CFA Staff Retreat 2010

Wow - what a crazy and awesome weekend with all of the CFA Kenya team in Naivasha!  Since I don't have a whole lot of time right now (it's 3pm and I'm leaving for America tonight...and I haven't started to pack), I'm just going to throw a few pictures up here and give you a short look into the more interesting parts of the weekend...

This is where we stayed - the Lake Naivasha Panorama Park.  It was actually a really cool place, with lots of little cabins built into the side of a big cliff looking over beautiful Lake Naivasha.  The big building in the picture is where we had all of our meetings.

The weekend included team-building time with activities led by Cornel and Duncan.  I realized why they did this as a job for several years - they are GREAT at it!  The games were so much fun, and everyone was laughing and running around together like little kids.  In this picture, we are stretching out our hips before the games begin...

 After dinner on Friday, the official staff retreat DANCE PARTY began.  Kevin had his stereo and laptop all hooked up, and we danced around in a group for about an hour, moving in a circle around the outside of the room in the typical Kenyan way.  Then, each of us were called up in the middle of the group to dance by ourselves or with one other person to Kevin's choice of songs - hilarious!  They all absolutely LOVED seeing me dance and talked about it for the rest of the weekend...

 This is round 1 of the breakfast buffet for Kevin.  The buffets for each meal were definitely one of the highlights of the weekend for most of the staff - they ate themselves sick!  The food was actually quite good, though, and I was pretty full myself...

 On Saturday, Duncan, Cornel, and I gave a presentation about the Vision, Core Values, and Goals of CARE for AIDS.  I was a little concerned that the staff would want to stay in "play" mode, but they were super engaged and seemed to take a lot from the morning.  We got a lot of great feedback, and I was really blessed to hear many of the center workers talk about how excited they are about their jobs. 

 The hotel had a pool.  It was shaped like Africa.  It was full of our staff members and me.  AWESOME

The whole group!  Each year we are getting bigger - last year we were 13, and this year we are 26! Praise God for all that he is doing with CARE for AIDS. 

25+1

I'm off to the annual CARE for AIDS staff retreat.  That means 25 hyper Kenyans, one mzungu, lots of buffets, team building games, running around in the grass, and (hopefully) an awesome weekend!  We're going to the Lake Naivasha Panorama Park (www.lakenaivashapanoramapark.com), which looks pretty great in the pictures on their website.  We'll see if it matches up in real life!

Last year, I was unable to fully take advantage of the highlight of this weekend - the buffets.  Recovering from a little water-born parasite, my doctor limited me to eating bananas for half of the trip.  While that did let me set a new "bananas eaten in one day" personal best at 13, it didn't make for the most exciting time.  Hopefully this year will be an improvement!  Look for some good stories and crazy pictures to come...

Salvation from Islam

One of the most exciting things that I have seen through CARE for AIDS during this past month was the salvation of our first Muslim client, Amina Machuma Shebari, in the Kangemi CFA center.  David and Esther, the center workers at Kangemi, met Amina soon after they started recruiting the first group of clients for the new center.  She was very weak, mostly as a result of taking her medication improperly.  It seemed that she lived in a kind of self-denial, where she would refuse to take her ARV's for days at a time and had extremely low self esteem.  Her living conditions were poorly cared for, and she existed almost entirely alone.  They discovered that her extended family and her faith community had rejected her, and "she felt as if she had no home."

Esther and Amina

While many of these factors come into play in a majority of our clients, the fact that Amina was a Muslim presented David and Esther, and the rest of the CFA team, with a completely new situation.  Esther admits that she was "in great fear of her religion."  As in America, many people here in Kenya don't really understand Islam, and violence is strongly associated with Muslims because of stories and reports from neighboring countries like Somalia and Ethiopia.  Nevertheless, Amina became part of the client group at Kangemi and began attending center days and seminars at the Full Gospel Church of Kenya - Kangemi.  After an introductory service, which included a time of worship and a message from the head pastor, Bishop Chege, Amina confessed to David and Esther that she had finally "found a place she could call home."  She was amazed at the love and care she received from the church, and she started to have deeper and more involved conversations with David about the Bible and the gospel message.  A few weeks later, she made the decision to accept Christ as her savior.

