...a little bit of 'life in Kenya'...

I was planning a blog entry called "Today's Adventure", but that day turned out to be so full of adventure, challenge and blessings that I just could not highlight this minor incident! But, today I decided to include it in a random post...

During my morning commute, shortly after I boarded my second bus, from town to the project, I was casually listening to the news playing on the radio...resting my head against the window. I was amused by the story of increased traffic accidents in Kenya. The Minister of Transportation was reported as accusing the drivers and owners of public vehicles, while he was being accused of 'sleeping on the job'...I smiled and marveled that I had never been involved in an accident in the months of riding on public vehicles every day! Just then - you guessed it - the sound of metal on metal, breaking glass and screeching brakes! We had hit a car!

Of course we were all ushered off the bus (fortunately I had not yet paid!) and there I stood on the side of the road, trying to figure out what to do! By the time I pulled out my camera to snap a photo of the scene, it was too late...then a nice man showed me where to go to catch another bus...and soon I was on a much nicer vehicle, back at 'the scene'...you can see below (maybe!) the approximate location...thru the front window of my 'new' bus...
...ah! then I spotted the 'old' bus! and a traffic cop and the car that was hit...sorry folks this was the best I could do...
Yesterday morning as I was heading into town to meet a friend, I came upon a wedding celebration! I had been hearing some loud music and raucous laughter, but had not paid much attention...I just had to pull out my camera - it was all so colorful and festive...

Then as the wedding vehicle rounded the corner, I shot this photo -if you look closely, you can see a vehicle just ahead of it...

...with the videographer hanging out the window!

A day in the field...

On Tuesday, I accompanied Paul to Huruma - a community just east of our center. First we attended the meeting for Halala, one of our newest groups. Then we went on four 'assessments'. When a group forms, the Loan Officer (that's Paul in this case) must visit each of the businesses owned by the group members. Usually one or more of the other members also participates.

First we visited Brookview Vocational Training Centre. This school is run by our client, John Mdoga. Subjects currently taught include computer training, tailoring and hairdressing & beauty. These are all vital skills that will enable the participants to better their lives.
Here is the entrance to the school...

Paul and John in the computer training room...due to a recent break-in the computers were removed while classes are not in session.

These two photos were taken in the hairdressing & beauty classroom...

While Paul was inside, I took advantage of the opportunity to snap photos of the village. Goats are a major business in this area...in the background is the auction house where goats are brought from all around every morning...

Paul is using John's desk as he fills out the 'assessment form' on the school. The form contains information such as weekly expenses, monthly revenue, assets owned, as well as personal information. The goal is to learn enough information about the business owner as well as the business to make an informed decision when a loan is requested. To the far left and right you can barely see Dorcas and Susan who accompanied us. Not shown is Daniel - you will see his business next.

Daniel Karani is in the foreground, answering questions about his business and personal expenses as Paul completes the form...

Daniel runs a Kerosene Shop - this was my first exposure to a Kerosene Pump. You can see the worker filling a plastic bag for her customer...

Daniel's shop also carries various grains...


And, of course, while I waited I took several photos...

I was intrigued by these girls - and I think it was mutual! They could not stop giggling!

These boys were also quite entertained by the Mzungu snapping pictures!

Next stop is a charcoal shop run by our client Susan. John told me that Susan was one of many Kenyans displaced due to the post-election violence. With the help of her friends and our ministry, she is putting her life back together again. Praise the Lord!

Here Paul is lecturing Susan about being honest with her measurements. Some of the cans containing coal are badly dented so he explained to her that these were not full cans and she cannot sell them for the same price as undented cans...

I think she understood!

Dorcas Mwongeli Musyoka supplies the coal to Susan and several other retailers in the village. Here you see Dorcas and Paul in her storeroom. This is Tuesday and on Saturday she had picked up 130 bags of coal - can you see in the background she only has maybe 20 bags left - I would say she is successful!

Here Dorcas is explaining to Paul that each week she hires a lorry (truck) to pick up the bags of coal. On her way to her shop, she drops bags to various other vendors (like Susan)...Her prices are written on the wall...

Here she is posed in front of her retail shop, which is just in front of her storeroom.

This is a shot of the main road in that area...as I mentioned to John (who was with us the whole day...) when I take these pictures, you can see but you cannot hear the sounds, smell the smells or feel the warm sun - all of which adds texture to what I see...so you will just have to imagine children laughing, dogs barking, music playing, shopkeepers talking, birds squawking and vehicles rumbling by...

We ended our day in the field at Dorcas' home. Here are Paul and Dorcas completing the assessment form...in addition to being a wife, mother and business owner Dorcas also ministers to a flock of women who meet weekly in one of the classrooms of John's school. She is amazing!

Then she served us lunch! You can see John in the background deep in conversation with Paul.

Then Paul grabbed the camera to shoot this picture of me!

It was such fun to visit our clients, to see what they do while I am in the office entering their names and savings and loan payments. It is good for me to put faces to names. And I enjoyed visiting with John who walked with me and delighted in sharing with me what he knows.

Oh, and while we were walking to Susan's shop a man decided to approach us (of course he was focused on me)...almost imperceptibly Susan moved to one side and Dorcas to my other side. John engaged the man in conversation and together they all 'steered' him away from me...it was so great to see how they worked together silently to achieve an unspoken goal. The best part is that John's conversation was full of encouragement and positive affirmation of the man. Even though he was a drug addict, I believe that fertile seeds were planted into his soul that day.

