Saturday, July 25, 2009
Okay, so this demonstrates my complete lack of computer knowledge :) I don't know how to add words to the pictures so I'll explain them separately. On the top is Mercy and David who made my birthday cake in Kenya... and then smeared it all over my face. Next is the Rift Valley in Kenya... So beautiful! The two kids are from Soshanguve, the township that we are doing most of our work in. Below that is the bakery and the intern team. I like to show this picture because this isn't typically what Americans think of when we say "bakery". At the very bottom is zebras from our safari... You know, you have to have one standard Africa picture. My aunt was asking me for some pictures this week so I though I'd put a couple up. In Africa, you pay for all information that you send out online and pictures are a lot! I will put up more once I go back to the U.S. :)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Life in South Africa
The overwhelming question that I get when I talk to people from home is "Do you think you could move to Africa?". I am definitely not at the place to answer that question. In fact, I think my time here has brought up more questions than it has answers. As I wrote last time, my constant prayer has been that the things I see and experience here would have lasting impressions on me--even if I don't fully know how to process them right now.
We are staying in an upper-class neighborhood called Pretoria North. During the Apartheid time period native black Africans were forced into townships surrounding the large cities. There are six townships surrounding Pretoria. We have been working in a township, about twenty-five minutes away from our guest house, called Soshanguve (or Sosh). Today, it is similar to the slum that we visited in Kenya. Again, the contrast is overwhelming because it is driving distance from our guest house.
Our experience in South Africa has been a night and day difference from our experience in Kenya. The work that we have been doing with the bakery gives us a lot more tangible goals to work toward. There is a good side to that and a hard side. On one hand, the work is more tangible here. We can observe needs and experiment with solutions--and work really hard while we are here. On the other hand, it is hard to see some of the challenges to cross-cultural business and especially how that it integrates with a missions organization.
The companies that Enterprise International starts approach business as a tool to fund ministry. Ideologically, therefore, the goal of EI businesses is to make a profit. This seems self-explanatory but if you look at many business as mission companies they are mostly coffee shops that don't make a profit but focus on ministry that can occur there. The bakery that we have been working with is not making a profit and anyone that has a small amount of experience in business would look at it and shut it down immediately. To be completely honest it has been a frustrating, overwhelming week of questions.
As a group, we've been assigned to individual projects throughout the week to work toward establishing systems for internal controls on inventory, petty cash, employee hours, increasing production and sales. We have laughed so many times at the challenge of doing business here. For example, one of my jobs was to come up with a way to measure the efficiency of the bakery's oven, how many loaves were being made each day, and how long it was taking the employees to bake them. I left a sheet of notebook paper there with a basic form to fill out. The next day, when Colin went to pick it up it was no where to be found. After asking each employee individually and getting no answer he went to the manager and said "I need you to find that sheet for me!" The manager concluded that it was eaten by a rat. Colin called their bluff and said "Go find the rat." We bought a rat trap at the store that afternoon.
If I had to break it down, I would say the work we do here is 25% Business 25% Patience and 50% Creativity. Needless to say, I am learning a lot! The Anthropologist in me wants to set up camp for the next six months because I think it would take that long to build up the trust that it would take to put all of the systems in place that the bakery needs to become self-sustaining and profitable.
There is about eighty percent unemployment in Soshanguve and more than 30% of women are HIV positive. The cultural norm is for women to have children very young, most are not married and families hardly ever have men present. The repercussion of apartheid have left an extremely fragmented society. People here identify themselves as a part of the township they live in, or according to their British or Afrikan (mostly Dutch) heritage.
In a unique way the bakery addresses all of those issues. Soshanguve has one shopping plaza in the entire township. There are estimations that more than a million people live there. During apartheid the government kept commerce in the major cities to keep native Africans dependant upon their society. By starting the bakery in Sosh there is a complete lack of business understanding but if we could pass on even a small bit of knowledge to empower them to bring self-sustaining businesses to their township it could be worth it. If this bakery could work, it could be modeled in many townships or slums all over Africa. Possibly even more influential, is the integration of cultures. The separation of ethnicities breeds a culture of fear here. When we tell Afrikan people what we are doing here their mouths drop. People that live in the neighborhood we are staying in never go to the townships, and live about twenty minutes from them. I have seen two other white people in the townships during our entire time there. It will take a long time to change the way people view the townships but I think it is more than worth it to help start that.
We were challenged yesterday to think through a lense that sees more than one bottom line. That there could be a relational bottom line, a cultural bottom line, a ministry bottom line in addition to the daunting financial bottom line that we are overwhelmed with currently. As I said before, I am not sure what the answer to any of these questions are but am so grateful to be challenged and learning while I am here. Colin pointed out "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it".
We have the weekend off and then a couple of full days. I fly back to LAX on Thursday and am looking foward to some summer weather. Hope you all are doing well, and can't wait to catch up soon!
We are staying in an upper-class neighborhood called Pretoria North. During the Apartheid time period native black Africans were forced into townships surrounding the large cities. There are six townships surrounding Pretoria. We have been working in a township, about twenty-five minutes away from our guest house, called Soshanguve (or Sosh). Today, it is similar to the slum that we visited in Kenya. Again, the contrast is overwhelming because it is driving distance from our guest house.
