My trip summary

I was looking for an amazing adventure that would help me see the grace of God, gain perspective, and help me build new friendships. I achieved that on the first day in Nairobi. We covered an unbelievable amount of ground in a week with two or three significant experiences each day – each of which occupy several pages in my journal. Some highlights:
 I saw joy at Mamlaka Chapel where we participated in a 2 hour worship service that felt like 15 minutes.
 I saw beautiful handicrafts and shrewd negotiators at the Masai Market.
 I saw hope at New Life Homes where babies are rescued and positioned for a full life that can lead to giving back to the community (since the home has been around for ~20 years some of the “babies” are now in law and medical school).
 I saw happiness in the faces of orphaned older children at The Ark who live together as a family.
 In the Mathare slum, I saw extreme poverty as people lived in closet sized hovels with uneven dirt floors, no electricity, and leaky roofs. I saw an initial disbelief in our group that children could learn and thrive in this environment. As we met the children and teachers of St. Phillips School, I saw perseverance, a thirst for knowledge, discipline, and strong faith. I saw how life sustaining a simple bowl of porridge that costs only pennies a day can be since many of the children at the school receive their only meal of the day there. In 25 year old Professor Nelson I saw a commitment to teach and help these children break out of the poverty they are in. I saw a place that helps children learn to set goals and believe they can achieve them through God’s grace. I learned how $50 a month is enough to take an 8th grade graduate of the school and send him or her to a boarding school in the country to complete their high school education.
 At Kazuri Beads I saw how >200 single mothers can earn a sustainable living wage making beautiful beads out of clay.
 Riding between sites, I saw hundreds of people manually digging ditches and saw men in suits walking miles from any apparent place of living or work
 At the Renguti School outside of Nairobi I saw how small investment of $100/month could lead to the founding of a school that now serves over 200 kids. I saw children with a thirst for education. I saw how important something as simple as a pair of shoes can be when a child has to walk 6 miles to school. I saw how a church, school, and clinic can co-locate to the serve the broader needs of a community. I saw first grade children who knew who their president was and ours. I saw how HIV positive and special needs kids can mix harmoniously with “normal” kids. I saw 5th grade kids learning Spanish in addition to English and Swahili.
 At the hospital in Kikuyu I saw a peaceful place to seek medical care and I saw a prosthetic workshop where artificial limbs are made in an affordable manner for patients who have had accidents, cancer, or diabetes.
 At Amani ya Juu (meaning “higher peace” in Swahili) I saw a refugee cooperative where women of different tribes, faiths, and countries come together in harmony to produce beautiful sewing projects and make a living wage. I saw a woman from Tennessee who was visiting for 3 weeks to teach sewing techniques. I saw an African proverb on the wall that states “If the leaders starts to limp the followers will too.”
 At New Life Homes in Nyeri I saw how a newer, smaller orphanage is integral to infant rescue and adoption processes. I saw love and kindness in the faces of the family that runs the place. I learned how HIV positive babies can become HIV negative with proper care and nutrition.
 At Tumutumu Hospital I saw the strength and longevity of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa which established the hospital over 100 years ago. During home visits to HIV patients, I saw how strong families care for each other and learned how hospital and social workers would literally carry patients on their backs so they could reach care. I saw a group of missionaries humbled as a dying HIV patient was so strong in her faith that she wanted to pray for us.

If I had to sum up what was special about the trip it was the people who:
 Graciously offered hospitality, displayed joy, and had a richness of faith that comes from focusing on the things that really matter
 Appeared unfazed by hard work, rain, walking long distances, or lack of the many of the things we would consider “necessities”
 Are not looking for a handout but would welcome a hand
 Live the view that “you may be able to change the whole world but you can change the world for one person”

I take away a deeper understanding of the inverse correlation between “stuff” and “happiness” (with less possessions, there is less separation from God and ultimately greater happiness) and a commitment to give back to the people of Kenya. I hope I can play a part in educating and energizing our congregation but regardless I know that I can change the life of a child by helping to pay for secondary education and hopefully impact many children by helping to supplement teacher salaries.

Hike up Mount Kenya

Seven hearty soles adventured up Mount Kenya. The scenery and fellowship were awesome. We started at the Sirimon Gate (8694 feet above sea level) and climbed to 16,355 feet over 3 days. The peak ascent started at 3:15 AM in driving rain and included hands and feet scrambling up icy car size rocks in the snow and darkness. Our longest day included over 17 miles of hiking!

