Change... again

Change is the essence of life; be willing to surrender who you are for what you could become - unknown


Why does inspiration hit at the late-night / early morning hours?  What is it about these hours between midnight and daylight that cause introspection and soul-searching?  Maybe its the tiredness that keeps the inhibitions to a minimum so that I can actually get out all the things that are deep inside.

I feel like I’m standing on a precipice - right there on the edge of the cliff.  Before me are lots of new opportunities and possibilities, behind me all the familiar things - the safe things.  Those comfortable roles that I’ve lived out for so long that call to me to stay here, stay with what you know.  The roles that everyone expects of me, remembering to use ‘my indoor voice.’  Yet within I’m tired and bored by the safe and familiar and I want to shout out loud when I want.  My old comfortable shoes make my feet hurt now, they don’t fit right anymore.  As I told my dad on the phone the other day, “the American dream holds nothing for me”.  To seek after that would be to settle for a beige life.   

Who really likes beige?  Its the color you choose when you want to sell the house and don’t want to have too much personality on the walls.  Its what you pick when you want to blend in and not stand out.  I am NOT beige, so I am refusing to settle for a beige life.  I find it rather fascinating when people find my life to be glamourous exotic compelling.  Yes it can make for interesting conversation over a meal or an occasional blogpost, but then what?  Perhaps my life is a bit more colorful than some, but I right now its only pastels and I want more.  

My sister posted on Facebook that she hates the unknown.  I don’t hate it, I like change, yet there is still this part of me that appreciates the security of the familiar. Jumping off the cliff is a scary prospect.  Will I fly or will I fall?  If I fall, who will be there to help pick up the mess?  If I fly, where will I end up and when will I land? How long can I just stand here with my indecision?  Can I live in the “in-between”? What happens if... There are too many questions to answer, do I have to answer them all or will they paralyze me?  Maybe just sometimes you have to just act - ready, fire, aim as it were.

Can I do that? Really, me? Life as I know it is about to change... again.

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!

VBS adventures

So last week you may have noticed that a blog was not forthcoming - I was slightly busy.  It was VBS week at DCF Kawangware.  So instead of sending you a blogpost, I was occupied teaching approximately 80 children to put on the full armor of God.  How amazing to see all these little ones learn these verses all week.  Some of you may have seen the FaceBook pictures that got posted.  Some accompany this post, but if you want to see them all, you can check them out here. (And believe me you do, there are some very precious little faces!)

Each day, there was a focus on one piece of armor with a big idea and a key verse - Belt of Truth, John 14:6; Breastplate of Righteousness, Psalm 119:11; Shoes of Peace, Romans 10:15b; Shield of Faith, Romans 10:17; and on Friday we combined the Sword of the Spirit and the Helmet of Salvation with 2 Corinthians 10:4.  The lead scripture for the week was Ephesians 6:11.  I was wonderfully amazed at how many children learned all six verses!  Guess there’s something to be said for the Kenyan education system of learning by rote.

Please allow me to brag on our volunteers for a paragraph.  The week could not have gone off as smoothly without them.  We had people from our church, various DOVE churches around Kenya, and even some Americans!  I love that people gave of their time, energy and talent to see the Word of God imparted into the hearts and lives of the next generation.  I pray that even if they learned the scriptures by memory, the truth goes deep into their hearts and that they KNOW they are equipped by God to stand & fight against the schemes of the enemy - even as children.

This week is the DOVE Africa Apostolic Leaders training, and then I get to take a few days off. Yay!  Wonder what kind of trouble adventure I can find?

my crazy life

Hello everyone - 
We're pretty busy on the compound this week.  We have a teen short-term mission team here from Pennsylvania, as well as some friends who are in Kenya for a month who are in and out.  And while its busy and crazy, I'm thriving and enjoying it.  I love seeing people learning to interact with others of a different culture - allowing themselves to be stretched and to grow.  


Plus, this is birthday week! Hard to believe I'm 34 - how did that happen.  I'm looking back on what I wrote for goals at New Years (you can read that here). I haven't really made a lot of progress on some of them (umm, guess I'd better get busy working on that book) NTx12 pretty much went out the window back in March, and blogging has only gotten consistent in the last two months.  BUT - I'm growing deeper.  I'm seeing God work in my heart and life in a completely new way.  


