A Missed Opportunity - December 22, 2007

A few days ago David received a call that the President’s wife, Mrs. Kabaki, would like to come for a visit. As I mentioned earlier, Kenya is getting ready for their presidential election and the two front-runners are very close in the polls. The plan was for Mrs. Kabaki to come to David’s house for lunch, to visit the children’s home to for distribution of Christmas gifts, and to go the clinic for a campaign rally. It was a little odd – expecting to serve the president’s wife lunch –but surprisingly all of us took it in stride. It was a good thing to because in a country where “there is no hurry” plans rarely come to fruition like you intended.
Mrs. Kabaki was running severely behind schedule and she went to the clinic first. People had started gathering in the morning and she arrived somewhere around 3 pm. After the rally, we went to the children’s home to await her visit to the kids. However, it never came. Mrs.Kabaki’s security detail took her out of the village along the back road. The children, also, had been waiting since the morning, dressed in the campaign’s colors and practicing their songs. Their disappointment when they heard the news was evident. A whole day had been spent in preparation for a visit that never came.
Although its hard to know whether it was the wasted time or the lack of Christmas gifts that caused the children their dismay, I can’t help but think that Mrs. Kabaki missed an important opportunity to bless the community through blessing those who are most in need. Also, she didn’t get to see the heart of the people as she never saw 30 smiling orphaned children, some of who are infected with HIV, welcome her to their community and sing about God’s blessings. She may have felt that the campaign rally was the most important stop in her plans, and for this campaign, she may have estimated correctly. But if she was looking for the greatest opportunity for impact, I have to believe she choose poorly.


Dinner Preparation