relationship

The following two paragraphs is how I initially started this blog. At first I titled it “Walking” But after some time I realized that there was more to this “walking” than I first saw on my arrival in Kenya.

As Sean and I were making the ride of doom from Nairobi to Kitale I was struck by how many people were walking. One must understand this is not like people walking on sidewalks or even streets. The area I’m talking about is the road that takes 8 hours to drive between Nairobi and Kitale. I mean we are out in the middle of no where, on a highway that basically follows the rim on the Rift Valley. Kenyan’s walking everywhere, on foot paths that go everywhere.

There are foot paths along hillsides and mountains, or on miles of just flat land. What I am even more struck by is the groups of people just sitting under a tree or beside bushes that are along side the foot paths. They are of any age. What are the conversations? Where are they going? Where are they coming from?

After a few days in Kenya this observation on walking took on an even deeper meaning. Kenyan’s, and I would guess most of the other 3^rd world countries, walk out of economic necessity, they flat don’t have the money for cars or the fuel to put in them. OK…I get that! There are also the obvious benefits of exercise. But who needs exercise when food can be scarce. So when I’m thinking of this walking issue I kept getting “it’s about relationships” in my brain.

I thoroughly enjoyed walking around Kitale, Kolongolo and Mali Saba. I loved being with the people. I loved watching the way Daniel, Sean and Meredith interacted with the people and the people with them. I loved seeing joy and hope in peoples eyes. And yes it hurt to see the pain also. A friend asked me what I liked the best on my trip, and I said “it was being in town with people”.

I couldn’t greet the kids if I was driving, I couldn’t say hello to the adults if I was driving, I wouldn’t be available to the glue boys or the street girls if I was driving. I couldn’t touch people and they couldn’t touch me if I was driving.

That is how relationship can begin, just being with people, being available to them.

No trust can be gained, no love can be developed, no healing of a broken person, no intimacy can take place until there is a relationship. It is what we desire the most with Christ, isn’t it, that unbelievable feeling of relationship.

So what better way to being with people and starting a relationship than to just walk among them?

from home

I am from Millbrae California which is 16 miles south of San Francisco. It was a great town to grow up in. My parents moved there during WWII, bought a house for $7500.00 (yes you read it right) and raised a family of 8 children. A great job they did. I know you are asking what that has to do with Kenya. Well…a lot.

If you remember an earlier blog, I was 17 when I had the dreams of Africa. Those dreams took place in that home in Millbrae. Now fast forward to April 27 2009 when I had a lunch meeting with a buddy of mine to talk about this trip to Kenya.

During this lunch conversation my buddy mentioned how cool it was that I was going to start my trip from home. Huh? I really didn’t know what he meant and the significance didn’t really register…that is until I was driving to San Francisco to catch my first flight.

I had made arraignments to leave my car with a friend of mine while I was gone. All through this I really didn’t remember that this friend lived three blocks from the home where I was raised.

Now I think you know where I am going with this….my lunch buddy had told me and I then realized his vision as I was driving, that I was starting this physical journey to Africa from the home where it all started 39 years ago.

Of all the arrangements that I looked at and could of made, for this trip, He made sure that I started from home. I was literally shacking with that thought. Oh yea and the big tears!!

Yes I did drive by the house and say thank you Lord.

just show up

Yea, I know, not a lot of posts since the middle of April. But I am back from my trip to Kenya and I am pretty exhausted. During my trip I planned to blog and post as much as possible. Well that was MY plan and you know how OUR plans can work out. I did take a bunch of notes and I do have some posts in Q. I will be posting those as soon as I can put some polish on them. But this I will share with you today...I think I have gone through every human emotion possible. I saw some things that totally broke my heart, I saw other things that gave me great encouragement and inspiration. I saw richness and depravity, and most importantly I saw Gods work everywhere, but isn't that true when we just show up? I am grateful that you have hung with me on this journey. I will also share this with you ...I have even more fire in my belly to help those that need it the most. I could really use some feed back or if you have any questions...please email me at runfischer@yahoo.com. Oh yeah I'm the old white dude in the middle.