Being an American in Kenya

We are honored guests here in Kenya.  No matter if we are at a church, school or home, we are welcomed more overwhelmingly here than I have ever seen…let alone, experienced.  The Kenyan adults stop what they are doing to greet us, while the children leave their desks and run to the windows and doors to catch a glimpse of the “Mzungus” (westerners/white people).  We are brought into the top official’s office to be welcomed and given a meal or some other refreshment.  We are thanked more times than I could count…

None of us Divinity students are comfortable with such admiration, and pomp and circumstance.  We are continually overwhelmed by the warm welcome and attention, as well as dumbfounded! What do they see that we don’t?  Who is it that they think we are?  We are just 4 grad students who are taking part in an international ministry.

We are representing the Umoja Project, yes.  Umoja provides food, shelter, education and other kinds of support to this community’s orphaned and vulnerable children.  The Umoja Project is amazingly helping thousands of children…but even that doesn’t necessarily give reason for such grand affair.  Maybe it is the Kenya culture?  They are very respectful and hospitable people by nature, but this is going to a whole new level!  (I also think that theoretically if I were hosting an international guest in the U.S., I would of course give that guest the best seat at the table, plenty of our best foods and many thanks for their travels). The whole community never ceases to go out of their way to welcome us and give us the best of the best.

I wonder, what is it that we “mzungus” represent to the Kenyan people?  Do the people just see the U.S. when they look at us? Are we money, power, or people of influence?  Do we represent an envied way of life…a hope for a way of life with more opportunity?  Or are we people with “more”…more technology, more belongings, more blessings?   What assumptions about the U.S. and Americans do these Kenyan people have?  Labeling us with their preconceived notions of the U.S. is a barrier that keeps us from truly knowing each other.  The same can be said of our preconceived notions of them.

Some of the preconceived notions of the U.S. have already come to the surface at our homestays and when working with the Kenyan people.  It seems as though the people think that we have these expectations of having a luxurious and comfortable stay while here in Kenya.  They think that we are accustomed to getting what we want, when we want it.  That we need to be constantly attended to…sadly, aren’t these beliefs understandable and warranted?  Granted, us interns are not expecting to be served, cared for and comfortable…but in general, as Americans, we are accustomed to such a life.  We have been trying to insist with our homestays that we want to do our own laundry, we want to help cook meals and we are appreciated of whatever food is served, but they still apologize if they think that we are not 100% happy or comfortable.  It appears exhausting to host Americans, so I am grateful that our host family took on such a task…

When we arrive to a school for the first time the children stop what they are doing and stare.  They watch our every move.  What are they waiting for?  What are they expecting that we will do or say?  Most of the time when I wave or say hello, they wave back…however, some of the children are too stunned (or scared) to respond!  There have been times that children will begin to follow me, but when I turn around and begin approaching them with an outstretched hand they run away.  Could it be that they are scared of me?  Curious?  Intrigued?  Or maybe a mixture of the 3?  It is not until a courageous boy or girl accepts my offer of a handshake and a greeting that all the escapees quickly return for their very own handshake, high five or fist pump.

I wish the people could see Tiffany, instead of the American.  Not the white skin, or the false ideas of who I am, but the real me.  Then again…aren't these things a part of my identity?  Maybe the Kenyan people can see sides of me more clearly than I ever will.

Faith

 Faith

“For We walk by faith and not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7

