People Matter Most

Mission team members gain much more than they give when traveling to Kenya. You find that People Matter Most! Time is a very different commodity in Kenya. Meetings, church services, or appointments in Kenya are rarely kept at the designated time. Some of this is from the old days when happenings occurred in the morning, or afternoon, instead of exact times. But it is also true that trying to keep an appointment when you have to walk 5 miles to get there; perhaps carrying children or market produce or on bare feet over rough roads in the heat of the day, means that you will not arrive at a precise time. And there is always the reality of meeting people you know along the road. Being warm and caring people, it is far more important to be attentive to those folks than time. So, when we are in Kenya, scheduled time is always flexible. Money is also something that is viewed with differently. Many folks wonder why it is not better to just send the hospital a check instead of spending the money to send a team over. Stanley Gitari, Dr. of Advancement & Community Strategy at the hospital, will tell us, “the hospital and the people of Maua want to see our faces and if they have to choose between a check or becoming friends, then they choose the relationship.” Being together means that people share in the hardships and the joys of this life and understanding is created. This is the Kenyan way!