Week 4: Confused

This past week was a strange week.
One of our colleagues at the office started his vacation this week, and my host mother also was also away. So ordinary routines were changed a little. For example, the colleague who went on vacation also happened to be the one who usually had the keys to the office and would unlock it in the morning. Come Monday morning, we arrived at the office to find that two of our coworkers each thought the other one had the key-- oops! After some clever maneuvering we did manage to break into the office, where we found the keys on the desk.

That was what began our week and seemed to be a feature of the whole time. In our office we began to refer to it as the "confused" week. It began confused and continued in the same way for some time. For example, one day we went for home visits only to find that every single person we tried to visit was not even home.

I have only been here a few weeks, but in those few weeks a rough routine was set up, and this week deviated from the routine quite a bit. For example, this weekend, a couple of our bosses from Canada visited. This was actually a super joyful time, but was so different from an ordinary weekend here.

Visitors from Canada at the equator!

We took the visitors to the resource farm. Did I mention this place is basically paradise?

The view of the brooding Mount Kenya from the farm

This Sunday, we ended up going to a certain church service we had been invited to and without going into many details, I really did not enjoy it. I have been to a few churches here so far and over and over I am hearing a a "prosperity gospel" being preached: follow Jesus and you will always have success in life! You will win at everything you do! Ask in the name of Jesus and you will have everything you want! etc etc. Meanwhile I work every day with people, many of whom are followers of Jesus, who struggle daily to survive. So in a way I can see why this prosperity gospel thing is so popular. When the life you know is full of challenges, someone offering a quick solution to those challenges can  be so tempting. But I also see why it is so wrong. The people who get taken in by this are really the most poor, and I think it's a really damaging thing to tell someone who's poor "Just believe and you will be rich!" Because of course that's not true.

I was so livid at the teaching at church. When I was a child I had such a fierce temper. That rarely shows itself nowadays but yesterday I came pretty close. The pastor used John 14:12, where Jesus says "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these", to justify pastors having private jets and mansions and all that. I always knew leaders like this existed but never experienced one for myself. 

I am not saying all churches in Kenya preach this false gospel. It's just that for some reason, these are the ones I have visited. And even in those churches, I am sure there are people just trying to follow Jesus. But to me it just seems like such a selfish faith: Why follow Jesus just for what he can do for you? He already did so much. Just knowing him is enough. 

But, I am convicted because even after judging these pastors and these churches for their selfish faith, my faith is not exactly selfless either. I have come from a place of such wealth. Materially, I am rich. So I cannot say honestly say that is wrong to be rich. Would I give it up to follow Jesus? I sure hope so, but I never have. Anyway, I am feeling a lot of tension in this way as I struggle to find a church community here.

But anyway. Enough angst about church. In fact many good things have happened. For example, we got a kitten! We have a bit of a rodent problem here, but I am not sure when this little guy will be big enough to fight off rats. By the way, get ready for me to become one of those people who is always posting cat pictures (I am looking at you, Gabby and Tucker).

   

Also today (Monday), the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, came to town. This was a very exciting time but scary for me because the crowd was just very lively. There were times when I was afraid I would be trampled/mugged/groped. It made me understand the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible, though, as there were even people climbing trees to get a better view of the president. I can't imagine if Uhuru stopped his entire motorcade and went to talk to one of those people in the trees. It would be madness. It just makes me think of Jesus' MAD love.

And I think that is where I will leave it for this week. A faith that is based on anything else besides Jesus' mad, sacrificial, supernatural, unconditional, unending love for us is wrong. Jesus' love for us does not manifest itself in always having success in life or in getting all the things we want. It manifests itself on the cross and in His daily presence with us. For Zacchaeus, following Jesus actually meant losing many of his riches! But he gained something much better. Jesus came to his house.

Week 3: eRoots

I am now into my fourth week in Nanyuki and just want to share some highlights of this past week. Last week, we did a lot of eRoots activites. eRoots is a program to offer extension and training on sustainable food production for the people who are in Chalice's programs. Although my job is concentrated mainly in the microfinance area, there is quite a bit of overlap between these two programs. Moreover, there is a real spirit of camaraderie and teamwork in our office so when a job needs to be done we all help. And lately there have been many eRoots activities, so we have all helped with these.

