First Village Bank in South Sudan Opens

So much has happened during the past two days... And, what is most exciting, is that yesterday, Lietnhom became home to the first village bank in South Sudan. What a celebration! Schools were closed, a bull and two goats were butchered so that everyone could eat, Sunday school classes performed a song and dance, local and county officials as well as the Bishop, trees were planted and a ribbon was cut!

It was without a doubt an honor to be there.

I was also able to meet several Five Talents entrepreneurs prior to the event. One young man has witnessed the impact of a loan his brother took out. He's hoping to one day take out a loan as well.

One mother of five boys, Ahok, has already taken out two loans. She'd like to take out a larger loan ($300) in order to grow her business and to continue to educate her sons. She is not able to read or write and wants a better life for her children. She is just one example of the bank's 460 members.

Well, I've been attempting to post photos, but am having slow connectivity problems... hopefully I can get them up tomorrow.

Time for me to get to bed!

Kelli

Livin' at The Hotel California ... Such a Lovely Place, Such a Lovely Place

Jambo!

Greetings from Kenya and specifically from ... you guessed it ... The Hotel California in Lokichoggio (also known as Loki), Kenya. Who would have thought?!

After a safe flight from London, we arrived into Nairobi last night, along with the Five Talents Business As Mission team. This afternoon, Suzanne and I met up with our Sudan consortium partners (two from World Concern and two from Integra) and flew to Loki, which I am told is very close to the Sudan border.

Tomorrow morning, we will board a plane again to fly into Lietnhom, Sudan. In about 15 minutes, the six of us will meet to talk about the upcoming days. I am so excited and am anticipating great things!

Oh, as a quick follow-up, I am carrying 18.5 kilos on this 10-day journey ... barely but safely under the 20 kilo limited! ;)

Almost to Sudan...

Kelli

Off to a Great Start With More to Come

We have had a very busy two days in London. Yesterday was filled with various meetings. Suzanne spent a majority of her afternoon meeting with the Mothers' Union representaives while I met with Vanessa Anderson from the Five Talents UK office to discuss communications strategies as well as how to better share information between our offices. Last night, I attended as an art auction event at the Colomb Art Gallery to benefit Five Talents. The exhibit by artist Pip McGarry will be up until Saturday, May 23.

Today, we had the first-ever true Five Talents International board meeting at Lambeth Palace. I always find it so encouraging to meet with our "Five Talents Family" members that reside outside the US. At tonight's dinner table there were all sorts of interesting conversations taking place about past travels, living abroad, development work and a variety of other life experiences. I sat between Rachel Millward the UK Developement Director (who I've met on multiple occassions and always look forward to seeing) and Anne Figge, a Five Talents Fellow who will be heading to Tanzania at the end of of the summer (who I only briefly met a couple of weeks ago when she stopped by the US office when she was stateside).

I am now back at the guesthouse trying to get everything together before heading to the airport in the morning.

In about 11 hours, Suzanne and I will board a British Airways plane and continue onto the next leg of our journey. On to Nairobi!

Joining us on this flight will be a Five Talents Business as Mission team that will be working in Kenya and Uganda for the next two weeks. If you're interested in following their trip, Dan King (aka BibleDude) will also be blogging.

We all arrive in Nairobi on Saturday evening (Kenya time, which is 8 hours ahead of EST) and then on Sunday, Suzanne and I catch a flight to Northern Kenya before flying into Sudan on Monday.

But, before arriving in Sudan, I wanted to make a brief introduction of one of the partners we'll be spending time with while in Leitnhom. (While I have not yet met Thomas Anei, I have only heard wonderful things, and I'm definitely looking forward to an in-person meeting!)

Being born into a country that was in the midst of a 20-year civil war and being forced into the army as a child soldier has only strengthened Thomas Anei’s desire to bring healing and restoration to his homeland.

While working as a child soldier, Thomas, a native of southern Sudan, had a dramatic conversion experience. It was after this conversion that he sought refuge in Kenya and ultimately completed his studies and graduated from seminary.

In May 2007, Thomas attended a Five Talents-sponsored Christian Economic Development Institute in Nakuru, Kenya. As a result of the training, Thomas became a strong advocate for economic development as the mechanism needed for effective Christian witness in order to create a more stable Sudan.

Thomas, an ordained priest in the Episcopal church of South Sudan in the Diocese of Wau, serves as a Five Talents Fellow in Lietnhom. During 2008, he learned how to replicate the community bank model used in Lietnhom in order to start community banks in other parts of the Diocese of Wau.

Time for me to get some sleep. Looks like I might get about 6 hours before my alarm goes off...

Cheers!

Kelli

It's almost here...

In about one hour, I've got a cab coming to my house to pick me up and take me to Rosslyn, where I'll be catching the bus to Dulles.

I actually think I'm pretty much done packing, which has been pretty interesting. For our flight into Sudan, Suzanne and I are each allowed to take 30 pounds. That includes cameras, computers ... everything. I'm estimating I've got about 20 pounds of personal space for 10 days worth of clothes, toiletries, powerbars, etc., and I think I've come up with a solution: rotate the outer layer, have a clean inner layer. So, I've packed two pairs of pants, one skirt and five shirts for my Sudanese outer layer wardrobe. :)

I'm finally feeling the excitement and anticipation again. Up until last night, I've been so focused on other details that I hadn't actually slowed down enough to realize that "I'm leaving today!" Now, as I finish all the last minute details before hopping on the plane, I can't help but have that good, nervous feeling in my gut.

More from the other side of the pond...

Kelli

A Glimpse Into Where I Am Going...

Before leaving the office this evening, I wanted to upload some photos from our program in Lietnhom, Sudan, to give you a feel for where I am headed. Enjoy!