I’ve been in Kenya for almost three weeks. Within these three weeks I’ve learned how strong my faith is in God. If I didn’t have such strong faith, I would not even think about spending a long period of time in a culture I know little of.  To be able to do such, I had to “walk” in this faith. I have to walk into the field education office at Duke to apply, I had to “walk” into the interview session with Susan Pendleton-Jones, Rhonda Parker, (Duke’s Divinity School field education directors) and Ellen Daniels-Howell (director of GIP), I even had to “walk” onto several planes to arrive to my destination which takes a lot of faith to travel over much water and land. If I walked by sight, I know I would not be experiencing Kenya for in this season of my life for the enemy would have distorted my vision, but I’ve learned that faith is more dominant than what we see, and faith in God overcomes all! Not only am I walking by faith, is the Kenyan culture that I am embracing so easily a wonderful example of believers who are walking by faith and not by sight! Some Kenyans have plenty food and resources and others are barely making through-out the day. But you would never see that within this culture because they ARE walking by faith. They speak of the goodness of God at all times; their praises to our mighty God are continuously flowing out of their months. Even when there are no words spoken out of their mouths, their faith is still evident and radiant by the smiles they show and the hospitality they give. They don’t look at the obstacles in their lives, they quickly acknowledge their faith in God by saying, “I have a father who will never ever fail me, rock of ages will never ever fail me”

“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1

As I looked at this culture more closely and look at myself even closer I realized that faith is the substance in which we are able to live period. How can I live without this substance? How can the Kenyan culture live without this substance? How can any believer live without this substance? If you really think about it, we can’t live without faith. And we truly can’t live without faith in God.  It is what lies within me that caused me to walk onto all of those airplanes to travel from one continent to another and knowing that God will have me reached the destination that He ordained for me to reach. It’s the source in which the Kenyan culture works many hours out of the week, only to take some time off from working just to go to the house of the Lord to worship on their day of worship. This culture works so hard to provide for their families and while they are working so extremely hard, their smiles never leave their faces. Even when they cannot see the fruits of their labor in resources, or money, they are confident that the Lord’s provision is at work.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and the he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (NIV) Hebrews 11:6

We as believers strive to please God in all we do. Whether it is to help those who are in need, give encouragement to those who need to be inspired, share a word from the Lord, or just give a hug to someone just to say that we care, we do things such as this to please our God. I want the life that I live to please the one I love most, who is the Mighty God, creator of the world. The Kenyan culture has reminded me how the ways of God and the teachings of Christ can be demonstrated in the life you live and the faith in God that you show. The hospitality that I’ve received throughout my three weeks here spoke volumes of this great culture and I felt the love of Christ every time I was greeted by any young child, a family, a pastor, or a community member. Christ gave all of himself so we can live a life that is pleasing to God. The Kenyans give all they can give to have me feel welcomed and at home in their culture. I know their acts of kindness, gratefulness, and love, are all truly pleasing to God.

My faith, is stronger, not just because I’m walking more boldly in faith, not just because my faith in God is the substance and source of my life, but because of my encounter with God and his people of a this wonderful culture who reminded me that my life pleases God when I diligently seek him and listen to his commands in all I do and say! I encourage you my friends, to taking a moment in what ways are you walking by faith, to realize that your faith is truly the substance in which you live your life, and most of all, I encourage you to strive to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Blessings~
Mandy Haines

Savior

How is it that several action packed days have passed (including moving in to our home stays with our Kenyan families, going to our first worship service in Kenya, and actually walking around in the community) and my mind is still stuck on our home visits to several of the Umoja guardians and students.

I'm stuck on the notion that I'm playing the role of savior. That there are people who view me as the one to save them. Who see me as the person who provides their child's meal at lunch each day, the one who funds the distribution of blankets and sanitary towels. When in fact, that isn't me at all. I'm a student; I haven't even donated to GIP or Umoja. Not only am I not the savior, I am unworthy of their praises for actions that are not my own.

How do I avoid getting wrapped up in this mentality that I can save people? That a donation or a gift that I can give will make a lasting change? How do I give in a way that points to Jesus as the savior? How do I step away from the idea of saving people from their situations and move more towards friendship - a friendship in Christ? A friendship that inspires us both, changes us both, grows the way we see God, and ultimately saves us both.