I may have started the year out a bit wobbly, but 8 months in, the path is a bit steadier even if I can't see where its going.  And that's okay because I serve a big God who has a better perspective than I do.


A word of encouragement for you that I've been meditating on for a while:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:16-20

All roads lead to Nairobi

Welcome to part three of “What in the world does Kerri do all day?” Today I get to tell you about how I coordinate conferences when most the speakers come from other countries and I am never sure of who exactly is showing up each day. Its a crazy life.

For those that aren’t aware, DOVE Africa, is just one region of a larger body called DOVE Christian Fellowship Int’l, or DCFI for short.  So when we can get other leaders from throughout DCFI to come in and teach at a leadership conference, we jump at the opportunity.  In fact we have one happening in August.  Two speakers are Americans but one is arriving from the US and the other is coming from Malaysia. Another speaker is arriving from The Netherlands, another from South Africa, and one more from Uganda.  This means coordinating four different airline pick ups and transportation to the venue.  I’m glad our Ugandan friend knows the city and is taking care of his travel arrangements!  

Of course, I also have to find out who is planning on attending, so its the invite email, various follow-up emails, and finally texts and phone calls to get all the info from the various regions of DOVE Africa - 3 regions in Kenya, then Rwanda, Uganda, and India. Oops, India’s another airport coordination and transport to figure out.

Now that’s just for this coming August.  I also helped coordinate a business expo we held in March that had people from Europe, North America, Africa, and the Middle East.  That was a paid conference, which meant figuring out prices for hotel stays (resident vs non-resident) in various currencies and calculating it into Kenyan shillings.  Email invites, phone calls, schedule planning, and hand-out booklets were also part of the package.

In June Ellel Ministries came and did two seminar/workshops which we helped administrate.  At least this time, people interested in coming contacted me! But I got to man the table each day taking registration fees, keeping track of expenses (Where’s the receipt?) and selling books.  Oh, and of course being aware of timing, and whether or not lunch was on time and how many people we were feeding that day!

Its always interesting how time works here.  As Ibrahim (my boss) has said to me more than once, “We make time here in Kenya,”  and I believe him.  It amazes me how often I’m anxious about getting somewhere on time, but then others are late, the meeting runs long, and yet everything still gets done... 

Next meeting on the agenda after August is the DOVE Africa Annual Convention in December.  At least there’s a few months in between to get it all done!

Welcome to Kenya...

The fun part of my job (for the most part) is hosting teams when they come to visit Kenya.  If you were to visit here's how things would probably might happen (no guarantees).

Greetings! Welcome to Nairobi, you've just arrived after too many hours in planes, waiting during airport layovers, standing in line for your tourist visa (which just doubled in price to $50 pp), watching the baggage carousel praying all of your luggage arrived with you, and then dodging the customs officials looking for contraband.  Its about 10pm, but your body is too confused to care.  All you want is some normalcy, and a hot shower.  Sorry, we might be able to help you with a shower, but normal is just a setting on your dryer and we don't have one here.

We've arrived at Eshel Gardens, chai and a snack are waiting for you.  If you want to stay up an chat a bit, I'm more than happy to do so, but feel free to inspect your room and bed for the night if that's your preference.  I totally understand.  Just remember, jet lag will can hit about 3am, so make sure you're really tired before you hit the hay.  If you forgot your toothbrush or toothpaste, just ask.  I keep a few on hand, just in case.  Anything else, and it'll have to wait for Nakumatt.

Day 1 of your trip - at some point today we'll probably get to Nakumatt so we can pick up any incidentals that you may have forgotten that we don't keep on hand (anything other than that toothbrush I gave you last night).  You may also want to buy some extra water, though our filtered well water on the table is safe to drink and the tap well water is fine for brushing your teeth & showering.  Other than that, today is your day to acclimate to the altitude and time in Nairobi.  If you brought along a lot of stuff, today is a great opportunity to sort it out.

Days 2 - ?  Hurry up and wait.  Remember, time in Kenya is a totally different concept than in the USA. If someone says 9am, give at least 30 minute grace period.  Life goes at a slower pace here, enjoy the trip and remember the "be-attitude" for any mission team ~ "Blessed are the flexible."  Use the wait times to listen to God speaking to you, or look around and observe; don't forget to write your impressions and observations in your journal (you did remember a journal didn't you?).  Traffic is the bane of every person living in Nairobi.  You can use the downtime in the car to rest or watch out the window and see how others live.

