It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a month since I got back from Kenya. The primary purpose of my trip was to be there for my dear friend's wedding. If you haven't heard me brag about her, it was this cheeky woman that got hitched:
She'd argue that I'm actually the cheeky one since I'm always playing tricks on her and she'd be right but that's really not important. Anyways, I met Loice the summer of 2007 when I went to Kenya for my Fuller practicum. We became dear friends while I was there and our friendship deepened despite the distance. She has touched my life in incredible ways and she is one of my favorite people on this earth.
I had the honor and privilege to not only be there for her wedding and be part of the wedding, but I got to spend a week helping her with final wedding preparations. It was such a precious time for both of us and it was also very meaningful to spend time with her family- a family that literally has made me one of their own calling me and treating me like their daughter.
The wedding was awesome and I loved being able to support Loice and witness her big day. Did I mention that this "support" also included me doing an African dance down the aisle? Despite the requests, that video will not be making its way on YouTube any time soon.
My amazing boss was kind enough to link me with some field work Peacebuilding was doing in Kenya, an arrangement that was both a personal and professional blessing to me. Following the wedding, I spent the next two weeks with World Vision for two different projects in Western Kenya.
The first project was a consultation of Empowering Children as Peacebuilders (ECaP) in Eldoret, Kenya. One of my biggest roles in my position in DC is facilitating the development of an ECaP project model, which is designed to provide the field with a strategic and practical model of how to implement (or adapt/redesign) ECaP. Therefore, our work in Eldoret was quite relevant to my own work with ECaP project design. We had about 30 individuals that are involved in World Vision peacebuilding activities come together to discuss what they've been doing in their own communities. This process helped us assess our work through their own feedback and ideas and will continue to provoke new areas for redesign and improvement of ECaP programs. I had the opportunity to serve as both a facilitator in the consultation and discussion sessions as well as photographer among these teenagers.
The second week was spent in Kitale completing a Do No Harm (DNH) evaluation. DNH is a toolkit and approach that World Vision uses to recognize how assistance affects conflict, which is helpful in the analysis of both a development and relief context. The whole idea of DNH is to make sure that our assistance does not harm while carrying out our intended good. Our team's role was to do an evaluation of a project designed as a result of the post-election violence. It was a food security project and peacebuilding project that was coming to completion. We interviewed almost 30 individuals or groups (both key informants and focus discussion groups) in the area in order to better understand areas where the project succeeded and fell short.
In between these two weeks of work I was able to also visit a child my family and I sponsor together. I had the honor and privilege of meeting Makose, his brother, grandparents, and about 30 other relatives and friends. This was a very unique experience, not only as a sponsor but as a World Vision employee as well. My time with Makose and his family was very meaningful and surreal. We enjoyed great conversation and laughter over chapati and chicken in their small mud hut tucked away in the hills of the countryside.
As rich and meaningful as my time in Kenya was, it was also very painful. The post-election violence has scarred the lives of people I love and that is nearly unbearable to process. I'll never understand why so many use violence in its many awful forms to express their anger, primarily against the most innocent of peoples. The brokenness of this world can sure be discouraging and easy to fixate on, but I have to remember that God is faithful and just in the midst of this brokenness as well. Because He is the Great Physician, Healer, Comforter and Deliverer, there is hope.
It was very difficult for me to leave Kenya. Although I know God has placed me in DC for this season in my life, my time in Kenya made me ache to be in sub-Saharan Africa again and also confirmed my desire to continue toward living and working overseas. For now I am trying to enjoy where I am and take the experiences and lessons as they come, never looking too far forward that I miss what is in front of me.
This last weekend I rented a car and took a trip down to the South and boy did I ever. I have only been to the South one other time, but that was 8 years ago and I was barely there two days back then. I was so excited to go this time around and couldn’t wait to soak it all in.
It was a Southern experience at its finest, complete with mullet sightings, lots of “ya’lls” and conversations initiated by strangers. I drank my weight in sweet tea and tried boiled peanuts. The slower pace was a great change from being smack down in the middle of a city and I was quite sad to have to leave, especially without the youngest Berry stuffed in my purse.
