We just finished our second day with the children and I still haven’t written about how the worksho went yesterday… and we still haven’t posted photos! Soon, soon! Uploading the photos has been a challenge, but we’ll get them up SOON!

OK, so how is the workshop going?

Well, yesterday was the first day. After giving 100 1 125 students an overview of the workshop, about 45 of them opted to stay and play. We dove into a conversation about the challenges we all face around the world right now. Many of the Kenyan students assumed issues such as poverty were not a challenge for Americans.

We asked every student who shared to first say their name and something they liked to do. Each one of them volunteered what they wanted to be in life. There was one student, Ann, who I later learned is the leader of all the girls at the academy stood up and spoke about the issues that Kenyan women face and how she is going to be the one for them by becoming a journalist and drawing attention to the issues that matter. Another student, Cindy, shared about the challenges that single mothers in Kenya face, and was deeply moved by who she could be for them.

For many of the students it was the first time sharing their dreams publicly with their peers. Kenyan culture seems to be a more private one, where people don’t necessarily share as easily about their personal issues. When one young man by the name of Isaac declared himself to be the first African pope, his peers laughed at him. And they laughed whenever any of their peers voiced their dreams, until we called this to their attention. Who Robyn and I got to be for these youth were the ones who really saw them–really gave validity to their dreams.
By the end of the day, the students were deeply engaged. They were exploring what is really possible for them. We left them with an assignment to journal about their future by asking What if… What if… What if…?

Then today we launched into the second part of the workshop–exploring not just dreams but vision. We presented the idea of being guided not by a dream or an expectation of a parent or someone else, but by a VISION that deeply calls them to face anything in life. We looked to everyday heroes in our lives to see them more deeply than perhaps we ever had before. We looked to see what it was it must be like to be them… what they must stand in the face of day in and day out, and what it is they stand for. Then once deeply moved by them, we look to ourselves to see what we can see for ourselves by standing like them in our lives.

I shared first about Robyn as my hero–all that I’ve seen her stand in the face of, and what I see her standing for. Then what I can see for myself by walking that path.

As shy as the students had been thus far, I was unsure we’d get anyone to volunteer to share this emotional exercise in front of their peers. But a 20-year old woman by the name of Christie stood up and shared about her mother, who had become single and then struggled through family criticism and poverty to stand for each of her children to complete their education. She shared how even though she and her siblings had to delay their highschool education for years at a time, they were one by one completing their education. Christie then shared her vision from seeing herself stand for being what her mother had, and in the face of all that her mother had. She was deeply moved, and most of the students were as well. In fact, Cyndy came forward to comfort her at the first sign of the emotion. Christie wanted to complete the exercise though, and set the example for everyone else.
After today’s session, I spoke with Beth, one of the teachers who had sat in on the workshop. She was lit up! She saw things in these students she had never seen before, and saw how she could come to know them at a deeper level now. She shared her vision for having each child in Secondary and even Primary classes finding their own vision at an early age. She just couldn’t stop talking about how important the work was that we were doing and how glad she was that we were there. I can see Beth being the one to carry this work on with the kids after we are gone, and I introduced the idea of this work becoming a part of the curriculum.

Later we spent more time with the young orphans. They are so damn cute, so alive, so eager to smile and laugh.

Before we boarded the van to head back to our guest house two of the highschool boys who are boarding at the school asked me to stay with them and the others in the dormitory. I may take them up on that tomorrow night. It’s really such a new experience for me to work with young people and people in general who are so open and eager to learn and grow.

OK, that’s it for now. I am going to see about getting those photos uploaded!

Please post your comments!

Oh my! This was the primary purpose of the trip–to work with the youth at the Joram Academy.

When we arrived, we met with Mr. Jenga, a very distinguished gentleman who was headmaster of the academy. He was very gracious and listened intently as we gave him an in person preview of our curriculum.

He had planned to give us specially prepared meals every day, but Robyn insisted we eat with the children and be treated no differently. Later, as we toured the campus, and Robyn and the girls were being shown the girls dormitory, I stepped into the dining hall and got a chance to sample the food.

One of the senior boys beckoned me to approach his table, and I did. He wanted me to have a bite of his food, and I ate from his bowl as the other boys watched. They waited for a reaction from me as I tried to place in my mind where I had tasted something similar before. “It tastes like… like… like… beans!” The boys and I laughed. Their simple meal tasted fine to me.

Outside of the headmaster’s office, two bright female students escorted us on a tour of the campus. The school grounds and campus facilities weren’t much different than I had imagined, yet perhaps a bit more simple and meager. The buildings were built with and contained nothing but the bare essentials.

The rooms were not painted, had no air conditioning, no electricity and generally were supplied with nothing more than some old desks and a blackboard. The dining hall was just a cement structure with a few tables and benches. The kitchens were very smokey as they cooked large pots of food over open fires.

We got many stares as we toured the campus, and everyone was very friendly and accomodating. I imagine I stood out the most… the only white person in the group of foreigners, and the only one on campus.

Later in the day, after the workshop, we would come to meet the young orphans who lived on campus, mostly female and ages 5 – 10. Given the looks on their faces, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t seen a real live caucasion since last year when another group of Westerners visited.

Oh, the looks on their faces! The brightest, biggest eyes! Each one of them extended their hand to me one at a time and told me their name. Once they would tell me and I repeated it, they would giggle, turn and run away. The woman who watches these kids asked us to do something special with them while we’re there, so we’ve planned 4 extra hours to work just with this small group of primary age orphan kids! I can’t wait!