At some point, we'll go to Masai Market & shop for some trinkets and more 'african' stuff.  You can buy carvings, batiks, jewelry, small knives & clubs, traditional type shirts & dresses, woven bags... and A LOT more.  Don't forget your haggling skills though, because they never give you the best price first and as tourists you're a target!  We'll also try and visit one of the National parks, because you can't leave Kenya without seeing our beautiful wildlife; lions and buffalo and zebra, oh my!

You'll have lots of questions, and I'll answer as many as possible.  I am not a native Kenyan, and thus I will not have all of the answers.  If I don't know it, I'll try and find out for you.  However, to prepare you:

1. If we lose power, I don't know when it will come back on.  I also don't know if we will lose it again.
2. I cannot guarantee sightings of the big 5 - lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and hippos.
3. Food here is different, please prepare your taste buds for a new experience.  We'll do our best to accommodate specialty diets and allergies, but please be willing to have an adventure and try new things.
4. It can get chilly in Kenya - please be prepared and bring a jacket, hoodie, or sweater.  I don't have enough to outfit a whole team. Layers are key!

Its your last day. Time for packing up your clothes, your souvenirs, and saying goodbye.  We've enjoyed having you and showing you our lovely country and people.  Please come again!

Welcome to the 21st Century

So dear readers, here is an honest to goodness blog post. Some of you know what I do, but I probably a lot of you don't. Mostly that's because even I'm not always sure what I'm doing on a day to day basis. But, under the advisement of my mom some smart people I've decided to start a series based on some of the aspects of my job. This one is about the role of social media and how it affects what we are doing in light of eternity. To that end, part of my job is help DOVE Africa engage in social media. I've redesigned and launched our new websites - doveafrica.com and springsofafrica.com, plus DOVE Africa also has a FaceBook page. (you can "like" us here)

Culture and society are changing at an ever-faster pace. Thanks to the advent of the internet and cellular/smart phones people are becoming more and more ‘connected’. Email has been a great tool in deseminating information across a large distance in moments. But it is very quickly being overtaken by the social media networks.

The coming generations are learning to communicate in new and different ways than those of their predecessors. For them it is about having a dialogue, not listening to a monologue. Social media and networking are the keys to reach them and get them interested in the future of Kenya. We need to reach them at their level.

In February 2004 college student Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates started a network for Harvard students, in just seven years Facebook has grown to over 600 million users (I'm one of them, wanna be my friend?). That is 10% of the earth’s population. Twitter, a micro-blogging tool, has grown to 175 million users since its launch in 2006, and is adding an average of 370,000 per day (you can follow me here). We’ve even added new words to our daily lexicon because of social media, i.e. going viral- to describe the sudden growth of a post on a social network, ‘friending’ someone, ‘tweeting’, etc.

Social media is playing a role in politics. In the revolt against the most recent elections in Iran, the Western media would have had little to report had it not been for YouTube videos that were being posted by people on the ground. Facebook has also been credited in inciting the groundswell of support for the revolutions throughout North Africa and the Middle East during the “Arab Spring”. And who can forget the trouble that some American politicians have found themselves in for inappropriate uses of social networks.

It is a rarity in Kenya to have a land-line telephone, instead most everyone has a mobile phone. The social media networks have seen the trend and made allowances for it, thus the ever prevalent ‘app’. You can Facebook, Tweet, and check your professional associates on LinkedIn from the palm of your hand. You don’t have to wait for the evening news or the morning paper to know what is happening in the world, information is immediately available on your phone.

All of this feeds the desire of the coming generations for transparency and genuineness. They will no longer stand for platitudes and patronizing speech. They may not agree with what you stand for, but if you are willing to hold to your stance with reasoning behind it, they’ll respect you. Social justice issues and causes are very popular with Generation Y and the Millennials. They want to know that they are making a difference in the world and are using the social media networks to partner together to do that.

