In August 2011, Elaine Cooper took a flight from London and landed in Nairobi (Kenya) where she spent about 2 weeks helping a community of villagers with the building of a house. Far from being a holiday trip, Elaine describes it as the “trip of her dreams”. She kindly agreed to share with us her amazing experience.

Tell us Elaine: when does the story all starts?

It all started about 12 years ago. There was that little seed planted in my heart: I just knew I had to go to Africa. However I had no idea where to go in Africa, when to go or what to do.  That desire to go there has never left me since. In fact it got bigger and bigger as years went by.

Why Kenya and not any other place?

Some time ago, I finally decided to do something about that dream. I started to do some internet research about Africa. I have been looking at maps, and I cannot really explain why I was always drawn to Kenya. There was something about that country that just resonated with my spirit. It had to be Kenya.
Then one day, as I was reading the Word4Today magazine, my eyes fell upon the “Habitat for Humanity” outreach programs advert. And guess what? Their program included a trip to Kenya!!

You must have jumped on the opportunity then…

Yes I did. I contacted Habitat for Humanity in 2009. It’s an organisation which combats poverty all over the world by providing houses to families in need. Their vision is to see housing poverty and homelessness eliminated. They happened to have a trip scheduled for the month of August 2010. I signed up for it.

But you didn’t make that trip…

Everything was ready for me to go when we suddenly got the news about my husband Ron’s cancer early in May 2010. Ron was very ill, and I felt that I had to focus all my attention on him, so I cancelled the trip. I put it on hold for the time being. On the 15th June, Ron passed away.

So 2011 was the long awaited year for the fulfilment of your dream. Can you tell us about your first moment in the land?

Yes Sure. We were 8 people in the UK team that left London. We got there in August, which was in the middle of the Kenya’s winter (lower 80 degrees Fahrenheit). To us, it was very hot!

We arrived in Nairobi, the Capital, and stayed there for 2 days, where we got all the necessary introduction with regard to the work we will be doing. We then took a minicab for a 40 miles journey to Machakos Town, the place where we would be staying for a whole week.

I could see poverty everywhere. People were constantly around us trying to sell us stuff.

What was a routine day for you over there?

Every morning we have our English breakfast, then 15 miles round trip to the site. We make sure that we have some malaria tablets, as well as the mosquitoes Deet sprayed over our exposed skin. We hard work for the whole day, with a break at lunch time to eat the food especially cooked for us by the local women. Back to the house, we have our tea, and we made sure that a mosquito repellent was sprayed in the room sometimes prior to sleeping.

What kind of food was cooked for lunch?

Mainly rice, mash potatoes with banana plantain in it, maize, chapatti, beef stew, boiled potatoes. For dessert we have some healthy trays of fruits like bananas, oranges, apples, mangoes, papaya.

What kind of work did you do then?

My team and I just did the foundations of a 2 bedroom house. We did the hardest part of the house and finished the foundations within a week. Another team will pick up from where we left.

What was your greatest challenge in that place?

Lifting the bricks, filling and pushing the wheelbarrows.

Everything was rather primitive. There was no cement mix; we have to do everything with our hands. It was quite challenging for my back. It was very hard for me physically.

What was your most memorable time over there?

Without doubt meeting the Kenyan people! They are so warm, friendly, huggy. The welcome at the site is so overwhelming that you want to cry.

They greet you daily with flowers, dancing, hugging. The whole experience was just too good. I couldn’t believe that I was there, in Kenya! Wow!

Would you do the trip again?

Yes most definitely! But I will probably do something less demanding physically the next time God send me over there, like working with a school or an orphanage.

Anything else you would like to tell us.

Dreams are worth waiting for. If God has planted a dream in your heart, never let it go. Hold on to it because God will make it come true. The enemy might try to stop you, but God will make the seed grow in you, and you will surely overcome.

From that…..                                                                                                                                To that………..