This first photo is of a compost demonstration for one of the microfinance groups. In this rural area, many of the people have small plots of land that they work. Learning about compost will help make their land more productive- the goal is to increase food security for these folks. This is just one reason why I am so impressed by the Chalice child sponsorship program. It is helping build capacity in these communities.

Here is another example of an eRoots activity. This greenhouse is full of bean plants. Last week we built that structure in front as an entrance to the greenhouse.

I love this photo below because it is such a good example of teamwork. All day Thursday and Friday last week we were vaccinating chickens: going from homestead to homestead in the countryside to do this task. Many of these families bought these chickens through funds from the child sponsorship program or through microfinance loans. The chickens are now providing these families with some extra income and some food security. Actually, when I was in Guatemala way back in 2011, I was doing a bit of microfinance work and even then we were vaccinating chickens. Honestly I did not expect to be doing it again. I kept on thinking of that scene is Napoleon Dynamite when he asks "Do the chickens have large talons?" In this case, the answer was a definite YES as demonstrated by the scratches on my hands and clothing.

Also we planted apple trees and this made me very happy.

Here is a photo of the process of making my Kenyan comfort food: chapati. I am learning how to make them but somehow I cannot do it as well as Margaret. You know in some ways every day I feel like a small child. These things that come naturally to Kenyan women, like preparing chai the Kenyan way, making chapatis, or hand washing clothes, are new to me. So like a child, I am depending on others to teach me. I think this is ultimately a really good thing. As Canadians, we really value our independence. But living in a new setting, I have to give up a lot of my independence. Spiritually, this is so good. Jean Vanier speaks of us all essentially being just a small child in our mother's arms. Independence is only an illusion, because we are ultimately dependent on Jesus and on each other.

This photo is just one of the roads I have travelled. I am thankful for this beautiful country, and for the rain that comes to make these things grow.

  

And this weekend, I decided at the last minute to take a safari at a nearby park. When we saw the elephants I was so excited I nearly fainted. One highlight from this excursion was visiting chimps at a sanctuary that Jane Goodall started. Chimpanzees are the animal most similar to humans and this was so evident in the way they acted. Another highlight was seeing the rhinos. There is a certain species of rhino, the Northern White Rhino, who are going extinct. There are only three left in the world and they all live at this park. It is at times like this when the difference between what the world is and what it is meant to be is so obvious.

Finally, here is a photo of my host sister helping to prepare some fish. As part of the eRoots program, there is a demonstration fish pond at the resource farm, and it is filled with tilapia. Yesterday we had a real "farm to table" day: we caught the fish, cleaned the fish, cooked the fish and ate them all in one day. Of course we only ate four of the over 60 that we caught. The rest will be sold at market.

                          

Week 2: Perspective

It is now the end of my second week in Kenya. This is not why people will remember this week. People will remember this week because it was the week when the American people made such a bizarre choice for leader that the world was left scratching its head, wondering how this could happen.

When the election results were coming in, it was already Wednesday here. Like many people, I had been closely following the U.S. election. But as the results were coming in, I had other things to do. Along with my coworkers, I was trekking around rural Kenya making home visits and doing interviews. I was visiting the beneficiaries of Chalice's child sponsorship program, which here also comes with membership in a microfinance self-help group.
With Mount Kenya as a backdrop and the clucking of chickens as a background noise, we were welcomed into these homes.
Of course, the election was on my mind that day. But visiting these humble homes gave me perspective. The people we visited were not talking about the election: they were talking about saving more money than they had before. They were talking about their HIV-positive granddaughter's dream to be an architect. They were talking about waiting for more rain to come so their crops could be plentiful.

Literal fieldwork :). We brought the desk outside while interviewing this day.

It brought my mind to a thought I had the other week, when I was flying over New York City on my way to Kenya. I had picked up a copy of Vanity Fair at the airport and was reading it on the flight. There was an article about the "new establishment": those rich, fashionable people who hold power and influence in the world. Looking down at the many buildings, among them the one named for the U.S. president elect, I thought of all the power that is in that city: Wall Street, Madison Avenue, even the United Nations. Many of the members of this so-called "new establishment" are based in this city. As I looked down, I wondered: "How many of these people think about the people of Nanyuki, Kenya, or anywhere else, for that matter?" And I got this overwhelming sense of peace and joy and love-- I'd venture to say this was the Holy Spirit-- and I knew then: Jesus is with the people of Nanyuki. I knew then I was going where Jesus is. You know, there is such a temptation for power, to go where the power is. I think in a way we all feel like we deserve to be right there among the new establishment, in these positions of power in the world. But that's not where Jesus is.