Unless we are willing to speak to those who will be the next leaders in the language and context that they understand, they will see us only as archaic and out of touch. We will no longer be given a place to teach them or empower them. If they do not learn from our mistakes then they will be doomed to repeat our history. And that, Kenya cannot afford.

breaking the dry spell

Well there you go, I’ve gone and done the unthinkable, I’ve updated the ol’ blog. I start the year with all kinds of good intentions to write interesting and humor-filled stories about life here, and deep introspective posts on what God is doing in me, and then I go travel for five weeks, and bam... Six months later I get back to the blog. Sorry folks.

So its June in Kenya, and for those of us living here, its chilly. Sun starts setting about 6:30, its dark by 7 and sometime overnight the clouds come in. Then they hang around til about noon, so we don’t get warmed up til about 1, and then that sun is disappearing by 6:30 again... So our temps stay between 15 and 18 C. (get a converter you Fahrenheit types, its good for you). Thus I’m breaking out the long-sleeve T’s and sweaters. No complaining here, just stating fact.

Now... writer’s block... what to write... don’t want to sound lame... Ugh I hate this feeling...

Guess that’s it for an update post. Hopefully inspiration or something like it will hit soon and I will give you the proper blog-posting you deserve, but I had to break the nothing-streak with something...

Patience people - it builds character.

Upside to Downsizing

Good thing its warm here in Nairobi, not to rub it in to all of you that are snowed/iced in, but I’m probably going to have to spend a week or so in skirts or dresses. Why? Because the upside to living in Africa is the downsizing of my waist. As Diane mentioned the other day as I walked into her house - “You keep shrinking!”

But the wonderful thing is that here, I can go to a tailor fundi and get my pants “reduced” for about a dollar or so a pair. Yay - another upside! I’ve now been to two fundis for different things - a dress at one, and a blouse at another. Not sure if I’ll go to either of those (the 1st is in a sketchy area where I shouldn’t go on my own, & the second though close, didn’t do what I wanted on the blouse & charged too much). I have a friend who’s had success at a fundi near the church property, so I think I’ll try him this time. Worst part about the fundi - getting measured - but I guess its not too bad when the measurements keep getting smaller!

So, not that I’m looking that much different (only about a size or two) but a definite ego-booster!

FYI - I’m going to be in the USA from Mar 17 to April 12 and have openings to share in the Lancaster, PA area on Sunday Mar 27 and in the W Mass, Southern CT area on April 3. Email me if you’re interested!

Paradigm, schmaradigm

Have you ever had God rock your world so hard it takes a few weeks to stop wobbling? I’ve pretty much been there for the past few weeks... New Year’s hit me hard this year. I REFUSE to allow 2011 to be the same as the past. I want ALL of what God has for me this year, and that means I have to change. All of my behaviors stem from my thinking which comes from what my heart holds as truth.

I feel like I’ve been living Romans 12:1&2 - not just believing it, but experiencing the gut-wrenching, heart rending truth of it. I don’t want my thoughts, ideologies, and worldview be just what I’ve learned and been taught by the world and the culture around me. I want them to reflect what I know to be truth - the Word of God.

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts from trusted pastors/teachers, reading books, reading the Word, and not doing a whole lot of talking (sorry for the blog silence). God certainly isn’t through with me yet, and I have no idea where the process is leading, I just know its somewhere new, somewhere better, somewhere closer to Jesus.

A truth I realized this morning as I was reading was this: true biblical repentance is transformation. Its not just being sorry, its not just feeling bad, its not just changing behaviors... it is changing how we think and perceive the world around us. Biblical repentance is 2 Cor 10:5 and Romans 12:1 & 2 all wrapped up together. We bring our thoughts under submission to Christ and then allow Him to transform them into His thoughts - which of course are higher than our own (Isaiah 55: 8 & 9) I want my ways and thoughts to be like His, not like mine...

So, that’s where I am; a little wobbly and unsteady, but on a better path than before.

Now, in case its a while before I get back here, here’s some links to what I’ve been listening & reading:

Perry Noble: NewSpring Church podcasts, leadership podcasts, and blog

Rich Dunn: Lighthouse Christian Center podcasts

Rick Rocco: Frontline Christian Church podcasts

Darrow Miller: Discipling Nations

YouVersion: New thru 30 (check out #NTx12 for all the details)

Randy Bohlender: twitter, facebook, blog

Hope all of these encourage you!

New Year...