Our experience in South Africa has been a night and day difference from our experience in Kenya. The work that we have been doing with the bakery gives us a lot more tangible goals to work toward. There is a good side to that and a hard side. On one hand, the work is more tangible here. We can observe needs and experiment with solutions--and work really hard while we are here. On the other hand, it is hard to see some of the challenges to cross-cultural business and especially how that it integrates with a missions organization.
The companies that Enterprise International starts approach business as a tool to fund ministry. Ideologically, therefore, the goal of EI businesses is to make a profit. This seems self-explanatory but if you look at many business as mission companies they are mostly coffee shops that don't make a profit but focus on ministry that can occur there. The bakery that we have been working with is not making a profit and anyone that has a small amount of experience in business would look at it and shut it down immediately. To be completely honest it has been a frustrating, overwhelming week of questions.
As a group, we've been assigned to individual projects throughout the week to work toward establishing systems for internal controls on inventory, petty cash, employee hours, increasing production and sales. We have laughed so many times at the challenge of doing business here. For example, one of my jobs was to come up with a way to measure the efficiency of the bakery's oven, how many loaves were being made each day, and how long it was taking the employees to bake them. I left a sheet of notebook paper there with a basic form to fill out. The next day, when Colin went to pick it up it was no where to be found. After asking each employee individually and getting no answer he went to the manager and said "I need you to find that sheet for me!" The manager concluded that it was eaten by a rat. Colin called their bluff and said "Go find the rat." We bought a rat trap at the store that afternoon.
If I had to break it down, I would say the work we do here is 25% Business 25% Patience and 50% Creativity. Needless to say, I am learning a lot! The Anthropologist in me wants to set up camp for the next six months because I think it would take that long to build up the trust that it would take to put all of the systems in place that the bakery needs to become self-sustaining and profitable.
There is about eighty percent unemployment in Soshanguve and more than 30% of women are HIV positive. The cultural norm is for women to have children very young, most are not married and families hardly ever have men present. The repercussion of apartheid have left an extremely fragmented society. People here identify themselves as a part of the township they live in, or according to their British or Afrikan (mostly Dutch) heritage.
In a unique way the bakery addresses all of those issues. Soshanguve has one shopping plaza in the entire township. There are estimations that more than a million people live there. During apartheid the government kept commerce in the major cities to keep native Africans dependant upon their society. By starting the bakery in Sosh there is a complete lack of business understanding but if we could pass on even a small bit of knowledge to empower them to bring self-sustaining businesses to their township it could be worth it. If this bakery could work, it could be modeled in many townships or slums all over Africa. Possibly even more influential, is the integration of cultures. The separation of ethnicities breeds a culture of fear here. When we tell Afrikan people what we are doing here their mouths drop. People that live in the neighborhood we are staying in never go to the townships, and live about twenty minutes from them. I have seen two other white people in the townships during our entire time there. It will take a long time to change the way people view the townships but I think it is more than worth it to help start that.
We were challenged yesterday to think through a lense that sees more than one bottom line. That there could be a relational bottom line, a cultural bottom line, a ministry bottom line in addition to the daunting financial bottom line that we are overwhelmed with currently. As I said before, I am not sure what the answer to any of these questions are but am so grateful to be challenged and learning while I am here. Colin pointed out "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it".
We have the weekend off and then a couple of full days. I fly back to LAX on Thursday and am looking foward to some summer weather. Hope you all are doing well, and can't wait to catch up soon!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Since the last time I updated my blog…
1. I celebrated a typical Kenyan birthday. This birthday was complete with cake, singing, and having my face covered with frosting. Only in Africa would the concierge of your hotel come to your room at midnight, stick their fingers in your cake, and spread frosting all over your face.
2. I have had two marriage proposals. One, was a man at an open market trying to get me to buy a bowl that I had no use for. When he realized he wasn’t going to get a sale he asked me if I was married and said that he had always needed a wife with my color skin. Hmmm. The next day—equally as flattering—someone we met at dinner found out that in the US there is no such thing as dowries. He decided it was a way better deal to have an American wife.
3. I ate crocodile meat and ostrich meatballs. We haven’t been spending very much money on this trip. However, we spent one night at the ultimate tourist destination is Kenya, Carnivores. This restaurant is basically a meat buffet with every kind of meat you can imagine. The boys definitely ate their fill. I tried almost everything but couldn’t bring myself to eat chicken gizzards.
4. I came really close to being hit by a bus. Being a pedestrian in a country with little to no conception of street lanes and developing infrastructure is dangerous. Very dangerous!
5. I went on a mini-safari. The locals tell us that a real safari lasts at least one week. We had a hard time justifying spending a week on safari on a “business as missions” trip. We did, however, go to Lake Nekuru National Park and saw zebras, giraffes, hyenas, flamingoes, rhinos, and a bunch of other animals. No lions… Maybe next time :)
6. I almost started crying at a grocery store when I discovered they had gluten free bread. I really wish this was a joke. My diet to this point has consisted of five food groups: Nuts, peanut-butter, meat, dried fruit (thanks Auntie Carol for stocking me up) and fries (or chips, as they call them here). Since we’ve been mainly working with an EI business that is a bakery, I eat a lot less than the rest of my group. Needless to say, gluten-free bread is going to be an incredible addition to these food groups!
