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Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:39:40 +0300
From: Lisa Stewart <beachplumlisa@bellsouth.net>
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To: Michael Wajda <michaelw@fgcquaker.org>, Alison Levie <levie@ccil.org>,
        Andrea Walsh <andreagwalsh@yahoo.com>,
        Annabeth <annabeth@highestgood.net>,
        Anne Devine <amdevine@bellsouth.net>,
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        Lyn Cope <admin@seym.org>, MarjieMath@aol.com,
        Martha Nungesser <mknun@earthlink.net>,
        Martha SEYM-FUM - Morris <morris842819@bellsouth.net>,
        Mary Ann Kelley <aik111227@aol.com>,
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        Steve Kinney <steve10k@yahoo.com>, Susan Taylor <SEYMclerk@seym.org>,
        Susan Taylor <susantaylor410@gmail.com>, Sybil13@mac.com,
        Tom Fennell <dudley@strato.net>,
        Lisa Stewart <beachplumlisa@bellsouth.net>
X-ASG-Orig-Subj: Report from Kisumu to SEYM
Subject: Report from Kisumu to SEYM
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Status:   

Friends, I'm taking the liberty and time to write to you because I am 
approaching the end of my time as an overseas worker in Kenya. I don't 
have many addresses so maybe you will please pass this on to whomever 
you think might want it. Thank you.

I believe we are at a critical point in the history of Friends. As a 
member of SEYM and a rep to FUM, I've been involved up to my earlobes in 
trying to discern God's will with regard to our affiliation in FUM. The 
last three years has been a steep learning curve for me during which 
time I have vacillated back and forth so often. This is where I am today.

I do not know at all what is God's will for SEYM but I am hopeful that 
we will not make our decisions with our egos over the internet but while 
in worship from a place of peace in our hearts. Because I am in Kenya 
right now, I am temporarily absent from the SEYM discernment committee 
that has been meeting in different places all over FL, sitting in 
worship and worship sharing attempting to discern way forward. It may 
take longer than we would like but  it is pure Quakerism. I have learned 
the hard way that opinions arrived at hastily in a text message or email 
are often unkind,  not "Friendly" and not spirit led. I am in awe of 
what comes through when we sit in worship in expectant listening with 
the expectation that we will will hear that still small voice within 
that will tell us what God wants. This is one of the finest gifts 
Quakers have to offer the world and so many times we forget to use it.

On a more personal level, these issues have led to an amazing spiritual 
journey for me. About a year and a half ago, I felt a leading to be a 
"bridge", what kind and how I did not know. That led me to volunteer to 
work out of the FUM Africa Ministries Office (AMO) in Kisumu, Kenya this 
spring from April through June. I've been helpful to some degree but not 
nearly as much as I have learned. I hope you don't mind my sharing some 
with you.

At the turn of the century, when Christian missionaries were flocking to 
Africa, among them were three Quakers from the mid-west who, in 1902, 
ended up in Kaimosi, Kenya. They established a mission that included a 
school, health clinic, training center, a river dam & mill, and guess 
what? Being from a programmed Friends church, it is no surprise that 
they also built a church. (That mission still exists and now includes a 
hospital, AIDS/HIV clinic, college, elementary and high school, farm 
program, etc) Over the next 50 years Christianity, including Friends 
churches, spread over Africa like wildfire with little to no involvement 
from unprogrammed Friends. Today there are hundreds of "Friends" 
churches and schools all over, (mostly in western Kenya but also some in 
the Congo,Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania) that practice Christianity and 
some Quakerism. These churches spread themselves and planted more and 
more churches with only Bibles to guide them.

Five years ago FUM shifted its policy from a N. American based 
governance to a more shared governance by creating the Africa Ministries 
Office. The "sharing equally" part is still lopsided in the sense that 
the largest portion of donor monies still come from N.America and the 
N.A.Board has the say so on what is funded or not. The African board 
members have more input with regard to what is happening "on the ground" 
so to speak. Administration, however, is clearly Kenyan. The one FUM 
field staff person in Africa, Eden Grace, is an American member of 
Beacon Hill Meeting but the Director, John Muhanji,  is a Kenyan and so 
are the two other office personnel.  They have a responsibility to 16 
yearly meetings, 6 project partners and a brand new peace program that 
has yet to be given a designation.

This new program emerged while responding to the post election violence 
in January when FUM played a critical role in organizing Friends' 
efforts. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands displaced into 
refugee camps. This has been an enormously time consuming "mission" 
financed by the generous donations to FUM and AGLI from Friends all over 
the world. At first, all Friends here were heavily  involved in 
providing humanitarian relief. Now FUM is in partnership with AGLI in 
funding and heading up trained peace teams to work toward reconciliation 
and healing between the IDPs and their home communities. Just yesterday, 
two government officials called Muhanji to drop everything and drive to 
meet them to El Doret where they were having problems with some IDPs. 
And one community was so impressed with our peace work that they said 
they would give us land if we would bring them a Friends church. I feel 
so privileged to have played a small part in this miraculous effort and 
so very proud of all of us brothers and sisters in Quakerism.  Although 
I know about many other occasions, I have never before seen, first hand, 
our Peace Testimony played out so vividly.

