plan b.
Posted by kristin on Monday, December 6, 2010
Last week was about Plan B. The best thing you can bring on a trip like this is flexibility. Not the doing the splits kind but the go with the flow kind. The government arrived in pekot, where we were supposed to spend our week, to disarm the people of the guns they have to prevent cattle rustling. No Pekot for us.
We visited two projects of HACA’s, one in Thicka and one in the Kibera slum. In Thicka we saw an amazing example of a well run center for orphans. The place is now mostly funded on its own thru the greenhouses, cattle project and income generated from those sources and others. In Kibera, we saw a tiny school made of sheet metal, mud and sticks. The government doesn’t recognize it as a school, so the teachers aren’t paid, yet the students attend for free. All 1000 of them. When we got to the car my thought was, ‘how do people exist like this?’ But they do. People are resilient.
Plan B included time to do some shopping and Ashley boarded the plane late Saturday night with tons of stuff we will be selling at upcoming fundraisers. Bracelets, earrings, dolls, bowls, purses, ornaments, scarves, spoons and much more. It was sad to see her go, she has such a heart to do good work here and has a special way of bringing smiles to the faces of anyone we’re with.
This week I will focus on 1, working on a cattle project for the sponsor families in Ilbissil. (More on that coming soon). 2, planning future team trips and dance performances in Kenya. Charles and I will visit a few potential venues. 3, assess our financial status to decide how to further our girls sponsorship program and water initiatives. Of course, we need funds to make these things happen. Later this week, I’ll present a few concrete opportunities for giving. And during this season of giving, please consider us. I believe we are blessed so much when we give. We get out of giving. We are somehow filled up as we pour out. Talking about before the recession in the US Tony Campolo says, “we were spending about 65% of our income on ‘stuff’ that nobody really needed. And while we were buying ‘stuff’ that nobody needed half the world was trying to survive on less than two US dollars a day. That affluent obscenely consumptive lifestyle has been challenged by the economic recession and I almost see the hand of God in it.” Good food for thought, isn’t it?! Thanks for reading, and be home soon!
We visited two projects of HACA’s, one in Thicka and one in the Kibera slum. In Thicka we saw an amazing example of a well run center for orphans. The place is now mostly funded on its own thru the greenhouses, cattle project and income generated from those sources and others. In Kibera, we saw a tiny school made of sheet metal, mud and sticks. The government doesn’t recognize it as a school, so the teachers aren’t paid, yet the students attend for free. All 1000 of them. When we got to the car my thought was, ‘how do people exist like this?’ But they do. People are resilient.
Plan B included time to do some shopping and Ashley boarded the plane late Saturday night with tons of stuff we will be selling at upcoming fundraisers. Bracelets, earrings, dolls, bowls, purses, ornaments, scarves, spoons and much more. It was sad to see her go, she has such a heart to do good work here and has a special way of bringing smiles to the faces of anyone we’re with.
This week I will focus on 1, working on a cattle project for the sponsor families in Ilbissil. (More on that coming soon). 2, planning future team trips and dance performances in Kenya. Charles and I will visit a few potential venues. 3, assess our financial status to decide how to further our girls sponsorship program and water initiatives. Of course, we need funds to make these things happen. Later this week, I’ll present a few concrete opportunities for giving. And during this season of giving, please consider us. I believe we are blessed so much when we give. We get out of giving. We are somehow filled up as we pour out. Talking about before the recession in the US Tony Campolo says, “we were spending about 65% of our income on ‘stuff’ that nobody really needed. And while we were buying ‘stuff’ that nobody needed half the world was trying to survive on less than two US dollars a day. That affluent obscenely consumptive lifestyle has been challenged by the economic recession and I almost see the hand of God in it.” Good food for thought, isn’t it?! Thanks for reading, and be home soon!