The context for our journey starts here, July 2014 when our family travelled to Africa for the first time, specifically Kenya. Six weeks prior to arriving in Nairobi we met the dynamic and persuasive Marc Kielburger of “WE” or “Me to We” who had been introduced to us by a mutual friend. Over dinner Marc asssured us that he could give us a safe and life changing “mission type” experience in the Massi Mara , and would hook us up with a first class safari outfit as well. His confidence and enthusiasm was such, that we booked ourselves within days.
A couple of weeks later there were horrific stories of terrorism coming out of Northern Kenya . Terrorists were walking into pubs and hotels frequented by “ex-pats and Christians” and executing anyone who could not recite the Koran. Needless to say there were lively discussions of whether or not we should cancel the trip. With further assurances from the “WE” office , we said our prayers, and feeling rather “ numinous”, got on that plane.
Our lives were forever changed. I cant think of one negative outcome , only rich and enlightening experiences that have changed our taste for travel and our outlook on life. The people of the Massi Mara are hands down the most joyful and loving human beings I have ever met. So transparent was their love and joy and hospitality that I actually felt embarrassed and small in comparison, by the layers of inhabitions I had carefully constructed . This was a profound moment in my life where I realized how much I had been shaped by my environment , my culture . It was evident in how I dressed, communicated , what mattered and how I expressed joy ( or rather didn’t). I was suppressed by an invisible code that had over time, blurred my ideas of what is good and right and important.
That trip to Kenya set me on a path of intentional living, not always successfully , but with a new awareness . It is this awareness that takes us back to Africa on an extended stay with our daughters. It is our hope that they will see for themselves what is important , and that they will be mindful of what they let inform and shape their lives.
Jan