7. Got one more stamp and visa in my passport!
It has been really hard to find enough time to update this blog. In Kenya, we had internet in our rooms all the time but paid by the minute. Our accommodations in South Africa do not have internet but we are walking distance from a CRM owned house called Pangani which has free internet. We just don’t have very much time to go over there!
Our last few days in Kenya were really fun. After two weeks together our team is feeling a lot more comfortable with each other. We also started to hit the point where it is okay to disagree, or want to do things differently. This week should be pretty exciting. As I eluded to in my short list above we did some tourist things on the weekend. After we get to North America I’ll post pictures from some of our adventures at the National Park and from Carnivores.
We also got to walk through the slums that we drove through early in our trip. I am so thankful for the opportunity to do that. It was such an awful experience the first time through. One of our team leaders, Chris, met a guy who lived in Kibera who invited us to walk through with him the next day. We took him up on it. On foot, people were much less offended by our presence there. On the contrary, the children were thrilled that we were there. They all smiled and yelled to us in a sing-song voice “How-are-you, How are-you?”. They probably don’t know what that means but they were ecstatic to see us. They came up and shook our hands and waved. We walked around four miles through metal houses with garbage everywhere and sewage flowing right beneath the walkways. Our host, Richard, lives there with four kids in a room (about the size of mine in the US) and no electricity or running water.
I wish I had something really insightful or challenging to tell you about the experience. It was one of the hardest, scariest things I’ve ever done and I hope it changes my life. I’ve been praying that it will be something that I will remember frequently. Some memories, that you don’t think impact you when they actually happen, come back years later when you hear or smell something familiar or are touched in a certain way. I hope our walk through Kibera is like that. Maybe it will be when I’m choosing a place to live, or just to keep things in perspective in my daily life. It definitely challenged me to erase my mental list of “Things I didn’t know I loved about home”…Or at least made me think about it less.
The funny thing about our time in Kenya was it was easy, at points, to forget we were in the developing world. We were having such intense business meetings with men in suits and ties, eating cheeseburgers and fries, and staying in an upper-class neighborhood. Every once in awhile though we were brought back to reality when we would show up at a construction site with twenty men wearing no shirts or shoes making cement, or have a donkey walk across the “freeway”.
After spending a grueling three hours waiting in lines and battling inefficient systems in the wee hours of the morning in the Jomo Kenyatta airport in Kenya landing in South Africa was like entering a different world. We made it through missing only one of our team members (who showed up in Johannesburg twelve hours later). It was so nice to be around stop signs! We are staying near a CRM division called Nieu Communities at a place called Pangani in Pretoria North. It is a community living situation committed to spiritual leadership development and almost a monastic approach to spiritual disciplines.
The leader of Enterprise International, Colin, and his family are also staying at Pangani. Because of this, we hit the ground running straight from the airport. We have spent the last three days familiarizing ourselves with the history of the nearby township, Soshanguve, CRM’s work there, and the apartheid era that still has a devastating hold on the people here.
The bulk of our work here will be with a bakery that EI has already started. The township, Soshanguve was established during the apartheid era when black people were forced out of the towns. Even today, post-apartheid nearly all the residents that are employed take taxis into the nearby city, Pretoria, with all of the industry in the area. We started doing the 6 AM bakery runs in the morning and I have had more hands-on Anthropology and Business experience in the past two days than my entire time at Vanguard. Today, we divided up some of the areas that are currently “rough patches” at the bakery.
The company that I am currently interning for, EI (or Enterprise International), is under the greater ministry of CRM (Church Resource Ministries). It has been incredible to be here because we have seen the holistic picture of what business as mission looks like. Because CRM is such an established ministry the businesses that we start have a very apparent impact as we see needs in the townships.
I am running out of time now, we are having a taco night at our guest house, but I will keep working on updates! We are working a lot this week but I have definitely had an opportunity to learn about Apartheid, Pretoria, and some of the other dynamics of ministry here and will definitely update you soon! Love you all!
2. I have had two marriage proposals. One, was a man at an open market trying to get me to buy a bowl that I had no use for. When he realized he wasn’t going to get a sale he asked me if I was married and said that he had always needed a wife with my color skin. Hmmm. The next day—equally as flattering—someone we met at dinner found out that in the US there is no such thing as dowries. He decided it was a way better deal to have an American wife.
3. I ate crocodile meat and ostrich meatballs. We haven’t been spending very much money on this trip. However, we spent one night at the ultimate tourist destination is Kenya, Carnivores. This restaurant is basically a meat buffet with every kind of meat you can imagine. The boys definitely ate their fill. I tried almost everything but couldn’t bring myself to eat chicken gizzards.
4. I came really close to being hit by a bus. Being a pedestrian in a country with little to no conception of street lanes and developing infrastructure is dangerous. Very dangerous!
