Cameroon/Cape Town/Kenya-Mombasa
A little plan is finally starting to form. I've not wanted to leave any stone unturned. I briefly looked at global development or ministry jobs here in the States but they all seemed so suffocating and just not right at all. It didn't take me long to realize that I simply cannot commit to life full time in America. I have to be in Africa the majority of my time. How I will fund this, I don't yet know. But do I really need to know, He asks?
I will be departing on September 24th for Cameroon. My Atlanta friend Sherri Lewis has been living there for three years, has established residency, is in the process of adoption and loves it there. She has been working alongside a local children's home and now has plans to establish one of her own, as well as, a farming and vocational training programs. I am going as part of my personal reconnaissance mission to uncover just where I am to go next. Missionary "job interviews" are costly and time consuming. I am elated to see her programs, her vision and her life there. We met in 2007 when she was writing a book and made an announcement in church that one of the characters was from Mozambique and she was searching for someone who had been there. I raised my hand. We became instant friends and I watched Sherri leave her job as a physician in Atlanta and make that bold, brave move into the unknown. She is one of the happiest people I know. I am looking forward to joining her (meeting Lauren Bless) and helping her establish social enterprises and vocational training programs among young adults in Cameroon.
I will stay with Sherri for a month. I will then go to Cape Town to meet with an incredibly well ran mission organization, The Warehouse. I met them in 2010 and was immediately impressed by their level of education and expertise in poverty issues and global justice. I want to reconnect and become further educated by them and see what tools they have to offer me as I offer myself to others in this area. In addition, Cape Town is one of the greatest cities in the world (sorry Hartwell) and I plan to drink it all in.
After two weeks in Cape Town, I will go to Kenya, to both Nairobi and Mombasa. My former flat mate, Carola is now working as a pediatrician at a hospital outside of Nairobi. I will spend time with her and we will travel together to Mombasa. Friends of mine started a boy's home, taking in boys off the streets back in 2007. I want to see this project and offer my help.
So I am on a fact finding mission to find out where I am to go next. They have all been on my heart for quite some time. They are all places that I could absolutely see myself living and establishing residency. My goal is to create a jobs for the poor, those look different in each location. One has to go there to uncover it and put together the pieces.
Meanwhile, I am have been trudging away working at the country club. Loathe, detest, and abhor are words that come to mind, but ultimately I am grateful. Thanks to The Club, my plane ticket is fully paid and I could not be doing this without them. I do, however, want to take two weeks off and spend a little time with family since I will be gone for the rest of the year. I will be coming to Hartwell for about two weeks starting July 7th, to see Carla and crew and my grandmother and hit golf balls with Dad. I will then be back in Nashville waiting tables and pushing tips in my pockets until my departure.
Thank you for all you do for me.
Love,
Grace
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