Arrival in Africa

Jambo!

Just a quick note to let you know that I have arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya. My main piece of luggage, however, did not make it until this morning. All is well- the people are extremely nice and cordial. My group is in good health and adjusting sleep-wise to the eight hour time difference (from CST). We are staying in a woman's house/bed'n'bfast for the next month until we start our jobs October 1st. From Friday to next Wednesday we'll be with a Kenyan family.

I have already seen amazing things here. Not five minutes from the airport last night we saw a large herd of impalas with a few zebras intermingled among them. Our site coordinator, Phyllis, joked that she had an elephant lined up for us as well but he charged too much this late at night. We are staying with a woman, Milka, whose house is rather nice but sparse on furniture. She said that it wasn't quite finished, and they are gratefuly just to have water and electricity (the power already went out this morning, as it frequently does in Nairobi). As we drove and walked around the city today, we saw many people on the streets. Kenya is a land of many peoples, and I've already begun to meet people from different tribes in Kenya. A white person, or mazunga I believe, is seen quite infrequently. Many people walking were also carrying all types of goods with them to sell along the street or in a market. We visited a produce market and I couldn't name even half the fruits. Right now I'm in the most modern mall in Kenya and probably Eastern/Central Africa- it's roughly comparable to malls in the States.

We begin orientation tomorrow, receiving our books and cell phones (primarily for emergency use, since the land lines don't always work). In the afternoon we'll be "baptized" by taking a matatu (community vans used for local transportation) to the village market and buying something there. Kenyan shillings are roughly 75 to the dollar, and I'm slowly learning how to quickly calculate in US dollars.

That's all for now- nothing particularly mind-blowing. I'm thoroughly enjoying the culture and the people here, and finding them to be very approachable. It's hard to believe I'm here, much less that I'll be here for nearly a year! Thank you for all of your kind notes. I hope to respond to each one individually.

Chicago Pictures

Some pictures during orientation in Chicago.

The Ladies (& Me) of Small Group 8:
Ellen, Margaret, Evans, Jennifer
Sara, Charlotte, Sandra, Johannah

Awww...

Posing

Team Kenya:
Brian, Will, Evans; Katie and Andrea; Fiona and Rachel

CPD & me hittin' up Chi-town

Chicago Skyline at Night

First God Calls, then God Sends

I have arrived safely in Chicago and have begun orientation with 67 other international volunteers. It's very exciting and somewhat comforting to be with other people who are about to embark on a similar journey. However, we are only a piece of the puzzle in God's mysterious plan. We have tens, if not hundreds, of people supporting us financially and prayerfully. We could not be doing this without you.

Two days ago I was commissioned by my church, Westminster Presbyterian in Wilmington, Delaware. Reflecting on the word commission, I thought both of co-mission, where the church is joining me on God's mission, and of common mission, where many people are trying to achieve the same goal: being a vessel of God's presence in others' lives. Yet perhaps each of us is in this together for different reasons; maybe we're just curious, or we want to see change, or we'd like to "find ourselves," or it feels like the right or good thing to do... whatever the reason, we are in this together. Diversity in unity, as I believe the Ethiopian national slogan goes.

I would appreciate prayers for open hearts and minds as all of us prepare for something we can't prepare for. May we submit (and admit) our desires, aspirations and expectations to God, that we would be free from fear and humble in spirit. We've received the call, and now we're preparing to go.

Thanks for playing a role.

Chicago Bound

This time tomorrow I'll be in Chicago at McCormick Seminary with about 30 or so other YAVs (Yound Adult Volunteers), gearing up for a week of orientation on international volunteering. I'm filling up today with much thought, many goodbyes and gathering up various loose ends as the ETD approaches.

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

~ Proverbs 24:10

God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might the Lord increases strength.

~ Isaiah 40:29

Today I rely on the Lord's strength, and not my own. I don't have it in me to adequately say goodbye to all whom I'm leaving behind. I don't have enough time today to get all the things I wish to get done. I struggle to find the joy in a year of service in Africa, when all I see is this day of departure. I feel entirely inadequate to serve. And yet this is good. These feelings of despair and angst only lead me to fall in the arms of God, to trust in the unseen, to have faith amidst uncertainty.

Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated. Have a blessed day, as I am having.

Welcome All!

