Moments in Maasailand...

How can I sum up the ten days spent in Kenya? With difficulty to be honest, but let's have a go. In terms of the basics, we spent the first week or so in Naisoya. There has been a link between WCF (and the other Harbour Minsitries churches), and Naisoya for around 10 years now; with the church there (now known as CCI Naisoya), and with the schools, via a child sponsorship scheme, whereby around 70 children are now sponsored. This sponsorship enables them to go to school, get uniform and a good meal at lunchtime. What is left once the individual child's needs have been met is then used to fund the (now 5) nursery level schools that the church has begun. Many of the children are now at the local state funded primary school, and some are shortly to begin secondary education. I spent one morning at the newest nursery school in nearby Osonkoroi, and had the privelege in the afternoon of visiting Pereruan, the girl our family has sponsored since the scheme started, and her mother in their home. Not an experience I'll forget in a hurry. The next 2 days I spent teaching a seminar for CCI church leaders (and some from other denominations), in an area just over an hour's drive away from Naisoya, with Patrick, the Pastor at CCI Naisoya, acting as my interpreter. CCI is a fast growing movement in Kenya, and David Kereto, our host and initial contact in Kenya, is the denomination's General Secretary (amongst his seemingly endless list of responsibilities and projects). I really enjoyed these 2 days, the folk were responsive, engaged and very welcoming, and there was a real sense of God's presence among us, with a number of them testifying to real encouragements. The picture below shows some of them outside the church in Ntulele, where the seminar was held, during one of the breaks. Then we spent time visiting other projects David Kereto is involved with, including a water project, some land for a refuge for girls fleeing from circumcision or forced marriage, which is due to be built this summer. In the middle of all that I managed to get my hair cut very short by a Maasai barber in Narok town (the main town of the area) for less than £1 including tip. Sunday saw us worshipping with CCI Naisoya, and I had the privelege of speaking. Then the next day we moved on to the Maasai Mara for a mini safari, before flying home.
There's loads more to say, but I think I'll save my reflections on all this for another post....