Only a month into the operation of the center at Kangemi, we are already seeing God do amazing things through the church and the community.  In addition to Amina, five other clients have already made first-time decisions to follow Christ.  Many more clients, like Amina, have now learned the importance of properly taking their medication and are demonstrating drastically improved health and strength.  Over the next eight months, we pray that God will continue to work in all 80 of the clients - spiritually, physically, economically, and socially - transforming their lives in the way that only He can.  As we open centers closer to Nairobi and eventually on the eastern side of the city, we will progressively be exposed to more and more Muslim-dominated communities.  Please pray that God would use CARE for AIDS as a light in these dark places.

Lake Nakuru National Park

Last Saturday, Jane and I spent the day exploring one of my favorite places in Kenya - Lake Nakuru National Park.  It was pretty close to a PERFECT day:  gorgeous blue skies, a totally full lake, lots of animals, great food, and an amazing girl to share it with!  All of those things made for a perfect day for photography too, and I reached a new level of pride in my picture-taking after this trip.  I'll put a few up on here, but check out the facebook link at the bottom if you want to see more.

Our day started early in the morning at the park gate, which happens to be home to some of the most mischievous Vervet monkeys and Olive baboons you'll meet anywhere.  While we got ready to go into the park, Jane and I were standing about five feet away from the car with the doors open.  Before we could even react, a vervet monkey ran up to the car, scampered along the hood, and dove through the driver's door.  He jumped into the backseat and immediately opened up my bag, grabbing a bag of chips and escaping out the door and up a tree.  I have no idea how he knew EXACTLY where to go for the chips, INSIDE a duffel bag...it was so amazing that I wasn't even mad!  I did get a chance to snap this quick photo:

Our first stop after entering the park was the lakeshore.  LNNP is a fairly small park (especially compared to the Mara), and it centers around the beautiful Lake Nakuru - an alkaline lake that is a perfect habitat for the small fish and little creatures that tons of different birds love to eat.  It's most famous for pelicans and flamingos, and the flocks flying and floating around just as the sun rose over the hills and the mist settled on the water were gorgeous.

A few minutes after leaving the lakeside, we came upon a freshly killed buffalo and a pride of lions having their breakfast.  Part of the benefit to driving yourself on a safari is that you can stop when you want, where you want, and you don't have to feel pressured to make everyone happy if some people in the group want to spend all day looking for a lame pigeon or something.  We ended up hanging out at this spot for at least an hour, and had our own packed breakfast along with the lions!  It was fascinating to watch the drama play out - whenever the lions would tire of eating and back off to rest, a pack of 10 or so hyenas and two jackal pairs would creep in to eat their share.  Immediately, a few of the lions would come charging back to protect "their" kill, scattering the hyenas and jackals in fits of shrieks and confused running around...amazing!  At one point, six or seven lionesses and two cubs were all eating at the same time, with the gorgeous backdrop of the forests around the lake.

After checking out some amazing viewpoints, watching giraffes and elands, and hanging out at the stunning Makalia Waterfalls, we settled in for a leisurely lunch and rest at the Lake Nakuru Lodge.  We reflected on how blessed we are to have a place like this just an hour and a half away from "home"...sometimes living in Kenya can be challenging, but these are the perks!  From lunch we drove back to the southern end of the lake to check out the fascinating pink flamingos - they are odd birds, and their reflections in the stillness of the lake made them look even more interesting.

At this point, we knew we needed to find one of the most famous residents of LNNP - the White Rhino.  A very endangered species, they flourish in this park and are one of the reasons that more and more people are making Lake Nakuru part of their African safari experience.  After a bit of looking and fleeting glimpses of far-off rhinos, we spotted an adult and juvenile about 100 yards away from a road, slowly grazing through the grass.  We picked a spot on the road and turned off the car, then watched and waited for about 30 minutes while the rhinos walked directly towards us, stopping to look intently at the car from about 20 feet away before passing right in front of us across the road.  It was absolutely breathtaking - these animals are HUGE and totally pre-historic looking, and it seemed like we had a dinosaur staring us in the eyes as we held our breath.

All in all, it was an unbelievable day and a fantastic way to start wrapping up our time in Kenya before Christmas.  Despite the parts of this country that can be frustrating at times, it has so much to offer in terms of unique creation, and I feel privileged to have experienced so much of it!  Here are a few more fun pictures to leave you with, and feel free to check out more at this link if you're interested...http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2239019&id=4708957&l=4811ff7d4a

Jane's monkey friend

To show how CLOSE this rhino is to the car

Makalia falls

Flamingo pose!