This is the first post of many to come about my trials, triumphs and escapades in Africa. Right now I'm in my hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, preparing for my journey in the coming year. Before I leave for Chicago on Monday, August 22nd, I will be meeting with various people who have recently returned from Kenya OR who are playing an integral role in supporting me while I'm there. After a week-long orientation in Chicago with the other 35+ PC(USA) young adult international volunteers, I fly out to London on the 29th and will arrive at 9pm in Nairobi, Kenya, the 30th of August. My first week will be with a Kenyan family before I head off to a convent for a month-long orientation, where I will learn about Kenyan's language, politics, history and culture.

I actually won't begin working at Church World Service until roughly October 1st. One reoccuring motto from those who have been to Kenya is "be flexible." In that line of thought, I am not entirely sure exactly what I'll be doing. However, most likely I will be a reporter on various community project developments in Kenya (and possibly some nearby nations!), writing articles and stories geared toward a western audience. Most of my time will probably be spent in a modern office in Nairobi (complete with satellite uplink), with an occassional foray to the countryside in a 4x4. I hear there are no roads on the Serenghetti, but that doesn't stop people from driving to get to some remote villages.

So, how doth one communicate with me? There are several ways.
Email: evmcgowan@gmail.com
Post: You can respond/comment directly on this site to any posting or photo.
The other post/mail: Me, c/o Church World Service, PO Box 14176, Nairobi, Kenya 00800.
Phone: Well, let's not try that one for now. Occassionally, and perhaps more often than not, phone lines are dug up and the copper sold. People have to make a living somehow.

I hope that this site serves as a conduit not just between me and you, but between you and the people here, that you might see God at work on both sides of the world. Please share with others who might be moved by the words or photos found here; they do not need to know me personally. I plan to post at least weekly, although it depends somewhat on internet connections, my health, the state of the US economy, etc.

I miss most of you already and think of the others often. Please drop a note if you find the time.

Blessings & Peace,
Evans

Financial Support

By God's grace & your generous suppport, I have raised all the necessary funds for my stay in Kenya! Many thanks to all who have supported me through prayers, emails and checks.

If you still feel called to give, there are a number of ways:

(1) To give to the program (tax deductible), write a check with my name (Evans McGowan) and ECO#074403 on it. Any money sent from this point onward will go to the program, both to support others who were not able to meet their fundraising goal and for general program support.

Send the check to:

The Presbyterian Church (USA)
Individual Remittance Processing
PO Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

(2) If you'd rather give to me directly (note: no longer tax-deductible), you can mail a check made out to Evans McGowan to my parents:

Keith McGowan
202 Peirce Rd
Wilmington, DE 19803

I will do my best to honor specific requests, but please know that your money will be going to a good cause (and I promise to document it!). One example is sending kids to a church camp for a week. Another might be sponsoring an orphan or someone's higher education. I'm also starting a computer training program for those who can't afford training, and I am in the process of promoting small-scale businesses from women's cooperatives within Nairobi.

(3) If you want to support specific mission programs, either here in Kenya or others that the PC(USA) supports, you can:
- Contact me
- Contact Laurie Armstrong, or 1-888-728-7228, ext. 5286
- Visit PC(USA) Giving Site

May you continually be blessed as God calls you to prayerfully give (Acts 20:35).

Prayer Requests

- Health: It's hard for me to admit this, but I've been under the weather off and on this past week or so. For most of my time here I've had great health, and I'd hate for these last few weeks in Kenya to be marred by poor health. Prayers that God would continue to protect me and the other volunteers, as well as those unfortunate to have healthcare.

- Emily's Visit: Thank you for the prayers! Emily and I had a briefly challenging, then largely wonderful time together as we were quickly "reacquainted" to each other. I'm so thankful to have such an incredible woman in my life, and am especially grateful & blessed to have her come visit me here in Africa.

- Transition: Already I am thinking about returning home, and I still have a couple months left! The pressures, anxieties and excitement of returning to the Charlotte area and finding a job, car, apt, etc. are overwhelming and yet also a strong temptation to distract me from my time here. May I continually engage in the present, leaving the future in God's hands rather than allowing worries to cloud my mind.

- Continued Fellowship: I have been blessed with growing friendships with Kenyans and other volunteers alike. I wonder what is to become of these relationships. What will they look like in a month? In a year? I trust in God, in the loving bond that binds us together as humans and as friends, knowing that nothing can sever us from this all-encompassing love.

Thank you for your prayers. If you are praying for me specifically, I would love to know as verbal encouragement. And please let me know if I can be praying for you.

Clinging closely to the power of prayer,
Evans

Last updated: 6/26/06