Sole to Soul

The point of the rock is sharp.  It feels like it is puncturing the protective skin that covers the bottom of my foot.  I step again…and this time the little pebbles of gravel feel like sandpaper.  For the first time I feel the pressure of my body weight on the bottom of my feet.  I am walking an uphill rocky trail barefoot.  A spiritual practice.  A physical practice.  Something to get me in physical connection with the earth that lives beneath m, as well as something that countless people are doing around me while here in Kenya.  The people do not have a choice….they do not have the luxury of owning shoes.  They run, walk, climb, jump and haul in bare feet.  They do not show signs of pain as they live their lives without shoes.  Calloused?  Tolerant?
I commit myself to doing the entire hike without shoes, it is a 25 minute walk with hiking sandals on.  Every step required my full attention.  I was careful and intentional every time I laid my foot down on the dirt ground.  Sometimes I knew when the pain of the rock was coming, and other times the piercing pain surprised the nerves of my body.  I thought about quitting this whole practice several times…forget this, it hurts!!  No, I am committed.
I could barely make it 15 minutes, while small children are living this way for their entire lives.  I had never really spent much time thinking about this way of life…minus a few conversations about TOMS shoes maybe.  As I prayed through my walk I gave full attention to God and to His creation beneath me…
I was stumbling along slowly when I heard a Kenyan woman shouting at me in the native luo tongue. She wanted to greet me so she stepped out of the thick vegetation with the world’s longest machete in her hand!! Machetes are commonly used to cut grass, dig and trim vegetation around the farm.  She was the first woman I encountered in the local community that knew ZERO english…not even hello. I was in trouble!  I don’t know what she was saying, all I know is that she was very, very passionate and insistent!  She was looking at the sandals in my hand and looking at my bare feet in confusion.  Why would I choose to walk in such a way when I have the luxury of shoes in my right hand?!  I respected her concern and placed my hiking sandals back on my feet…disappointed that I could not complete my experiment, but secretly thanking her for relieving the soles of my feet!!
As I walked the remainder of my hike with my machete holding friend close behind me, I felt the cushion of my sandals like never before!  They felt like a downcomforter hugging the bottoms of my feet.  Oh, how I had a whole new deep appreciation for the protective shield of my shoes.  A new bounce arrived to my step.  I thought of how I would never have experienced this appreciation for what I already have had I not tried living without it.
Though the soles of my feet were no longer in direct contact with the soul of God’s creation…my soul was.

Music Therapy

Jambo, folks!
Today is our day off, so we came in to Kisumu to do a little grocery shopping and internet. So, I found it fitting to write a blog. Until last night, I did not have anything substantial to write about but that quickly changed.
Yesterday was a very long day filled with matatu rides, lots of walking, and meetings. At the end of the day, I was done. I started to get off my "high" from being in Kenya, as it started to set it that this was really our lives for the summer. I really just wanted to rest but eventually found myself in Mandy's room (like always). I was feeling so low and tired--thinking a lot about Kenya, the poverty, Umoja, our team here, and my family. Yesterday was also my best friend's birthday and I was sad not to be in South Carolina for that celebration. As I was laying there, Mandy put on some music. It had to have been God because it was the PERFECT song, one that I and the Duke Divinity Gospel Choir sang this past year. Here is the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc4Y7iZwoe8
This song just filled my heart with such joy and peace, I couldn't explain it. The song not only reminded me of how amazingly talented and wonderfully DDS friends are, but the song really grasps what I am trying to accomplish by being here (and in my life).
All I want to do is make God smile. I desire God to be pleased with me and my actions--knowing that I am living my life for the Lord. Everything I do, I want to do in the name of the Lord. And, that better is one day in God's house than thousands else where. It's amazing how many times per day we pray here, so I always feel that we are in God's house. It reminds me that God is working in Kenya and through Umoja and the Duke interns (and Kalamazoo, too!).
I really connect with music and I really feel God speak to me through music. In times of doubt and sorrow, I can be rejuvenated through music. So, I really feel as if God used Mandy to play that song in order to convey to me that God is with me through this experience.
How does God speak to or work through you?