With regard to the 16 YMs, I have observed that, in addition to 
administering ethical stewardship over the funds, the AMO focuses on 
empowering Friends here to be self sufficient and sustaining while 
heeding the teachings of Jesus. These YMs run hundreds of schools, 
orphanages, clinics, feeding programs, income generating projects and, 
of course, churches. This means every day there is something different. 
In addition to Quaker Church Peace Teams involvement, I have been along 
as they visited with YM boards, pastors, school leaders, etc to offer 
counsel, conduct seminars on finance, board structure, strategic 
planning, etc. I was asked to participate in several of these seminars, 
usually to speak briefly about Quaker history, faith of Friends and 
Quaker practice. The AMO also assists with logistics for and hosts a 
myriad of travelers and overseas workers who are constantly coming 
through on their way to or from a project/mission. One man who stayed 
with us was a Friend from NWYM whose project is to train small teams to 
make water filters that enable folks to have clean drinking water while 
providing the team with a source of income. Another couple are Friends 
from Australia who host AVP classes, teach literacy, sell "Peace in 
Kenya" t-shirts and assist with the peace teams, among other things. 
Last week a Guilford student stayed with us on his way to spend the 
summer as a volunteer at the Lugulu Hospital.

I came to Africa with the usual unprogrammed Friend's suspicions and 
have learned that I had little to fear. Friends here actually are 
anxious to know more about Quakerism, George Fox, persecution of early 
Friends, silent worship and our Testimonies. The AMO office has been 
doing a lot of this and is supporting  my drive to send back here the 
Quakersim101 curriculum and the books recommended in that curriculum. 
(Want to help?)

Note: pastors here are more than one would expect. They are really 
around community leaders to whom the community turns for many things. 
Many are knowledgeable in farming techniques, zero-grazing, auto motor 
repair, first aid, nutrition, accounting, education, govt. regulations 
etc. It must be a labor of love because they are not paid much and live 
in as much poverty as the rest of their flock.

The FUM 6 project partners are Kaimosi Hospital, Lugulu Hospital, 
Friends Theological College, Samburu Mission, Turkana Mission and  
AQUAVIS (which runs a school in the Lindi slum in Nairobi). FUM is not  
"in control" of how these projects/missions (depending on which 
vocabulary one is more comfortable with) are run. The Kenyan boards and 
staff run them and set their own priorities. FUM assists with funding 
and has a seat on their boards, which lends an opportunity to share 
sound business strategies and an opportunity to keep it worshipful. One 
exception is that two years ago FUM was asked to take over the Kaimosi 
Hospital, once the premier hospital in the region, that was falling 
apart due to corruption and mismanagement. The AMO put together a new 
board which has been carrying out much needed renovations, staff morale 
boosting and just last week hired a new administrator, a Kenyan. The 
goal is to bring the hospital to as close to self sustaining as possible 
(although all mission hospitals will always need some donor help in 
order to keep fees affordable). There is one other exception to FUM not 
being in charge and that is Turkana, but I'm not familiar enough with 
the details to say much.

I know you also want to know where Kenyan Friends stand on the issues of 
gender equity. One Kenyan told me, "We are 100 years behind you". I 
wouldn't go that far back but I would say they are where the US once was 
but there is a change in the air. Some Kenyans are liberal and some will 
discuss the issues but  most are not yet where the US is. Many Kenyans 
are well educated and traveled and more sophisticated and open to new 
ideas than we might think, especially the younger generation. I have 
approached this subject delicately, ministering to my truth when asked 
or when it felt appropriate. I am very aware that an aggressive approach 
is not fruitful. Kenyans, like Americans, will experience their own 
continuing revelations as fears  relax.  Right now many are too busy 
trying to stem AIDS, feed orphans, feed the poor, and staying alive 
themselves. Those US and Kenyan Friends and others who are involved with 
and have an interest in gender equality are depending upon liberal 
Friends to be spokespersons for equality and  a source of spiritual and 
emotional support  -  to speak out where they cannot. There are also 
those wish we would just go away.

Africa is a bowl full of contrasts  -  towns, cities, countryside and 
bush where people are dying because of a drought only miles from a 
modern city where there is a hotel with an ice skating rink on an upper 
floor - a family living in a mud hut outside the wall of a marbled floor 
hotel  - tall office buildings with a/c and elevators overlooking one of 
the worst slums in the world -  wealthy families driving fancy autos 
living inside a gated compound with servants while others walk past 
every day for miles on their way to sell a few vegetables or to bring a 
jug of water to their family. Children can often be seen walking very 
long distances to and from school and many carry water home in the 
afternoon. When America was colonized, Europeans swept the country and 
eliminated most of the indigenous people. In Africa, Europeans carved 
out countries across tribal boundaries and destroyed much of the social 
fabric while subjugating the population. The results of independence 
here, without much transitional infrastructure, are many dysfunctional 
governments and populations that are trying to learn self government in 
a modern age of global economies while many are still living a 
hardscrabble pastoral life.

The above is a cursory summary of only what I have observed. There is so 
much more to tell and a lot that I do not know. Africa is complex. Take 
this for what it is -  Lisa Stewart's observations. I don't know where 
this is taking me on my own journey. I will just have to wait to see 
what doors will open and attempt to remain faithful. I hope this helps 
you in your own discernment. Feel free to ask questions. I will try to 
answer or find out what you want to know.

In the Light,
Lisa

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