An Early Christmas Present for Collins & Rachel

In Mombasa for Christmas and the New Year sounded a great idea at the time but with Christmas Day fast approaching we were really missing our children and our new grandchild. It is completely different over here, yes the sun is shining and most local people go to the beach on Christmas Day but believe it or not we really missed our Manchester Christmas, not the running around the shops like a headless chicken but the time spent with friends and family, after eight weeks in this hot Kenyan sun you really do appreciate the wonderful lives we live back home.
On Christmas Eve we received a call that a brother and sister needed rescuing from another orphanage where abuse was rife, the authorities were trying to close it down as the person overseeing it was being arrested. We went to a terrible house in Bamburi where the Collins aged about 9 years old and his 5 year old sister Rachel were crying, they did not know what was happening. We picked them up, brought them to the local health centre for a check up and the routine malaria and AIDS test, both were negative, Thank God, and off we headed for the Good Life. Although Collins is a little older than our admission criteria of 0-5 years, we could not leave them in that terrible place. Miriam the House Mother for Maguire House was there to meet them, they were very quiet and their faces were blank.


Next morning Miriam showed Rachel her new outfit for Christmas Day, a beautiful red dress & bolero, her face broke into a smile and from that moment onward she has transformed into a happy little girl. Collins has spoken to Miriam at length about the abuse that happened at the other institution but as Miriam says with Gods guidance and the child counsellor’s one-to-one sessions he will overcome the terrible sights he has saw. Rachel will be starting our own little school on Monday 5th January and Collins has been admitted to a good local private school. So all is looking good for this brother and sister!!