We had an entourage of about 17 guides, cooks, and porters. Despite the hard work of carrying the heavy loads, they were always cheerful and professional. We knew we were in good hands when we found out the leads were named Moses, Peter, and Paul. The conversations with our hosts were fascinating and provided insight into a day in the life of a Kenyan. Rebecca talked with one porter about living with family. He could not understand that we did not live with our parents. "Then everyone needs their own house?" I talked with a guide who said that he worked at a bank for 3 years after high school until the bank manager told him he would have to pay a bribe to keep his job. One porter told me he would make around $30 for the 4 day trip - it was not great work but it was work. Given the economy, the next trip is not scheduled for 2 months!

As I reflect on the Africa trip as a whole, one of the take aways for me is from a sign I saw somewhere along the way. It said "You may not change the whole world but you can change the world for one person." I am convinced that small efforts on our part can have meaningful and lasting impact on people in Kenya - yet the ultimate benefits may be realized here based on what we learn and how we grow in our faith.

Day 6 and Home Again

On Thursday morning, following another night of rain showers on the tin roof, we set off to tour the hospital at Tumutum. Even though the conditions were below U.S. standards, the good care being given to the patients was obvious. The tour included the medical/surgical and maternity wards as well as the HIV counseling and testing clinic. After the tour, we divided into 2 groups to go into the community with the home health care nurses. The visits were one of the highlights of the trip for me. We were able to see how the network of staff and volunteers was reaching into the communities to care for others. We visited a grandmother caring for her 8 year old orphaned grandson - both parents having died of AIDS; we climbed a hill up a muddy path and met a couple - grandfather 85 and grandmother 76 - caring for their 3 orphaned grand daughters. We witnessed how the nurse and the social worker cared for the families and for their patients. Our last stop was at a children's home/orphanage housing 185 students age 8 - 20. Many are orphaned but some have parents who just can't take care of them. There we met Eunice and Virginia - the headmistress and the President of the local congregation. They welcomed us - embraced us - and prayed for us and our families as we left them. Our closing devotions and communion on Thursday evening were especially moving. We have been changed by the experience - we are trying to determine what God would have us do although we know God wants us to be present somewhere in Kenya.

Friday arrived all too soon. Our last day as a mission team. As we began our journey back to Charlotte, I began to reflect on the week. When I look back in total, there are three words that will remain with me. FAITH, JOY and HOSPITALITY. Never have I seen such a witness to God's love through faith by people who, by our standards, have little or nothing. But, when I see how joyful they are and how we were welcomed (not just tolerated) into their midst, I wonder - are we the ones with little or nothing? If we can just remember that God will take care of our needs; faith will sustain us; will we then be free to express our joy, to welcome strangers as our guests and to share God's kingdom with others. The worship service at Covenant yesterday closed with the spiritual - "I'm going live so God can use me, anytime Lord, anytime." How appropriate.

Thank you for allowing me to share with you - I don't think I have given all that's due the experience. I believe the impact will continue to evolve. I can't wait to see where God takes Covenant with Kenya - please keep the process in your prayers.
Bill Keith

Day Five in Kenya:

“On the road again. I just can’t wait to get on the road again….” and so we did, upcountry to the Nyeri District, home to a branch of New Life Homes and Tumutumu Hospital. The drive was lovely; the highway bordered for miles by coffee and tea plantations. Much of the landscape was terraced for local gardening, including pineapple bushes, banana trees, many potatoes and other foods of basic sustenance. Women clad in bright colors speckled the landscape as they turned the ground with a simple hoe.

The beauty of the land, the simplicity of life, and the slower pace of the country brought a timely respite from the pulse of Nairobi. Our visit to New Life Homes, Nyeri, gave us visions of possibilities. Forty-one babies have been rescued from abandonment and loved into health in twenty-four months. All but fifteen have been adopted so far.

It’s hard to fathom that $60,000 a year sustains such a ministry, and it gives us pause to consider the implications. We were loathe to admit it, but eventually most confessed to doing the math: $120,000 for 41 lives.

