Touched down in Nairobi early on a Thursday morning after a 9 hour flight. The theater and karate workshops would start that afternoon in Kayole – one of the nicer slums. I was there with my good buddy Mike Klumpp. The Karate programs in Nairobi and in Lemoru (the Rift Valley) were started about 5 years ago and a quick introduction to theater was added about 2.5 years ago before the civil rest broke out in Kenya. We were anxious to see if the Karate programs were still in tact and if the interest in theater arts was still there.

As we arrived at the grungy cultural center the members of the MARS karate group were dressed in their gis and ready to show the master the advancements they had made. Many new students for the FYV arts programs had arrived as well, but in true Kenyan fashion many would come much later. It was a habit we would try to change.

In the end, as the workshop progressed we had about 25 theater students, plus the Karate members who joined in, and the acrobats working outside who joined the work as well. Some students belonged to small theater groups and others were complete novices. Some were in High School and some had just graduated from University. It was a good group with a variety of talents, experience, and desires, but they all came with so much enthusiasm.

The point of this part of the work in Kenya is to give the young people confidence, communication skills, and life skills. We’re giving them tools to use in any vocation they are called to, helping them discover the topics they want to address, and developing their creative voices for communication. We are also helping them lay a biblical foundation in their lives like the one Jesus spoke about at the end of the sermon on the mount – solid rock rather than shifting sand. Kenya and Africa need new leaders with skills that are world-class and lives that are solid. Though we have a long path to walk, we are assisting these young people to become part of the next generation of leaders. By aiding these young people in their development we are helping them become the influence of positive change for Kenya, Africa, and possibly the world. Some may think we are just dreaming, but hand in hand with those youthful hearts we are dreaming big.

As the workshop ended we were exhausted and excited. The Karate group had demonstrated their work with power and great respect to their instructors. The theater students, like sponges, had taken in everything we could show them. And some young people who hadn’t planned on doing a theater workshop found themselves in the midst of learning some beneficial skills. They had met some westerners who were in some ways different than what they had previously experienced. They had met some teachers who were not afraid of people who were different. “Come join us.” What an exciting way to create cross-cultural exchange.