Nairobi "Green City In The Sun

"Africa: I Have Come Home"

Africa!

My homeland I have finally come home

My heart is full of joy

For I have been many places

And boy have I seen many faces

But the beauty of Africa

I have never set my sights on

The glory of African land

I have not stepped the magnificent elegance

I have not embraced

With its majestic Splendor,

my travels have stopped me from seeing

BUT AT LAST, NO MORE!

For I have made it home Mother

I have made it back to where I belong

Where every man is my brother.

Where people are equal to one another

I have made it home Mother!

Where my forefathers first stepped foot

Home to where my great, great, great, great,

great Grandmother made her bed.

Oh God I have made it.

No more will I wonder and dream

For Africa my homeland I have finally come home!

Ephesians 4:11-16

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ -- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The Nations

Ps 2:7-8

I will declare the decree:

The LORD has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give you The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

About Kenya

Official Name: Republic of Kenya Capital: Nairobi

Total Area:

224,962.42 sq mi ~ 582,650.00 sq km (About twice the size of Nevada)

Population:

31,339,770 (July 2002 est.)

Tribes:

22% Kikuyu, 14% Luhya, 13% Luo, 12% Kalenjin, 11% Kamba, 6% Kisii, 6% Meru

Languages:

English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Religions:

Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%

Currency:

1 Kenyan shilling (Ksh) = 100 centsExchange rate: Ksh 78 to One Dollar US (June 2002) GDP (per capita): $1,600 (1999 est.)

Labor Force (by occupation)Agriculture 75%-80% Industry:

Small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism

Agriculture:

Coffee, Tea, Corn, Wheat, Sugarcane, Fruit, Vegetables; Dairy Products, Beef, Pork, Poultry, Eggs Arable Land: 7%

Exports:

Tea, Coffee, Horticultural Products, Petroleum Products (1995)

Imports:

Machinery and Transportation Equipment, Petroleum Products, Iron and Steel

Natural Resources:

Gold, Limestone, Soda Ash, Salt Barites, Rubies, Fluorspar, Garnets, Wildlife, Hydropower

My New Family

Here is my new Family in Nairobi that will host me in my first visit for a month.

Nairobi Slums

Nairobi Slums

One would like to think that river water is cleaner, but with hundreds of thousands of people dumping things into it, we found extreme contamination. You can see the pigs and there were at least a dozen in this one spot. I had a difficult time finding any bare ground to walk or stand on.
The water was a gray color and reminded me of run-off water from the scene of a fire. It was not a pleasant experience to dip my hands into the river for the samples.
We saw much evidence of distended abdomens, skin disease, worms, and secretions from the nose, eyes, and ears. It is so sad. Let us please never take for granted even the blessing of being able to bathe ourselves in clean water. We also know that God loves each of his children and we pray that one day these will be able to have safe water to drink and will be redeemed from this horrible place to live. In service of the Sovereign King of the Universe,Bruce

Nairobi Slums

Here is a view of one of the main streets in this district when it has not been raining - imagine what it is like when it is.

Nairobi Slums

I would like to share some of what's been happening here. First I will start with the Mayfield Guesthouse. It is truly a crossroads run by African Inland Missions (AIM) and as such is a Christian run franchise. There are Christians here from all over the world and about every type of mission from translation to grinding wheat to health care and aviation. It is a great place to talk about En-Gedi and everyone likes the concept of our putting a humanitarian piece with a ministry piece. My room is very tiny with barely enough room to turn around - my laptop fills half the top of the desk - but it comfortable, clean, and in a safe place in Nairobi. Thursday, October 21 - Nairobi, Korogocho SlumsToday we surveyed about 20 water points in the worst slum of Nairobi called Korogocho. The community that lives here numbers over 300,000 people and this is the worst of the worst. Because of the high dominance of Islam and the utter poverty, it would not be safe for a white Christian to venture here. When I asked our friend and driver, Joseph Mulinge, an African Evangelical Enterprise Team Leader in Nairobi, what would happen if the armed soldiers were not accompanying us today. He said, "You would be killed."

Nairobi

Kenya's capital city has risen in a single century from a brackish uninhabited swampland to a thriving modern capital.When railway construction workers reached this area in 1899, they set up a basic camp and supply depot, simply called 'Mile 327'. The local Maasai called this highland swamp Ewaso Nai'beri – the place of cold water.The camp became a rustic village, and then a shanty town, which by 1907 was the capital of all of British East Africa. It was soon an important centre for the colony and a mecca for adventurers, hunters and travellers from all over the world.Modern Nairobi is still the safari capital of the Africa, but the modern world has quickly caught up with the city. A frontier town no more, Nairobi has become one of Africa's largest, and most interesting cities.Nairobi is a city that never seems to sleep. The entire town has a boundless energy, and is thriving place where all of human life can be found. This is a place of great contrasts where race, tribe and origin all become facets of a unique Nairobi character.The city has not lost its sense of the past, with an excellent museum and the historical home of Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa open to visitors.

My Journey to Nairobi

I first went to Africa in December of 05 and spent a day in Nairobi. The mission trip took us to Moshe Tanzania. I spent a few days at an Orphanage with Mama Lynn at www.lightinafrica.org . I was holding aids babies. I also spent a few days in the mountains, a very beautiful place with banana trees and without power. I could see myself living there as the people are very welcoming and make there home mine and feed you with the best they have.
I came home and knew I was going back to Africa. So since then I have met Ashby who has the vision of www.visiblegrace.org in Nairobi Kenya. I also have met a family who lives there that will host me so I can visit there in September for month. My plans are to go there in September for a month and come back and get the finances to be able to move there for the rest of my life. Look for more of the Journey to come above....