After a very difficult and challenging month in the Dominican Republic, but full of very good and healthy growth, I hopped on 3 airplanes to get to Kenya, with a very pleasant stop in London to get dinner with a friend.
Got to Kenya in the morning to find it a bit chilly, which was a nice relief, though, from the humidity of the DR. The first thing I did? Sat down for about 2 hours sipping several cups of Chai tea and having good conversation. Ahhh, I love this place.
Then after sleeping for about 4 hours, I took a brief tour of Kibera, the slum I’ll be working in, to get myself reacquainted. To my surprise, I was having trouble recognizing a lot of it. That’s because a lot of the buildings had been completely burned down since the 2007 riots, and had now been rebuilt.
I met with the leader of the artisan groups we will be working with, and talked a lot about design. After my first day in Kenya, I am reminded of several things. One, God has been here the whole time working. I have seen so much growth in individuals and the community as a whole. Two, I was told several times how great it was that I living with the people in the slums, something which foreigners usually don’t do. It reaffirms the importance of community.
And three, God is rest, healing, restoration, strength and hope. I honestly arrived in Kenya very tired, physically and spiritually, not knowing if I could handle another month. After my first day, I realized I only have a month, and so much good work to do because of the amazing amount of potential here.
Day Two. I’m recovered from jet lag. My soul has been inspired and refreshed. I’m in freaking Africa. Game on.