5. I went on a mini-safari. The locals tell us that a real safari lasts at least one week. We had a hard time justifying spending a week on safari on a “business as missions” trip. We did, however, go to Lake Nekuru National Park and saw zebras, giraffes, hyenas, flamingoes, rhinos, and a bunch of other animals. No lions… Maybe next time :)
6. I almost started crying at a grocery store when I discovered they had gluten free bread. I really wish this was a joke. My diet to this point has consisted of five food groups: Nuts, peanut-butter, meat, dried fruit (thanks Auntie Carol for stocking me up) and fries (or chips, as they call them here). Since we’ve been mainly working with an EI business that is a bakery, I eat a lot less than the rest of my group. Needless to say, gluten-free bread is going to be an incredible addition to these food groups!
7. Got one more stamp and visa in my passport!
It has been really hard to find enough time to update this blog. In Kenya, we had internet in our rooms all the time but paid by the minute. Our accommodations in South Africa do not have internet but we are walking distance from a CRM owned house called Pangani which has free internet. We just don’t have very much time to go over there!
Our last few days in Kenya were really fun. After two weeks together our team is feeling a lot more comfortable with each other. We also started to hit the point where it is okay to disagree, or want to do things differently. This week should be pretty exciting. As I eluded to in my short list above we did some tourist things on the weekend. After we get to North America I’ll post pictures from some of our adventures at the National Park and from Carnivores.
We also got to walk through the slums that we drove through early in our trip. I am so thankful for the opportunity to do that. It was such an awful experience the first time through. One of our team leaders, Chris, met a guy who lived in Kibera who invited us to walk through with him the next day. We took him up on it. On foot, people were much less offended by our presence there. On the contrary, the children were thrilled that we were there. They all smiled and yelled to us in a sing-song voice “How-are-you, How are-you?”. They probably don’t know what that means but they were ecstatic to see us. They came up and shook our hands and waved. We walked around four miles through metal houses with garbage everywhere and sewage flowing right beneath the walkways. Our host, Richard, lives there with four kids in a room (about the size of mine in the US) and no electricity or running water.
I wish I had something really insightful or challenging to tell you about the experience. It was one of the hardest, scariest things I’ve ever done and I hope it changes my life. I’ve been praying that it will be something that I will remember frequently. Some memories, that you don’t think impact you when they actually happen, come back years later when you hear or smell something familiar or are touched in a certain way. I hope our walk through Kibera is like that. Maybe it will be when I’m choosing a place to live, or just to keep things in perspective in my daily life. It definitely challenged me to erase my mental list of “Things I didn’t know I loved about home”…Or at least made me think about it less.
The funny thing about our time in Kenya was it was easy, at points, to forget we were in the developing world. We were having such intense business meetings with men in suits and ties, eating cheeseburgers and fries, and staying in an upper-class neighborhood. Every once in awhile though we were brought back to reality when we would show up at a construction site with twenty men wearing no shirts or shoes making cement, or have a donkey walk across the “freeway”.
After spending a grueling three hours waiting in lines and battling inefficient systems in the wee hours of the morning in the Jomo Kenyatta airport in Kenya landing in South Africa was like entering a different world. We made it through missing only one of our team members (who showed up in Johannesburg twelve hours later). It was so nice to be around stop signs! We are staying near a CRM division called Nieu Communities at a place called Pangani in Pretoria North. It is a community living situation committed to spiritual leadership development and almost a monastic approach to spiritual disciplines.
The leader of Enterprise International, Colin, and his family are also staying at Pangani. Because of this, we hit the ground running straight from the airport. We have spent the last three days familiarizing ourselves with the history of the nearby township, Soshanguve, CRM’s work there, and the apartheid era that still has a devastating hold on the people here.
The bulk of our work here will be with a bakery that EI has already started. The township, Soshanguve was established during the apartheid era when black people were forced out of the towns. Even today, post-apartheid nearly all the residents that are employed take taxis into the nearby city, Pretoria, with all of the industry in the area. We started doing the 6 AM bakery runs in the morning and I have had more hands-on Anthropology and Business experience in the past two days than my entire time at Vanguard. Today, we divided up some of the areas that are currently “rough patches” at the bakery.
The company that I am currently interning for, EI (or Enterprise International), is under the greater ministry of CRM (Church Resource Ministries). It has been incredible to be here because we have seen the holistic picture of what business as mission looks like. Because CRM is such an established ministry the businesses that we start have a very apparent impact as we see needs in the townships.
I am running out of time now, we are having a taco night at our guest house, but I will keep working on updates! We are working a lot this week but I have definitely had an opportunity to learn about Apartheid, Pretoria, and some of the other dynamics of ministry here and will definitely update you soon! Love you all!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
More adventures...
My wonderful friend Tessa made me a book to flip through while I am here. It is filled with poems, pictures, a birthday card, and word searches to do while on safari. I am laughing to myself today because the poem she wrote eludes to me being grouchy whenever it gets hot. I confess, I am not the most pleasant person to be around when it gets hot outside. California did me in on several occasions. I got quite a bit of caution during finals week that if I was whining because of California’s heat, I would die in Africa. Unfortunately, I’ve been doing a different kind of whining. It is winter in Nairobi. The combination of winter in Africa, very unreliable hot water, and a suitcase full of tank tops and skirts has made for an interesting first week. I have worn my one sweatshirt almost twenty-four hours a day since I’ve been here and it definitely needs a wash. My dilemma however, is that if I wash that sweatshirt I may freeze to death as I wait for it to dry… which could take days.
