Other Options?

When I first went online to look for alternatives after I wasn't able to go into the Peace Corps in '03, I was discouraged by the high price of volunteering. Many of the big organizations like Cross Cultural Solutions charge quite a large sum of money. If I want to spend 4 weeks abroad with this organization, I would have to give them $3,182. This money does go towards room and board, but I would still have to pay for the plane ticket, vaccinations, travel insurance, visa...... When my dad told me about Jeff and how he was able to go to Kenya to help at Tumaini and all he paid for was travel expenses, I was excited to learn more.

       When I started researching Tumaini last summer, I discovered that the only fee I would be charged was $20/week for room and board. Jeff told me that they don't charge a donation fee up front in hopes that a person will see Tumaini, fall in love with the children, agree with the project goals, and become a lifelong supporter. This philosophy makes so much more sense to me. 

       Everything about Tumaini makes sense to me. I want to go so badly that alternatives don't seem realistic. Let me tell you a few things I love about Tumaini. First of all, the way it started seems a bit miraculous. Eunice felt a calling to help the children in her country. She had a dream, but she didn't have funds. Jeff told me this story when we first met for coffee last summer. I don't remember the details perfectly, so bear with me. Eunice happened to meet a woman in a bathroom (she was at an event, maybe for the Denver Rescue Mission?). This was a white woman who had adopted a black child. The woman told Eunice that she was having a hard time doing her daughter's hair. Eunice agreed to help teach this woman how to do her daughter's hair. Later, when Eunice was demonstrating hairdos on the girl (I believe they were at the woman's house), she told the woman about her dream to start an orphanage in Kenya. The woman turned out to be in the Coors family, and, moved by Eunice's dream, agreed to give financial support. Now, talk about being in the right place at the right time. God had to have been involved. 

       I also love the fact that Tumaini is a home for these children, not an institution. The kids go to the local village school, they go to the local village church. They are not in the bubble of what I picture a conventional “Annie” orphanage to be. Elaine told us a story about a time she was there while the kids were in school. She would help the older kids with homework in the evenings. One day after school, she peeked into the room that the older boys share, and she found that some of the boys had had friends over and the room was full of Tumaini and village boys, watching a soccer match on TV. I never pictured an orphanage as a place where kids could have their friends over after school.

       I feel comforted by the fact that the US base for Tumaini Ministries is right here in Colorado. It’s easy for me to talk to Jeff and Elaine, and I feel a bit like I have gotten to know these people who have actually been to Africa. They’ve each traveled to Tumaini several times, and they are more than willing to share their experiences with me. Elaine has painted a picture of the children’s home so clearly, I don’t feel like it will be all completely unknown when I get there.

So many of the organizations I'm looking at online are evangelical. I don't want to push the bible on anyone. Tumaini is Christ-based, and people have gone there to teach VBS in the past, but that isn’t what I would be expected to do. I love that about Tumaini.

I really was looking forward to having my own experience at Tumaini, and it’s sad and frustrating to think that this may not be the right time for me to go.

I would like to ask for your prayers. I am seeking guidance and I feel like my own overwhelming desire to go may get in the way when I’m trying to listen for God’s direction.

 

 

Disappointment

I'm not sure where I will be going in June. I want to go somewhere to help. People at work tell me, "Go to Louisiana, help the hurricane victims." I know that these people are living in awful conditions and can use all the help they can get. There are plenty of people in downtown Denver who need help. I wouldn't have to travel far at all to help some of the poor children in Greeley. I don't know what it is, but I am drawn to Africa. I always have been.

  The disappointment I feel about the crumbling of Nairobi's security and stability is so intensely deep. I spent a lot of time crying at the end of December when it became clear that the people of Kenya were not going to rest after the election. I cried for these people I didn't know, for the deep disappointment they felt. I cried for their desperate condition, fighting for a better life and for the man who promised them this. I cried, also, for my dream of visiting this place, for the second time being pulled away from me.

  Is it being pulled away? And if this door is being closed, where is the opening door? I'm sure it's there, but I can't see it now. I look online for volunteer opportunities in Ghana, a very stable country in Africa. I see faces of orphans in Ghana staring from the screen and I read volunteer manuals for organizations in Ghana, and accounts from people who have volunteered, but I don't feel what I felt for the children at Tumaini. I'm sure it will take time to let go of one dream so that I can pursue another.