OK one more election thought- I think the U.S. people elected their president out of fear and distrust. People are afraid of losing their jobs, and being attacked by a foreign enemy. Most importantly, they are afraid of losing our way of life. People have started not to trust the government or the media. Now that the results have come in, there are people on the other side of the issues who are protesting, and who are afraid of this presidency for almost the same reasons: they, too, are afraid of losing their way of life. But this is all just the same. Fear and distrust get us nowhere. Fear leaves us paralyzed and breeds distrust. We are not called to be ruled by fear, but by love. At this time, when, at least for my generation, the world seems all topsy-turvy, we can choose to not let fear rule us.

As anyone who has lived cross-culturally can attest, life in a new environment invites us to daily set aside our fear and radically trust God and others. For example, yesterday I was at the market with my Canadian coworker and a few new Kenyan friends. We Canadians would have been totally hopeless if our friends had not been there to advise us. They knew which vendors were good and which were trying to cheat us. They told us the going price for items so we would not be taken advantage of. I am using this as an example-- we need to trust on our friends to help us survive life here. And somehow I think this is true wherever we are. We just need to trust one another. When we don't, the world is a very dark place indeed.

What you can see just outside our house in the morning- Mount Kenya

PS THIS HAPPENED

Week 1: Nova Scotia to Nanyuki

In just over a week, I have travelled from Nova Scotia to Nairobi to Nanyuki. It has been quite the transition.

Let me tell you about Nanyuki, the place where I will be for the next few months. Nanyuki is near the base of Mount Kenya, second only to Kilimanjaro as the highest mountain in Africa. In terms of population, it is comparable to my hometown of Truro. This is a traditionally Kikuyu area, so many of the people with whom I interact in the microfinance groups are Kikuyu. Though there is at least one person in each group who speaks English, there is a language barrier between me and people who only speak the Swahili or Kikuyu tongues. I think this will be one of the biggest challenges in my work here. So I am trying to pick up some phrases in these languages. Thankfully I have an 11-year old tutor who is willing to help! This girl is part of the family with whom we stay in Nanyuki. I think God is so good: I am missing my young neighbours, but am blessed with relationships with children even here!

I guess I had better talk about the kinds of things I am doing here. My title is Microfinance and Business Development Coordinator, and I work with Chalice and Crown the Child Africa. Chalice is a Catholic charity that facilitates child sponsorships. Crown the Child Africa disseminates these sponsorship funds, and works directly with families in African communities like the ones around Nanyuki. This is not simply a relief charity, but works actively in development. The parents or guardians of sponsored children are engaged in this work. They are all part of groups in their community and are learning to save money each month and lending to others in the group to help cover unexpected expenses or start or expand businesses. My job is to work with these groups. I will be doing a study to determine the impact of microfinance and the direct family funding program (this is the model of child sponsorship that Chalice uses) in these communities. This will help Chalice and their donors understand where their money is going and how it is contributing to development, and could result in changes in the program to make it more conducive to development. Thanks to my wonderful experience in Cameroon with OneBook a couple of years ago, I am well aware of the importance of impact assessment.

As well, I am hoping to help some of the people in the groups who want to start or have started small businesses by helping them form business plans or helping them to think of some ways to add value to products they are selling.

I have to admit: the first few days I was here I was really missing home. But God is good, and there is a lot I can thank Him for. On Thursday we were able to visit a farm operated by the priests who oversee the office where I work. We use this farm to demonstrate good growing practices. On the day that we went, we were teaching how to plant some indigenous trees. Together, we all planted trees. Later, some of us went to the greenhouse and picked tomatoes.
God is good because in a land where everything is so different, doing agricultural work feels like home. I am continuing to thank God as each day is filled with new experiences and new challenges.

Adding manure to the topsoil for planting trees as Father Raju looks on

Planting trees was a community exercise!

Here the ladies from the Mureru microfinance group give me the lowdown on how they keep the books. Also, notice the tomatoes in the foreground- these are some that we had picked the day before.