Because today is my 21st birthday we finished our meetings in the morning and had the rest of the afternoon off. I have used it to take a nap and lie under the covers all day with a book. Really, that is a great birthday! I was notified today that in Kenya the traditional way to celebrate is to break an egg and a mixture of milk and sugar over your head. I was lucky they just put a flower in my hair and sent me a fruit basket filled with mangos, papaya and other exotic fruit that I don’t recognize. We also went out to Thai food and ice cream this evening.
Since my last update we have mainly been doing business research. We split up in two groups to cover our two main business prospects. My group took the tourism sector. We have been exploring the possibility of becoming a marketing branch to market Kenyan safaris and tours to the American market. Early in the week we had an appointment with KATO (Kenya Association of Tour Operators) and got a book full of all licensed, established Tour operators in the country. Our theme for the week has been “This is Africa.” In the US, using a book like that would be relatively simple, addresses, phone numbers etc. would help you to get to a business office and get connected with the people you need. Ten minutes into our research we realized this was not the case here. For a tiny snapshot, only 75% of roads that were listed in the book are on the map, and of those listed none have cross streets or exact building names. Instead, they are all listed by what “house” or building they are in. This proved VERY challenging to track them down.
On Wednesday, we looked up businesses that were in the Langata neighborhood and stopped by to do some research. We realized that all of those tour operators were actually run out of homes. So we conducted several interviews outside of guarded gates (which most homes have) after trying to explain to the security guards why we were there and who we were looking for.
Part of our research is looking for needs that already exist in Kenya. The reoccurring theme is business consulting. I am so overwhelmed at the level of knowledge I have in comparison to many of these tour operators simply because I’ve been to school. The need is especially strong in marketing, the problem is there isn’t really the money to pay a marketing company. Even companies that have a strong product or service don’t have access to customers. Websites are the only form of marketing and because of the slow internet and lack of development it is really difficult for anyone to search the internet and find businesses.
We have definitely had the opportunity to see ministry in our business meetings this week. One of our meetings outside of a security gate happened to be with an ex-pat named Vivian who invited us in for tea and a tour of her office. She had been sponsoring a local Kenyan guy to go to school for three years with the expectation that he would return and come to run her business. To make a long story short, two days before we arrived he announced to her that he wasn’t going to take the business and left with many of her customers—right before receiving his diploma. She was feeling very hopeless and very desperate. That betrayal, in addition to a number of poor business decisions, have left her in a place of becoming very bitter. “This is a country of beggars” she said, and continued to explain that we shouldn’t have compassion because it will only disappoint us in the end.
Our experience with Vivian led us to a lot of prayer and discussion. I think more than anything else it made me want to be constantly aware of the condition of my heart. The natural reaction to disappointment is bitterness, anger, and a withholding of compassion. Sixty years from now I want to be full of generosity, care, and genuine love for people.
I talked to someone online yesterday who said “It seems like you are doing exactly what you’ve always wanted to do.” She was right. I love to travel, to see other cultures, to work with new teams, to see how people grow and love the Lord in different contexts. People who choose to really experience life sometimes get bruised when they see the world. Things like the slums of Kibera or a betrayal by someone you’ve invested three years of time and money into could easily lead you into bitterness. I think that is why hope becomes a crucial part of the gospel.
1 Peter 3 addresses this perfectly when it says “…live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with a blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” Later he writes, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I hope that my travel leads me not to bitterness, or to seek more adventures. Instead, to a soft heart, which is dependent on Christ as Lord, and living in a way that demonstrates hope.
Continue to pray that I see how that fits into the work we are doing here practically. While there is an element to the processing that I have been doing here that is theoretical, we are also working very practically this summer to hopefully start a business in the next year or so. Because of that, I can’t help but think of the opportunities and needs here and hope that I will get to see them to follow through in the coming years.
I am looking forward to worshiping with the Nairobi Baptist Church again this weekend and possibly walk through Kibera with a local man that we met near our hotel. We will also be continuing our research with a focus on an auto parts import business this weekend. I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!
Because today is my 21st birthday we finished our meetings in the morning and had the rest of the afternoon off. I have used it to take a nap and lie under the covers all day with a book. Really, that is a great birthday! I was notified today that in Kenya the traditional way to celebrate is to break an egg and a mixture of milk and sugar over your head. I was lucky they just put a flower in my hair and sent me a fruit basket filled with mangos, papaya and other exotic fruit that I don’t recognize. We also went out to Thai food and ice cream this evening.
