Sunday, August 22, 2010

People to Meet

Written August 20, 2010

Hi! Sorry these blog posts are a little late; we’ve had some issues with the internet. The big reason that Callie and I came to Kenya was to get more fully immersed in the culture and actually get to build relationships with some of the amazing people who live here. Here is a list of some of the people who we’ve gotten to know so far.
Margaret: We will be living with Margaret for the whole month of October. She is such a nice woman and has a huge influence on her entire community. Margaret is the founder and leader of Hope Woman’s Group. This group helps support the needy people in the community in any way they can. It has grown to include about sixty members who are currently busying themselves with home visits to the sick, helping orphans, and assisting with a water project that will provide water for three major parts of the community.
George: Margaret’s son has some very exciting stories to tell. At the age of 23, George recently returned home from a university in Uganda. While we were talking to him we discovered that attending this university was the action that George chose instead of accepting a career as a professional basketball player. When he was in high school George’s team first won the division basketball tournament. They then went on to win the provincial, national, East African, and finally continental games. George said that the national team has continuously asked him to join their roster, but he preferred to continue with his studies because he believes that learning is much more important.
Winnie: Ahh Winnie! So far we have spent three days with Winnie and she is already one of our favorite people in the world. She was part of the second class of graduating Umoja students and she is now the project’s administrative assistant. Sometimes, because of Winnie’s professional look, excellent English, and constant joking, it is hard to remember that she shares the struggles that we often hear about of the other Umoja students. Having lost her father and sister, Winnie now lives with her mother and younger brother Stephen (age 17). She is continuously facing obstacles that most of us can’t even imagine going through. I admire her so much for her optimistic outlook, her faith, and her willingness to help her family and community.
Meshak: While at Margaret’s house, Winnie set aside some time in which we could meet with a group of volunteers in the community. The group that we met with consisted of four young men who spend their time meeting with visiting volunteers and teaching them about the culture and people. The men go on home-visits and help with any project in the area that is in need of more assistance. During the discussion, a lot of the guys seemed reluctant to talk. Meshak definitely took the lead. He told us about the group and how it was difficult to be involved because the members had to work for no pay. We later learned why not being paid would be especially difficult for him. Meshak has lost both of his parents; his other siblings have moved away and the only relative he has left is his very sick uncle who he has taken responsibility for. Even with these terrible experiences, Meshak continues to count his blessings and give so much to people who have even less by choosing to volunteer instead of working.
As you can see, Callie and I have already met some truly amazing and inspiring people. I am so excited to get to know them better because I know that I have a lot to learn from them. Hopefully we will continue to meet friends and role models like these throughout our stay.

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