*disclaimer - this blog is a bit philosophical, it is not meant to be a “downer” but perhaps thought provoking. If you only like happy “up” blogs, you may not want to continue reading. end of disclaimer*

New Years...

As a friend of mine wrote on her blog, I’m starting this year in a sober state of mine. I’m not depressed, according to the thesaurus I’m “serious, solemn, sensible, thoughtful, grave, somber, staid, levelheaded, businesslike, down-to-earth, commonsensical, pragmatic, conservative; unemotional, dispassionate, objective, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense, rational, logical, straightforward.”

After spending New Year’s Eve at church and returning home at 6am. I spent most of New Year’s Day in dreamland (try that if you’re married & have kids!) After getting up, I read for a while, and then went outside and sat on the lawn & thought deep thoughts like:

What do I want to accomplish in 2011?

What does God want me to accomplish in 2011?

Is there more to my life than I’m living right now?

Do I need to change my dreams because they’ll never happen?

What is fun? Why don’t I seem to have very much of it in my life?

How have I gotten to this place? Have I slept-walked through my life?

What does “Auld Lang Syne” really mean? (okay this one isn’t so deep, but if you wonder too, you can find the answer on this blog)

These and similar thoughts have been going through my mind ever since. Because of that, and other things, I’m slowly coming to the realization that indeed I am a grown-up and I’m not so sure I’m a fan of that. Mostly because it doesn’t measure up to my childhood dreams. Problem is, I can’t make those dreams happen, and so I have to live the life I have. But what does that mean?

I sure as heck don’t know. Thus my sober musings and my dilemma. I do have some goals for this year like:

• write my book & see if I can get it published
• complete my first term in Kenya
• have more speaking engagements
• read the New Testament every month (#NTx12)
• blog more consistently

2011 hopefully will be a year of accomplishments - in myself, in my job, and in my spiritual walk. Hopefully when I write a blogpost at the beginning of 2012, I’ll be rejoicing in completed goals, looking forward to the future, settled in myself, closer to Jesus.

May this year bring all to you that you are hoping for!

Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas! As many have been very eloquent in sharing the blessing & message o

f Christmas, I will pass on their wisdom and words. May you and yours be abundantly blessed this Christmas!

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. - Linus van Pelt

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~Dr Seuss

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Greatest man in History, Jesus, had no servants, yet they called him Master, had no degree, yet they called him Teacher, had no medicines, yet they called him Healer, had no army, yet kings feared him, won no military battles, yet he conquered the world, committed no crime, yet they crucified him...He was buried in a tomb, yet he lives today.

Great little One! whose all-embracing birth

Lifts Earth to Heaven, stoops Heaven to Earth.

~Richard Crashaw

Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making. ~Leigh Hunt

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

DIY?

In the last week or so I’ve come to learn that home improvements here are not what one would expect. Here’s the story...

The Omondi’s have about 4 acres of property here. Currently it is used for: the gues

thouse, staff housing, main house, chicken houses, cow shed, greenhouse, garden, and some yard space. Daniel (their youngest son) is home for the Christmas break from University. He is the “master planner” for overhauling the property and making it more inviting to guests, as well as trying to make better use of the property itself.

That these plans were more than just “on paper” began just after Daniel arrived. Within a week the cow shed was gone, and piles of sand, rock, and other things started to arrive. As I write this there is a new roof on the office of the main house, a new walkway from the drive to the new house, a pile of rocks that are being “dressed” to become a wall to replace the wood fence in front of the guest house, fence posts in the guest house yard, and George is digging up grass to create a new entrance walk to the guest house from the driveway.

I’ve been most amazed by the stone mason. The lorry from the quarry :), dropped off a load of these big rectangular rocks. He has spent the last week, sitting on the pile with a hammer and chisel cutting the rocks to the shapes he needs to build the wall. Here’s the pile of rocks:

Here’s the “left-overs”:

Here’s what the wall will look like:

Kenya, and probably all of Africa, depends very much on manual labor for most everything. As I watch these artisans at work, very often I’m amazed at what they can accomplish. There are also times where I’m appalled at how “in-efficient” it can seem to my American sensibilities, but it is in those moments I remind myself that these “inefficiencies” mean job security for many.

So next time you see a road construction crew and hear the jack hammers, remember that it could be more people at work with pick-axes and shovels digging up the road. It may take longer, but more people are working

Giving Thanks...

