Good Friday - and not a Hot Cross Bun in sight

2nd April, 2010 - Posted by Helen Harrison -

They don’t do hot cross buns in Kenya - in fact out at the Village they don’t do bread of any type, but for three UK volunteers who are out at the Open Arms Village for a couple of weeks being at the Village is certainly giving a different perspective to life.

We (the threesome, plus Catherine who is out here for 3 months) have been in Eldoret all week, and as well as spending time staying at the Village and taking part in family life there, we have also been visiting the other work done by Open Arms.

So Good Friday in some ways was really just an average day at the Village, except at the back of our minds is the knowledge that Jesus was crucified on this day, for all people - including all the poorest and most vulnerable that we have seen this week. The street kids living on the rubbish dump, the little ones waiting in line for a plate of food at the feeding programme, the children at the Village who are now having lives transformed, and us - he died for us all.

The day was spent totally at the Village, with the wonderful families that we are all starting to feel part of. The children are really accepting us, rushing up with open arms for hugs and cuddles, rather than slowly and slightly cautiously as they were at the start of the week. The house-parents are giving us chores to do - an indication that we have moved from visitor to family status, and we are all having lovely conversations with them and really getting to know the reality of living at the Village and caring for so many children all of whom have their own histories of pain and trauma but are overcoming it in various ways.

So, although we didn’t have the UK tradition of hot cross buns today, Good Friday for us was a chance to show the love of Christ to those at the Village, in a feeble attempt to honour the love that Christ showed us through his death on the cross.

Happy Easter everyone, may you be blessed in many ways.