Kenya

Finding the Way to Nowhere (in Kenya)

Bounce and jostle over potholes and dusty ruts to the middle of nowhere. Second-guess a few times if you've lost your way. Double check with someone on the side of the road. Spot the turn-off at last and park your car. Hop out and glance to the right; and, shocked to discover it here in…Read more Finding the Way to Nowhere (in Kenya)

In the Cracks

Astonished, I found Him, the Beautiful One, deep in a cranny of Mathare Valley, Kenya - the same One I glimpsed in the fissure of a Mother Teresa's home in Huruma, as I share below. It's enough to make my head spin - apparently, at least according to what my senses report, my body landed…Read more In the Cracks

Why do slums exist in Kenya?

One of the greatest joys of my recent trip to Kenya was sharing the experience with two of my children, Justin age 17 and Jacob age 20. I tried to capture some of the wonder I felt in a previous blog entry: Meeting Myself There. Because of Justin's most unexpected surgery, Tommy John to repair…Read more Why do slums exist in Kenya?

Colors of Kenya

Color lives and breathes in Kenya. From subtle drab slip-and-slide of slum grays and browns to vital dance of Meru tea-farm greens, color sings and color weeps in Kenya. Color shimmers delicately in a solitary tear, lingering on the face of a Ugandan artisan now grown from a childhood spent as a household servant. Fed…Read more Colors of Kenya

The Beautiful One

Hope's Promise 2017 Connection Trip to Kenya, May 25-June 5 I invite them: come. Come, stand on the brink of devastation, human suffering as you have never seen before. Come, listen to these words: “Give yourself to the hungry, satisfy the desire of the afflicted.” Isaiah 58:10 See their faces, look into their eyes, feel…Read more The Beautiful One

Photoshoots: behind-the-scenes

We have stories to tell, and photos powerfully weave layers of color and texture into a single view. My long-time friend and Pamba Toto business partner, Debbie, and I are newly impassioned to impart insight into our products and the artisans who make them. After visiting Kenya together last June, we are fully cognizant that there is…Read more Photoshoots: behind-the-scenes

Small and Beautiful

When I hold them in my hands now that I am home, each one represents a world unto itself. They transport me to a time outside time, when I was so enthralled I forgot to eat, drink, or relate to the outside world. Each tiny bead represents a human's touch, a woman far away... and yet…Read more Small and Beautiful

Huruma Means Mercy, Part 2

We leave the aching hope of the Mother Teresa compound for the teeming chaos of streets beyond. Now joining us – me; my Pamba Toto co-founder, business partner and dear friend, Debbie Lee; and her husband Brian - in the car is John, with a smile to shove back the darkest night. He directs us…Read more Huruma Means Mercy, Part 2

Kitengela

Fall down the rabbit hole. Slip through the looking glass. Tip toe across the hanging bridge. However it is you arrive, this is most certainly a magical “other” sort of place. With each step, my eyes open wider and my soul expands. Once over the swinging bridge, glass mosaic underfoot, like a hint of what…Read more Kitengela

For the Ragged and Beautiful

  https://www.facebook.com/fragmentsoflight/videos/1283437661683835/ In 2002, my dear friend Nicole Gillin and I volunteered together with a small team serving at Mother Teresa's Home for Abandoned Children in Nairobi. We've never been the same. Last week we collaborated to create this dance to share our changed hearts at the Flourish 2016 Recital.  Blessed Are the Peacemakers Blessed…Read more For the Ragged and Beautiful