For the last 24 days a few friends of mine on Facebook have been counting down the days until Thanksgiving. However, it’s not just been counting the numbers. They’ve taken a letter from the alphabet each day and listed what they’re thankful for that starts with that letter for the day. I’ve been inspired, and so, a couple of days early here are some of the things I’m thankful for this year:

A - the amazing grace of God that leaves me in awe of who He is and how He views me

B - being still, taking the time to breathe in and see where I fit into God’s plan

C - companions that walk through life with me, they have been there through all of the messes and the celebrations. You all know who you are...

D - deadlines and due dates - they keep me organized and focused

E - eternity, God has placed a sense of it in each of us and I am left in wonder

F - family - we may be a bubble of center but I wouldn’t trade them for anything

G - giraffes! I love these gentle creatures that leave my heart in wonderment of our Creator

H - househelp :) I don’t know how I’d make it here without the wonderful people I work, live and interact with each day

I - I AM, God is everything that I need, want, or desire. He is whatever my heart cry is at the moment

J - justice, I’m learning that loving God means desiring His Kingdom on earth & doing what I can to see that Kingdom be established. I want to see Kingdom justice for those that live without it daily - the orphan, the widow, the unborn

K - the kindness of the Lord that draws us to Himself and into a lifestyle of repentance. Leaving behind the things that trip us up and running into His arms

L - life and learning to enjoy it to the fullest

M - mentors and people who love me enough to speak into me so that God can accomplish His will and purpose for my life

N - notes of encouragement that show up in my inbox

O - opportunities - to travel, to share my life, to learn, God has definitely kept my life from being boring

P - partnership with God - I don’t have to do anything alone. God chooses to allow me to walk with Him each day and partner with Him and other believers to see the Kingdom of Heaven become reality on Earth

R - restoration, God has reached out and touched deep places in me that I didn’t even realize were broken and has redeemed and restored them

S - swahili, another language to learn and be able to praise God in

T - travel, to have the chance to see God’s creation and get a broader perspective of Him and the people He loves

U - being uncomfortable, it is these times that keep me growing and seeking God

V - variety and change, they keep life interesting

W - writers & authors; of books, blogs & blarney. Thank you for keeping me entertained & encouraged, challenged & cackling.

X - xoxoxo the only way I can get hugs and kisses these days from family and friends in North America. Its the little things...

Y - Yesu - He has made all the difference in my life.

Z - zain - their phone service keeps me in touch with home (at a decent price!)

Carnivore!

Wow, I can’t believe its been a week since I last posted. It seems like everything has decided to hit at once. Last week we had visitors in from HISG for a workshop day at the office for our Micro-Finance clients.

Bonus to that was that I got the chance to go to Carnivore! This restaurant is an experience all its own, in fact its included in a lot of safari packages. When we drove up we had to go through some security gates (not surprising). As we approached the gate went up & just as I was about to be surprised by motion sensors in this country I noticed the security guard. I should have known. [With all the available manpower here, it does make sense that a lot of jobs use people power versus being automated]. The parking lot was packed so we asked where to park & the attendant said “down after the nissan” so that’s where we went only to be told by someone else “this isn’t a space.” We explain it’s where we were directed & then wait while the attendants figure it out between themselves. So, we pulled up a bit into a formerly reserved space & went inside.

As you enter you’re hit with the explosive radiant heat coming from the 360° flaming rotisserie grill. It is massive (may 7 or 8 ft in diameter). As we joined the guys at the table I saw there was a lazy susan in the middle with a bunch of little bowls and a flag on it. The bowls are condiments and sauces and the flag lets the roving meat carvers know that you’re “open” to them bringing you food. But before they start, you get salad (on the lazy susan) and a small cup of soup. Then when were done with the starters, they brought thermo-nuclear heated cast iron plates and roasted potatoes. Now as you can probably ascertain from the name of the place, Carnivore is all about the meat, and they’re known for the exotic meats. The roaming meat carvers walk around the restaurant with either giant metal skewers of roasted or cast iron platters with various roasted meat items. I tried quite a few “normal” things - honey chicken wings, roasted chicken, turkey, beef & pork, along with 2 exotics - camel & ostrich. I liked them both. The camel reminded me a bit of beef jerky (maybe because I had a smoky outside piece) and the the ostrich was quite yummy, especially with the garlic sauce. I did turn down the ox “mountain oysters”, lamb, and crocodile. Sorry, but I already know I don’t really like lamb, crocs live in water so they’re out, and just the idea of the first one puts me off.