Since my last update we have mainly been doing business research. We split up in two groups to cover our two main business prospects. My group took the tourism sector. We have been exploring the possibility of becoming a marketing branch to market Kenyan safaris and tours to the American market. Early in the week we had an appointment with KATO (Kenya Association of Tour Operators) and got a book full of all licensed, established Tour operators in the country. Our theme for the week has been “This is Africa.” In the US, using a book like that would be relatively simple, addresses, phone numbers etc. would help you to get to a business office and get connected with the people you need. Ten minutes into our research we realized this was not the case here. For a tiny snapshot, only 75% of roads that were listed in the book are on the map, and of those listed none have cross streets or exact building names. Instead, they are all listed by what “house” or building they are in. This proved VERY challenging to track them down.
On Wednesday, we looked up businesses that were in the Langata neighborhood and stopped by to do some research. We realized that all of those tour operators were actually run out of homes. So we conducted several interviews outside of guarded gates (which most homes have) after trying to explain to the security guards why we were there and who we were looking for.
Part of our research is looking for needs that already exist in Kenya. The reoccurring theme is business consulting. I am so overwhelmed at the level of knowledge I have in comparison to many of these tour operators simply because I’ve been to school. The need is especially strong in marketing, the problem is there isn’t really the money to pay a marketing company. Even companies that have a strong product or service don’t have access to customers. Websites are the only form of marketing and because of the slow internet and lack of development it is really difficult for anyone to search the internet and find businesses.
We have definitely had the opportunity to see ministry in our business meetings this week. One of our meetings outside of a security gate happened to be with an ex-pat named Vivian who invited us in for tea and a tour of her office. She had been sponsoring a local Kenyan guy to go to school for three years with the expectation that he would return and come to run her business. To make a long story short, two days before we arrived he announced to her that he wasn’t going to take the business and left with many of her customers—right before receiving his diploma. She was feeling very hopeless and very desperate. That betrayal, in addition to a number of poor business decisions, have left her in a place of becoming very bitter. “This is a country of beggars” she said, and continued to explain that we shouldn’t have compassion because it will only disappoint us in the end.
Our experience with Vivian led us to a lot of prayer and discussion. I think more than anything else it made me want to be constantly aware of the condition of my heart. The natural reaction to disappointment is bitterness, anger, and a withholding of compassion. Sixty years from now I want to be full of generosity, care, and genuine love for people.
I talked to someone online yesterday who said “It seems like you are doing exactly what you’ve always wanted to do.” She was right. I love to travel, to see other cultures, to work with new teams, to see how people grow and love the Lord in different contexts. People who choose to really experience life sometimes get bruised when they see the world. Things like the slums of Kibera or a betrayal by someone you’ve invested three years of time and money into could easily lead you into bitterness. I think that is why hope becomes a crucial part of the gospel.
1 Peter 3 addresses this perfectly when it says “…live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with a blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” Later he writes, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” I hope that my travel leads me not to bitterness, or to seek more adventures. Instead, to a soft heart, which is dependent on Christ as Lord, and living in a way that demonstrates hope.
Continue to pray that I see how that fits into the work we are doing here practically. While there is an element to the processing that I have been doing here that is theoretical, we are also working very practically this summer to hopefully start a business in the next year or so. Because of that, I can’t help but think of the opportunities and needs here and hope that I will get to see them to follow through in the coming years.
I am looking forward to worshiping with the Nairobi Baptist Church again this weekend and possibly walk through Kibera with a local man that we met near our hotel. We will also be continuing our research with a focus on an auto parts import business this weekend. I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Our first week in Nairobi...
I want to begin this blog with two apologies. First, I am sorry that it has been almost a week since I’ve posted to this, I definitely intend to do better this week! So many of you have poured prayer, time and energy into this trip and I want you to be able to experience as much of it as possible. Second, I want to apologize for the length of this entry. The few days that I have had here have stretched and challenged me and I am only beginning to process and feel that I have a tangible lesson learned. As a result, it has taken me a lot of words to even begin to process these events and I would love to invite you into a dialogue.
We arrived in Nairobi and it took at least forty-eight hours to recover from our travel. I did, however, enjoy the wake up at 2 AM, 4 AM, 5 AM because it gave me the opportunity to hear the Muslim call to prayer. The first day we met our main contact, a man named Judah who is on the board of CRM Africa. We were immediately immersed into a very relational culture. We did three introductions as each person entered the room, then shook hands with every person when meeting and leaving. A pastor of a local church and his wife took us to the store to buy water, popcorn and taught us to ride the matatu (a crowded van that never slows down, even to let people on and off… I am mastering the run and jump!) from the grocery store to our hotel.
After two days of jet lag recovery we began our work week. It began with a meeting with a man who works for an organization called the Navigators doing something close to micro-loans. Similar to the vision of EI, this man connects US investors with Kenyan people who have a vision for ministry and a solid business plan needing start up capital. This gives locals the opportunity to fund ministry efforts. Eventually they pay back the capital, which is then used by other ministries without a pattern of reliance on Western funding. It was so encouraging to hear a man who is undertaking a very similar task to ours, and get his perspective on doing ministry here.
