Submitted article
On Oct. 12, Arlene Kay Smith presented her mission trip to Kenya at the Crestline Public Library. Smith, a nurse, spent a month in Kenya this summer at the New Beginnings Children Center in Nyasoti, Kenya, Africa. The NBCC is the only project in the Suba District of Kenya that offers a safe place for orphaned and needy children to live and grow.
Smith helped with the wellness clinic and treated everything from a scratch to AIDs. The kids loved band aids and Smith really enjoyed helping the children.
Conditions in Kenya are very different than here in the U.S., and Smith remarked that water was carried from a well up a hill to the center every day, and had to be filtered to drink and carried in a bucket to “shower.” The center has no electricity and kerosene lamps are used for light. She spoke about the cultural differences and the food.
Smith was able to take a tour of the Masai Mara which is a wildlife area. She saw all types of animals in their native habitat including lions, hippos, cheetahs, giraffes and monkeys. Smith plans on going back for two months next summer. Arlene brought back a Masai shield and mask and donated it to the library.
Anyone interested in helping to sponsor Smith’s next trip can contact her through the library 419-683-3909.