Mission Trip to Kenya

Kenya Mission Trip
Update

The Reverend Michael Russell of All Souls’ Episcopal Church is pleased to announce that the needed minimum for a Kenya trip has been reached! More people are welcome! In order to get the best airline price he needs commitments by Sunday September 17th. The Lent 2007 dates are March 7 – March 22, 2007. The trip would include at least 9 days spanning two weekends in Maseno working with the Hardison’s Orphan’s project, a day or two in the Nairobi area with the Mercy Care Center, and perhaps a one or two day safari into the wild animal preserves.
While in Maseno missioners would staff Orphan’s clinics each Saturday and attend that parish on Sunday. During the week a combination of home visits, visits at local development projects, support work at St. Philip’s Seminary, and consultations with local clergy and seminarians would fill out the agenda.
In Nairobi a day would be spent with Patrick Lumumba and the 350+ children at the Mercy Care Center in the Mathre section of Nairobi. A side trip to his farm school may also be possible.
Finally, a safari could be included as part of the return travel from Maseno to Nairobi. People can also arrange to schedule a layover in London on the return.
A minimum of 10 people is needed in order to secure a group price for airfare. At the moment costs are approximate, but with all travel, lodging, meals in Maseno, and safari the cost is $3,000. If airport taxes fluctuate this could change. Missioners will also need to arrange for their own immunizations. People who are interested should contact Fr. Russell at 619-223-6394 as soon as possible but by September 17 at the latest. An organizing meeting will beheld with the Hardisons after they arrive in the beginning of October.

Monkey shines

Here are some of my afternoon visitors. They loved to keep me awake.


Monkeys on my roof

They were a great alarm clock.

The walls are rising up!

More student laborers building new dorm

Mercy Care Center Student building new dormitory from proceeds of the mileage fundraiser from Mike and Dave's coastal ride

Families at clinics and in their homes.

Scenes from an orphan clinic

These are several of the classes at the Mercy Care Center in the Mathares slum of Nairobi

The orphans of one parish gathered for lunch

panning to the right over the multitude

and more to the right

The children of Kenya greet you!

Back in the USA

I have been out of Kenya now for a week and a half and back in the USA just short of a week. What I am most noticing is a profound sense of belonging nowhere. The long bicycle trip at the start of my sabbatical rewired some portion of my brain in such a way that sitting still feels wrong. Movement is natural, stillness is not. In Kenya the constant movement of people along the roads and at the Seminary was a reminder of their constant struggle just to survive. They graciously received my as a guest, but not without the constant reminder that because I had access to and control of resources, I would always be set apart there too. Moving in and out of their lives, offering support and prayer, but knowing I would move along in time kept the sense of motion alive.

But now I am back in San Diego and there is a chafeing sense built from being still after moving for so long. I suspect that the challenge for me will be in establishing yet another sense of movement that can tap into the energy of the sabbatical.

Time for a bike ride......

Mercy Care Center

Today I met and began what I hope will be a long friendship with Patrick Lumumba who leads the Mercy Care Center. He met me at the Hilton and we walked and rode buses to the Mathre section of Nairobi where the Center is located. Imagine Tijuana's slums, but poorer and with no Americans spending money. And yet there are lively and huge local markets spread throughout the area.

I got to see the 350+ kids that we feed everyday and see all their classes. Patrick has really squeezed every dime we have sent to maximize the value for the children. When I can get the pictures here you will see.

We talked about how All Souls' might help expand the circle of support for Mercy Care as we have done for Maseno. I am birnging back a proposal to help finish putting water in at the school/farm out in the valley. The lack of water has stalled the development of that sight as a vocational school.

We also talked about his plans for a small "polytechnic." He already has a number of the young women training as tailors and I am hoping we can work with them to import lovely Kenyan skirts and maybe even clergy shirts! But we also talked about helping to get woodworking equipment so that Mercy Care Center could not only train carpenters, but rent the equipment to local woodworkers to bring in more development money.

We had a great lunch and a very creative brainstorming time together. I want us to think about how we can take the solid foundation we provide at MCC and expand it into a development focus. Just providing the money fora daily meal has created new opportunities ofr these kids, including going to academic secondary schools. But there is more that we can do.