One the way to Nairobi a few weeks ago I got robbed by a
street vendor selling corn on the cobb or fruit. I don't know which one he was
selling cause I don't know who stole the money for my fare to the city. I got
100 KES pick pocketed from my shirt pocket by one of the 10 vendors who rush the matatu (a 15 person passenger van) sticking their hands in the windows selling all kinds of things for pretty cheap. The worst part is that I didn't even see it coming,
but I noticed the money gone when I heard the younger vendors kind of snicker
when they knew they got away with it. I do know one thing is for sure. They
needed that money (about 1.10 USD) way more than I did.
(This isn't the guy, but just an example)
Nonetheless, I was a little ticked off. No, I was flipping
mad someone would steal from me. I was hurt. I was upset. I didn't care that it
was only 100 schillings. I was just mad. I think it was the principal of the
matter that got to me the worst. I mean come on! Here I am, trying to help
people in this country, and someone stole from me right under my nose. I didn't
even see it coming. The very very worst part of it all is that they laughed at me
once they realized they got away with it.
Then I pause.
And look at my life up to this point.
I realized something.
This was only the second time something has been taken from
me in my life. They last time something was stolen from me was a bicycle back
in college. I think it cost around 80 bucks.
Then I think of Camp Vision down in the valley.
Their entire way of life has been stolen from them. Their
homes. Their jobs. Their crops. Their husbands. Their wives. Their children. Their
friends. Their entire families were stolen from them. Their lives as they knew
it was completely stripped away from them.
How the heck can I sit around and sulk over an old bike and
100 Kenya Schillings?
I don't claim to know a lot, but I know this for sure.
No one can steal your FAITH.
No one can steal your HOPE.
No one can steal God's LOVE.
I think people in Camp Vision will begin to grasp something
a lot of us forget, take for granted, or simply do not to take the time to realize
how important the things are they can never be stolen from you.
As I sit, pray, and meditate on life, Camp Vision, and
everything else going on in the world I cannot seem to stray from my time at a
empty thrift store back in Gainesville, GA with an elderly woman named Alma. At
first when I walked into the store it was a tad bit awkward. I looked at her,
she looked back at me, and not a single word was said. So I just kind of
strolled around the store looking through clothes, games, silverware, plates,
etc…..
I didn't really see anything interesting except for Alma rummaging
through an old box of stuff. You could tell it was something someone must of
just dropped off for her to sell because by the look on her face she had no
clue what was in it either. We engaged in a bit of small talk about the
weather, life, Kenya, her granddaughter, God, and then we just shared a little
bit of life together. It was the small talk that connected us and we became
friends.
When the time came for me to leave, the still, quiet, calm
but clear voice in my head (some call it a conscience, Id like to say its God)
whispered to me and asked me to say a pray with her. At first, and like a lot
of the time, I wanted to pretend like I didn't hear anything or that I could
just do it next time….or maybe ill just say a pray for her tonight before I
fall asleep. I decided to just keep walking to the car to head back home, but
God decided He would speak just a tad bit louder.So, of course, I turned around and went back
inside the old rugged thrift store.
I moseyed on in and asked Alma if it would be ok that I pray
with her before I left. You should of seen the excitement in face. Her eyes lit
up like the fourth of July. With that being said, and amidst all the excitement
she was showing, I could really tell she was in a place where she was barely
hanging on to a few threads of hope. She needed some encouragement.
Before I could get hardly any prayers out, it was like God
reached down and gently laid His hands on our shoulders. It was different, it
wasn't ordinary, it was God, and it was good. She didn't fall over, the room didn't shake, but one thing
is for sure, the God of the universe filled that old rugged thrift store with a
sense of relief, hope, and peace Alma never felt before. She began to cry and
thank God for the simple things in life. She was thankful for her family, thankful for
her job, thankful for her food, thankful for her clothes, and on and on and on.
She didn't ask for anything. She just thanked God for the things she did have.
The simple things in life we sometime take for granted.
So why am I telling you this story?
I am telling you this story because God is showing me that sometimes
the simplest things in life can be the greatest things in life. God is
showing me that a simple prayer changed Alma's life in the thrift store that
day, and in the same way, providing ways to meet simple needs in Camp Vision
will change the lives of generations to come.
I think now would be a great time to sit and be grateful for all the good things we have in life. If you like, I would love for you to share some of the things that you are thankful for.