Visiting the Home of 9 Orphans

We are told that the host wants to end our visit with a prayer. I hear, “Let us pray.”  So, with eyes closed and head bowed I listen as a voice of fear and despair begins to speak to God.  Though I do not understand the language being spoken, I do feel the desperation in the voice.  I know that whatever the words, I am in agreement with this fellow member of the Body of Christ who is suffering.  As her shaky voice of prayers turns into heart wrenching pleads and cries I begin to break. 

  

The voice is that of a very elderly woman who is watching 9 orphans starve in her home.  These children are her grandchildren who have tragically ended up in her care because of the death of their parents.  As their provider, the grandmother now has to live with the torment of knowing that she is the one failing them.  She is the one who is unable to provide enough food to sustain them.  She is the one responsible.  Without the ability to work because of her frail condition, how can she alleviate this crisis situation?  Throughout our home visit she humbly asks over and over for food, confessing the agony she is enduring as she watches her orphaned grandchildren go without food.

The prayer ends and all 10 of us visiting Umoja representatives begin walking to the door to leave.  I cannot believe my eyes!  My heart is breaking.  I want to scream, “What are we doing?!  Wait…Stop!  We can’t just walk out of here as if this sister in Christ did not just reveal her very grave need to us!!  Are we really just going to walk out of here as if we are leaving a church service, or a meeting, or a damn grocery store?!”  I second guess myself by wondering if this reaction is the Holy Spirit’s conviction, or just my naïve eyes to a grave society? 

Then, I hear someone tell the woman to trust God because He will make a way out of this.  Trust God?!  Of course she should trust God, I’m sure she’s was trusting Him when she took in all 9 of those children.  But, who’s to say that God did not intersect this woman’s path with ours in order to make a way out of this? 

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?  Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”   James 2:14-17

We have the resources.  Yes, I know that we cannot go around giving to everybody…the need is too great and our resources do have limits.  However, I also believe God brings specific people and situations into our lives in order to use us to do His work.  That is what we will be held accountable for.  All I can do is be faithful to what God lays out in front of me, and trust Him with the rest.  So yes, Kenya has too much need for me to help everyone…but I’m not sitting in everyone’s home and hearing everyone’s stories.  It is this grandmother of 9 starving orphans whose home I am sitting in.  It is my eyes that are seeing this woman’s tears, and it is my ears that are hearing her cries!  God has crossed my path with hers, and so I have a responsibility. How can we walk out?

I look around to the other faces in the room and they are somber.  We all feel the despair that lives in this home, however no one else seems anxious to act on it now.  We are turning our backs on 10 people…9 orphans…who we know with 100% certainty, are going to go hungry tonight.  How deeply does God’s heart break as He watches us turn our backs…

“’Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”       Matt 25:34-40

The Church

Yesterday we visited Marera Primary School to see the Umoja school lunch program. From there Elizabeth and I joined Linda and Madame Cipress (the LINK teacher at Huma Primary School). Together we did home visits. We visited three guardians, all widows, and the children that they raised. The experience was a beautiful and challenging. It was such a gift to see the homes of the orphans, vulnerable children, widows, and guardians. I felt beyond welcomed into their homes – their hospitality and openness was astounding. But it was so challenging to walk into a home and see the faces of the children – sometimes numbering seven or more in one home. Listening to an elderly woman who attempts to feed and pay school fees for that many children stirred emotions that can’t really be described. But to see her trust in God to provide is a quality I can only hope that I can learn while here. 

The home visits that we did yesterday filled me with joy and apprehension. Looking at these lives that are so different from my own, all I can ask is what is my role here? Why did God want me here? What do I have to offer the Kenyans? From my brief stay here I can tell you many things that the people of Kenyans have to offer me and teach me about life. But I’m still wondering what my gifts are and where they factor in here. 

