Faith & Mercy Expendition to Help AIDS Orphans and FGM among Massai

Faith & Mercy Expedition - St. John, Rochester, MI Lead Team

I'm on my way home from Kenya after a successful and life changing Faith & Mercy Expedition. A lead team from St. John, Rochester, MI (See their Africa blog here.)

did a great job of updating their blog while they were in Kenya. Pictured above from left to right, are the St. John team, Mr. Kirk Radford, Mrs. Elizabeth Nelson, and Pr. Karl Galik. After Pr. Galik, Pr. Dennis Meeker [Springs of Life, Kibera, pastor] and Chairman Immanuel are pictured in the church. The team wanted to learn how they can help the ELCK (Evangelical Lutheran church in Kenya) with the millions of hungry and dying orphans as the result of the HIV\AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

It was a wonderful week as we experienced time and time again the constant suffering of the children and families in Kenya. "Thanks be to God," as Bishop O'bare said, as we witnessed the work of the ELCK.

There is much more to come as I continue to catch up from our trip. We will have many photos of the on-going work.

At the right and below are orphans from Kowengare and the Othoro orphanages. The expressionless look on the faces of AIDS Orphans who are not on ARVS (antiretroviral), the medicines which help the children get better and live with the HIV virus, often have this hopeless and emotionless look. The blank stare reflects how bad the children feel. No matter what I did, and I can get quite silly, the child's expression never changed.