We have been on the ground for about 2 weeks now and we are all doing good amidst getting settling into our new living environments. Its very cold here in Kijabe (the elevation is about 7000ft.), and of course, I forgot to pack a jacket.
It is great to be back tho. Our contacts Pastor Simon and Margaret have been extremely nice like always, and they were beyond happy to have us back in Kijabe.
Things here in Kenya move very slowly. So far we have spent time in the capital searching for a ministry vehicle, meeting a few contacts, applying for work (missionary) visas, Kenyan drivers license, and of course started engaging in past relationships and building new ones with the people of Camp Vision.
Camp Vision is doing well. One big change that has occurred is that they have more land. Each family now has 40 X 40 ft plot of land to call home. Although this change is great, the environment Camp Vision lives in is still unacceptable. They still live in tents made out of garbage, they still have no employment, they still have no food to feed their family everyday, they still have no clean water, they still wear the same tattered clothing, they all still share a hole in the ground for a toilet, there still is a lot of work to do physically, emotionally, and spiritually with our friends in this camp.
Please continue to pray for myself, and our team as work towards bringing self-sustainability to Camp Vision.
* This is Mary and her 4 children. She is pictured in this blog so that her and her children can be in your thoughts and prayers. Elizabeth, her daughter in the pink shirt to the right, is battling with an illness they are not too sure exactly what it is. They do know that shes is having episodes of unconsciousness that can last up to 30 minutes. Shes needs a CT scan along with other medicals screenings to find a cause and a solution to the black outs. Thank you for your support, all who are giving, all who are praying. Thank you! You are, and will, continue to make a difference to the families of Camp Vision.
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love-so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about-not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us-perfect love!
This is how we know we're living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He's given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we've seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God's Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we've embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
To Love, to Be Loved
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day-our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life-fear of death, fear of judgment-is one not yet fully formed in love.
We, though, are going to love-love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
I just want to say thank you to all of Woodcrest UMC in Lumberton, TX. Thank you for all you have done for the Kenya Initiative over the past year. You have constantly shown me an incredible amount of love and support, and without you, I would not be where I am today. For that, I am forever grateful and could never possibly say thank you enough.
"I would love to have a business where I can buy, make, and sell clothes..." Teresa Waria, woman in Camp Vision
Farming
and craft-making are part of Kenyan culture, especially for the women.
However, the women in Camp Vision lack the resources with which to farm
and to make crafts. They would like to own their own land to grow crops
and to raise livestock. They also would like the opportunity to sew and
make other crafts and products to sell.
We want to empower and equip them to do what they are passionate about
and culturally what matters to them. Our idea is to empower the women
in: basket weaving, sewing and other crafts, and farming. Once we live
there, we want to embrace whatever ideas these women have and other
passions they would like to pursue. We are open to the direction God is
leading this specific project.
Camp Vision's Current State:
• There is a small sewing school where a Kenyan woman named Florence teaches sewing in the large IDP camp
• Sometimes other women from surrounding towns come to teach sewing classes as well • The women do not own and cannot purchase their own plot of land on which to farm • They can grow a few crops on land that they rent or illegally "borrow" • The women do not have steady employment and try to work odd jobs to earn income
Project Goals for Women's Employment:
• Set up sewing project or partner with the existing sewing project and expand upon it
• This project will create steady jobs and employment for the women
• The women will make steady income to support their families
• Every family will have land, equipment, and seeds to farm
• The land will yield crops that produce enough food to feed families and sell excess for income
• Establish a market to sell goods and crafts and potentially a market to sell products in the States
• Their skills and culture will fuse to create a business that will be self-sustainable
Our end goal is to establish a sewing business and a market for selling products, that
all women have the opportunity for employment, and all have land on
which to grow crops to supply their families with food and sell excess
for income.We
are looking forward to the day when resources no longer inhibit these
women, and when they are free to pursue the things that were a part of
their lives and that they enjoy doing!
“There are not many men in the camp. There are a lot of single mothers.
As a group, the men of the camp could form a business.” John Nairaba, the chairman of Camp Vision
The men and women in the camp had former lives and jobs that they lost
after the election violence. Some were business owners, some were
farmers, some raised livestock.
The women outnumber the men in this camp because men were targeted during the post-election riots. Though small
in number, these men are big dreamers and entrepreneurs. They are
motivated to create a better life for themselves, but having lost
everything and having no start-up capital, they just lack the resources
with which to do so. However, many of the men have saved what little
money they have earned from odd jobs and are using it to plant small
fields to grow crops or to raise livestock.
