The HISG hat

Sorry for the two week skip - I’ve been wearing another one of my hats, as the administrative assistant, event planning guru for HISG Kenya.  HISG is a great group of people who focus on connecting needs with resources, I highly encourage you to check out what they are doing around the world.

Well last week, the area director and some associates were in town to meet with people, and we did a half-day forum with some of the Springs of Africa Micro-Finance Clients and other DBSP Graduates (check out the sites for more info on both groups).  After the meeting I got to tag along with the guys as they went to check out a factory that makes “JikoPoa” which literally translated means “cool fire.”  Its a really great invention that uses less wood, produces less smoke, and cooks faster than the coal fire jikos that are widely used here in Kenya.  In fact, Baba Michael we now have one here at the Compound.  

The factory tour was very interesting, and so was the drive there.  Poor Bouvince had to deal with my frustrations at the typical Kenyan way of giving directions - get to a certain spot, call again, get info to the next landmark, call again... Definitely not efficient, definitely not my favorite way to get directions.  After we did get there, and I realized I’d be walking around a metal-work factory in my wedge heels and cream colored pants (natch), I felt like I was in an episode of “How its made.”  There were machines and workers for each separate part of the stove, and it wasn’t until near the very end that you could tell what it would look like.  We got to see the whole process from sheet metal to packaging.

Now this weekend I’m helping to arrange for a quick 3 day visit from some more HISG guys.  The primary reason for this visit is the one-day Social Media seminar on Monday the 5th.  Gunnar Simonsen, is HISG’s SoMe guru, and does a fabulous job at showing people how they can use these tools to spread how and what they do to a larger audience.  Whether they are a non-profit, an NGO, or a for-profit business the language of Social Media can have a huge impact.  I can’t wait to have some time to pick his brain about how to increase the message of DOVE Africa and how His Kingdom is growing in this part of the world.

It was funny, I thought with Diane being out of the country for a few weeks, I’d be a little less busy, rather I’m finding myself busier than ever as I do her small errands as well as my own.  Well that’s the life of an assistant isn’t it.  Plus God is opening up some new doors and opportunities as well that I hope I’ll be able to share about soon.

One thing I can definitely say, life on the mission field is rarely boring!