Friday, July 2, 2010
We have moved our blog to the Project 82 Kenya website!
The Project 82 Kenya website was launched in June of 2010. You can stay updated on blog posts at the new web address. http://project82kenya.com/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Nosikitok - A Community that is United
Our visit to Nosikitok, a Maasai village near the border of Tanzania, brought great encouragement to our team as we crossed cultural barriers and enjoyed an incredible day of fellowship with the community. This village was hit hard by the drought in 2009 and the need for holistic transformation was evident in what we saw and what we heard. One of the elders of the community shared with us that he had over 500 cows prior to the drought and now has less than 10. There are many orphans and vulnerable children among them and the women walk over 5 hours one way to get clean water. Still... the overwhelming feeling that emerged throughout the day was HOPE. This community was united. They were humble. They are ready for change and the hard work that will be required to bring it about. And in the midst of what could easily be described as a crisis situation, they greeted us with joyous hearts and treated us to an incredible day of celebration Maasai style.
After an initial meeting together where introductions were made and community leaders shared the history and current status of the community as well as a glimpse of their vision for the future, we were told that it is Massai tradition for the men to separate from the women and go into the "bush" where they feasted on roasted goat and learned some of the Maasai warrior traditions such as throwing a spear. The women stayed together and also enjoyed a feast of rice, potatoes, and the neck of the goat which is what the men send back for them (a little different from home). It was amazing to see language barriers disappear and love filled the gaps in communication. Everyone was given a Maasai name and we even gave some of the women American names.
Later when the men returned and we were all together again, we were invited to join the Maasai women dancing. I say "invited" but understand it was not an option to not join them. Basically we learned quickly that we lack the "rhythm and flexibility" needed for Maasai dance. Later we were asked to stand in a line and the women came and adorned us with beautiful Maasai necklaces, bracelets and earrings. It was a beautiful day with beautiful new friends. We are hopeful about the future for our new friends and look forward to the opportunity to join U4A in standing alongside this community.
Nosikitok Photos
After an initial meeting together where introductions were made and community leaders shared the history and current status of the community as well as a glimpse of their vision for the future, we were told that it is Massai tradition for the men to separate from the women and go into the "bush" where they feasted on roasted goat and learned some of the Maasai warrior traditions such as throwing a spear. The women stayed together and also enjoyed a feast of rice, potatoes, and the neck of the goat which is what the men send back for them (a little different from home). It was amazing to see language barriers disappear and love filled the gaps in communication. Everyone was given a Maasai name and we even gave some of the women American names.
Later when the men returned and we were all together again, we were invited to join the Maasai women dancing. I say "invited" but understand it was not an option to not join them. Basically we learned quickly that we lack the "rhythm and flexibility" needed for Maasai dance. Later we were asked to stand in a line and the women came and adorned us with beautiful Maasai necklaces, bracelets and earrings. It was a beautiful day with beautiful new friends. We are hopeful about the future for our new friends and look forward to the opportunity to join U4A in standing alongside this community.
Nosikitok Photos
Monday, March 8, 2010
Faces of the Fatherless
I've had the opportunity to share in previous posts how greatly encouraged our team was on many occasions during our trip. I'd be less than honest, however, if I did not also share that we experienced moments (even days) of incredible despair. In truth, we had team members who felt completely broken, wiped out, inadequate.... and they struggled to find the strength or the desire to go out and face another day fearing they would only see and experience more of the same. Thankfully God's grace is all sufficient and He fills and renews us each day. His provision is enough to get us through this day. We may be completely spent at the end of it, but He is faithful and He will refresh and renew us again tomorrow according to our needs on that day.
There is a stark contrast when you visit a place where community is completely shattered and hope seems elusive. We visited a place like this. There was an overwhelming sense that evil had managed to gain footing despite the efforts of the local church. Here, it is much harder to see the Hope. Instead you see anger, apathy, despair, numbness, emptiness, abuse, suffering.... But it is also here that we could see the value of working with an organization like U4A. This particular community was devastated by the post election violence in 2008 and the aftermath is beyond anything I could have imagined. The road to restoration will be a long one but U4A has the wisdom and experience to stand with such a community and help them to find their way. I was deeply moved when I heard Samson tell these church leaders that he had met for the first time earlier in the day that U4A was committed to walk alongside them. Knowing that U4A would be there leading this community toward holistic transformation totally changed my perspective about P82 working there. I went from overwhelmed and almost hopeless to believing and even visualizing redemption in a community that desperately needs a Savior. And I could imagine the sadness that I saw in the eyes of the children being replaced with pure JOY that only comes from the ONE who created them. One of our team members, Carl Setterlind, beautifully captured some of these faces with his camera. I've included a link here. Please join us in praying for these children and for this community. P82 is working with U4A to gain a better understanding of the specific needs of the orphans and vulnerable children and we are prayerfully considering how we can stand together to help transform a community and bring hope to the fatherless.
There is a stark contrast when you visit a place where community is completely shattered and hope seems elusive. We visited a place like this. There was an overwhelming sense that evil had managed to gain footing despite the efforts of the local church. Here, it is much harder to see the Hope. Instead you see anger, apathy, despair, numbness, emptiness, abuse, suffering.... But it is also here that we could see the value of working with an organization like U4A. This particular community was devastated by the post election violence in 2008 and the aftermath is beyond anything I could have imagined. The road to restoration will be a long one but U4A has the wisdom and experience to stand with such a community and help them to find their way. I was deeply moved when I heard Samson tell these church leaders that he had met for the first time earlier in the day that U4A was committed to walk alongside them. Knowing that U4A would be there leading this community toward holistic transformation totally changed my perspective about P82 working there. I went from overwhelmed and almost hopeless to believing and even visualizing redemption in a community that desperately needs a Savior. And I could imagine the sadness that I saw in the eyes of the children being replaced with pure JOY that only comes from the ONE who created them. One of our team members, Carl Setterlind, beautifully captured some of these faces with his camera. I've included a link here. Please join us in praying for these children and for this community. P82 is working with U4A to gain a better understanding of the specific needs of the orphans and vulnerable children and we are prayerfully considering how we can stand together to help transform a community and bring hope to the fatherless.
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