Over The River And Through The Woods to Grandmother Sarah's House In Kenya
It was our last day working with business students in the Bondo District of Kenya. We had spent almost 2 weeks working with young adults that desired something more than their day to day existence. Most people in Africa are limited by lack of education and the financial stability to create something more. Communities live with hunger, HIV/AIDS and poverty every waking moment, yet these people have an incredible spirit. One that is made of the stuff of champions.
A team of about 15 flew into Nairobi, Kenya last September with a mission. A mission to help young people create business goals and mentor them in their dream of becoming a young entrepreneur. This was not just any business school either. The J9 Foundation was created by the parents of Jabob Nyenhuis. A young man with a dream to create possiblities for the people of Kenya. He had seen the suffering and knew there was something that could be done. He had talked with his dad about the idea and was in the process of creating his own business when his life was cut short. He was in a tragic car accident on his way back to college from a weekend at home and it seemed that all he had envisioned would be lost. But the story doesn't end there. Michael and Sandy Nyenhuis picked up the 'entrepreneur baton' and continued running. They refused to let their son's dream die. They had already lost so much and this was a powerful way to keep his vision of a better world with people thriving in Africa alive.
The J9 team caught another flight to Kisumu, a city nestled on the shore of Lake Victoria. We then drove into Bondo, our final destination. Our time there was rich with teaching, conversations, ideas and questions from the students. Each of the team members spoke on a subject of their field of expertise and at the end of the two weeks, we left with a treasure chest of hope for these future business owners. These students were world changers and we knew that although all may not succeed, the ones that did would create change in Bondo and eventually Kenya. They are ripple-makers and visionaries. They are people not willing to let AIDS and death and poverty stop them from pursuing what they know is possible.
On our final day we had heard that Obama's Grandmother lived somewhere in that vicinity and our gracious host Joseph, knew the location. After a moment of discussion we agreed we wanted to see where she lived. We were all packed into a tour bus with suitcases and water bottles and much excitement from the week. They said it was a short drive on our way to the airport so I thought to myself, 'How bad could it be?' THINK AGAIN! If anyone has EVER been to Kenya, they are highly aware of the condition of the roads. Kenyan roads are something you will never forget as long as you live. I think my kidney's relocated to my chest on that drive to Kogelo. After about 20 minutes I began to question our motivation for going. It seemed like a glorious idea, to be able to come home and say, "We saw Obama's Grandma's house!" People would ooh and ahh and we would have pictures and feel so special. I was quickly losing the desire to venture any further down this road. Kind of like the space shuttle in re-entry, it felt like the bus could come apart. We passed over the bridge of death. It wasn't actually called that, but I decided it needed a name. There was mud and rock worn away where the cement meets the dirt road and our bus was just a little less narrow than the bridge itself. I had visions of the load being too heavy and the cement crumbling below us as we hurdled to our death on an old Kenyan road, and nobody would EVER find us. My children would lose their mom because a group of people had an insane idea to see someone's yard and house. People were walking along the road and I saw old women leap out of the way of the bus, with pots on their heads as they quickly got out of the way. (And how they can do that is beyond wild to me) I am telling you it was an adventure. I thought the driver was already nuts for taking us on this road, but came to find out that this is very typical of Kenya. Note to self: Do not complain about speed limits and road construction in the U.S anymore.
We arrived in Kogelo and saw the Senator Obama Secondary School, appropriately named after you know who. We turned a corner of overgrown trees and shrubs on a windy little road and there it was - Sarah Obama's home. There was a large plot of land and some big, burly African men working on building a wall. They had just put up the structure for the gate to her property and were constructing this to keep her safe. Since Obama had been running for President, she had a lot of attention and robbery attempts had been made on her property. We parked the bus and were asked to stop taking pictures. Her house was set far back on the land. There was a man with an automatic weapon and uniform pacing around the property and just when I thought the roads were bad, I thought, "Uh, this could get really ugly - really quick!" Soon, our host Joseph was bantering in their native Luo tongue, explaining why we were here and that we wanted to see the land and somehow he got the wild idea of meeting with Mrs. Obama. You know how you hear these stories in third world countries where people are taken into custody for things that seem random and ridiculous? I was feeling the need to hoof it but then it happened. The 'book' shows up. In Kenya and other places in Africa, when you go to visit someone it's customary to bring out the guest book. We had signed a couple of them already and I knew what it meant. Something inside of me leapt with excitement. Could this really be happening? We were going to meet her? I just laughed at the obsurdity of the moment and then signed the book. I was going in.
We made the trek up to the house and the door opened. There she was as we entered her home. A lovely, smiling woman, dressed in vibrant gold and black colors with a wrap on her head. Short in stature, eyes full of wisdom and years of hard work and we were shaking her hand. She had photos of the family and Barack Obama in his youth and college days, hanging around the walls plus a life-size cardboard replica of Senator Obama, which actually startled a few of us. She motioned for all of us to sit and so we did. I SAT ON HER COUCH! It was definitely an out-of-the-body kind of experience. Our host had a conversation with her about why we were here working with the young entrepreneurs and she seemed just as fascinated with us as we were with her. She greeted us with the most gracious spirit and was so proud to have her grandson running for president. We told her it was an honor to meet her and a delight. She seemed so pleased with the fact that some crazy Americans showed up on her doorstep. We knew this was a rare event because soon her wall would be built and people wouldn't be able to access her easily. This was an amazing moment for us all. Regardless of which political party was present in the room, there was an incredible woman standing in front of us with a story. Her own story. She worked hard during her life and stood for the things she believed in. Her face was weathered by years and etched with love. We said it was time for us to go, we had a plane to catch. She was touched by our desire to say hello and after some banter with our host (which turns out they are related) we said our thank you's and well wishes for her grandson and went on our way.
There was a silence in the group as we ventured back to the bus. We were pondering what had just happened. It was a benchmark trip for us. Making a difference in other's lives, meeting people in positions of government and catching a vision of what these incredible people have the potential to create. Then meeting Sarah and having an audience with our President's Grandma. It was an inspirational journey. As we drove away, I sat with tears in my eyes. I was humbled by the fact that little old me, a girl from Oregon, had the privilege of being in a foreign country - supported by people that loved me and believed in my dreams and people's lives were being affected by it. We can all make ripples in this world. We all have dreams. Obama had a dream to be the President, and with hard work and commitment to the goal, he achieved it. Anything is possible and along the way, you might even get some surprises that make the journey a little more fantastic.
What are your dreams?
For more information go to: http://www.j9foundation.org/
