Those Happy Faces at the Top are Afrizo

There has been much going on to ready the Afrizo team for their big tour of the US. It really is an exciting time. I will actually miss them when they go – but I hope to remain friends with them all after they return.

On Tuesday evening, Afrizo leader, Hellen Mtawali and 8 students board a plane to Minneapolis! I think this is the first time out of the country for all the students. It’s Hellen’s second trip to the States. Their main purpose for the trip is to raise awareness for the needs of Daystar University. They hope to raise funds for student scholarships and thank the generous donors that have been faithfully giving – even in these hard economic times.

Please follow their tour of the US; pray, attend a concert. They really are amazing musicians! To listen to a song or two check out the Daystar website. They will not disappoint!

Find of the Week

Last week I had a few idle moments to browse the sauce aisle at Nakumatt; the Kenyan equivalent of Super Target, but not as big. With the influx of business people from China in this country it’s now fairly easy to find all manner of chili oils and fish sauces. Maybe I should take up more Asian cooking...

As I was meandering along a familiar logo caught my eye. Sometimes I am aware that this might just be a knock-off. It seems that all those mayonnaise jars that have the trade name of American Garden (which I have never seen in America) have a reverse side that is all in Arabic. Needless, I stepped closer to check.

Sure enough, it was a real jar of Old El Paso Salsa! I’m not saying that is my favorite brand or anything, but this far from home, it might as well be. Since I was still in a bit of disbelief, I decided to look at the back to make sure it was actually the Old El Paso I know.

My second discovery came in reading the fine print. Did you know that Old El Paso is manufactured in Minneapolis, MN? I had to laugh. It reminded me of an old commercial that had a cowboy with a southern accent incredulously reading a salsa label, “Ne-e-ew Yo-o-ork City!?!” I consoled myself that there were plenty of Mexicans in Minnesota and it’s still a lot closer to Mexico than Kenya or the UAE.

I won’t tell you what I paid for those 16 ounces of bliss. But I did have a fresh batch of homemade tortillas at home, so I didn’t care. Good thing I brought some taco seasoning with me.

What do Adult Orphans Look Like?

Today I was part of a small panel that was asked to interview work study applicants to the University, specifically to hear about their plights as orphans in an effort to determine there need level. Probably each one could have been a riveting story of what happened in their particular circumstances. Some of them had their parents death certificates stapled to their application. Of those attached, not one that I read was by a car accident. That is something I would think claims a high percentage of lives. No, several I read were deaths caused by tuberculosis. TB is totally curable, I think. (Docs reading, correct me if I’m wrong.)

Others who lost their parents weren’t specific about what claimed the life. But it starts to become apparent. One young man first lost each of his siblings, both younger and his mother and finally his father. I tried for just a moment to imagine the feelings inside that drives such a person. I just can't imagine.

I really never thought of what an adult orphan looked like (except for me). These young people are depending on the kindness of relatives, sometimes siblings or aunts and uncles. Often besides the person losses, they carry the pressure that they are now a burden to others.

May God give the grace needed to each to carry on and become the servant leaders for which they are training.

It's Official!

This week I was handed my Daystar ID badge! It's kind of fun feeling official.

A Few More Shots of the Jikaze Outing

Outside the offices of Nairobi Chapel, loading the buses to head down to Jikaze. Ian M. is on the top doing manual labor, very uncharacteristic of him.

Some of the children recite a poem for us about living in peace and what real peace means.

A brand new "foot ball" - a welcome and very unexpected gift.

Jikaze (Pulling Oneself Together)

Last Saturday my Plug-in group from church went on an outing in an effort to put into practice what we have been studying about social justice. We visited some IDPs (internally displaced people) that have resettled in an area in the Rift Valley called Mahi Mahu.

This area Jikaze has been referred to as an IDP camp. But actually this is a group of people who met at an IDP camp and organized themselves, pooling their limited resettlement monies to purchase land together. They now have 17.5 acres for 145 familes and are building little houses and starting small businesses.



This is most of our group. From left to right: Bella, Me, Ian Gitau, Valerie, Susan, Monica, Robert (his wife Jane was around but didn’t get in the photo), Mukami, David (behind her), Ian Melita, and Helen. Also around but not in the photo was Arthur. His wife Waki didn’t come, nor did our leader, Pastor Cathleen or her assistant, Loretta. (Monica and David are married. Monica is my prayer partner.) The kids in the photo live at Jikaze.

You must have questions about IDPs. Please ask.

What's All that Brown in front of the Green?

I have one thing on my mind these days, people. In particular, students. Currently on my banner are the singing group Afrizo! Actually this is the team traveling to the States this fall. And they are very much in my view as we work toward getting them ready for travel.

The team will arrive in Minneapolis around August 25th. They will perform a concert that Friday in Brooklyn Park sponsored by Mshale, the African News Source in the Twin Cities. To learn more about the concert and the rest of their US tour, check our website: http://www.daystarus.org/.

I’ll keep you posted on any developments with the team.