Having no ability to earn a living and enjoy the fruit of their labor has taken its toll on these men.
As John says above, these men would like to utilize their skills and knowledge to form a business.
For these reasons, we would like to start a charcoal business for the
men. Charcoal is a highly used resource in Kenya, but it is illegal to
cut down trees. We have found a way to used biodegradable waste to press
into charcoal bricks. Biomass Charcoal seems to be a great idea to
pursue as a job for men in the IDP camp and would create a product for
selling in local markets.
Camp Vision's Current State:
• Camp Vision's population is mainly single mothers who lost or
were separated from their husbands during the election violence
• The men in the camp have a difficult time finding consistent work
• By working odd jobs, some of the men have saved enough money to purchase a few goats and chickens to raise
Project Goals for the Charcoal Project:
• The purchase of land will provide space to work
• We will hire men to work on this project
• We will find locations to gather materials necessary to make charcoal bricks
• We will find markets for the business and begin selling the bricks
Our end goal is that this business will be a locally owned, operated,
and managed business by the men in the IDP camp. We are looking forward
to the day when these men have a steady job that provides steady income
to provide for themselves and for their families.
In
Camp Vision, they do not have any buildings in which to gather. Their
tents are not big enough to allow for company, let alone to host any
kind of church service or gathering indoors. Having a building in which
to gather would help to unite this community. It would also provide
space to escape the heat and provide them with a place to rest indoors.
Camp Vision's Current State:
• They have no building to host church services or hold classes of any kind
• They have no place to meet indoors and no place to gather
• They meet for church underneath a big tree
Project Goals for the Community Center:
• Purchase land to build community center
• Determine location, builders, floor plan, materials used, and phases of construction
• Develop blueprint and build community center
• The community center will host church services, classes, and other gatherings throughout the week
The
building itself provides the space for all of these things, but it will
be so much more than just a building. The community center will be a
place where people from the community, like our friends pictured below,
can gather and be together.
When asked to name the biggest, most urgent problem in the camp, two of our friends at Camp Vision said:
"We have no space, we need to develop our own space.” John, the Chairman of the camp
“I want to have a place to call home, this is not ideal for my children.” Mary Njeri, mother of six children in Camp Vision
Roofs
over our heads not only shield us from the elements-they provide places
to live that become our homes. It is said that, "home is where the
heart is." We know this to be true because homes not only provide warmth
and shelter, but we also attach to them feelings of family, safety,
belonging, and comfort. Prior to the 2007 elections, our friends at Camp
Vision knew those things. They had a roof over their heads and had a
home, a place where they belonged and had to invite people into their
lives.
In Kenyan culture, community and togetherness is ingrained in who they
are as a people. Because they lack the space and the ability to
cultivate a new place they can call home, the people of Camp Vision have
lost some of this aspect of community.
Camp Vision's Current State:
• 50 families share approximately 1 acre of land (see picture above)
• After the 2007 elections, they pooled their money together to purchase this land together that they share
• They have been living in tents that don't provide much shelter from the wind and the rain
• There is land next to Camp Vision available for purchase that
costs 680,000 KSH for 5 acres, which is approximately $10,000
Project Goals for Land:
• Purchase about 5 acres of land
• This land will provide: each family's plot, space to build a community center and place a water well or water tanks
• Each family will own their own plot of land with enough space for a farm and a house
• Families will pay off their land through employment and/or microcredit loans
Losing their former lives and homes has run so much deeper for our
friends than we realize. Our friends will not only one day have their
own space for a house and farm, but they will once again also have a
place that they can call home.
small
in number, these men are big dreamers and entrepreneurs. They are
motivated to create a better life for themselves, but having lost
everything and having no start-up capital, they just lack the resources
with which to do so. However, many of the men have saved what little
money they have earned from odd jobs and are using it to plant small
fields to grow crops or to raise livestock.
Roofs
over our heads not only shield us from the elements-they provide places
to live that become our homes. It is said that, "home is where the
heart is." We know this to be true because homes not only provide warmth
and shelter, but we also attach to them feelings of family, safety,
belonging, and comfort. Prior to the 2007 elections, our friends at Camp
Vision knew those things. They had a roof over their heads and had a
home, a place where they belonged and had to invite people into their
lives. 