Day Four - a vision moved forward

Today we saw a task fulfilled that was very amazing.  We visited a dairy cooperative in Githunguri.  So how do two gals from the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio end up touring a dairy in Kenya?  And why?

The short version, God placed a call on our hearts to visit Kenya.  From there we have been introduced to people in all stations of life.  Contacts we have never even had in our own country let alone the thought of making contacts with government officials through a very poor, humble pastor of an almost forgotten region of Kenya.  On our last visit we were able to meet with the Minister of Labor.  She cast a vision for this poor section of the country.  She sees a milk cow for every household.  With milk producing cows the households will begin to have a form of income.  Well that is only somewhat true because unless the milk can be gotten to a processing facility and to market nothing of any scale really happens.  So the Minister of Labor suggested that a cooperative business set up could be the most beneficial.

To us this cooperative idea was much bigger than what we envisioned us participating in with micro loans to a few people.  So we see a vision bigger than ourselves but feel moved to follow this leading.  So we forwarded a letter to the responsible leader sharing the purpose of the R.U.N. foundation to lift people up out of spiritual and economic poverty and stating we would like to learn more about cooperatives. He arranged for us to tour the most successful cooperative in the country.  The Fresha Dairy.

This cooperative concept is amazing.  Their core values read like what I picture in the Acts Church, integrity, social responsibility, continuous improvement.  As we arrived in town I could just see a healthy thriving community.  People were active, engaged, moving with a purpose.  More self discipline here than in the area we have been serving in.  This is what I would hope to see Sibanga transformed to.

Today we learned that a cooperative is more than a well run business.  A cooperative seems to help provide structure to how we are taught to live.  A cooperative brings individuals together and gives them a strength they otherwise would not have.  The cooperative provides training.  They negotiate the market place.  They pool the individuals money into infrastructure that makes the process more profitable.  They are a community that joins together and can do things like provide economy of scale purchases and many other social aspects

Now we will take what we are just beginning to learn and see how God will have us apply this in Sibanga.  I am excited and optimistic and have absolutely no clue how this is all going to play out but this is the joy of obedience.  I trust God has the wheel taking these two suburban gals into the fields of Kenya.