Kenya Mission Team

Day Four in Kenya:

Our first venture out of Nairobi landed us in the village of Renguti, a rural farming community centered on a Presbyterian church and children’s primary school. As we drove in we passed students walking on the dirt road toward the school, some of whom – we later discovered – walk ten kilometers (6.2 miles) each way in order to attend. Begun seven years ago by the Women’s Guild of Renguti and a $100 a month pledge by a member of Covenant, this school now has six buildings, seven teachers, one hundred and eighty students, a daily nutrition/feeding program, and a community health clinic.

This school is a joy. Songs from the classroom waft across surrounding fields. Teachers and students are fully engaged in the privilege of learning. Smiles abound. However, when we gathered in the courtyard for the school day’s opening songs and prayer, our eyes were also drawn to small signs if distress. Not one child was overweight. Every child’s socks were frayed. Most of their shoes were tattered. Jawbones were slightly pronounced. Hunger was only a weekend away.

A theme began to emerge at Renguti, where once again we saw that the action of one person – combined with prayer and vision – made a substantial impact. Be it providing sustainable employment for vulnerable women or educating for the poorest of poor, here we have seen clearly how God honors one person’s vision and commitment and expands its impact in ways unimaginable. This has become a compelling notion for us, one with which we will continue to wrestle and seek to understand its import for our lives.

Kenya Mission Team

Day Two in Kenya. . . . .Monday, April 20, 2009

We didn’t start at a happy place today. We went to the Mathare’ slum, and witnessed the most deprived circumstances that I have only imagined until now. St. Phillips School is built in the interior of the slum to help “complement” the surrounding public schools in which there is not enough room and poor teaching. Words stretch to describe the scene: walking through the slum streets to get to the school, the “ditch” path that leads into a row of hovels which serve as classrooms on each side. The “classrooms” are packed with only about 12-16 children in each. They leak when the rains come each day during this season. Conditions are horrible. The children are served a porridge breakfast and beans & corn lunch. . . the only food they ever get. It was Monday morning, so they were hungry from the weekend.

The whole experience in Mathare’ was searing; like an old-fashioned cattle branding, it blazed its image on hearts. “Sub-human,” one person called the conditions. “Appalling,” said another. Most confusing was that such a crushing environment could not completely squelch the human yearning to grow. In one hovel disguised as a classroom, the children were learning to measure the volume of a cylinder. In another, binomial equations covered what passed for a blackboard. In still another, songs of joy rang out. In fact, our group was welcomed by a primary class singing “Joy to the World.” The dissonance between the song and the circumstance unnerved us all.

After some time to pray and process, it is still difficult to comprehend how Mathare’ exists. It’s even more difficult to understand our relationship to it, individually and as a church. During our group devotional after visiting Mathare’, Jerry Jernigan led us in this prayer:

Holy One:

We are all lost sheep needing you,
Our Good Shepherd to rescue us.
These beautiful children look to us and think:
We are so different from them.
And we look at these Mathare’ children and think:
We are so different from them.
But their teachers know it is not so.
And our teachers know it is not so.
Where we live, what we possess, the food we eat, the education we have –
all are not so different.

But the heart that needs filling,
The shoulder that needs hugging,
The mind that need assurance,
The spirit that needs your presence –
All are in each one of us and all are the same.

So you are my son, my daughter.
But what can I do for you?
At least I can pray for you.
Will you, children, pray for me?

After such an intense morning, we broke for lunch and launched into an afternoon offering the promise of retail therapy. We journeyed past the Karen Blixen home to Kazuri beads, a manufacturer of beaded jewelry. Raymond Goes, the proprietor, donates beads to groups like Covenant, Amani Children’s Foundation, and others to do generate funds with the condition that all proceeds return to Kenya to help orphans or the disabled.

Upon arrival, we toured the factory. Not your typical western-styled factory, we strolled through an open-air series of rooms talking with women who were molding, customizing, painting, and stringing beads into necklace, bracelets and earrings. During the ‘factory’ tour, we learned that Kazuri Beads began in the ‘70’s by a missionary’s wife desiring to empower Kenyan women who enjoy few legal rights. Now, Kazuri Beads employs 320 women who manufacture approximately 30,000 beads a day with a world-wide distribution network. All employees of Kazuri Beads enjoy health care benefits and the large majority of women are employed for life. In fact, the mission statement for Kazuri Beads is not oriented toward profit but toward “meaningful and sustainable employment for women.” They are clearly accomplishing their mission and members of our group (who will remain nameless) did their best in the retail shop to ensure their ongoing success.

Kim Barnhardt and Friends