Do I need to pursue another? Jeff may still be visiting Tumiani next month. If he can go so soon after the election, shouldn't I be able to go by June? I got an email from Mandy, living in the heart of the chaos. She asks me when I plan to come to Tumaini and suggests we get together. Her view is so much different from my scared friends and family, and she's THERE. Here's a clip of Joel and Mandy's blog entry from Jan. 15th:  "We remain safe and well. Mandy has returned to teaching. It is amazing to see that the elections have had VERY little impact on many people in and around Nairobi. There are several pockets in the city that have not been impacted at all. We were reminded yesterday on our bus ride home that tension is still high as we saw the burned streets of Kibera and were stopped by a group of youths who demanded money from our driver (who was of a different tribe) in order to continue with the route. Mandy's school was canceled tomorrow because of the planned rallies (which are still banned by the government)."  http://ctmnairobi.blogspot.com/   

The situation is far from perfect, but is it still possible? I am going to make an appointment for my follow-up hepatitis shot in the next week. I continue to make monthly deposits from my paycheck into my Africa fund. Things are in limbo right now, and I pray for direction.

Elections

As many of you know, elections were held in Nairobi on December 27th. Chris and I have been trying to keep as up-to-date as possible by reading articles and watching short news clips from the BBC. Jeff Johnsen wrote with Kris Rocke a brief synopsis of the events yesterday, which I will cut and past here for you to read:

"Kenya held a presidential election on December 27, and the results were very very close. After it initially appeared that the challenger, Raila Odinga, was going to win, President Kibaki was declared the winner and was quickly sworn-in for his second term. However, Odinga’s ODM party experienced resounding success in parliament, and ousted half of Kibaki’s cabinet. The election appears to be deeply marred by fraud and various irregularities, with both sides accusing one another of vote-rigging.

In response to this news, violent clashes began taking place all across the country, both within Nairobi (in some of the slums) and especially in the western provinces. Although this is a political crisis, it quickly exposed deep layers of ethnic (tribal) conflict within a very diverse Kenyan society. Mr. Kibaki’s support base is with the Kikuyu tribe, who are strongest in the central province and have dominated Kenyan politics and business. Mr. Odinga’s support base is in the western part of the country, where the Luo tribe (and others) have long sought to challenge the Kikuyu’s power. Add to this mix the desperation of hundreds of thousands of people who live in deep poverty and family structures weakened by the AIDS crisis, and you get today’s volatile situation. Over 300 people have been killed in the conflicts. In the most tragic incident yet, a group of people were taking refuge in a church near Eldoret, and rioters burned it to the ground, killing 30 people inside.

Both sides are accusing the other of some form of “ethnic cleansing.” One government minister actually claimed that the ethnic violence was planned in advance of the election, organized and paid for by Mr. Odinga’s ODM party.

Mr. Odinga is refusing to accept the results of the election. In fact, he is calling for Mr. Kibaki to resign as a precondition to negotiations to end the conflict. The US and Britain initially endorsed Kibaki’s reelection, but have now withdrawn their endorsement until election irregularities can be investigated. Odinga’s ODM party planned a huge rally for downtown Nairobi on today, hoping to draw 1 million people. The event has been rescheduled for next week. While Mr. Odinga insists that this will be a peaceful event, there is certainly concern that this event will lead to large-scale conflict. All observers agree that what must happen is for Kibaki and Odinga to back away from their hard-line positions, and sit down to negotiate a path toward peace. But neither side seems inclined toward this as yet, and are also refusing offers of outside mediation (from the African Union)."

 Jeff is the executive director of Mile High Ministries, and he introduced me to Tumaini Ministries. Kris Rocke serves as director of Center for Transforming Mission. They posted this synopsis on a blog on the Geography of Grace website (http://www.geographyofgrace.com/2008/01/crisis_in_kenya.html#more). I first learned about the Center for Transforming Mission when Jeff sent me a link to Joel and Mandy Zylstra's blog. Joel and Mandy are in Kenya right now working in the slums of Nairobi. Their blog is an excellent resource and I have been reading it daily. Please visit their blog if you have time as it contains a first-hand account of what is happening in Nairobi. (http://ctmnairobi.blogspot.com/) Please pray with us for peace and wisdom in Kenya. 

 

Shots

Chris and I went for our shots today!  

We each got six shots today, and we'll be going back for follow ups on the Hepatitis A and B shots. Today we got the first shots for Hep A & B, along with Meningitis, Polio, Typhoid, and Yellow Fever. 

I am not a needle person, so Chris held my hand and I thought of the pictures of the kids' faces at Tumaini with each shot. It did help calm me down. Although after it was all said and done and the adrenaline rush wore off, I had to sit with my head between my knees for a bit.

