From July 23 to August 1 I traveled to Kenya, Africa with Compassion International. I journaled some of my thoughts as we visited some of the projects that Compassion has going on in Kenya:
7-25-09 God continues to remind me that I have all I need.
Visiting Masai was quite amazing. Felt awkward at times though. I don’t like the feeling that I’m exploiting people or gawking at their poverty. Taking pictures awkward and a bit weird but the people were gracious and didn’t seem to mind.
Seeing how the Masai live made an impression. There is no TV, and cell phones are rare. Obviously there is no electricity or indoor plumbing, we discovered the “cho” (bathroom). I was a bit paranoid about eating some of the food but I didn’t want to offend our Masai hosts. So I think I managed to avoid any big pieces of goat meat in the potato stew and ate a bunch of the vegetables and broth.
Still nearly 300 kids and their parents were warm and welcoming. The children at times seemed a bit shy or even afraid of us. I think they were particularly taken with the more fare-skinned pastors and visitors! Thats okay, I’m not offended!!! (smile) Once it was time for selling their handmade crafts it was a bit crazy and you had to deal with being bombarded with bracelets, necklaces, belts, and other beaded crafts. All great stuff and I was able to pick up some cool bracelets for the girls. It was tough to say no though especially to the kids trying to sell their stuff. Someone had even crafted an “Obama” breaded item. Isn’t that amazing! The power of marketing!
Saw Zebras in the wild as we drove in and on our way back out as well, absolutely amazing! Fairly long ride out to the area but well worth it. Saw a more primitive living family out away from the project. They lived in huts made out of cow dung and mud!! The women are responsible for building and maintaining the house, while the men take the herds to find water. Polygamy is still practiced by some but Christianity is helping many of them leave that practice behind. Truly beautiful people in an amazing country. I am grateful to be here.