In my last days in Kenya I ate a fish with a head with only my fingers, encountered wild pigs on my walks, and rode on the back of a speeding motorcycle through the slums of Nairobi, catching air as we hit potholes the size of large dogs and avoided herds of small goats in the road. I celebrated my birthday a week early Kenyan style and delivered cake with my fingers to the mouths of 10 new Kenyan friends. I spoke to a meeting of 9 Nairobi pastors and a bishop about organizing their congregations around poverty and hunger relief and was called Pastor Andrew by all. I met a starving man from Sudan and was hugged when I bought him bags of rice, sugar, and oil so that his 2 daughters could eat that week. I spoke to 4 NGOs and helped link multiple people and projects together. I spoke a great deal about the importance of civic education in Kenya, helped 2 NGOs and multiple church leaders think through public action campaigns to address government corruption, and left with a deeper understanding of my purpose and place in this work. Right now Im on the 4 hour train ride from Chicago to Ann Arbor, desperately needing a shower after a 20 hour flight. So excited to sleep in my own bed without a mosquito net tonight and to drink coffee with Half and Half in the morning. Yet, as I left Nairobi for Qatar, my heart was heavy to go. In a very real way, East Africa felt like the home my heart was most made for. After my month in India, Id like to go back.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:22:25 +0000
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