Name-Getters

Friday was another meeting day for me, this time with the “name-getters.”  These folks are people that we (WBS) hires to go to the public secondary schools in their counties and get the names of students who want to study the bible by correspondence with an American.  They are paid at a part-time level by the number of schools they visit.  They create the stream of new students that one day will be church leaders in this new generation of God’s Kingdom in Kenya.  It was a little weird for me, because they are almost all very new, and I didn’t know any of them.  Also, their English skills are not quite to the level of the regular workers, so much of the meeting was in Swahili, sometimes with translations, sometimes with paraphrased translations.

I was able to use yet another set of skills that I have picked up along my wide and varied career path, cold-call selling.  These workers first have to convince the school administrator to allow them to recruit on their campus, before they can sign up new students.  I realized this after hearing some very familiar sounding problems coming from their discussions.  I had heard the same words (in another language), many times in sales meetings back home.  I was able to chime in with a few suggestions and an idea for a sales tool to help them that I will do as soon as I get home.

Susie, Morgan and Charlene, spent the day at the Mbuvi’s house, getting another Kenyan cooking lesson from Tira, Maureen’s sister.  They are planning a true Kenyan night at Java house when we get back with beef samosas, mandazi, chapatti, and my amazing copy of Maureen’s chai.  By the way, I made my version of Chai for Maureen, and she really likes it.  She didn’t go so far as to say it was as good as hers, but…

This morning we got up early and were on the road to Kericho by 7:30am.  Actually we made a little stop in Nairobi to do some banking and shopping at a particular market that Susie likes.  It’s fun to watch her negotiate with the Kenyans.  She has been to this market before, so this time some of the merchants there remembered her and either ducked their heads or called her over, depending on how bad she had out-bargained them last time.  Our bags are nearing full with still a week to go.

Finally we were headed west toward Kericho.  It was a long, dusty ride with our 1 hour detour on the worst road in history, but we made it.  My mom is holding up fine, though I’m sure these roads are not to her liking.  We are now at the Tea Hotel, where it’s a little chilly; a welcome respite from the heat we have had so far.  Tomorrow we will worship with the little church at Muhoroni Orphanage and see all the good they are doing there.  I’ll get back on a regular daily blog schedule starting tomorrow.  Thanks for listening and all the great comments. 

8 Oct