December Prayer Requests

Two weeks from now, Jane and I will be in Charlotte, North Carolina - USA.  The transition from Kenya to America at this time of year is a crazy one:  hot weather to winter, developing world to developed, minority to majority...when you throw all of that in with the general intensity of the Christmas season in America, you've got quite an explosion coming up!  A good one, for sure, but with that in mind, I wanted to throw out some prayer requests for the coming month...

1.  CFA Staff Retreat - I'll be going to a campground by Lake Naivasha next weekend with all 26 members of the CFA team in Kenya.  It's going to be an incredible time to relax with good friends and new team members, and I know there will be some funny stories to come from it.  I'm really excited about this, and I'm praying that it will be a meaningful and encouraging time for all of our employees as we eat together (the buffet is their favorite part), get to know each other better, and talk about the big picture of CARE for AIDS.


2.  America time - After a long journey through Istanbul and New York (starting at 3am on the 15th), Jane and I will be spending time in Charlotte, Bay Village, and Vail during our 3-week trip to the States.  It's easy for these trips to get so crammed full of stuff (and food) that they fly by and I don't even know what's really happening, but I'm praying that we will be able to relish every moment of time with family and friends, and that God would give us a renewed energy and passion for being in Kenya from January to May.

3.  The Future - While the wedding planning has reached a bit of a lull these days, Jane and I have a lot to figure out in terms of our life after returning from Kenya in May.  Please join me in praying for God's direction in preparing for her to start school again, considering job options for me, and exploring options for where we will live, how we will find community, and what He has planned for us in Winston Salem. 

Thank you all for your prayers and support - your encouragement truly is the voice of God's love to me in so many ways! 

CARE for AIDS Vision

Since returning to Kenya in July, I've been working through a professional development curriculum with Cornel and Duncan.  We are using the "Great Leaders Serve" program, created and used at Chick-fil-A by our own board member Mark Miller.  Cornel, Duncan, and I have all been gleaning a mountain of insight through the workbooks, audio messages, and guided study of The Secret (by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller), and it's been incredibly exciting for me to help these guys think through how they can be better leaders.  The curriculum focuses on Christ's model of "servant leadership," an idea that is even more counter-cultural in Kenya than in the States, and Cornel and Duncan have really embraced the concept.  They are so excited about putting into practice such a revolutionary idea, and I am already seeing the subjects we talk about manifested in their individual leadership - so cool!

Last week we had a long discussion and brainstorming session about vision - "Seeing and Shaping the Future" of various aspects within CARE for AIDS.  I thought the ideas that Cornel and Duncan presented were inspiring and exciting, and maybe they will help you to better understand the picture that these guys have of what CARE for AIDS is and will become.  Here is what they came up with:

Vision for CARE for AIDS

CARE for AIDS exists to engage American Christians to partner with African churches to transform and empower HIV-infected men and women both physically and spiritually.

Vision for each CARE for AIDS Center

Our centers will be the most efficient and highest quality caregivers in each of their respective communities. 

Our centers will create a culturally acceptable environment through which every HIV-infected man or woman will have the opportunity to receive the gospel and to receive nurturing and care via the hope that comes through Christ.

Our centers will reach every man and women living with HIV/AIDS and living in poverty within their respective communities. 

Our centers will educate and inspire church congregations to love people living with HIV/AIDS. 

Vision for CARE for AIDS Staff

Our staff will be the client and community educators, health providers, and agents of change.

• Educators: They will teach the clients how to improve their health and prevent illnesses
• Health Providers: They will treat common illnesses early, before they become serious
• Agents of Change: They will help the clients and the community members to change their knowledge, attitude, beliefs, and practices so that they all lead healthier, positive lives

Our staff will develop into Christ-like servant leaders who will be led by Christ, lead like Christ, and lead more to Christ.

Our staff will all completely understand HIV and its implications for individuals and society.

Our staff will all know how to share the Gospel and provide hope to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Our staff will learn how to responsibly and faithfully manage their lives and families.

Vision for CARE for AIDS Administration

Our administration will exemplify a new concept of servant leadership that will permeate from the staff to the partnering church, the clients, and the whole community.

Our administration will make CFA into a first-class NGO that will stand the test of the day in terms of accountability and good stewardship of the resources that God has entrusted to us.

Our administration will always examine the big picture of our calling as believers.

Our administration will continually assist and develop the center workers, always seeking to better and more efficiently serve people living with HIV/AIDS through every CFA center.