Kill Them With Kindness

   Fist thing in the morning we were preparing to go to town and buy things for the baby home that they were needing. Lisa and I stopped by Pastor Ruth's house first to see what her plan was for the day, then we were going to straight to town to purchase necessary items like, mops, buckets, clothes bins, etc. It took us a long time to get all the things we needed. By the time we got to Smile Africa it was around noon. Lisa and I unpacked all the items and started to organize the baby home a little more. In the back of my mind I was still really concerned about Bogere. I knew that these people could have easily kidnapped him from school. As we organized the babies things, I just prayed quietly.

   I looked out the window and saw children from Bogere's school coming back home to Smile Africa. I saw one child after another, but not MY child. 30 minutes had passed, every single child that was in Bogere's class had arrived, except for him. I got worried and went to tell Pastor Ruth. She told me that she was also watching for him and had grown nervous as well. We asked the other school children where he was and finally one little boy told us that he had gotten in trouble at school so the teacher made him sweep the classroom floor. I was so relieved.

   Even though my nerves had calmed down a lot, I was scared of what might happen to him if I am not around. Bogere's aunt and step-father can easily kidnap him from school any day, so we wanted to tread lightly with these people and be as kind as possible, so that they will cooperate with us. Not any easy thing to do, but we had no choice, we needed to "Kill Them With Kindness".

  Even though the little boy told me where Bogere was, I still wanted to make sure I saw him come through the gate with my own eyes. Instead of seeing Bogere come through the gate, I saw 2 other people…Bogere's aunt and step-father. My heart sunk to my feet. I ran and grabbed Pastor Ruth and we all sat down outside her office. I looked into that man's eyes, which used to make me fill with fear, but now it's like this "mama wolf" personality comes out. That man killed Bogere's mother, told me he wanted me dead, and threatened to kill Bogere 3 times, well 3 times that I know of for sure. 

   I am looking at this man wondering why he thinks that he can just kill people and get away with it. The God I serve says, "Vengeance is mine." So I will let God deal with him, and to be honest, God will hold this man to higher consequence than I ever could. So I find peace in that. I am looking at this man and I can tell by the way he is looking at me that he knows I know what he did. He knows I know the truth. I stare at him intensely until he looks away from me. I then look at the aunt…wait a second…I KNOW THIS LADY! Pastor Ruth is talking to them in Swahili, so I need to be quiet and let her speak, but my heart is pounding 100mph. I can feel myself getting hotter and hotter.

   THIS IS THE LADY WHO TRIED TO PUT ME IN JAIL! This was the lady who told the police that Bogere's step-father did NOT beat this woman to death, that actually I was the one who killed her. There was so much emotion running through me but you wouldn't have been able to tell. I sat perfectly still. Then I thought to myself, "You have got to be kidding me! They want me to give my children to a man that killed their mother, threatened to kill Bogere and myself, and to a lady who tried to put me behind bars for helping these children! This has got to be a sick joke!"

   Bogere's aunt is the sister to Bogere's mother, and she looks just like her. I could never understand why she would try to protect the man who killed her own sister, but there are a lot of things I will never understand. Just then I looked up and saw Bogere walking through the gate from school. I jumped out of my chair and ran to him. Bogere was smiling at me and I picked him and held him so close. I carried him back to my seat where the 2 family members were seated. Bogere is afraid of that man, and I don't blame him, so he sat on my lap and stayed close to me. I wanted him close to me so I could easily protect him.

   Bogere's aunt then asked that we build her home so she can take care of Bogere and his siblings, which we obviously said no. Then Bogere's step-father asked that we pay his rent for one month, which we again said no. We finally said good-bye to these people and told them that we would again speak with them on Monday. We were trying to be as nice as possible. Once they left I asked Pastor Ruth, "How can this lady claim that she is able to take care of these children and then in the same sentence ask us to build her home? If she was able to take care of them, she would not need our help." Ruth simply agreed with me, she too could not understand what they were thinking.

   We then had a staff meeting about how the dedication was supposed to go on Friday. We had a lot of things to organize and to plan. IF everything goes according to plan, the dedication will run smoothly and be a successful event. I am so excited for Friday! AND my dad comes on Friday!! 

   Finally the day was over and Lisa and I went back to our hotel. I had to take a quiz for school, which was due on the day of the dedication, so I wanted to complete it early. Once I finished the school work, I laid down in my bed, tucked in my mosquito net, and prayed…hard. Bogere has come such a long way. When I first took this boy under my wing, he was hurting other children, running away, ditching school, throwing stones at the teachers, cussing people out, beating his siblings with sticks, and he was only 6 years old.

   Now, this same boy LOVES people, prays over the food, and prays for people hurting. Bogere also helps his little siblings, including the babies that aren't really his sibling, like baby Caleb. Bogere tells people not to hurt other people and is becoming a great leader. I prayed that these people wouldn't take him and allow him to go back to his old behaviors. I am so proud of Bogere and how far he has come. I love my son.