Back at Home

We flew back home on Sunday and Monday. Gloria, Donna, Vicky, Mindy and I all arrived safely at PDX and were met by Dr. Virginia Phillips, the head of Women of Purpose, and our family members and friends. Virginia had brought flowers for all of us! It was a wonderful homecoming and of course, I was most happy to see Phil!

I hope to post some pictures of the trip in the days to come. Thank you all for your interest and prayers. This trip has been life changing in many ways. God was good and I never ran out of money and we were able to leave donations for Judith for Women of Purpose and for Pastor Musumba in Nakuru (more on this later).

Thanks to all of you who prayed, followed the blog, and supported me in any way. I felt it! Please check back for some pictures soon, but right now I need some sleep. -- Geri

Eldoret and the Mercy Corps programs

I have split off from my Women of Purpose partners to travel farther northwest to Eldoret. Eldoret was one of the places hardest hit by post election violence in late 2007/early 08. People in Kenya continue to be frustrated and Mercy Corps is addressing the simmering tensions by working with the young people of Kenya. Since unemployment is so high, targeting those from 18 - 35 just seems to make sense. My head is spinning, though, since we visited so many programs today, including a camp of those made refugees by the violence. Some have been living in the IDP* camps for over 2 years. My heart just broke when one of those living there (the chairman of the the camp) took me to another tent where a young girl in a wheelchair lives with her mother and others. Her mother said that the tent leaked and they would get wet when it rained. Those tents were not designed to last this long and the people there (over 100) are waiting for the government to rebuild their houses that were burned during the riots. Some still go out to work their fields walking quite a ways to get there.

We also visited the Mercy Corps youth programs which include training for young people and included a cash-for-work program, and income generating program (a tree and flower nursery), and a sports program which are all designed and led by young people! All have the ultimate goal of bringing about peace and reconciliation in Eldoret. Seeing sports teams made up of Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Luo and other tribes does my heart good. They are playing and working together, not just for their own good but for the future of Kenya.

*IDP = Internally displaced persons. One is not technically a refugee unless you have crossed an international border. These are Kenyans displaced within their own country, but nonetheless, without a real home.

The women of Bondo

For 3 days, Sat, Mon & Tues, we had a conference for the women here at our hotel in Bondo. It was from 2 - 4 in the afternoon, since many of the women work in the fields before that time. They walk here and one women walked 7 miles to get here! They don't all arrive on time, but more came each day. By the last day, they were really relaxed and enjoying themselves. We have tea together afterwards.

God really used Gloria to speak to them and many shared with us through a translator (usually Judith). Many are widows and almost all have lost family members in the recent past. Life is hard here for them. They have to purchase any clean water and cooking is done outside most of the time. But they love God and appreciate his word.

Yesterday we tried to buy some Bibles in the Luo language but couldn't find any. Judith will have to find some in Nairobi. So many of the women do not have Bibles and would love to have them. Those who do have them, have worn copies, some missing whole books! I'll have many stories to share about these women when I return!

Judith

Judith Sellangah, our hostess, is a force of nature! She runs everything related to Women of Purpose in both Nairobi and Bondo. Her husband, Josiah, lives in Bondo and Judith lives in both places. Two of her sons helped host us in Nairobi. They went with us on our animal viewing in Nairobi National Park. Jerry is the younger and gets us our cell phones and tutors us on how to use them. He just graduated from high school and is waiting to see which university in Kenya the government will place him in (based on his school scores.) The older son, Bill, is 31 and lives in the same apartment compound as his mother, but in a different apartment. He's a musician and a real charmer. Mindy, our youngest member of the team is a big hit with both of them. Judith just showed us an article on Bill's band in the Nairobi paper. Apparently you can find them on You Tube - they are called "Just a Band."

I also met Judy's husband, Josiah, when we went to his church. He is not how I imagined him, but rather big and boisterous. He matches Judith! They have two other children I haven't met yet. They are doing great things in Bondo and Nairobi and all just radiate the love of God in all they do. It is such a privilege to me to get to know Judith and see her lead singing, prayers, programs and just love all her people. Phil, we have to fix up our guest room and see if she'll come visit!

The sights and sounds of Bondo, Kenya

You would so enjoy all of this.

It is so different being here in Bondo and so incredibly beautiful. Two brown and white birds are on a railing when I come out of my hotel room. A cow is mooing next door and even a dead insect, that looks like a blue fuzzy bee, is even beautiful. I would be waking up by crowing roosters, if I didn't have jet lag and wake up before they started crowing.

You can hear life all around you --animals, children playing, people walking or bicycling down the road. Our room is on the second floor, so we can see over the compound walls. I have to look again for the little kids that Vicky and I met outside the gate. I want to give them some gum. They were eating some guavas and the guard translated for us. They yelled "Picture me, picture me! So we took their pictures.

Mindy is my roommate here in Bondo and it is very useful to have a 23-year-old around to help me.

More later.

(from Geri's emails. Phil)

Traveling through the Rift Valley

It has already been an amazing trip. Today we traveled by van six hours to Bondo. We went through the beautiful Rift Valley of "Out of Africa" movie fame.

It is so beautiful the pictures won't do it justice, especially since we didn't actually stop to take the pictures. Bondo is a small village very close to Barack Obama's father's hometown.

Yesterday was Nairobi National Park, where we saw zebra, water buffalo, lots of giraffes, baboons,ostriches and more. May you have a wonderful Palm Sunday.

I'm excited to have Easter in Kenya. Judith, our hostess is incredible and lives have been touched for Christ already.

(These are portions of email a couple of days ago from Geri. Phil)

God at work in the slums of Kibera

We arrived very tired after 20 hours of travel to a wonderful welcome by our hostess, Judith. She took us first to her apartment for a great meal.We thought we weren't hungry, but trying her food made me feel hungry again.
Our first visit as Women of Purpose was to a primary school in the slums of Kibera. . The children sang for us and posed for pictures. Then the older class sang and did a musical skit about the power of an African woman. Kibera is the area of Nairobi most affected by the post-election violence, but everyone was so welcoming. The school is part of Holy Trinity Church, which is such a part of the community that it was one of only 2 churches that was not burned in the area. It was touching to meet the children and tour their small classrooms. Then to meet the pastor, Daniel Juma and share in a prayer meeting with some members of his church, led by Judith. It's hard to explain in this short time how touching and powerful it was.
I hope to share more soon, but not much internet access for me right now! Thanks for all your prayers.

Geri

Thanks for making this possible

I am excited and stressed to be getting ready for this trip. I know it will be a great adventure and trust that this is God's will for the 5 of us from Women of Purpose. (Left to right in the photo, Donna, me, Mindy, Vicky, Gloria at Portland Int'l awaiting our flight out.)

So many of you have supported me with financial donations and your prayers. This encourages me when all the details set me to worrying.

Check out "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Portland's Donald Miller. His book deals with editing your life into a great story. I feel that God is making this possible and that nothing will deter us getting to Kenya. But much is unknown - will I get to blog while there? Have access to a computer? Have time to blog? Room in the suitcase for school supplies, medical supplies, baby clothes and gifts? I know that all will fall into place but it will be a huge relief to be on the plane.

Thank you, family and friends, for your prayers and support! This is a longtime dream come true.

Love, Geri