Orienting to Kenya

I have learned this about myself.  When I travel to a new place, I need to orient myself.  For me to appreciate where I am, I need to know where I am in the world.  

Practically, this means I research the place online, spending time on Google Earth, imagining the places I’ll be.   When I arrive, I pull out my Google map and watch the journey to the hotel.  Once I am oriented, I can receive all the gifts the place has to offer me.  

I have been imagining being in Kenya for almost 10 years.  That’s when my oldest daughter, Sarah Margaret, came here for a month during college.  I spent time learning about her city, touring Google Earth, and getting to know the people in her ministry.   After she went on a safari in the Maasai Mara, I started following safari guides on Instagram, waking up each morning to stories and pictures from their daily animal drives.  

So, when I looked out our KLM flight yesterday to see the Egyptian coast of Africa pass underneath me, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to be in Africa and specifically, Kenya.  After years of imagining myself here, this morning, I woke up and I was here.  Thanks be to God.  

We have spent our first day orienting ourselves to Kenya, Africa Exchange, and getting to know our team at Brackenhurst Retreat Center (brackenhurst.com).  Brackenhurst was bought by Southern Baptists in 1964 after Kenya's Independence and used as a missionary language school, a Baptist conference center, and a missionary training center.  Today, it is run by a Christian nonprofit and still owned by Southern Baptists.  Most interestingly, Sam Harrell, our Kutana guide and Africa Exchange Executive Director, grew up here when his parents operated it for Southern Baptists.

My favorite part of our orientation was our guided nature walk in the Brackenhurst Indigenous Forest (https://cerkenya.org/background-bbgf/).  Our guide, Abigail, told us the ecological story of this place and much of Kenya with each stop by an indigenous tree or scrub.  What was once a tea plantation has become a botanical garden.  Each tree had a story of how people have used it for generations to treat various medical problems.  

She ended the walk at a tree that was almost extinct several years ago.  She asked us to look up at the leaves in the canopy and then down at those on the trail below.  She suggested the leaves reveal the character of the tree.  If the tree is healthy or sick, we can tell by the leaves.  She asked us to consider the leaves we produce.  What do these leaves say about our character and our lives? What a great question to consider as we start our journey around Kenya to visit and see the work of Africa Exchange.  

One prayer request for our team: Four of our five checked bags stayed in Amsterdam when we flew to Nairobi.  We expect the bags to arrive on the KLM flight tonight.  Pray these bags arrive and we are successful at picking them up at the airport so we can start our journey with all we need.  

Until then,

Eric