Servant Leadership

“It’s alright to be Goliath but always act like David.” – Philip Knight

A few months ago, I graduated from Daystar University with a bachelor’s degree in Communication.  During my time at the university, one of their core values that were deeply emphasized to us was servant leadership.  The idea of servant leadership didn’t mean a lot to me until I came out here to the real world.

Servant leadership is a philosophy whereby the leader puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.  This concept became a reality to me as I started working here in Afri-Lift. I can say I work with the most amazing colleagues on the planet.

It is here that I have seen the leaders roll up their sleeves and help with the work assigned to others.  I have seen the same leaders join the rest of staff in Monday morning devotions, they join in missions to Kibera, lunch and even in small events like birthday parties. Do not get me wrong, there is always work to do around here but at the end of the day one leave the office feeling part of the team.

This style of leadership has also trickled down to our children sponsorship program. The Riziki Child Assistance program has leaders who have graduated from the program and volunteer to run the program. These leaders sacrifice a lot of time to prepare for their monthly meetings and ensure that everything runs smoothly. They work really hard to make sure that the rest of the children have fun and learn from the program.

The perfect embodiment of the servant leadership philosophy is our Lord Jesus Christ.  In John 13: 1-17, we find him doing something quite unfamiliar to his disciples- washing feet. In those days it was customary for the Jews to wash their feet before a meal. I believe this was because walking in sandals all day in the filthy roads of Palestine did not make eating at low tables easier since you know; dirty feet are not a great sight to look at while eating.

It is at this point that Jesus stood up and began to wash his disciple’s feet. This was work often left to the lowliest servants in the house. I can just imagine the disciples were stunned to silence at as His act of humility. To the disciples these would be stooping too low for someone who was regarded to be the King and conqueror. In Matthew 20:28, Jesus revealed that He had come to serve and not be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.

So, what kind of leader are you? Remember, you don't have to be on the organization's executive team to be a leader. True leaders(whether they are at the helm or not) are humble. They don't much care about the spotlight. They care about the results. And that comes from focus.

Happy Valentines Day

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. 

I love Valentines Day – the chocolates, the flowers, the cards, the meals out. It’s a great time to celebrate the special people in our lives.

When we look at the origins of Valentines Day it sheds a different light on the situation. Many early martyrs were called by the name of Valentine. Legend tells us that there was one particular man called Valentine who was imprisoned for doing acts of charity to persecuted Christians and also overseeing the marriage of Roman soldiers (there were those forbidden to marry). The whole idea of cards and celebrating the love between a husband and wife originated in the United Kingdom.

In the United States 18.6 billion is spent on Valentines Day alone.

Even here in Kenya, Valentines Day is becoming a bigger event.

When we get down to it though, why do we leave it till one day a year to tell that special someone how much they matter to you? We should be expressing it often and in different ways. A simple note of appreciation, putting together a playlist of your favorite songs, pulling a chair out so the person can be seated, opening the car door for them, telling others how wonderful they are.

Expressions of love don’t have to be huge things. At the moment there seems to be a competition of who can give the most romantic marriage proposal and then post it online. While it’s a great idea, true love means going through the hard and good times TOGETHER. It means having the other persons back and means being the love of Christ to someone who doesn't necessarily deserve it.

I have seen a great example of love expressed at our monthly meeting for sponsored children in the Kibera Slum. While these young people are sponsored to stay in school, they are required to attend the monthly meeting of games, singing, activities and a time around God’s Word. Each attendee also gets a snack at the end of the program. It always incorporates a piece of fruit and a drink as well as items such as a doughnut, hot dog or samosas. We celebrate birthdays for that month and each is presented with a card. Birthdays are not a big event in Kibera, but we want to get across the message that they are important to both God and us.

Children playing in Nakuru

It always amazes me how much food these little ones can eat in a short period of time. Many times I have seen children take a small amount of the cake for themselves and ask if it’s okay to take the other portion back for one of their siblings (which of course we say yes!). It may seem a small thing to us, but to the person who gets a piece of cake, it is huge. In the West we would just throw leftovers in the rubbish bin. Here, every morsel is important, so to share it with someone else is a huge sacrifice.

Acts of kindness whether done randomly or on purpose can impact someone forever.

Let’s think about what we can do for someone else on Valentines Day but also beyond that. Do something that tells them that they are special and that both God and we appreciate them. Pick up the phone and talk to someone who you haven’t spoken to in a while. Send an SMS saying ‘hi’. Post a letter (that doesn't happen much anymore). Put up a photo album online of people who have impacted you and say ‘thanks’.

  

Tell someone you love them. If God could express his love by giving his son Jesus for us, we too can express God’s love to others.

True Courage

‘I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’ Nelson Mandela

The Kibera Slum houses hundreds of thousands of people living in squalor conditions. There are open sewers, people walking amongst rubbish piles, large families living in shacks no bigger than a garden shed. It is one place that you wear closed in shoes. When the weather is hot the place smells, when it’s wet water and sewerage runs through houses and down muddy alleyways to create small streams.

Kibera is never a quiet place. There are a couple of roads that run through it that are often jammed with buses or matatus (mini vans for transporting public). There are back to back shops run from tin shacks. There are also many churches who run meetings throughout the day. All this mixed with masses of people walking.

This is where our sponsored children are based. Many face challenges every day – loss of a parent, no food for the day, HIV, lack of sanitary products or nowhere to live. If it weren’t for our generous donors, our sponsored children would not even be able to go to school.

One thing I do know about these young people and their families is that they are incredibly brave. In the face of so much adversity where there is no social welfare system, most of us would feel like curling up under a rock and wishing not to wake up. But here, there is no choice but to make the best of a harsh situation. There’s no government bailout if there is a drought, you find an alternative way to farm. There’s long periods without water – so you walk up to 7 kilometres to find the nearest source.

At the end of 2012 we had some of our sponsored children sit for their national exam – KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education). This exam is completed at the end of their primary education and if they get a good grade, it gives them opportunity to enter a quality high school. Students need to request entry into a school and have to wait until they receive a ‘calling letter’ before they can enter it.

One person who did incredibly well was Merab, one of our sponsored children. Merab has always strived to do her best academically and it has now paid off. One day she would like to become a doctor and we can see this happening. She also is an excellent soccer player. Merab lives in the Kibera Slum with her mother and brothers. She does not have an easy home life. However this year Merab was offered a place in two of Kenya's finest girls schools based on both her academic and sport achievements.

Merab Anyango

Merab is a prime example of how your surroundings do not have to dictate your direction in life. She is a courageous young woman who has looked at the future with much courage and said to herself ‘I can do it, I can bring about change to my family, I can be different’. Merab received a placement at a top girls school in Western Kenya. We will miss seeing her at Riziki each month, but will rejoice with her on her return home during the holidays. Merab may be small in stature, but she is big on the inside.

Merab is an example to us all.