Casting Pearls trades instruments for shovels in Kenya

Last August, Bryan Olesen and Scott Rutz of the band Casting Pearls went to Kenya on a short-term missions trip with Food for the Hungry. Driven by a desire to understand Christ’s love for the poor, these rockers traded instruments for shovels and went to work in an area most Americans can’t even imagine.

Here is Bryan’s story, in his own words.

A Place Frozen In Time

After landing in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city with three million residents, we took a small plane to North Horr: a tiny, remote community in the arid desert of central Kenya. We literally landed in the dirt – no landing strip. Stepping off the plane, it hit me that I was far away from home, in more ways than just distance. North Horr felt like a world away from my life back in the U.S. The land was desolate; I thought, “Why -- and how -- do people live here?” There wasn’t much of anything green, and what was green was full of thorns. One’s wealth was determined by how many goats or camels he owned. The place felt frozen in time.

My new home in Kenya was a mud hut with a roof woven out of straw. Each hut had two beds covered by mosquito nets and resting on a dirt floor. Even though the nights were cool, our hut was hot because the ventilation was bad. But I slept easily because I was so tired . . .

The Only Tools Were Worn or Broken

The variety of food in North Horr was nothing like it is back home. We ate basically the same thing every day. For breakfast, we had something called maji maji. I liken it to a soggy, slightly sweet pancake with no syrup. Tea was served with every meal. Lunches and dinners usually contained goat meat or chicken, and sometimes pasta.

Each day, we helped with ongoing work projects like upgrading a well, building a fence for livestock or cleaning out the animals’ water trough. The local community had already been working on these projects; we just came alongside to help for a time. The work was hard, making us sweaty and dirty, and I was frustrated that the only tools available were worn or broken shovels and pick axes.

Scott and the team helped fix water wells. See more photos here!

I made friends with many members of the local community in North Horr. The citizens are wonderful people, and they were so happy to have us there to help. Many asked me about life at home in the U.S., and most expressed dreams of one day visiting my country. Anthony was the man who drove us around, and one day, he let me drive the really cool diesel Toyota Land Cruiser. It was kind of a surreal experience – driving on a road of sand, steering wheel on the opposite side of the car, camels forming road blocks. If you’ve never seen a camel run, it’s quite funny!

Forming Relationships, Not Thumping Bibles

I was very impressed with Food for the Hungry’s (FH) programs in Kenya. FH works in more than 26 countries around the world and teaches the love of Christ while also meeting physical needs of the poor. I am a Christian myself and was very impressed by FH’s vision and on-the-ground operations in North Horr. They don’t come storming in with Bibles in hand; but first, they form relationships with the local community. This helps ensure the community is involved in the development projects – empowering the local people to meet their own needs and not become dependent on FH.

What now?

I will be processing everything I learned on the Kenya trip for some time. It was hard to say goodbye when we had to leave our new friends. Stepping on the plane, I knew I was on my way back home, where it was comfortable and where the opportunities were endless. But my new friends would stay “stuck” in North Horr, where survival is an everyday priority. Everything has to be fought for. You can still have dreams in North Horr, but there’s not much opportunity to go after them. You just have to try and survive.

So I can’t help but ask myself, “What does my visit to Kenya mean?” Now what? Now that I know and have seen, I feel responsible to help. I’ve found myself complaining less and being thankful more. I realize just how blessed I am to live in a place where I can pursue my dreams and make decisions for myself.

My heart is changing. There used to be a time when I wasn’t so concerned with the needs of others, but now that I have seen how much of the world lives, I want to help. I have to help.

See more pictures from the trip here.

Even though Bryan is back home now, he is still helping communities in Kenya. And while he can’t be there in person to help fix water wells or clean out troughs, Bryan is still very much involved, thanks to the child-sponsorship program.

Bryan’s heart of compassion is translating into a brighter future for one little girl named Bochol Molu Bilida. Bochol lives with her mother and two siblings in an extremely poor community in Kenya. Here, regular droughts make food hard to come by, and most of the available drinking water is disease-ridden. School is not free, and because families are so poor, few children can afford to go to school. Instead, children must start working at an early age.

Bochol, like every child, has dreams of doing something great in life. And now, thanks to Bryan’s sponsorship, she can have more opportunities!

Bryan is helping send Bochol to school and is helping provide her basic needs for a healthy body. And through Bryan’s sponsorship, Bochol receives love and encouragement from Food for the Hungry staff. Bochol now can have a greater hope for her future!

Bryan also can write letters to Bochol, and she will write back. This way, the two get to know and learn from each other.

You can join Bryan in connecting with children and communities around the world by sponsoring a child! The cost is just $28 a month – less than one dollar a day – and will mean a world of difference to the child you sponsor.

More than 800 children in Kenya alone are waiting for a sponsor today. You will change the world for one child...through sponsorship.

Join Bryan!