We're getting ready for Christmas here in Fort Collins, and we're enjoying the snow! 

Christmas Card Excitement!
Wow, in the past week I have received many many orders for Christmas cards. Chris and I are leaving for Michigan tonight to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Today I need to make 40 cards for his Aunt Mary Jo. I also need to make several packs for people who have ordered at work. It is very exciting! Luckily I have today off so I am going to pack for Michigan, do the small amount of school stuff I brought home so I don't need to worry about it on Sunday, and then I'll be a card factory for the rest of the day! I need to make another stop at Michael's, first. I think I may be becoming one of their most valued customers! 

Vaccinations
Wow! I'm so excited, and I never thought I'd be excited for shots! I just got off the phone with the Rocky Mountain Infectious Disease Consultants and Chris and I have an appointment on November 21st to go in for our first appointment. We're going to get lots of shots, and then we'll have to go back for more shots. Anyone who knows me well knows that when I get around needles, it isn't pretty. I've fainted who knows how many times after getting blood drawn and I still cry like a little kid at the thought of a flu shot. But I can't wipe this smile off my face!

October Already!
My friend Amanda Phillips gave me a hard time last weekend because I haven't updated the blog in quite some time. This is true, and to be honest, there isn't much to update. My mom is still thinking about coming. I don't want to rush her, and yet I don't want to buy plane tickets until she has decided. I know that once we've reserved our tickets, the trip will start feeling more real. But in the meantime, it feels a bit like Africa's on pause and school with 17 third graders has taken over the play button (12 of whom are very energetic boys, so many times it feels like we're stuck on fast forward!)

School Supplies!
I want to thank everyone who made it possible for me to bring a wonderful stash of school supplies to Tumaini Children's Home. I went shopping today and bought twenty packs of pencils, bottles of glue, packs of paper, boxes of crayons, scissors, and pencil sharpeners. I'm sure the supplies will be welcomed next summer.

Africa

I have wanted to go to Africa for as long as I can remember. After student teaching here in Colorado, I planned to join the Peace Corps to travel to Africa to teach young children. I did not end up going into the Peace Corps, but decided to persue a Master's Degree in Special Education. I have taught at Big Thompson Elementary in Loveland, CO for three years. I spent the first two years in the resource room as a special education teacher. Last year was my first year in the classroom, and I taught a third and fourth grade multiage class. In August I will begin a new school year with a third grade class. I am very excited!

 

The thought of traveling to Africa has not left my mind through the years, and now the dream is beginning to make its way into reality. My dad is friends with a man named Jeff Johnson, who has traveled to Africa a few times. I always heard about Jeff's travels through my dad. I heard about the orphanage he went to work at in Kenya, and I always thought, "one day I'll meet that man." Well, my dad kept saying, "when you're ready for Jeff's email address, I'll send it to you" and last month, I felt ready.

 

I did a little bit of internet research on Tumaini and read through the volunteer manual on their website. I realized that going to Kenya to help at the Tumaini children's home was a definite possibility. Unlike many of the other volunteer opportunities I had looked into, Tumaini does not require an up-front donation. All I'll need to pay for are immunizations, travel insurance, a visa and passport, plane tickets, and housing. I am hoping to raise $3000 to cover these expenses.

 

Any additional money I raise will go directly to Tumaini ministries. They will use the funds to support the 50 orphans currently living in the children's home. The children need food, clothing, school supplies, medication, and space for living. Also, in Kenya, school is free until 8th grade, but after that, a person needs to pay for their education. Tumaini ministries is dedicated to sending these children to school all the way through college if that's what the child wants.

 

When I go to Kenya next summer, I look forward to spending 3-4 weeks living and working with the people of the Rukubi village. I look forward to meeting Eunice, whom I have heard so much about. I will help look after and love the children. I hope to visit their schools and learn about the local culture.

 

Tumaini Ministries was recently able to purchase 50 acres of land and next summer, construction will be taking place on the land. I may be able to help build a new children's home. Tumaini is almost fully self-sustained with the gardens on their land. I will be able to help in the gardens to harvest food to eat. I'm most excited to spend time with the children.

 

I hope you can find it in your heart to help me on this mission. I ask for your prayers as I embark upon this adventure!

Abbey

 

First Step

Today I met with Jeff Johnsen, the chair of Tumaini Ministries. We met at Blackberries, a coffee shop in Denver. He told me all about his travels and experiences in Nairobi. He gave me some great advice, as well as quite a bit of inspiration. It was great to hear all about Eunice and her miraculous story. I feel hopeful and encouraged.

Abbey