The Post Test Club...

...or PTC for short. This is what we call the support group for those who have tested positive for HIV. A small group of them (about 12) meet every Monday to make jewelry...for the past few weeks they have been feeling a bit discouraged because they are not sure where to find a market for the items they have made.

Mrs. Gacau (from the BDS staff) has been trying to encourage them but she, too, has been frustrated to come up with ideas. A few weeks ago I mentioned that my friend, Joy, makes beautiful jewelry and is quite successful. I felt sure she would love to come and work with our ladies to help them dream again.

Today was the day! Joy came to visit us just in time for lunch. Here she is with Paul (head of our department) and Mrs. Gacau.
Once lunch was over Mrs. Gacau pulled out the items in stock. Joy was quite impressed with the quality and obvious creative talent...(I just know she has the gift of encouragement!)

Joy, modeling a piece she was especially fond of!
We went upstairs to join four of the group already getting started with their meeting. Even though they were all speaking Swahili (and I don't!) I could tell that the ladies liked her immediately!
It appeared to me as though within just a few minutes they were already encouraged...
She becomes quite passionate when she talks about the hope we have in God and how faithful He is...that is one of the things I love most about Joy!
The ladies are admiring a few of the pieces that Joy brought with her...
...even last week when Joy and Mrs. Gacau met for the first time, Mrs. Gacau was so encouraged by Joy that when she went to another group meeting that same afternoon, she was able to encourage those women who have also been feeling frustrated...
I am truly excited by how God is using Joy to infuse new hope into our bead projects! It will be wonderful to watch God transform these groups as each lady embraces a new dream for her future.

To God be all the Glory!

A fun day!

My friend Amy invited me to join her and a few friends to visit a local tea farm...it was so much fun! Here are a few photos of the day. In this first one you can see the back of the home on the property...the property was so beautiful, peaceful and quiet...we never wanted to leave!
Left to right in this photo is Lydia, Alida, Amy, Feona and Daphne. In the background you can see a big dog...don't remember her name, but she was sooooo friendly. Feona owns the farm - she took over managing it when her mother died about 10 years ago. Lydia and Alida are friends of Amy, the Amy pictured is a friend of Alida (both are from Canada) and Daphne is a friend of Lydia's...so that is how we are all connected...I am connected to the Amy that is not pictured!
Ah! Here is the Amy I am connected to! She LOVES tea...this huge bush is a tea plant that has been there since 1918...it has gone wild...but it made Amy smile anyway!
Here Feona is showing us it's leaves and explaining that the tea would not be good from this plant.
Alida, the amateur photographer, shooting some flowers - they were gorgeous!
We were invited inside for a bit of tea! This is Amy and Alida.
Another dog - a Jack Russell/terrier mix...
We each received a 'sample' of what is picked from the tea plant used to make the tea we were drinking...I posed mine...
Here Feona is giving us the history of the farm...briefly, her grandfather immigrated from England in 1906 and bought this property in 1910. He began tea farming in 1918. Her parents, born in Kenya, took over the farm and then passed it on to her...she is 2nd generation Kenyan. It was fascinating to hear her story...the 'other side' of the coin...the colonial side. I did appreciate one comment she made when referring to the several acres of forest she has left intact on the property. She said she wants people to remember what it was like 'before we destroyed it'.

See the glass containers on the table in front of her? They are filled with tea...
After serving more tea to us, Andrew offered us more cookies...we were treated so well!
One by one Feona passed the tea containers, from best to worst quality, explaining the difference as the glasses were passed around...it was quite interesting!
When we had all had our fill of tea and cookies, she invited us out to the lovely yard and introduced us to Kimani, who was to be our guide through the forest.
Kimani, Alida (with tea in her hair!) and Amy...
First stop was to show us the location of the first homestead...
...and the first tea factory where Feona's grandfather processed the leaves by hand...
This is called a Kiambetha in Kikuyu (the language of the local tribe)...Kimani explained that this area was the Traditional Dancing Ground and the tree was thought to have magical qualities...
The entrance to the forest...Kimani assured us there were no snakes, no poisonous plants and that he does know his way out! He was actually a lot of fun...
If you look closely at the tall skinny tree on the right, you see a vine growing around it. Kimani says that north of the equator the vine winds the other way...hmmm...do you think that is really true?
Here he is demonstrating how the pickers do their job - I was a bit disappointed that there were no real pickers out here! They have a basket hanging behind them, and they carefully break off a piece like you saw in the photo above and throw it into the basket, being very careful not to touch it much and not to crush the delicate leaves... They are paid by the weight so are motivated to move quickly, but the farm (and therefore the pickers) are penalized at market if the quality of the pickings is not good so they are also motivated to pick the best leaves.
I am sure I have not been completely accurate in what I have described, but I think it is close enough...mostly it was awesome to learn something new!
Acres of tea plants...it was so beautiful...this photo just doesn't cut it!
Posing with Amy...
Alida being Alida!
Not sure what he is carrying...but I like to think it is tea leaves!
Local kids scrambling to get a good look at the Wazungu (white people)
Juice and wine before lunch...L to R is Alida, Amy, Lydia, Daphne and Amy
Table set for six! Under a shade tree but still in the sun...I call this 'lunch with a view'!
These are some other people with whom we shared the day, but the real reason I took this shot was for the dog, making herself quite at home! (oh yeah, she was home...)
All in all it was a great day...spent with friends I knew and new friends!