A lot of my reading before I came here described Africa as the land of contrasts. That has been absolutely confirmed through out my time here. Following the first business meeting, our entire team packed into a van and went on a tour of the entire city of Nairobi. It is probably one of the few cities in the world which have Mercedes-Benz cars driving in a dangerously close proximity to men carrying ten dead chickens tied on ropes being sold on the streets. A memorable moment for me was at one point a small herd of cows (30-40) walking next to our car in three lanes of traffic right in the city! Needless to say, we attracted quite a bit of attention in a safari van with a pop-up roof and eight white American faces and cameras sticking out of the top. Some people yelled “karibu”, the Swahili word for welcome, and others just stared.
Our driver, Cornell, took us through the busy streets and said it was packed at all times of the day. “We need you to come to make our small city into a big one. See all these Kenyans that need to work for you. There is so much opportunity here.”
After driving through the downtown area we went to a slum in an area called Kiberra. I have been to Tijuana and Ensenada several times and done work in many low-income neighborhoods in the US. This honestly can’t even compare. We drove through, still standing, with our cameras and had people yell in Swahili “Mzungo” (white man) and English “We don’t want your cameras” and crowded around our van. I sat down quickly after realizing how degraded I would feel if someone drove through my neighborhood taking pictures of me. I want to do some research on exact numbers for population and square footage because we have heard some conflicting information. In any case, there are anywhere from two to three million people living in Kiberra in the tiny houses made of metal roofing materials. The only thing that might come close to describing it would be some of the scenes from Slumdog Millionaire.
I was literally sick to my stomach as we left and I realized we were less than half a kilometer from our resort. The hardest part, I think, is then being me. I hate that I really miss hot showers. I hate that I spent the same amount of money that most of them make in a day on dried pineapple at the store just because it looked good. I hate that our driver dropped us off at an American restaurant and felt like he needed to eat in the car. I hate that he makes less in a week than I spent on that one meal.
After crying, at random points, throughout most of the afternoon I sat down to read one of the books that I am working through entitled “Prayer” by Richard Foster. (Shameless plug, everyone should read this book… I don’t even like books about prayer usually.) The chapter that I happened to fall on for that day was about suffering, and it led me to process and articulate a lot of my thoughts from the day.
I think there is an important difference between suffering and evil. Suffering, is guaranteed on earth and especially for people who choose to “pick up their cross and follow him” (Sorry, Joel Osteen). This has to be different than evil. Evil is the acts of humans against God and other humans. As Christians we are commanded to work against evil, but our instruction regarding suffering is different. We are instructed to pick up our own cross and follow (which describes suffering ourselves) and to bear one another’s burdens (share in others sufferings). In Africa there is an overwhelming amount of suffering—and probably will be for a long time.
My prayer at this point is that God would help me to discern what is evil and what is suffering. For me, both categories make me need Jesus so much more. Suffering leads me to his arms for comfort, provision, and dependant on him to help me meet the needs of those around me. Suffering makes the world long for Revelation 7, “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Evil makes me long for the Kingdom of God, the triumph over Satan and ought to lead me to pray at every moment “Your kingdom come, your will be done”. During my life on earth, evil needs to lead me to a firm resolve and fight against. Suffering, however needs to lead me to walk with those in need.
I think for most people Missions trips to Africa appear to make a small dent in suffering. Working with HIV victims, in orphanages or with NGO’s usually gives one the feeling that they have accomplished something to get rid of suffering. Mine, most likely, will not. Pray that as our trip continues we would get a better understanding of our role in a suffering world, especially as business people. Hopefully, this week will bring even more learning and insight into this struggle.
This morning, we are headed to the Baptist church of the pastors we had dinner with last week. They asked us if we would sing and “bless them” while we are there. There is one person on our team with some musical talent and the rest of us are really hoping that that we do not end up on stage. Thanks so much for all the prayers, I love you all and miss you a lot!
We arrived in Nairobi and it took at least forty-eight hours to recover from our travel. I did, however, enjoy the wake up at 2 AM, 4 AM, 5 AM because it gave me the opportunity to hear the Muslim call to prayer. The first day we met our main contact, a man named Judah who is on the board of CRM Africa. We were immediately immersed into a very relational culture. We did three introductions as each person entered the room, then shook hands with every person when meeting and leaving. A pastor of a local church and his wife took us to the store to buy water, popcorn and taught us to ride the matatu (a crowded van that never slows down, even to let people on and off… I am mastering the run and jump!) from the grocery store to our hotel.
After two days of jet lag recovery we began our work week. It began with a meeting with a man who works for an organization called the Navigators doing something close to micro-loans. Similar to the vision of EI, this man connects US investors with Kenyan people who have a vision for ministry and a solid business plan needing start up capital. This gives locals the opportunity to fund ministry efforts. Eventually they pay back the capital, which is then used by other ministries without a pattern of reliance on Western funding. It was so encouraging to hear a man who is undertaking a very similar task to ours, and get his perspective on doing ministry here.
A lot of my reading before I came here described Africa as the land of contrasts. That has been absolutely confirmed through out my time here. Following the first business meeting, our entire team packed into a van and went on a tour of the entire city of Nairobi. It is probably one of the few cities in the world which have Mercedes-Benz cars driving in a dangerously close proximity to men carrying ten dead chickens tied on ropes being sold on the streets. A memorable moment for me was at one point a small herd of cows (30-40) walking next to our car in three lanes of traffic right in the city! Needless to say, we attracted quite a bit of attention in a safari van with a pop-up roof and eight white American faces and cameras sticking out of the top. Some people yelled “karibu”, the Swahili word for welcome, and others just stared.
