Cheryl & Ruth's Reckless Recreational Retreat

I leave for Europe tonight with my good freind Cheryl. We met two years ago in Peru and have remained in friendship and contact. (Picture taken in Peru two years ago, Cheryl is the one with straight hair)

We are going to be backpacking through England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Cyprus and will be gone a total of 5 weeks. I will return to Kenya on June 9th and will continue the search for another job as it is my desire to stay in Nairobi.

I'm excited for this trip and pray it's a time of renewal for both of us, a restoration of our faith and just a great adventure.

Last week with FH & More

I don't really know where to start. I must admit that I've put off writing an updated blog for some time now. I don't know if i didn't want to actually have to deal with it, if saying it makes it real and i have to 'figure stuff out' or if it's been so busy....most likely a mixture of all. I have been praying and struggling for months with wanting to leave FH. Our field work and workers are amazing but i think that seeing things from a high level forces you to see the 'ugly' of your organization. You have the privilege of seeing all the good but also comes with that is the bad and i couldn't see anymore. I love Kenya i love FH/Kenya but i finally got to the point that i felt as if God was releasing me. I was in Northern Kenya doing a livestock market assessment and i had a lot of time to think, pray and struggle. While i was there i resigned. I have since then continued to struggle for a few reasons.

One is that I've lost hope in holistic sustainable development in general. I see good programs that reach the physical needs and i see others that reach the spiritual but i do not see them integrated and on top of that being sustaining. i just don't know if i believe it's even possible anymore. I am struggling with the 'what now' to this considering that it was what i wanted to do for a while. I also desire to stay in Kenya, i don't feel 'done' with it and so i hoping/ praying that God allows me to stay but i will need another job. Then on top of all of that i am just tired. I have been going strong for a while now with no breaks, no rest, no boundaries and i need some time to recuperate which leads me to my next surprise. (Side Note: personally an old freind that i grew up with passed away a few weeks ago, our receptionists husband was carjacked and shot dead and there's been political unrest here.)

Surprise: I've decided to go travel through Europe for 5 weeks with a good freind of mine. Cheryl works with FH/Rwanda doing communications and we met in Peru almost two years ago and have remained friends since. She has also recently resigned from FH and we have decided to backpack for a while and take a vacation. I am extremely excited about this and cant wait for the opportunity to finally travel for fun, to explore, enjoy nature and have new experiences while visiting exotic, beautiful places.

I will finish up with FH this week but will be doing a few freelance briefings in April for my boss. Also a friend is getting married soon and i'm going to the coast with a different dear freind for her spring break vacation. Then I depart April 28th for London, where we will start and will return to Kenya by June 9th. I have been searching for jobs here in Kenya and in East Africa and have come across several that might have potential but don't feel a strong desire/ inclination towards any of them. Honestly, I'm struggling with what sort of organization to work for. With losing hope in faith based NGO's that say they are doing something they are not i don't know if i want to rush into another one straight away. Then there's the option of government work but getting a job with the UN or US Embassy is extremely competitive but it's not that as much as the work environment itself...

I just don't know. So, please pray for me. I don't know what to do. I am trying to seek wise council, praying and reading scriptures but i still don't have direction but i do have peace. For now my 'plan' and i do use the term plan loosely, is to finish up with FH, do the freelance work, attend friends wedding, go to Kenyan coast and then go to Europe.....

I'm sorry i cant give more now ....

Life in Kenya

Jambo All (Hi in Swahili)

I cannot believe that two months have gone by already. It seems like so much has happened yet at the same time nothing at all. I’ll try to catch you up on the last few months without making this a novel. I got here a little over two months ago. I lived with the FH Kenya Country Director and his wife for about a month before I moved into my own apartment. (Side note: I am living alone right now and do not like it. Please pray that God provides me with a roommate.) I started right away doing ‘special projects’ for FH Kenya and have been enjoying learning and getting the field experience I so desperately sought. My first project was to help coordinate the 5 NGO consortium as we wrote a proposal for a grant with OFDA (office of foreign disaster assistance). FH Kenya is the lead organization in this consortium and was awarded the grant (praise God) to work on the global food crisis here in Kenya for the next two years. This is huge as we are the lead organization in this grant and the smallest of the 5.

The second project was to link our HIV/AIDS women’s groups in the Kawangware slum with a free trade store in Canada. This free trade store was not only interested in the product that these women offered but also their stories. I was able to do interviews, look at their products, write stories and put it together in a catalogue for the store so that they know what we offer. That was done right before Christmas and if I am able to link these two groups it means sustainable income for these women. The trouble with the market here in Kenya is that it is flooded with crafts and jewelry that all the NGO’s taught and that is why a new market is needed in order for these women to survive with the skills they have. This project will be ongoing but please do pray for God’s favor for these women.

Personally I have loved my time thus far in Kenya. It was hard to not be in California for the holidays with family and friends especially since most of my friends here went back to the States, but overall it is not difficult for me to live here. It’s just life if that makes sense. I’ve had some adventures in the last few months in addition to everyday adventures of transportation, markets, more traffic than LA, etc here in Nairobi. I was able to go white water rafting on the White Nile in Uganda, explore old Masai markets and camped in the Aberdares where I saw some amazing ‘wildlife’. I stumbled upon an elephant in the Aberdares….yes, I know I know what you’re thinking. Only Ruth could ‘stumble upon’ an elephant, get away safely and then go back to see it again. I plan on going to the coast next week to search for the venue for FH Corporate Conference. We will have all the Country Directors in our fields and their spouses in one location and this time it will be taking place in Kenya and I will be heading it up. Thanks to all of you who have wrote I appreciate your love and steadfast support.