A Trip that Continues in Our Hearts
By Tom D’Agostino (Great Nephew of Father D’Ag)
When our parents told us in January they were considering taking us to Nairobi, Kenya, we couldn’t believe it. They wanted us to see what our Uncle Angelo [Father Angelo D’Agostino, Nyumbani’s founder] had built with the help of so many wonderful people.
Our visits with our uncle had always been special—he made several trips to Minnesota to see us and share his mission and vision about Nyumbani—so the opportunity to witness this firsthand was something very special. We wish he could have been there in person to be our guide, yet his presence was felt so strongly during our journey.
We worked as a family to pull the preparations together—Visa’s, flight arrangements, travel physicals (and vaccinations, as our 6-year-old brother Joe dreaded).
Besides the journey itself, we were excited about taking donated items with us. The staff at Nyumbani gave us a wish list, and we got to work gathering the items. One of our parent’s friends helped set up a blog where we posted the wish list. The blog also served as a means for us to communicate with friends and family about our visit to Nyumbani. [The site is still up at www.dagsinnairobi.blogspot.com]. The blog was a wonderful way to share the story of Nyumbani with hundreds of people.
On March 25, we set out on our journey with ten boxes weighing about 50 pounds each. The boxes included books, clothing, a photo printer and ink, toothbrushes and toothpaste and other miscellaneous items for the three programs—the Nyumbani Home, Lea Toto and Nyumbani Village.
We were greeted at the airport by Sister Mary and the Nyumbani school bus which was needed since we were a family of six with 18 pieces of luggage AND THE TEN BOXES? OR IS THAT INCLUDED? When customs asked our business in Kenya, and my Mom showed them the letter from Sister Mary, they waved us on without question.
Sister Mary, Protus and Sister Julie obviously gave a great deal of thought to our visit—we saw and did it all. We often wondered how they could keep the kind of schedules they kept, and we decided it was God providing them the energy. We also felt the presence of Uncle Angelo throughout the journey—so many of the people we met had such high regard for him. The older children who knew him missed him deeply, and I think they felt a sense of his presence through us. His picture is found everywhere, and it was incredible to witness the affection for him.
We have begun processing what this trip meant to us as a family, and we know that it may be months or years before we fully appreciate what we experienced. We will never forget the reactions of the children as they saw our little brother Joe for the first time and raced to rub his head. They did so, because while they’ve seen many adults, to see a Caucasian child of just 6 was unusual so he often became the center of attention, but he handled it well and has already said he misses his new friends.
Our brother Timmy (10 years old) is a little shy, but he didn’t show it—the universal past-time of sports was all it took to get Tim involved with the children. He also was impressed with how dedicated the children were to their studies and their chores.
My brother Rob (12 years old) is really compassionate and loves food. He paid particular attention to the food of Kenya and joined the older kids listening to music and dancing. We sponsored a pizza party one night during which my brothers and I performed a few skits. One afternoon, we made one of our favorite Italian cookie recipes for afternoon tea.
My own memories (I am 14) include the drives on really rough roads and how packed the roadways were with people walking. Some were heading to find work. Many women carried water for the day. Children tended to their cattle and goats. Life there is very different in that it is much more labor intensive. I will also remember the wonderful “mums” and “uncles” at the orphanage and how they welcomed us as if we were their own children. I will also remember the “mums” that we met in the Lea Toto program. We didn’t speak the language, but we connected in a special bond. The Nyumbani Village was incredible. I am a science buff, and I could write several columns on how incredible the Village is with its self-sustaining, eco-friendly design.
What amazed all of us the most was the love and compassion of the staff and Lea Toto clients as well as the sophistication of the programs. In a country where even water is a treasured resource, it was incredible to see all that has been done.
It is likely this will not be our only journey to Nyumbani—even those of us in the family that don’t return there physically will be making the trip over and over in our heads and our hearts. We hope to find a way to contribute at new levels and in new ways, and we hope our journey will inspire others to do the same.
