Adventures in Kenya, Part 1: Nairobi

It has been exactly 1 week since returning from my latest trip to Kenya. 1 week to kick jet lag to the curb, resume my "normal" circadian rhythm, and process the most recent chapter in pursuing my dreams. **No big deal**

In church circles, we like to talk about things like "Vision" and "Leaving a Legacy" and other grand pursuits. This isn't such a bad thing, if you can absorb it and apply it without becoming pompous and judgemental. When you actually do believe that God has created you with gifts, talents, and a purpose beyond only seeking your personal pleasure, it can be the impetus for doing some pretty great things with your life and enjoying yourself in the process. Helping others, caring about people from all walks of life, becoming a champion for causes that touch your heart- not a bad thing at all. But far too often, our church huddles and pep talks about visioneering and legacy-leaving don't push us past our fears of looking like a complete weirdo. So we get excited, take a few tentative steps forward, and then return to the hamster wheel of same old same.

In October 2011 when my BFF and I launched our small business together, I have to admit that I was totally high. Not on substances (20 years clean, baby!) but on the possibilities that lie in front of me. It was an adrenaline rush like no other, and I was dizzy with excitement. I still am! For all of the years that I've worked in Non-Profit and travelled the world for ministry and missions, I felt I was truly stepping into an arena of faith that my soul was desperately craving. Finally, my years of dream-chasing were beginning to take the shape of a lifework I could actually be proud of. And so what if I look like a complete weirdo? That isn't exactly new territory, so bring it.

OK, so back to the Kenya trip: Our purpose for this visit was very specific. We planned to work alongside one of our partners, visiting a work site in the Nairobi slums and sharing ideas on new products, efficient shipping practices, and spending time visiting and encouraging the amazing ladies that we had met earlier this year. I had been in touch with our in-country contacts for months in advance and had arranged our airport pick-up, lodging, and itinerary for the short week that we would be there. Dates and times were shared. Logistics confirmed. Everything was set up, and we were SO excited to begin this part of our small business journey. Two days of air travel from Los Angeles to Amsterdam to Nairobi, crossing multiple time zones, stuffed into cramped seats for an inhumane length of time- not to mention the expense of travelling even in Economy Class- we were ready, and beyond excited! And that's when things got weird.

We arrived at the airport in Nairobi just before 6am, relieved to be out of the flying tin can and on terra firma. Baggage collected and piled up onto the trolley, the two of us standing out about as much as two white girls in Africa possibly can, we stepped out into the arrivals lobby and waited for our driver, holding up our sign and smiling like pageant contestants. And we waited. And waited. Knowing that Nairobi traffic can be horrendous, we didn't get too freaked out when 30 minutes turned into 45, and no driver had appeared to collect us. I called the lodge manager, a friend whom I've known for nearly a decade, and was happy to hear his familiar voice: "Michelle! Are you here?" Yes! We are here! "OK- the driver is nearby. Just a minute. OK he will be there soon." Great! Can't wait to see you! "Ha Ha, OK see you soon." Another 20 minutes, and there was our driver. We piled into the small car, grateful that all of our large luggage fit into the trunk space and spare seat. As we were riding to the lodge, watching the sunrise bathe the Kenyan countryside in a golden glow, disturbing pieces of the story began to be revealed by our driver. As it turns out, the people that we had flown thousands of miles to see were out of town and would be gone for the next 3-4 days. We would only be in Kenya for 6, and one of the days was promised to friends in Masii- 2 hours away from the Nairobi area. We were lucky that our driver was near the airport at the time I placed the call, because he had just dropped off someone and was heading back to the lodge when he got the call to turn around and come pick us up. Arriving at the lodge, we were grateful that a guest room was still available. We took some light breakfast, where we learned that the main person we had expected to meet with actually had no intention of seeing us and was leaving the country. Dumbfounded, we went inside our room to stretch out, talk through our confusion and disappointment, and figure out next steps. After calming down and assuring each other that God indeed had something else planned, we went into the office and met with my friend to ask what had happened regarding our arrangements. He admitted that yes, we had agreed and confirmed the date and time of our arrival a month prior; yet somehow there was confusion about the exact day, and so he hadn't made our arrival known to the people we were expecting to meet with. Stunned, I asked why he hadn't contacted me if he had been unclear. He responded that he had, in fact, sent me an email... when we were 35,000 feet in the air, on the day before we would be arriving. If I had been stunned before this revelation, I now felt as if I had been punched in the face with a Sherman tank. Nothing made sense. It was one of those cosmic WTF moments, to be sure. Are You There God? It's Me, and I'm Pissed! Angry, confused, crushed, humiliated, you name it- we were suddenly facing the reality that our plans had gone completely to dust, and there was nothing we could do to fix them.

We returned to our room, ranted, cried, and prayed. We figured out that we had 3 choices: 1) Book a safari, forget about work, and leave the lodge; 2) Book a return flight to Los Angeles and leave the lodge; or 3) Contact our friends down in Masii, ask if we could come sooner than expected, and leave the lodge. In any case, we clearly needed to leave the lodge where, for the first time ever, we felt unwelcome and intrusive. I sent an email to our friends in Masii explaining that we were in some trouble, and asked if it was possible to come down to visit them today. Within minutes, I received the response that they would be coming right away to bring us home with them, and that they were delighted to see us sooner than expected. The wave of love that washed over me in that instant was unbelievable.

We had planned to set up channels for our work in Masii sometime in the future, maybe 3-5 years down the road. We have loved Masii since Day 1, and had dreamed of bringing the kind of community development and economic change there among the people who had held our hearts dearly. In our minds, the prudent thing to do was to continue working with the existing sites in the Nairobi slums, build a model from that, modify it and eventually apply it in the more rural context of Masii. On this day, however, we were overcome by the matchless strength of God's timing and will.

NEXT: Adventures in Kenya, Part 2- Masii