But I was reminded of our first Sunday in Indianapolis; we attended the early service at North UMC. It was youth Sunday, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. However, service was beautiful and provided me with a great introduction to North. We heard one girl, a graduating senior, speak of North as a place that allowed her to meet people from different walks of life. How North taught her, not just about justice, but about the realities of injustice. North challenged her to think and accepted her for her personal thoughts, beliefs, and convictions. How North cherished and supported her despite her unconventional approaches to faith. Her story was beautiful, eloquent, and honest. It was not only a wonderful introduction to the church that I am briefly interning at, it was a timely reminder of what the church is called to be. 

The church is called to educate – not just on the words of scripture but on the action, passion, and drive behind the gospel. We are called to accept all people – regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, belief, sexual-identity, cultural practice, or any other matter. We are called to serve. What a powerful message to receive from an eighteen year old. What a way to start this journey. 

Perhaps my role here is to learn from the Kenyans what a hospitable church looks like. Perhaps it is to see the Umoja Project taking up the call of the church – putting scripture into action and service. Perhaps I am here to listen and to simply live among other Christians. But maybe my call here is the same that it is in the US. Maybe I am called to be the church – the church that truly educates its congregation and the world, the church that accepts all people because they are the children of God, a church that engages in service. I pray that through my time here I learn to better be the church. I’m pretty optimistic about that.

Week One

Hello all!

The first week is coming to a close. We cannot believe it. We have been visiting many schools that are supported by the Umoja project. So, we have met the principals, LINK teachers (those who connect the students with Umoja staff with information) and the children who are supported by the project. The children are vulnerable children (whose parents don't make enough money to support them) and/or orphans are supported with school lunches (sponsored by guardians and Umoja) and emergency equipment by Umoja. There is a Kenyan team on the ground here that works with the teachers and GIP in Indy. I think this is a great model for a NGO because they have many Kenyans learning and running the processes here and the guardians (those who take care of the orphans) are also responsible and are learning valuable, income flowing, sustainable trades to have money. This is great! We also saw similar things in Nairobi with beads and fabric. This is very important, especially for women, to have skills (definitely if they are single mothers or widows) and to feel valued and important- knowing they can take care of themselves.
I really love it here. I already feel comfortable here and it is very similar in ways to Latin America, where I have traveled a lot, but I feel that my experiences there have very well prepared me for this experience, especially seeing the poverty. I still have yet to internalize this and I’m not sure how I will do this but I’m currently taking it all in.
But it is so nice to be able to speak English, though many mainly speak Luo (and a lot of KiSwahili).
We have been meeting many people and trying to do some touristy stuff, as well. I am having a great time here and we will update soon! Homestays start on Monday!

p.s. Laura has been AMAZING!!!!!!!! And we’re excited to Callie and Mariah very soon!

Hello, all! 

Welcome to the blog for the Duke Divinity School interns who are traveling to Kenya this summer. We are: Colleen Bookter, Mandy Haines (rising 3rd years), Tiffany Johnson and Elizabeth Murray (rising 2nd years). We are traveling to Chulaimbo, Kenya (on Lake Victoria) for a 7 week immersion experience. We are excited to be in community with the people there and see how God is working in their lives... and in ours! 

The total length of our internship is 10 weeks, so 3 of those weeks will be spent in Indianapolis, IN where we will be with 2 churches there. The churches are North United Methodist Church and Northminster Presbyterian Church. Colleen and myself (Elizabeth) are associated with North UMC while Tiffany and Mandy are with Northminster-- but we are all working together. These churches in addition to many other faith organizations collectively make up the Global Interfaith Partnership, which has developed the Umoja Project. 

We have been in Indy for a few days and we'll head to Kenya on Sunday. Upon our arrival back in the States, we will spend another 2 weeks back at our respective churches debriefing, sharing our experience, and planning a worship service.

We are very excited about our trip and are eager to get there, yet we are enjoying meeting everyone on the US side of the operations. 

Internet will be somewhat available but we all will post when able!

-Elizabeth