A Visit From Bicycles for Humanity, Colorado's Josh and Keenan

What an incredible gift!! Last week I got to spend a few days with
Josh Pace and Keenan Gates from Bicycles for Humanity Colorado. They,
along with their partners in CO, had been working for the past year
collecting bikes and fundraising for their shipment to Namibia. About
six months ago I learned of them and that they would be our partners
in the BEN Bikes project! We exchanged a few exciting emails about
how things were coming together on this end and finally, after much
anticipation they made the long trek to our village and got to see the
project on the ground!! Watching them reunite with the container they
worked so hard to organize months prior was so wonderful and having
them here, taking it all in was amazing!!

We shared a beer on my stoop late Sunday evening which was their first
night in Namibia. The next morning after a failed attempt at an
opening ceremony of the shop (a blessing in disguise) Josh, Keenan and
Michael put on some play clothes and got to work putting the roof on
the shop. Now the oven-like effect of the metal container is a
lessened a bit:) The organizing of the ceremony was to be done by the
volunteers and several key things were missing which came apparent
when only the speakers for the event showed up. So after a pep talk
from Ndadi about project planning, responsibility, accountability,
follow-through etc we decided to regroup and scramble to organize
something for Tuesday morning. It was a long day for all but by 10:00
the next morning the ceremony was in full swing and after a few
speeches, many thank you's and lots of translating we opened the doors
to Uukumwe Bike Shop and the selling commenced! The four of us left
the shop to the bike mechanics/managers and tooled around Nkurenkuru
and surrounding areas seeing the sites and chatting about Namibia,
Africa, work, play, just anything and everything trying not to be
TOTALLY overwhelmed by the fact that this was day 3 for Josh and
Keenan!! It was so great to have them here to process with and share a
bit of my world. They are very thoughtful, in tune, down to earth,
excited, and encouraging. Two guys who really 'get it.'

It was also nice to reflect on how a year has almost gone by and how
well adjusted I seem to be since my time here. Being with them in
their first moments in this place, community, culture and cultural
norms- it was amazing to hear about their process as their eyes,
hearts, and minds became full from everything Nkurenkuru has to offer
those who are open to it! I was remembering how affected I was by
some of the living conditions of some in the community and especially
the hospital grounds- my boat was really rocked and those sites were
very heavy and now, after being here and understanding some of the
dynamics and now being in a position to address them, I am less
burdened by some of these harsh realities. Thankfully my experiences
have not left me jaded or cynical, just motivated to take action and
help support my community. Sharing not only the sites but also
dialoguing with Josh and Keenan was helpful in wrapping my head around
some of the issues as well as just sharing with them with an outsider.

Now, after drinks, laughs, stories, a few evenings with Meme Selma,
eating with our hands and sweating together in the Spring heat of
Namibia they are no longer outsiders but now members of this
community! A community that will forever be changed by their hard
work and extreme generosity!!!! A special thank you to all at
Bicycles for Humanity for the energy you sent us and will continue to
send through your efforts. Cheers to uniting our global community!!!

Peace.