Back in January/February I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Meto Kenya with an organization called Integrity Worldwide. Integrity Worldwide (or IWW) is an organization based out of Selma Alabama doing a lot of work in Africa, specifically Uganda and Kenya. Their model is really amazing: they go into a community and help the community in the ways that the community wants to be helped. IWW really gives a voice to the community and empowers them to help themselves. During our 2 week stay in Meto IWW provided free medical clinics for hundreds of the Maasai, funded and oversaw the digging of Meto’s first well, dedicated the foundation for a new library that they’re helping the people there build, and delivered some of the community’s first books, handed out 5 Tons of seed and food to the people, held a women’s ministry, provided prayer for the people and spent countless nights worshiping with the Maasai. It was a beautiful and incredibly fruitful trip and I was really honored to be a part of helping to tell their story. This is one part of the project that we were doing, a piece called “Tenebo” that gives a glimpse into the lives of the Maasai of Meto and what it’s like to live there. I hope it does the work that IWW and God is doing in Meto justice. For more information on how you can get involved with the work that IWW is a part of you can visit them at http://www.integrityworldwide.com/

Tenebo from Bedouins International on Vimeo.

I’ve never in my life experienced something like the digging of the well in Meto.  Not only was it just a beautiful sight…the water shooting 60 + feet into the air and catching the reflection of the early afternoon sun…but it was a powerful sight…watching water erupt from a parched land…a place that’s been in drought for 15 months.  A population that’s lost 50% of it’s cattle in under 2 years.  But the thing is…they didn’t even cheer.  There was no excitement, no jumping up and down or running in the mist.  At first I was a little dissapointed to be completley honest.  The most we got from them was a quick shuffle away from the direct stream.  But as I talked to people I began to realze that what I mistook for lack of concern was sheer and total awe.  These people stood there in silence as they realized that for the past 2 years their cows had been dying…they’d been walking miles upon miles for water…trying to nurse dehydrated babies when they were dehydrated themselves…and it was right below them the whole time.  They stood there not knowing what to do…now…finally…they can drink in their village.  Whenever they want.  They don’t have to rely on water from across the Tanzania border that comes and goes…they don’t have to send donkey water trains to the river miles away…they don’t have to collect the run off from their homes in cysterns.  They can walk to the well in their own village.  Fresh, cold, clear and clean…they have water.  It was an amazing day for us…and a historical day for Meto.

It’s been an amazing trip. I’m back in Nairobi now, relaxing after a week in the bush camping out with the Maasai. I’ll have a lot to say, and a ton of photos to show soon…but it’s late and I’m exhausted. We arrived in Meto to a gathering of the entire village singing us in…it was a powerful sight/sound to say the least. Only later did we find out that they were singing worship songs. Amazing. Here’s an audio clip from that first day and a picture of the people singing us in. Glad to be back. Missed you all!

-Stephen

I tried googling it, but Google didn’t even know where it was. Not even google? When does that happen? Alas.

But somehow, Stephen was able to call me the other day. Actually, he called me from Amboseli (which is totally google-able btw) and as we spoke he was standing approximately 100 feet from an elephant. Like a real elephant.

He also told me about his trip so far (in the 10 minutes he had to talk). He said that when he arrived at the village at Meto, the entire Maasai tribe of that village met them in their traditional garb, singing and clapping their way in. It must have been a pretty powerful site. I can’t wait to see photos and hear those beautiful voices (thanks to Cory Scogin and his phenomenol donation of a Zoom audio recorder for the trip).

They have already dug a well, given out 5 tons of seed/sugar/oil, and seen tons of people at the medical clinic and given out a lot of medicine, prayer, and food. They’ve also seen many gve their lives to Jesus and have been welcomed by all that they meet.

I am so happy to hear such good reports and even happier to be able to make them! Hope you all are well and please continue to pray for Stephen and the rest of the team in Meto! (For more info please visit Integrity Worldwide and IW Blog )

Peace!

-Jessi