OK, I’m saving the best for last! The workshop with the 15 to 17 year olds today happened after school was out. The headmaster required all the Form 3 and Form 4 students (which I learned is the equivalent of Juniors and Seniors in the US) to attend the first few minutes of our workshop to learn what it was about and see if they wanted to participate. So there were about 100 students who met us in the dining hall for the after school workshop. For some reason I wasn’t too nervous, even though the thought of leading to so many high school age students has made me nervous in the past…

OK this will have to be continued as our Cyber Cafe is closing! Talk soon! Post your comments!

Hey, it’s interesting… while most of Africa may be without personal computers, I’m amazed to learn how technologically saavy and culturally hip Africans are! They’re teaching me the basics of text messaging, and know how to connect me to their DSL connections. Navigating the financial system here has been tough, but we’re just now getting the hang of it. From now on you can expect regular updates from our trip at this blog. Get ready, we’ve got some great photos and some great stories to tell!

One thing I’ll say before signing off tonight is this…

When I came here, I had so many American friends warning me about my trip to Africa. All we see on the news is violence, AIDS, extreme poverty, etc. Yet, what I’ve seen here is people joyously living peacefully and simply in one of the most beautiful places on earth. So many of them walk miles just to make survival possible… they do it carrying loads on their backs or their bikes… and they seem to smile the whole way. I’m really starting to feel jealous of the simple life that I see here… in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

More later…

OK, I’ve been here almost 2 days now, and I just have time for a quick hello to let everyone know we’re alive and well! Finding internet access here has been tough… boy, do I have stories to tell!

Africa… it’s hard to believe I am here. It’s a whole other world! Everyone is treating us very well, and we’re having a blast. We’re onto another safari today, and our driver is waiting so I’ve got to pay for using this computer at a cyber cafe in Nakuru and jam!

Stay tuned for some killer photos and stories!

-Michael

Well, only one more leg of the trip to go before we reach Nairobi! We flew from Austin to Atlanta to Manchester, England to Dubai. And in a few hours we’ll be flying from Dubai to Nairobi, Kenya.

Our Vision Kenya trip is under way, and it’s already been quite an eye-opener for me. I’m a home-grown American, whose known nothing but America really. For me growing up there was America and everywhere else. I always knew conceptually that America had a huge influence on the world, and just kind of took it for granted.

It wasn’t until last night when we stepped off the Boeing 777 and walked through the Dubai airport that I really started to get a sense of the American influence… from a new perspective. Dubai is a wealthy country. The Emirates airline was first class (we didn’t fly First Class or Business Class, just economy–and yet it was better than flying First Class on Delta or another American airline) and the airport too spoke of money. Dubai is booming. Why? Oil.

As obvious as it’s got to seem to anyone reading this post, it hit me in a new way how technology over the last several decades has changed the Middle East. In particular, the demand for oil, which of course has been largely a U.S. demand. It’s one thing knowing this, and it’s another thing seeing it… it’s as if you can see these ultra-modern buildings springing up out of the desert floor–a desert floor rich with oil.

So what does this have to do with me seeing things in a new way? As I looked around at the many proud faces of both the travelers and the workers in the airport, something hit me. I don’t know quite how to say it… in America though, we grow up with a history of being mavericks, cowboys, heroes, entrepreneurs–those who started something new, who started fresh without the bonds of thousands or tens of thousands of years of culture. We pride ourselves in the entrepreneurial spirit, in the breaking free from the bonds of world opinion when we founded this nation. It’s as if we’re self-made and self-determined from birth–or we see ourselves that way. We’re proud of our independence and our achievements–we did it as if without the approval or help of anyone (of course we didn’t, but it often occurs that way).

What I imagined was what it might be like to grow up inside of a proud culture in the Middle East, a place very rich with tradition. Then suddenly, major shifts start happening in the world. Almost overnight there’s money pouring in, lots of money. Tradition is being replaced with the traditions of another culture. The landscape is changing, rapidly. And the future is promising much more wealth and prosperity for the country–but only so long as you continue to cater to and go along with the sweeping cultural shifts of the outsiders whose money is pouring in. Then, more and more, this other culture is influencing not just your culture, but the politics in the world you know.

A distinguished looking young Arab gentleman walked by me in the airport speaking on his cell phone in an unfamiliar language… unfamiliar up until the words Big Mac. Until now, I’ve seen America’s influence on the world as something to be proud about… our entrepreneurial achievements are creating a lot of wealth in the world. And yet, something just didn’t seem right hearing and seeing the extent of American influence in a world with such a rich culture and history.

I thought about how I’d probably resent Americans, if I grew up here. Even if I was an entrepreneur here, building my own business and creating wealth for my family. In some sense, I don’t know that I’d be able to see my achievements as truly mine–in some sense it seems I’d have to give a large amount of credit to America and the West for my achievements.

Now, I can’t speak for anyone here. But there’s something here worth looking at.

We hear Western political leaders saying that our enemies in the Middle East don’t like our values. That’s often the explanation given for the hatred and resulting violence against the West. And more so now that ever, it’s obvious to me how insufficient that explanation is. A human being’s fundamental need, as I see it, is to feel good about himself or herself–especially in relation to his or her values. I submit that it’s not our values as much as it’s how we interact with, communicate with and relate to other cultures that has them resenting and hating Americans and the West. (Again, for most readers, this will seem like an obvious statement of fact, yet there’s something more subtle here that I’d like to make explicit.)

Who we are in relation to our values is the domain of Vision Force. The next level of human behavior will evolve from a shift in this domain. It won’t be by one culture conforming to the values or beliefs of another. It will be by human beings the world over rising to a new idea of what it means to be a human being in a world of other human beings…

I am seeing now more than ever, how the work of Vision Force can speed this evolution, and indeed cause a revolution in human thought and behavior, a revolution which holds more promise for bringing peace, harmony and prosperity to this world than anything else I know.

On to Kenya! More later…