Our first two days in Kenya have brought us more good meetings and for that we are very thankful. On Thursday we spent the day visiting a box corrugating plant run by a new friend of ours, Michael. Michael had visited PacMoore back in October with a group of other Kenyans after we had been connected through Partners Worldwide. As we discussed some of the issues he was facing in his business we felt there was some opportunities for us to help him, so we promised him a visit on our next trip to Kenya. Our time with Michael revealed to us that he really needs little help from us. He is a very smart business guy and has built a strong business in just 2 years. His main hurdle is getting his paper supplied on time but we talked through some options with him and shared some ideas that companies like his use in the US. By the end of the day we were very impressed with his business knowledge and more importantly we felt like we got to know him much better as a friend and brother in Christ.
Friday we spent a few hours talking to Ernest, a bee keeper and honey producer here in Kenya. We have talked to Ernest on every trip we have made to Kenya the last two years and we are very excited about the possibility of forming a business venture with him. We currently have 3,000 kilos of his honey on the way to our warehouse in Indianapolis and one of the main objectives of this trip was to finalize a plan for how to increase that production going forward. Today’s meeting provided a good foundation for that discussion and we will be spending the next two days with him visiting the hives he has set up near the Masai Mara. We are certainly praying God will guide us in this effort and we are hopeful to make some solid progress on forming an official business relationship.
While we are grateful for the time here in Nairobi, we were also very disappointed to have a portion of our trip cancelled due to flooding in Mozambique. We had planned to spend 3 days there meeting with a couple of guys we met through Partners Worldwide. They have organized 6,000 local farmers and we think there is a good opportunity for them growing vegetables. Unfortunately heavy rains have produced severe flooding and we were unable to visit any of the farmers. While this was disappointing to us the reality is it is devastating to these farmers. Our friends have told us it has caused the farmers, who had hope of making a profit selling crops this year, to now be in a position of facing a food shortage for feeding their families. It certainly serves as a stark reminder of the very fine line a majority of the population here in Africa faces each day. It truly breaks our heart, yet at the same time encourages us that we have a definite purpose here and by God’s grace we will be able to make a difference in the lives of these amazing people. We humbly ask that if you feel so led you will please pray for these farmers and their families. Thank you!
