This IS Africa

"To build a legacy of influence you must exercise moral courage!"

That was the whole point of the sermon this past Sunday. I have never felt as convicted and spurred on to great deeds as I did after that service. I suddenly felt like I could rule the world. I felt like I was the solution to all of Africa's problems. Well, most of them. Okay, a few of them. I felt like wearing a tight suit with a giant 'J' on my chest,(pot and tires notwithstanding) and a cape and flying off of a tall building with the Captain Janet soundtrack blaring in the background. Wow!!

I learned that there are 4 types of people when it comes to reacting to the Matatu menace; Those who shake their heads and inwardly imagine the evil they would mete out on those drivers if they had the chance; Those who honk their horns to oblivion; Those who revenge, overlap and block the Ma3'S; and lastly, those who get out of their cars and confront the drivers in question. I am a definite No. 2. I love it especially when I'm driving the German car with the extremely loud gisty horn. Works all the time!

But how does the honking help? How has it helped to yell inside my car, calling the man an absolute twidiot and exposing my 2 year old to uncalled for anger and words that will make her teacher faint when she uses at school. Will that driver overlap and almost scrape my bumper the next day? I think yes. Have I changed my city, my country, my continent? Err, nope. Have I decreased the chances of another lady-driver with an 'L' sign being harassed by a matatu? Don't think so. What I've done is, I've worn out the horn on my car and decreased it's lifespan significantly.

Okay, so what now? What does Janet have to do to change the world. Well first of all, I can proudly say that I'm putting one Kenyan girl through school, and finding ways to take others through as well. But what about the things that I'm really passionate about. What about my retreat center in Isinya? And my cabins on the mountain? What about my resort at the Coast? What about those things? What about influencing land ownership policies in my country? What about influencing Mike and Makena to vote in the next election? What about my shelter for teens and young women in crisis pregnancies? And my home for the aged? How about those things? What I'm I doing about them? What will people say at my funeral? How many people will really miss me when I die? Will my tombstone bear the words "Here Lies Janet, mother, daughter, sister, wife" Or will there not even be enough space to write all the things I did while on this earth. I guess I'll find out when I get to heaven now won't I?

But in the meantime, I am being the change that I want to see in Nairobi, in Kenya, Africa. This is the Nairobi I want to see. Nairobi, shining in all it's glory. Our beautiful city in the sun.