being delayed 3 hours and we missed our connection by 10 minutes.  Argh!!!!  Coach was delightful for the redeye over the pond.  British Airways only has one flight a day to Kenya from London so we feared a 24 hour layover.  Much to our surprise and pleasure, having missed our connection, British Airways rebooked us on Virgin Atlantic and  gave us a complimentary Hilton hotel room and

meals for the 7 hours we were to layover in London.  Yeah.  Not 24.  It, however, gave us two redeyes back to back.  So, having left home friday at 4:30pm we found ourselves in Nairobi at 6am Sunday very tired and still had a connection left to get to Mombasa.  We arrived in Mombasa at 9am, changed into our church clothes in the airport bathroom and went to sacrament meeting.  It was delightful.  The talks were excellent.  They had 6 missionaries there and some Americans on internships.  Afterwards we headed to the town of Mnyzani (about an hour outside of Mombasa).  Mombasa has over a million people and Mnyzani has 500-1000 in clusters of huts throughout a beautiful valley.  As we drove up in our bus we noticed balloons and many people (maybe 1000) gathered together for what

appeared to be an outdoor church service or politcal rally.  When we pulled up they all came to greet us.  It was a welcoming party and the official dedication of "The Sean Michels School for Special Children". There were dignataries present.  The superintendant of schools for all of Kenya was there to speak.  The program lasted 5 hours.  Yikes.  It was very touching.  The school was beautiful and Sean's picture (20"x30") and a beautiful hand carved sign was mounted to the front wall.  We met the special children, toured the school, had a ceremonial luncheon and mingled.  We stayed in the Koins Community Center (the charity we were working with).  They had a dorm for girls and a dorm for guys.  Two outdoor showers and two outhouses.  One did have a flush toilet (the centers leader is american and his wife won't visit without the flush toilet).  It was the lowest class of any vacation we have gone on for many years but will likely be the most memorable.  We have avoided uncooked food, drank liters of bottled water and eaten some very strange tasting food.  We have been very impressed by the dedication these humble people have shown to education and to this school project. They are simple, beautiful and happy.  They line the streets as we go by

waiving and saying "Jambo" which is hello in Swahili.  At our testimony meeting, Lisa Michels said the dedication and day at the school might just have been the best day of her life.  What more can I add to that?

Brian, Louise and kids

Kimberly Michels wrote an article for her high school newspaper that very eloquently sums up her trip to Kenya. You can read about it here.

_____________

The Michels family and friends have raised more than $50,000 to date for the building and maintaining of the Sean Michels School for Special Needs Children. This project was a labor of love for these families, but the return on their investment is evident in the comments and experiences they shared during their visit to Kenya. Koins for Kenya depends upon committed humanitarian minded people like the Michels’ to accomplish our work in Kenya. Every bit of every dollar donated goes toward the work. Our efforts are entirely voluntary, with no overhead taken or expenses paid by donations. If you are interested in contributing to Koins, you can make an online donation here.

If you have a project idea you would like to share, you can contact Ingrid or Bret to discuss your idea. The idea that “many hands make light work” applies well in the work we do in Kenya. There is much to be done, and we encourage any who are interested in helping to do so.

Asante Sana,

IVL