Our driver, Cornell, took us through the busy streets and said it was packed at all times of the day. “We need you to come to make our small city into a big one. See all these Kenyans that need to work for you. There is so much opportunity here.”
After driving through the downtown area we went to a slum in an area called Kiberra. I have been to Tijuana and Ensenada several times and done work in many low-income neighborhoods in the US. This honestly can’t even compare. We drove through, still standing, with our cameras and had people yell in Swahili “Mzungo” (white man) and English “We don’t want your cameras” and crowded around our van. I sat down quickly after realizing how degraded I would feel if someone drove through my neighborhood taking pictures of me. I want to do some research on exact numbers for population and square footage because we have heard some conflicting information. In any case, there are anywhere from two to three million people living in Kiberra in the tiny houses made of metal roofing materials. The only thing that might come close to describing it would be some of the scenes from Slumdog Millionaire.
I was literally sick to my stomach as we left and I realized we were less than half a kilometer from our resort. The hardest part, I think, is then being me. I hate that I really miss hot showers. I hate that I spent the same amount of money that most of them make in a day on dried pineapple at the store just because it looked good. I hate that our driver dropped us off at an American restaurant and felt like he needed to eat in the car. I hate that he makes less in a week than I spent on that one meal.
After crying, at random points, throughout most of the afternoon I sat down to read one of the books that I am working through entitled “Prayer” by Richard Foster. (Shameless plug, everyone should read this book… I don’t even like books about prayer usually.) The chapter that I happened to fall on for that day was about suffering, and it led me to process and articulate a lot of my thoughts from the day.
I think there is an important difference between suffering and evil. Suffering, is guaranteed on earth and especially for people who choose to “pick up their cross and follow him” (Sorry, Joel Osteen). This has to be different than evil. Evil is the acts of humans against God and other humans. As Christians we are commanded to work against evil, but our instruction regarding suffering is different. We are instructed to pick up our own cross and follow (which describes suffering ourselves) and to bear one another’s burdens (share in others sufferings). In Africa there is an overwhelming amount of suffering—and probably will be for a long time.
My prayer at this point is that God would help me to discern what is evil and what is suffering. For me, both categories make me need Jesus so much more. Suffering leads me to his arms for comfort, provision, and dependant on him to help me meet the needs of those around me. Suffering makes the world long for Revelation 7, “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Evil makes me long for the Kingdom of God, the triumph over Satan and ought to lead me to pray at every moment “Your kingdom come, your will be done”. During my life on earth, evil needs to lead me to a firm resolve and fight against. Suffering, however needs to lead me to walk with those in need.
I think for most people Missions trips to Africa appear to make a small dent in suffering. Working with HIV victims, in orphanages or with NGO’s usually gives one the feeling that they have accomplished something to get rid of suffering. Mine, most likely, will not. Pray that as our trip continues we would get a better understanding of our role in a suffering world, especially as business people. Hopefully, this week will bring even more learning and insight into this struggle.
This morning, we are headed to the Baptist church of the pastors we had dinner with last week. They asked us if we would sing and “bless them” while we are there. There is one person on our team with some musical talent and the rest of us are really hoping that that we do not end up on stage. Thanks so much for all the prayers, I love you all and miss you a lot!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Some girls want COACH purses...
When my mom helped me buy my Typhoid vaccination last month she said "Some mothers get to buy their daughters Coach purses. I spend the same amount of money buying my daughter vaccinations so she doesn't die in Africa." After a couple of offers from my Uncle Mike to purchase a universal handcuff key and knife to sew into the bands of my jeans I feel the need to reassure everyone that I am taking my pills and will have all of my travel wits about me!
I just finished packing my bag and tomorrow will begin the LONG journey to Nairobi, Kenya. We fly from LAX to Detroit, to Amsterdam, to Johannesburg and eventually arrive in Nairobi. Needless to say, our team is not planning on a ton of work in the first couple of days.
We worked this week at the CRM office in Anaheim. I have a much better understanding of the mission and vision of Enterprise International and what we will be working on while we are overseas. I will spend some time processing on paper (during the hours and hours of flight time) some of my thoughts on "Business for Missions" and the way that CRM conducts ministry. I will try and have that posted the next time I have internet. For now, please pray for safe travels and open hands to serve!
I just finished packing my bag and tomorrow will begin the LONG journey to Nairobi, Kenya. We fly from LAX to Detroit, to Amsterdam, to Johannesburg and eventually arrive in Nairobi. Needless to say, our team is not planning on a ton of work in the first couple of days.
We worked this week at the CRM office in Anaheim. I have a much better understanding of the mission and vision of Enterprise International and what we will be working on while we are overseas. I will spend some time processing on paper (during the hours and hours of flight time) some of my thoughts on "Business for Missions" and the way that CRM conducts ministry. I will try and have that posted the next time I have internet. For now, please pray for safe travels and open hands to serve!
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