May 25, 2012
Watoto Trip to Nairobi National Park
Late last year, the leaders at Amani Kenya had a special treat for the Amani Watoto -- children of Amani ladies who participate in the kids’ camp Amani hosts during school holidays. Amani Watoto is organized by the women of Amani and supported through the generosity of donors. After a year of studying the Creation story at Amani Watoto, the children took a day trip to Nairobi National Park. It was an amazing chance for the children to witness the wonder of Creation. The park is just outside the city and home to some of the iconic East African wildlife that lives in the rolling hills surrounding Nairobi. For many, it was the first time they had ever seen the famous wild animals in their natural habitat.
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After the trip, Joyce Muraya, Amani Kenya’s Country Director, reflected on the impact the visit had on the children and their mothers.
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Amani is still echoing with the joy of visiting the park. Mothers keep bringing reports of how memorable the trip was for their children. Keziah slipped into my office yesterday morning to tell me her son woke up early to go and tell his friends about Amani Watoto and the visit to the National Park. There are many such stories. Laetisha, mother of Brian (13), Yvonne (11), Anna (8), and Manu (5), tells this story about her family's visit to Nairobi National Park:On the Friday preceding the Watoto camp, I informed my children that this year they would only have one day of camp. They were very disappointed, until I told them that they were going on a trip to the game park as a culmination of their studies of the Creation story. They all got very excited. Manu, my youngest, kept jumping up and down. On the eve of the trip, I arrived home from Amani to find the children had picked out and even ironed their clothes for the trip. That night they did their chores cheerfully, singing songs they had learned at Amani Watoto. They were so excited that their father asked, “What is happening tomorrow? Is it Christmas yet?” Yvonne responded, “Tomorrow is better than Christmas! We are going to the park to see all the animals God created!” The next morning I got up early hoping to prepare breakfast before the children woke up. But as soon as they heard movement they all woke up to prepare for the big day ahead. Breakfast disappeared, dishes were done, and the house was tidied in no time. Anxiously Yvonne said, “Mom you are delaying us. Will we be left by the bus?” I asked, “If I make you late will you be upset with me?” Yvonne replied, “Honestly I think I will be upset.” However Brian responded, “I would not be upset with you mom, because if you were not at Amani we would never have had these great opportunities.” We prayed and left for Amani. We arrived at 7 am, long before everyone else. After the trip, the children said they want to learn the Creation story every year, so that we can go back to the game park every year.I suspect that we have set an impossibly high bar for future Watoto camps, but I know that the children will never forget the creation story. We thank God for His provision. We thank all our friends for allowing God to use them to touch the lives of this very special group of children. I have grown in faith because of this experience.
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