Adventures in Kenya, Part 2: Masii

When our friends Elizabeth and Josphat ("Tawa") came to pick us up later that day, we knew that they had been driving for several hours. Seeing them and being embraced by them was just the salve our wounded hearts needed. Leaving the lodge, we said goodbye to some of the friends there who were actually sad to see us go; they were not aware of the fiasco, and genuinely confused by our sudden departure. I felt strongly that in time we could resolve the issues with the lodge and our friends in Nairobi, and hopefully clear up any misunderstandings before returning to Los Angeles. After all, these are people who are very dear to me and whose work I love and respect. We wanted to be able to continue supporting their good work, and we especially wanted to continue providing assistance to the ladies at the work sites who we had met earlier in the year. We pulled away in the little Tumaini van and began to tell Elizabeth and Tawa what had happened. Like us, they were stunned. They shared our confusion and even our frustration about the lack of communication and strange response from our lodge hosts. Most of all, they just told us over and over that they were so glad to see us and that everything would be OK. This, we knew, was absolutely true. We settled in to our seats and simply enjoyed the scenic 2 hour drive to Masii.

Along the road, we got caught up on the happenings in each others' lives, heard updates on the Tumaini ministry, chatted and laughed with each other. The four of us on a little road trip, not exactly what we had originally planned, but so right in every way. We looked forward to spending time with these and all of our other friends in Masii, and hoped that we might even be able to visit some of the kids that we sponsor. We began to dream again about new possibilities, and wondered what it would look like to start opening channels for our work in Masii sooner rather than later. Maybe, we thought, God was sparing us not just a few days, but possibly years in Nairobi and instead moving us closer to realizing our dreams in the heart of Masii. Isn't it funny how when you stop being mad- at God, and at people- for things not going according to your plans, that unexpected blessings somehow begin to flow. A heart that holds on to bitterness leaves no room for gratitude.

During the next 6 days, it seemed as though each moment was more amazing than the one before it. I cannot count the number of times Alli and I looked at each other, eyes wide and smiles beaming, shaking our heads in stunned admiration for how the drama was unfolding into a dream realized. It became apparent that we were exactly where we were supposed to be, and at the precise time. Amazing! Here's the bullet point rundown:

+ We had initially planned to coordinate with our friends from the Nairobi lodge to help oversee our new sewing projects. Instead, Elizabeth and another dear friend, Esther, offered to assist us with our work projects in Masii, as long as they could do it on their day off and it wouldn't interfere with their work for Tumaini. They would be the "eyes and ears" for us, helping to coordinate the sewing projects. A huge prayer answered! We gratefully accepted their help, and in our gratitude offered to compensate them for the time we knew they would be putting into this.

+ We had initially planned to share new designs with ladies in Nairobi who would be producing our newest product line. Instead, we identified and met with Irene, the perfect candidate to begin producing this line right from Masii (technically, from a very nearby village- photo above). A young widow with 4 children, all sponsored through Tumaini, Irene is a trained seamstress who had dreamed of opening her own dressmaking/tailoring shop to support her family. As we learned from our friend Elizabeth, Tumaini had located and secured an available shop for Irene and had just received funding to cover her set up costs, including her own sewing machine, materials, and 3 months rent! It was scheduled to be set up next week. As a new business, Irene would have had a difficult time attracting customers... so Tumaini had contracted with her to begin making school uniforms for some of their sponsored children. We met with her and shared our plans, showed her some patterns, and asked her if she thought she could take on the project. Her response? "I had just come here to greet you after leaving my prayer and devotions meeting at my church. Yes! This is an answer to my prayers. Praise God!" You could have knocked me over with a feather.

+ We had originally planned to restock our inventory of beaded necklaces and bracelets made by the ladies in the Nairobi work sites. Instead, discovered a local source near Masii that had a group of women who had started making beautiful beaded jewelry! There are currently no groups in Masii doing this that we are aware of, as it is anything but a tourist location. Later in the week, we met with my dear friend Mary, a strong leader in the local community of Masii, and shared our ideas with her. This forward-thinking, bright businesswoman jumped at the opportunity to partner with us, and pledged to help identify and locate enough women locally who would want to become artisans. The chance to not only learn a marketable skill, but to also meet regularly with women who were struggling just like them, build each other up, and minister to their needs while paying them fair and honest wages was exactly what we were hoping to initiate. Knowing that it would only work if it came from within Masii, together we could help provide a vehicle for these ladies' personal empowerment and the resources to help them better care for their families, without being forced to resort to prostitution, drugs, and a life of alienation. "I can think of 50 women right now who could do this," said Mary. "Let's start with 5, and build up from there," we responded. Even as I write this, I relive the moment and get the goosebumps all over again.

There were many more affirming instances throughout the week, these are just a few. But aren't they amazing?

NEXT: Adventures in Kenya, Part 3: Friends & Bombs