Let Your Power Come Down

Yesterday morning, I met Alfayo Bodi, our worker from Ndhiwa, at our hotel.  He and I drove back to his home beside our orphanage at Ndhiwa.  We were able to look over the place, going very slow.  As I expected, I saw a number of things that I had not seen before and I was able to discuss them at length with Alfayo and his manager, Job.  This is the first time I have been able to spend that kind of time at any site, so it was very useful. 

I'm coming to realize that traditions are very important here.  Not ceremony, really but just continuing with the way we have always done things.  Simple daily activities like boiling water without a lid, using the old clay stoves when the new iron ones set idle, these are part of this vast cultural gulf at still separates us.  How to penetrate the traditions in favor of innovation is a major hurdle. We forget how much change and innovation is hard-wired into western culture, and its just not that way with these people.

Later, over lunch I had a long conversation with Alfayo, getting to know him and his thoughts in a new, deeper way. Sometimes we make too many assumptions about a person based on what we know about them, when there is much more to be discovered if we just put in the time.  Alfayo has a beautiful heart for his kids, that much is certain.

In the afternoon, I spent some time with the graduating seniors and we discussed the training center and their future.  I won't say that we learned a lot about each other, they were quite shy about speaking, but it was a good time.  I also had a meeting with Job, and he presented his list of ideas and needs, some were the usual requests but a few were novel.  I agreed to consider some of them.

I got to spend a little time just hanging out with the kids as they returned from school.  They are well behaved and basically self regulating as a group, with the older kids taking care of the younger.  They were willing to talk, but not too deep.  Language issues, I have got to fix that!

The power went out at about 3pm.

At 7pm it was time for evening fellowship, when all the kids gather in the dining hall for singing and praying.  There was only a kerosene lantern and 140 kids and the room absolutely filled with praise.  It was ordinary to them, I think, but absolutely amazing for me.  While they were singing a verse that said, "let the power of the lord come down, oh lord" the electricity came back on and I thought my heart would explode. Alfayo and I shared a wide-eyed look that said,"His power really has come down."  It's not the first time I have felt the presence of the Spirit in Kenya, but it was amazing to feel it here.

We had dinner at Alfayo's house, both of us tired and tender.  He opened up to me in a new way, telling me about their still-born child in 2007 and their struggle to get adequate medical care for his wife.  Not a matter of money, but rather a shortage of qualified doctors.  They now have a new baby, born in December.

I slept well in his spare bedroom, had a "shower" this morning and breakfast and we are about to set off for the Tom Manning orphanage.  More tomorrow.

Ndhiwa