I hope you have all managed to get through the winter period. Here, well the cold drop has come and we have lows of 13. Yes, that is right. Extra cold ;) I think I shocked my friends at Haki when I arrived at work wearing my jeans and a jacket. Even tho yes, its not 2 or 3 degrees. Anyhoodle, weather aside, let's move on :)
So things between our last newsletters have changed slightly, in one main sense. Is this the house I am supposed to be inviting people over to? The question arises out of the question; why did the umzungu cross the road so many times? Answer; to try and get to a permit to stay in Kenya. This has been an ongoing procedure since last year, and I have been trying other ways or different types of permits to stay and sadly I have reached dead ends with all my attempts. That is unless someone feels like giving R20,000 every year for me to be here....anyone? Kenyan immigration has moved the volunteer permit underneath one work permit because it seems that people have used the original volunteer permit to get into the country and then either worked or stayed illegally. So this a no go.
So what does this mean for this umzungu who has been hit from side to side of the road? I am seeing this as a "what next God?" time, and I feel that he is calling me to stay in East Africa and to make more impact with the children in Africa He has placed on my heart. I love Kenya, love the people and the environment but for whatever reasons a new avenue must be taken. Things have been going well with Haki, but it also feels it will be the right timing when I move on. I have worked well with them, loved Kibera (of which I will miss so much, Kibera will always be a part of me, the people, the environment, the place) and ofcourse will really miss the children (that over the past month sadly have been less involved in the plans due to finances, and other reasons.) . In the sadness, I am excited about the future, scared about it, but all in all looking forward to a new chapter in my life that you have all so graciously allowed me to live. I was speaking to my mom a few days ago and I said to her that I am one of the luckiest/blessed people around, because I can go to African countries and touch other people's lives, meet amazing children, keeping on praying to see God's Kingdom come to wherever I am, and all of this solely because people like all of you believe in God's calling on my life. And you are a amazing in doing this. Thank You!
So, logistics. Basically I am exploring opportunities. I have to leave Kenya by the 8th of October, but I plan on leaving slightly earlier to give me some space between border crossings. There is a thing called a transit visa that Kenya will let me come back on to catch my plane, which is booked for December. So I am aiming to explore other organisations that I believe are right, and to place myself in one of them (October to December +-) until I come back to see you all at the year end with the knowledge that I will be coming back to the new organisation by end of January. So its all exciting things happening over here. And if anyone wants to see Haki, the work we do in Kibera and the amazing place it is, I will be here til end of next month :) I will still have my couch free til then so please come over if you want. Otherwise next year there will be somewhere fresh and exciting and God planned for you to support me in and to come and visit.
I will keep you all up to date once I am more aware. I know this does not give a lot of news from the past month but I felt this was probably the biggest news to share. Please please keep me in your prayers as I pray into my next direction, and all I know is (in the words of Jesus Culture....I felt this was God to me while I was away this past weekend on a retreat praying into this next direction of life) -
"I have a plan for you, it's gonna be wild, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be full of me!"
God has only begun his plans for all of us here in East Africa; stay tuned for the next step we will all embrace and get huge excitement from.
Love you all!!!!
Gareth
(The intrepid umzungu missioning to see God's Kingdom come to earth)
