On March 13, 2014, a sun-drenched Tuesday afternoon on the grassy lawn of our children’s home, we all gathered in anticipation once more. With the backdrop of the Kijabe escarpment stretched out like a waiting canvas, it seemed as perfect a day as any to add another tiny life to our growing family at Naomi’s Village. The eyes of our 50 children and their aunts and uncles searched the distance for the first sign of our vehicle, and listened for its horn. Baby Julia, just 45 days old, was coming.
Julia, named in honor of Julia Harris Mendonsa (Auntie Julie), came to Earth unwanted. She was unceremoniously deposited at a police station shortly after birth, then processed through a drab children’s department office in transit to Naivasha General Hospital. Instead of being celebrated, kissed, held, treasured, adored, and lifted in thanks to the God who made her…she was discarded.
Naomi's Village, an abandoned baby's life changes forever when he is adopted into the family of God
Honking in the distance summoned our happy crowd to life. Jumping children began to squeal loudly and within seconds the Landcruiser hit the gate and roared to a stop in front of us. Out popped the princess, the party began, and the great abandonment was over. Julia got smothered in kisses, passed back and forth, almost fought over. She will never know of those unwanted 45 days that preceded the life we will now begin printing on the tracks of her mind, the one full of consistent love from a big healthy family.
Naomi's Village Christian Orphanage; Adopted children attending Cornerstone Preparatory Academy located in Maai Mahiu, Kenya, a truck-stop town in Eastern Africa
Our family knows two things for sure. First, there seems to be a growing disregard for the value of precious babies in Kenya, as they are being tossed aside like unwanted burdens so commonly these days. In less than 33 months, we have taken in 6 abandoned babies at NV, beginning with premie Mary in July 2011.
Naomi came next, found at just 3 pounds in size in a barren field, in April 2012. Moses and Mercy were discarded in a coal dump and on the steps of a school, respectively, on the same day in May 2013. Jacob almost died of sun exposure in an empty lot, at just 2 days old, in September 2013.
Second, our family now lives with a settled certainty that Julia will have a great future. The staff and other children have witnessed Mary’s transformation from a tiny premature infant, weighing less than 2 pounds at Kijabe Hospital, to a healthy 3 year-old toddler with normal developmental milestones and a beautiful personality.
Naomi's Village, where abandoned children are transformed by the love of Christ
We have marveled together at the emergence of Mercy’s unique charm and coordination from the starting point of her arrival as one with severe failure to thrive just 10 months back. Our baby room staff can work wonders with consistent love, stimulation, a restful schedule, nutrition, and early childhood development training. The new wooden crib we purchased for Julia has stars cut out of its cypress boards, and we can all see the prophetic meaning in that.
The world continues to spin on its axis, and nations fret over global warming, deforestation, squandered natural resources like water and such. Consumers are increasingly encouraged to consider what they throw away, as so much of our trash ends up in landfills, ruining our precious environment.
Naomi's Village Co-Founder Julie Mendosa holds adopted baby Julia
Yet there are more valuable resources than all of these, and these resources are being squandered at an alarming rate in sub-Saharan Africa every day. Left in fields and dumps, on steps and in hospitals, these future artists, physicians, business leaders, musicians, and world leaders might just as well be trash. But given traction in the form of love, of hope, of opportunity, they might just change everything.
LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT THE MINISTRY OF NAOMI’S VILLAGE
Naomi’s Village believes that a lasting solution to the orphan crisis must come from within Kenya. To this end, Naomi’s Village is seeking more than just simple child rescue. Their vision is to raise these precious adopted children to one day be part of the answer to the cries of their peers.
Naomi’s Village provides warm nurturing love, full nutrition, healthcare, excellent education, leadership training, spiritual care and counseling, and exposure to the world at large.
They constantly encourage the children to be actively involved in service to the poor as they grow at Naomi’s Village. In doing so they hope to raise the leaders of tomorrow, who will go and multiply the redemptive work of God in Kenya.
Click here to learn more about sponsoring a child or making a donation Naomi’s Village
Sonoma Christian Home Online Magazine is honored to be an official sponsor for Naomi’s Village. To help our readers get to know more about this ministry, SCH will be publishing a series of articles, videos and blogs on the important work Bob and Julie are doing for the Kingdom. We know know you will be captivated by this amazing ministry and fall in love with them, just like we did.
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