Going deep with the Christian Entrepreneurs Savings Society

Despite the events of last night that were constantly on my mind, today was a very productive day of brainstorming and idea gathering with businesses and leadership of the Christian Entrepreneurship Savings Society (CHESS).  

Today, we sat down with five successful entrepreneurs in CHESS who meet regularly as a cell group.  Cell groups consist of business owners meeting once a month to fellowship, share business lessons and struggles with the hope that they can mutually encourage and advise one another.  The members of this group have done well with their endeavors and they attribute much of their success to the counsel and camaraderie provided by their cell group.  Now this cell group would like to give back to other members of CHESS by providing business trainings and one-on-one work to help develop other people's businesses.

Another useful get together was a social hour(s) to help Andy and Kathy, CHESS' North American mentors, get a more accurate picture of the businesses involved with organization.  They also were able to hear what those members thought CHESS could do to better serve their businesses.  The meeting consisted of a cross-section of CHESS' membership.  From manufacturers employing dozens of people to shop keepers and farmers. 

Andy and Kathy were excited to get out and see their friends who run businesses in the area.  Unfortunately, good news was in short supply at the businesses we visited.  The two businesses Andy and Kathy are involved with have hit some trouble, all the more reason it is important for them to be here walking alongside them.  

One of them is a tailor/textile maker who has hit a bottom and needs people to speak truth into his life.  The problems have gone beyond financial.  In this picture he and his family are being prayed for by the team.

Abandoned child

Right now the future of a child is being determined.  

As Lydia and I ate dinner tonight we received a call from a bachelor friend of ours that lives nearby.  He was holding a baby who had been abandoned at the gate of his apartment and wasn't sure what to do.  The mother had brought the baby in from their rural village and tried to get the dad to take the child.  He refused and the mom walked off leaving the child.  Apparently, he waddled after his mom attempting to somehow to catch her across the busy street.  Thankfully, the guard at our friend's apartment was there and scooped him up just before he reached traffic.  The guard then watched the 18 month old child until my friend came home from work.  

After the call we ran over with some supplies to help bathe the baby and figure things out.  I can only imagine how scary it must have been for the baby to awake to us white people (Kenyan babies tend to be frightened by us) and without his mother around.  As he woke up he said "mama" twice and then didn't say anything else or cry.  His stomach was bloated.  Probably caused by worms and a mix of other problems. 

After he was cleaned up, Lydia dressed him in clean clothes we had brought.  His mom had left a dirty grocery bag of filthy clothes for him.

Right now, he is sleeping soundly at our friend's house.  Tomorrow, he will be taken to an orphanage that Lydia has volunteered at and has found to be a good place for kids.  To be honest, I just wanted to take the child home.  Still want to. 

Please pray for this child.  I don't know what the prayer should be...maybe that humans, whether the police, parents, relatives, would place as much value on this child as God does. That his precious little life would somehow be filled with love and acceptance even though today was a day of abandonment.    

Here is a picture of the Lydia and the baby...

Visitors and a shot/thought

This week, an American couple has come to work with one of our business groups - the Christian Entrepreneurs Savings Society (CHESS). Andy and Kathy's family has a long history with Partners Worlwide. Kathy's parents were there at the beginning of PW and have been alongside ever since. During their week here, we will be meeting with CHESS' manager, Board of Directors and member businesses strategizing ways to better serve Christian entrepreneurs so that they can create jobs and be a beacon of light as business owners.

In preperation, my coworker Tim and I met with several members of CHESS. We wanted to get an understanding of what they thought were the business group's strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. Also, we wanted to hear if they had any ideas or opportunities CHESS can take advantage of. We found out that these businesses were effected by the violence following the elections earlier this year.

Bwana Jowamu's business produces and sells textile products in Nairobi that are then distributed throughout rural Kenya. During the post-election chaos, civilians set up road blocks and murdered drivers that were of the "wrong" tribe. Obviously, this severely limited commerce especially transportation. Because Jowamu's customers were unable to go into the rural areas to sell their products, his business suffered. Fortunately, he was able to retain his seven employees and business has begun to pick up again. Here is a picture of Jowamu and some of his retail bed covers:

And a shot and a thought:

"I love public transportation"

Yes, a car provides more flexibility and safety, but a matatu mini-bus ride in Kenya costs $0.25 (much less expensive than driving on $6.00 gallon gas) and can be much faster in a traffic jam. These buses obey no rules, except that of making money - the more customers the more money you make. So they cram as many people as possible into the van and then go as fast as they can on the shoulder, into oncoming traffic, or just making a new lane for themselves straddling what would be the center yellow line. This photo shows one of the largest "stages" where you can grab a matatu. The real matatus are hard to see in the photo. They are the small, white 15 passenger vans. If you don't mind sitting on people's laps, extremely loud rap music, and going over speed bumps at 50 mph, it is the best way to get around town.

Obama Day

The excitement is palpable. Everyone here is proud of President-elect Obama, a "son of their soil."

Today has been declared a national holiday by Kenya's president and everyone given the day off. Lydia and I plan to go to the "Obama Cup" to watch our friend play soccer.

While people around the world are rejoicing and praising Americans for electing their first African American president, my pride rests in a different aspect of our democracy - the fact that when you lose the race you accept it and congratulate the winner. In conversations I've had and news clips I've seen, Kenyans have acknowledged Senator McCain's graceful concession, despite not all the votes not being counted. This seems unfathomable to most Africans and especially Kenyans considering their recent election experience. This is an example I hope is repeated in the future here in Africa.