Students Take Summer Trip to Kenya

Larry Klein and his wife, Linda, stood earlier this summer with nine students from Calvin Christian High School of Grandville, Mich., at the site of the U.S. embassy bombing memorial in Nairobi, Kenya.

Everyone from the school was quiet as they gazed at the wall in the Kenyan capital’s Memorial Park on which are inscribed the names of the people killed in a 1998 terrorist bombing.

The bombing in Nairobi and another that occurred on the same day in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, were carried out by al-Qaeda, which was just then gaining notoriety as a terrorist network. More than 200 people were killed in the bombings.

“It was a moving experience for them to be at that memorial,” said Klein, a social studies teacher.

This visit, he said, provided him a chance to offer students a context to what has occurred in more recent years as al-Qaeda has instigated terrorist attacks around the world and in the U.S.

“The memorial at the site brought to life the tragedy of the bombing,” he said.

The visit to the bombing memorial was one of the first stops on a busy nearly two-week journey to various locations in Kenya. It was also the 12th time that the Kleins have taken students to African countries during summer vacation.

Helping this year, as in years past, to make connections in the country were staff members from World Renew, the CRC agency active in community development work in Kenya and many other countries around the world.

“We appreciate all of the support we get from World Renew,” said Klein.

Early on, they made connections to World Renew through members of their church, Ivanrest CRC in Grandville.

“Involvement with World Renew has opened doors and promoted healthy engagement with many different communities in Kenya,” said Klein.

Being able to go on these trips and to meet people from various communities, as well as to learn the history of other countries, is an important and inspiring experience for students, said Klein.

“These trips embolden our high school students to be brave, to get out of their comfort zones. It opens their eyes and hearts to other places and people in the world.”

In making the trip, he said, he can weave aspects of history and culture into what he will be teaching these students, all juniors, when they return to class as seniors in September.

After visiting the bombing memorial, the group went to the town of Eldoret and visited the Wareng Secondary School, with which Calvin Christian High has had connections for the past 10 years. Among other things, said Klein, the school has hosted three students from Wareng for a stay in West Michigan.

“Our partnership remains vibrant, and we were able to celebrate this in an assembly and later in a pick-up soccer game,” he said.

World Renew then opened up the doors for the group to visit a Maasai community with which World Renew has a connection. The Maasai are a traditional people who once roamed this part of Africa as herders and warriors. Today, however, they are being increasingly relegated to smaller areas and communities.

The group from Calvin Christian had a chance to meet with Maasai tribal members and speak about differences between their ways of life—such as about marriage and food preparation practices.

“They have about 1,400 people living on one large piece of land. It is very basic living,” said Klein. “Life has been especially difficult in their community due to water shortages.”

Continuing on their journey, they traveled to Lake Naivasha for an overnight stay at Hell’s Gate National Park, where they had an opportunity to see wildlife and learn about conservation efforts.

They also ventured for a day to an area outside Eldoret called Plateau. This is where a group of farmers from South Africa came to settle in the early 20th century. For the most part today, the offspring of those settlers have left.

“This community today is home to an all-girl secondary school, primary school, and hospital,” said Klein.

“Visits to each made us grateful for sacrifices being made by teachers and hospital staff. Each stop gave us pause to reflect on God’s goodness, human potential, and daily struggles.”

The group also visited a school for the handicapped outside of Eldoret and ate dinner together with three families, each having ties to their past visits to the town.

“Sitting around a table of Kenyan food, lavished upon us by the families, we were able to engage in conversation with extended family and neighbors,” said Klein.

They had dinners like this on other night’s at different people’s home and this was a highlight of the trip for Grace Zwiers, one of the students.

“It was such a blessing to experience the amazing Kenyan hospitality and feel completely comfortable in a foreign country,” she said.

“Afterward, they would share the food with their neighbors and friends. Getting to meet and talk with these hosts opened my eyes to the Kenyan people's way of life in loving their neighbor as themselves, even if their ‘neighbor’ is from the United States.”

On Sunday during the trip, the visitors worshiped with one of their guides, Mary Jego, at her Reformed Church East Africa location.

“Worshiping together fostered appreciation and praise of the same Lord. A circle of prayer together after the service gave us a sense of needed unity with our Kenyan friends,” Klein said.

On returning home, said Klein, “We were all humbled by the bigness of God and the goodness of people. We are in debt to World Renew for their continuing efforts as they bring God’s love to a broken world.”