Musings on moments in Maasailand..

Now for some reflections on the time in Kenya. These are a bit random in terms of order, and signifcance, but here goes anyway. I suppose the one other thing to say that might explain some of these reflections is that I was last there, in the same community, six years ago, in 2005. With all that in mind, here are a few reflections and memories arising out of our time there:

• Kenya has changed in 6 years, and there are definite signs of progress in some areas - the road from Nairobi to Narok being one good example. That said, progress is patchy and inconsistent, and there remains a lot of work to be done.


• It was fascinating to see how mobile phones have become so widespread, even where people don't have ready access to electricity. Shops where you can pay to charge your phone have become quite common, and there was a nice touch in the church in Naisoya; it has also become common for churches to have a generator from which they might run an electric keyboard and basic PA system...and in Naisoya at least, folk attending church will hand their phones to the PA guy who will charge them while the service is going on.


• Inflation has hit Kenya hard. That was obvious in terms of food prices, and especially in fuel prices. A litre of unleaded was around 3/4s of the UK price - and let's face it, the average income in Kenya is a lot less than 3/4 of that in the UK. I guess what all that proves is that global economic fluctuations tend, like so many things, to hit the poorest hardest. It puts moaning about prices in the UK in context, that's for sure.


• Spiritually, while there are many Maasai Christians in and around Narok, it remains true that there are many scarcely reached areas, and it was encouraging to hear of David Kereto's still fresh vision that these folk need to be reached with the gospel and have a church planted among them.


• The sponsorship fund that we have established from WCF continues to have a significant effect in and around Naisoya; and it was lovely for some of the team to meet not only the sponsored children, but their parents. Not that their gratitude is the reason for taking part in the programme, but it puts a very human face on it, and stops it becoming a completely anonymous donation.


• That underlines one of the key memories for me, both with the folk in Naisoya, and with the church leaders who attended the seminar I took. It really is a tremendous privelege to be able to count these people as friends, not just objects of philanthropy. I'm convinced that the gospel makes that possible in a unique way, as we all come before God in the same way, irrespective of our background or status.

Again there's a lot more to say, but hopefully that will give a flavour of things. There's one more thing that was in the background a lot while we were there that I'll post about tomorrow...