When one door closes another one opens

After spending a few days on the beautiful beaches of Mombasa; soaking up the sun on the brilliant white beaches, swimming in the warm crystal clear Indian Ocean, and Dancing the night away with some of the greatest volunteers and friends I have ever meet, I returned to Kitengela eager to spend my last few days playing with the school kids. It was unfortunate that in my last days here the public school teachers all across Kenya would banned together and go on strike because they are under paid. Yes, sadly that means no school, no kids and for me...no saying good bye to my school kids! I have been extremely disappointed and have felt empty....I don't want to leave without saying good by and letting each kid know how proud I am of them and the hope I will always have for them! Well, I decided to write letter to each class expressing my feelings and memories we have shared. I literally spent almost a whole day writing letters! It was totally worth it and at least I feel some closure.

But when one door closes in life, God always opens another one! I was able to attend a private school and help the kids there! It was again another incredible experience! This private school is funded by a single teacher and is a fantastic learning environment for the kids! The are feed, teachers teach classes, the school is kept clean, and a lot of extra-curricular activities are provided for them. These may seem like simple necessities for schools in America, but for Kenya....the are extremely rear to find. I look forward to my last few days spent in the presences of these soon-to-be pace-setters of the world!

SWAG Ni O!

He's got Attitude and is going places in life! No one can tell this little man what to do

My St. Louis Gang. They are Brilliant

What can I say, We love pictures!

He is like me but...black...and much younger...

These kids are definitely going places in life!

We read the Dr. Seuss Classic! They got so many meanings out of the story!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”  We are the ones who determine our own destinies! We can be the "winniest-winners" if we choose to be!
but sometimes we wont be the best and “You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.” Life is hard and juggling it all can be rather difficult but...its our choice what we make of each day! So remember....“You're off to Great Places!Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 

Greg and Alan what me to share with my friends and family that they know with faith we can all move mountains! The also promise that one day they will visit us in America, but wont stay because they want to continue helping Kenya. Oh the Places we can all go!

 They Inspire me!

Also, I would like to give a shout out to Olivia from China for letting me borrow her camera and memory stick to capture some of these great memories! Leave it to the Chinese to save the game! So Clutch!!! Thanks Olivia!

Time- can be your best friend or it can be your worst enemy. Today I am not sure which one it is! There are too many emotions and experiences that have filled my adventure here and now that it is coming to an end I am not sure what to do. I have recently adapted a great motto to my life it is "Take it one day at a time." It has helped me get through a lot of trials, live in the joy of each moment, and stay stress free. (For those of you who know me you will laugh at that last one, but yes even Matt Olson can sometimes be "stress-free") So I continue to take it one day at a time and know that each new sun rise brings with it a new hope, a new adventure, and new moments that will shape our lives and bring us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ!

The last weeks here have been extremely busy and I apologize for not finding the time or the place to post more blogs, stories, and pictures of the amazing things that have been happening here in Kenya.
I hope to share a few more precious experiences before I leave this beautiful land of Africa. However, it is my disappointment to say that there will be no more pictures due to a my stolen bag, which had my most precious items in it...my camera with its many many captured memories! If you wish to see a few pictures you can visit my Facebook account @  https://www.facebook.com/mathew.olson.581 as I try to use my "not-so-smartphone" to Instagram. You just gotta love life and its unexpectancies which make you figure out new ways to accomplish your desired tasks.

Sweet Mangoes and Sweet Times

Our last weeks here in Kenya have proven to be action packed, full of amazing, funny, insane experiences. We spent a lot of wild and crazy time with "the Germans" in the rain trying to push out a stuck car. We were all covered in sticky red mud, head to  toe.  We called our selves the "Mazungu Gang" and decided to help any stupid idiot, who tried to climb the slick road in their little cars and vans. We had a ball playing like little school kids in  the mud and rain.

We visited two different orphanages, one of which is kept  for those kids who are HIV positive. But you would have never been able to tell because these kids where full of energy and wore huge smiles consistently! We played and played until we dropped to the ground! And then the kids played on and around us. Me and Alexis went and bought them a special little treat...>Mangoes< Every single kid and adult in the orphanage squalled with joy as we cut them open and gave the sweet, juicy, bright yellow and orange colored mangoes out to eat. Juice dripped down chins, and  little mouths scraped and sucked every last drop piece of mango f leash of the peal.Then they ate the peal. I laughed and laughed as I watched with shear joy. We ate mangoes until until our bellies were puffed out. Nothing could have been better than Sweet Mangoes and these Sweet Times.

These Pictures will describe it all--- and in my opinion are even sweeter than the mangoes we ate that day!!!

Sorting through died beans so we can eat them for dinner. It only took us all a couple of hours, no big deal

Next Micheal Jordan

Looking good princess

  Yummy Yummy

The Kids room, the sleep 3 or 4 to a bed!

Mom they are coming home with me!

Nap time!

Wanna come and play too?

Miss Diva

Best Friends for Life!

Honestly this little boy is my favorite!

Whats sweeter....him or the mango?

Soooo Delicious!