I decided against taking pictures this visit & instead to just enjoy the experience. I’ll take pics next time I go because I’m sure I’ll go again. It was a blast!

This week I’m preparing for the RTF seminar at the church, thanksgiving dinner next Wednesday (I’m cooking for 16!), and the DOVE Africa convention in December. Oh, and I’m starting on Christmas too! Life is getting busier - oops, better be careful what I wish for :D

Christmas is coming!

I’m listening to Christmas music and its helped put in the mood to create my Christmas “wish” list. Also, I was prompted by some family members who wanted to know what I wanted (as opposed to need). As I’m going to be spending Christmas here and not in the US (for the 1st time!) Most of the things are on my “Amazon Wish List” so you can purchase online and can ship directly to me instead of having to deal with the post office hassle.

TV Series DVD Sets (any season)

• Bones
• House
• Royal Pains
• Glee
• CSI: NY
• NCIS
• NCIS: LA

Movies (I like rom-coms, chick flicks, & epic dramas)

• Letters to Juliet
• Notting Hill
• LOTR trilogy
• Robin Hood (new one w/ Russell Crowe or old w/ Kevin Costner)
• Book of Eli
• Gladiator

Books

• Indian cookery
• any cookbook by Nigella Lawson

Other Stuff

• anything from the “Stuff I Miss” section
• Maple syrup
• ear plugs
• any new music (Christian Contemporary, worship) Go here for suggestions

Gift Cards - feel free to designate its use

• e-gift cards (Amazon)
• paypal $ (email me for the link to my site)
• VISA gift cards (cannot use AMEX or MasterCard here well)
• iTunes cards

If you are going to mail/ship things, here’s the address

Angela Kung’u

DOVE Africa

P.O. Box 28721

00200 Nairobi

Kenya

Driving lessons

Let me paint you a picture. You’re driving, its night and very dark out. The dark is only dispelled by the headlights of your car & others coming toward you, the rare signage by the roadside, or the even more rare yard light.

You realize you are seated in the right side of the car and therefore driving on the wrong left side of the road. You feel a bit disconcerted and off balance. Just as you start to get a bit comfortable you realize how narrow the road is. Barely wide enough for two small to average sized cars and definitely a squeeze if you happen to encounter a lorry truck, bus, or average SUV. You try to see if there is any shoulder to pull onto to be prepared, but you realize that there is a difference of anywhere from 2 to 6 inches between the tarmac and the dirt. This does not look promising.

To keep things interesting, let’s add a few “obstacles.” First - potholes. They can’t be seen until you’re about 6 feet away and can range from minor (5 or 6” in diameter & 1-2” deep) to car-gobbling (2-4’ wide & up to 18” deep) - seriously I’m not making this up.

Next - pedestrians. They are Kenyan and therefore by nature dark-skinned. Their clothing also tends to be darkish and they like to walk on the relatively smooth surface (as compared to the mud/dirt/what have you in the shoulder) of the tarmac. They will also randomly dart across the road in front of you & it is VERY BAD to hit one, even accidentally (so I’m told).

Finally - public transportation. Buses will randomly pull off the road to drop off passengers (who then become pedestrians) or they will arbitrarily pull into the road after picking up/dropping off passengers, often without using signals. Also in the public transportation department are matatus. These haphazardly driven VW vans are crammed with upwards of 14 people and are under the influence of drivers who are either the best drivers in the world because they know exactly how much space their vehicles need, or they are absolutely insane crazy out of their ever loving minds. I tend to agree with the latter theory. You can determine a matatu from a basic VW van by the multiple stickers/placards/decals on them, often referring to God, Jesus & heaven. (which imho is to help their passengers know from where to seek safety & salvation). These vehicles will pass you on the wrong side, pull out without warning, stop short, and generally cause you great anxiety.

There. Now you know the story of night-time driving in Nairobi & why I’m perfectly happy to allow Bouvince to do it. Anybody want to come to Kenya??