AndGodSaw

And God Saw It and It Was Good

This is not an easy journal entry to write. For so long I have had a dream of what could be, how the schools of Nambale could grow…how I wanted to help the women and children to be empowered and feed themselves. It has been 7 years since I started this journey and today I finally know we are planted firmly on the way forward.

We went to the Malanga school early so that I could meet with the parents, children, and teachers before KMET was to arrive. We were surrounded in a sea of children chanting welcome, clapping of parents, teachers. I am used to it, but to have Brett with me to see how the people respond made it far more special.

As always it is good to get back to my hone schools. I know the teachers and families and we know the roads we have traveled. It was made even better because the Manyole parents came as well as two vans of parents from Khwerila school where Miriam was the new headmistress.

I described what we wanted to do in partnering with KMET and all the opportunities that lay ahead of them. It was still difficult to get away from the donor mentality and the men surely were not n favor of empowering the women. But all sides needed to be heard. I was amazed at the progress they had made even in the time since my last meeting and several women had set up cooperative businesses. I saw that what I had planted over the past few years was really growing.

You know, I never know what I have accomplished when I finish a trip. I generally think it went well, but because I only see them every 9 months I cannot know all that they have done. I was so proud of all of them I was grinning and trying not to cry.

Finally at 2P KMET came in to talk to everyone there. They are beyond descriptio, but everything I had dreamed of. They can unite the people, empower the women, help the girls and truly raise up the community, Together we shall make a big difference. However, I have turned over the running of the feeding program and micro-finance to KMET. And in so doing I knew that I was giving my children to the care of another. While I felt such a great accomplishment, I must admit that I felt a bit sad and somewhat at a loss as to the way forward.

What I do know is that the opportunities to help through KMET, Millenium project and my incredible board much shall be accomplished. And like a good Mother I must know when the chickens can leave the nest. So it was a happy sad day, but I know I shall see more when I return and I also had tomorrow to look forward to . I was returning home to Manyole, my secret favorite of the group.

We could hear the singing as we turned up the dusty road, the women were dancing and the children were lined up singing. I had to get out of the car and dance with the women all the way up to the school. There was wild excitement as I entered the grounds . It is always overwhelming when that happens and I think even Brett was a bit taken aback.

The children did their usual dances and poems. I am always amazed at their awareness of the world around them. They sang a song about the problems of Kenya and it covered everything from the fighting in the government to AIDS to the Mungiki to child abuse. They know so much more about their country than their agemates do in the U.S.

Once the festivities were over the speeches began. As always they were gearing up for the ask.Seems that we have been helping the parents save their money because of what we have given. That wasn’t the intention, By now they were supposed to be feeding all the children, not just 7th and 8th grade. Even the Headmaster had a hard time wrapping his head around our desire to feed the entire school. However they are a faithful group and their Christianity is very powerful, so I’m afraid I used all my skills to figure out how to get the point across that all children must be fed.

I asked on of the teachers to fetch me a 1st grader, 3rd grader and an 8th grader. Then I lined all the children up and asked the parents which child God loved the most. They were astonished and quickly answered that all are equal in God’s eyes. So I said if they believed it then why were only some children getting fed. It was a showstopper and they are now ready to feed all the kids by digging deep.

This is not to say that there were not some major improvements by the parents.
Their progress in income generating projects was nothing short of miraculous. . They had taken the teaching of last October and really run with it. They had formed groups themselves and had begun micro-finance without us! The women who were running a very successful poultry business proudly gave me a bowl for eggs, many eggs and a live hen.
(I must admit Mother does not like live chickens). However Brett was beside me and after I had taken it he quickly hid it where I could not see it. They were also lending each other money and they had a group for grains and one for dairy all of which were making progress.

It was then that I was truly struck with how far I had come on this journey. It is painful to know that I am giving them over, mostly now, to Monica and KMET. I know it is best, but I don’t know what my role shall be with the schools now, and there was a lump in my throat as I bid mbuela (goodbye) to them. I know I shall be back, but it the road is not so clear.

We left Nambale and traveled back to Kisumu and I got to meet with Monica one last time. She told me I had done a great job and when she sees Manyole she will be blown away. Her words meant so much to me. She is a woman I admire and know is doing great things. I needed to hear that what I had done helped. I guess we all need applause.

Transitions are not easy, but they are needed for something to be organic and grow in ways that I cannot even think. So I think about Genesis and how after each thing God created He smiled and said it is good, and I felt on our way out of Kisumu that God was shining down and smiling offering me encouragement that this what He had in mind all along. I just had to find the way myself. It was good to be home in Nambale.
And God Saw It and It Was Good