"Give me more, I promise i'll share!" ya right ha ha

Living on the Street

 It went like this: Friday morning 4 am, we have a few friends from our orphanage come and help make 3 big buckets of tea. We then take 80 bananas, 30 loaves of bread, butter and jam and head to the streets of Nairobi to gather the street kids for breakfast! The sun had not yet began to show its glorious warm rays as we took to the streets to wake the kids. At first I couldn't see them, then I saw their little heads poke out of the trash that surrounded the side of the road! Many of them had only a burlap sack to sleep in, if they were lucky an old ragged blanket. I was stunned when the first boy slid out of this garbage-bag bed and rubbed his tired eyes. He couldn't have been older than my youngest brother Daniel. The tears got caught somewhere in my dry throat. They didn't begin  sliding, unseen, down my cheek until I woke up a Mother and her baby girl huddled against a brick wall for warmth. I had  to quickly pull myself together and head back to the meeting place, where the girls had the food and tea ready to distribute! One by one they all came trickling in, clothed in their uniquely stylish grubby clothes, hands shaking with the bitter chill of morning and smiles covering their faces! (As a side note, I find it extremely motivating to always see these Kenyans in such horrible conditions with warm smiles on their faces. It as if they know as long as the smile stays on their face they can make it through whatever life deals them! We can all learn a lesson from them!) The steam rose as Alexis and I poured freash hot tea, filling and refilling their cups with their sweet invigorating liquid of life. Laughter and thanks from Men, Women, and Kids of all ages soon filled the air with happiness. Kids would eat half their sandwiches and then stuff the rest into their dirty pant pockets for later! Some found empty bottles in the butter and poured tea to save. Honestly it is difficult to describe my feelings...happy to be able to help and give to those in such need, Sad for the kids who are left by family on the street to survive by themselves, Motivated to work hard and continually give to those in greater need than I, hopeful for these kids to still have a good future, and mostly just grateful to know that the God in heaven is watching over all of his children and providing for them!

How often do you take the time to thank God that you have a house? or a job, or a family? One boy that I meet told me he thanks God everyday when he wakes up because he has a chance to find food for him and his little brother. He was 12 years old and not only had to provide for himself but for his younger brother. I looked into his eyes and saw intense pride and lasting hope. 12 years old and this boy had faced the wrath of the world that most of us only see in our worst night mares! What do you say to a kid that tells you his family couldn't take care of him and put him on the street to survive?  What do you tell a 22 year old boy, that has lived more than half his life on the street, "somehow, someway, sometime" he will come and live with me in America and all his worries will be gone? What do you do when all the food and tea has ran out and a little girl comes up and desperately asks for more? My mouth couldn't spit out any words, my mind was at an absolute blank. Instead I warped each in my arms and silently prayed with all my heart that one day they could feel the joy life has to offer.

I know that I have said, "this is an unforgettable experience! " at least 100 times but this time I pray that I will never forget this experience, any of it, the smell of their dirty clothes, the feel of their rough hands on mine, the smiles on their worn-out faces, and the way they tried to walk with dignity and pride.

I Want to give a special thanks to the three coolest Germans Maika, Mara and Tobias for helping organize this life changing event and inviting me to join in with them! They are incredible!!!

"How many more loafs do we have left?" "maybe like 15! Keep working!"

This picture not only shows off our hard work but my brand new hair cut! Don't you love it? We can play Tic Tac Toe any time we want...on my head! Atleast all the Kenyans love it and think I am some famous person! ha ha Gotta love Kenyan Style!

Our Good friends from the orphanage,  mwaniki and Gabu spent  all night boiling water and milk for the tea! They both use to live on the street and showed me where they use to sleep!

The Back Streets of Nairobi

Pos'n for a picture

Enough Said!!!

My Best friends from the streets! They are going to get in a box and ill put them on a plane to America! They even taught me their secret handshake!

Tobias is just chill'n with the kids before we head home!

Words cant even describe!

Full and Happy- Even Street kids have SWAG!

This was one of the mothers and her daughter that I woke up!

Alexis's New boyfriends! She is great with the kids!

Mohacs are in and this kid is proud of his.

Colors---Lifes Way of saying, "I love you!"

Bright, Bold, Beautiful colors, covered the little dark faces that surrounded me. It was like I was caught in the most colorful rainbow, that I had some how painted with my own two hands! It was gorgeous. Laughter and giggling filled the warm humid air around me. Girls twirling in there ripped, brown stained dresses as if they were Cinderella at her first Ball. Beautiful flowers and masks covered their faces, leaving only their intense loving eyes twinkling like stars in the cool night sky.  Boys pretended to be spider man or superman with their coinciding masks. They majestically jumped from rock to rock, rolling on the ground and tackling each other. Fierce courage shown in their eyes, as they tried to be the hero they longed for in their own lives. Black bodies mixed with soft sky blues,  deep cheery reds, and  blinding sunflower yellow to create a picture which will forever be painted in my memory. Each color seemed to represent life itself, the difficulties and heart breaking trails streaked with joyful and rich happy moments. It all blurred into one big picture of their lives, of my life, and of the life God has given us all.

Little Vadimo can hardly wait to become a true princess

Margret is a pretty Flower Angle, always smiling and helping other!

Who said I couldn't paint? I am an art teacher after all, well at least here in Kenya anyways.

Our Little Hero's!

Wanted a tribal warrior tattoo? I wanted to cover his whole body like that, but Momma said no. oh well!

The little details in life and art are very important!

Face painting was an incredible I did that proved to show us all that we all are given a picture in life and its our choice what colors we use to paint it! The kids also  taught me that your never to old to pretend and dream of being somebodies hero, like spider man!

"There are too few characters out there, flying around like Spider-man, saving old girls. And Lord knows, kids need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero! People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady and strong..."

Alexis is the real artist here! She usually does everything better than me!

I just hope that I have been a Hero to these kids, because they have all been my hero teaching me to be courageous and strong and to always hold on a little longer, hoping and praying.

"Who am I? You sure you want to know? The story of my life is not for the faint of heart. If somebody said it was a happy little tale... if somebody told you I was just your average ordinary guy, not a care in the world... somebody lied." These Boys and Girls are extraordinary and will lead lives of greatness! I have no doubt!!!