Alice had a day off from the hospital today, so I went for a couple of hours over to Kitoben to try to take some pictures of individual kids, and go through our files to review where all the kids are with school and life. It was fun being with Alice, just the two of us, and it seemed kind of like old times. Things have been a little strained between us off and on, I think because of the huge need before her. Today I felt like we were pulling in the same direction. That was very refreshing.

If I were an orphan, I would absolutely want Alice to be my adopted mom. She knows pretty much every detail about all 100 kids. She has a list of all the kids with their birthdays  When they come home for break, she has someone bake a cake and then they have a birthday party for everyone who had a birthday when they were away at school. Over and over she said, this or that was happening in their lives... single mother died, slave to relatives in different ways, only parent mentally ill, relatives not feeding them... So we took them in. It is just matter of fact, there is a need, and we met it. I believe this passion for the kids is totally God given, because no one could do this in their own strength.



Saying goodbye from the back of a hatchback

Also, she is doing individual fund raisers for each of the ones in college to meet their tuition. The money that some of us send through Nations to Nations is barely enough to get them through high school. One friend of ours and Alice's, Karen Tanksley, has talked about an idea where we could figure out financing for college loans. She had thought about trying to get sponsors, have the kids take out a loan for college, and pay half of it back. If anyone knows of any microfinance organization or other way to go about doing this, please let us know. It is a big need now and will get much bigger in the years to come. It would be great if we could do this college stuff thru another organization that was set up for loans.

When I first arrived today, Alice wasn't there. She was out sharing about Jesus door to door. She said "You said tell others, so I went to tell others. I went on this side (she pointed) this morning, and will go to this side this afternoon. A friend is gathering some people on the corner at noon for me to share with them. This Saturday we will have a children's rally on the lawn for all the kids on the airstrip. I will buy them something small and share with them, then our children will do D groups with them." WOW. Somehow in America I have made things more complicated than they need to be.