Week 3

So I'm now in my third full week of my Kenya experience and it's still pretty exciting! Just to kind of keep you in the loop about what I'm doing....I'm working in the business development services (BDS) department and with their micro-enterprising program. Mostly what I'm doing this summer is talking to clients (people that have already received loans), taking down their information, and writing profiles about them and taking pictures of them and their businesses. Then these profiles are going to go up on the CMF website so people in the States can sponsor a person's business loan, kind of like you would sponsor a child. The website won't be up until the fall, but I'm really excited about working on something that I'll actually be able to see later! It's cool because a lot of the stuff we do here has very intangible results, so it's nice to work on something where you can see actual, physical progress. And don't worry, as soon as the website is up I'll post a link so you can all see what I did for 2 months!


It's been really amazing talking to these people, too. I have heard some really incredible stories, so far. A lot of the women I talk to are single mothers whose husbands died or left them and now they're caring for sometimes 5 or 6 or even 10 children, all alone, along with running their own businesses. I've also talked to a lot of people who overcame serious tribal violence around 2007 that happened after a disputed political election. Apparently, a guy from one tribe won the election, but the other guy was already in power (and was from a different tribe) and refused to concede the election, so there was massive violence between the tribes. Around 1,000 people died, but thousands more had their homes and businesses burnt down by rival tribes. A lot of the people who live in the slums now once lived on farms in the countryside but were chased out by rival tribes and forced to come into the city. I talked to one man whose mother is still in an IDP (internally displaced persons) Camp because of the tribal clashes.


One thing that has really affected me is the goals of the people I talk to. On the form I fill out with the clients there are questions about their goals in life and for their businesses and almost every single time their goals involve educating their children and moving out of the slums. That's all they want. They don't want the biggest house on the block or a new TV or a car or the most successful business in town, they just want their children to live better than they have. It definitely has made me rethink how I look at my own life and the things I get disappointed in and the things I focus on. If that is all it took to make people happy, shouldn't every American be competing for happiest person on earth? I mean, we have SO many opportunities in America to live successfully. Anyone can go to college, even if you're from a low income family. In fact, sometimes it's cheaper to go the poorer you are! You get more scholarships and loans and grants that way. It really is an amazing system. But here, going to college is a HUGE deal. Especially for people from the slums. Education is the most valuable thing these parents can give their children. It's just very powerful to see life from this point of view.


It's just amazing what these people have endured and how they're still so happy and joyful and so many of them love the Lord in a way that Americans could never even fathom. God is so much more apparent here, He's in everything they do. He's not an afterthought, like He so often is in America, He's their first and foremost thought, no matter where they are or what they're doing. I feel like so many Westerners are quick to blame God for bad things that happen in their lives, but these people, as far as I've seen, refuse to take on that mindset. They trust God to provide for them and they trust Him when they're jobless or when they find out they have HIV or when their homes get burnt down or when they can't afford to feed their children. It’s incredible and I wish everyone could just witness how godly these people are and how intentional they are about their faith!


Basically...I'm learning a ton. And God is teaching me so much just about life in general and what it means to be happy and have joy and trust in Him no matter what. It's been an incredible experience so far and I'm only a few weeks in! So thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers and messages. They really are appreciated and so so helpful!

I just ask that you continue to pray for our safety and our ministry while we're here. Pray for health for everyone. And please pray for our attitudes! From what we've heard, things start getting rough culture-shock and homesickness-wise around the halfway point, which is where we almost are. So just pray that we can continue to focus on what we're here for and not get distracted by bad attitudes or homesickness.


Thanks so much! Love you all :)