The Chuck Norris of Kenya

June 9, 2009
Nairobi, Kenya

We met Chuck Norris today in Nairobi. Well, ok, so it wasn't really Chuck Norris, but maybe he could be considered a cross between Chuck Norris, MacGeyver, and Franklin Graham. His name is Bruce Kinzer, and he is beyond a doubt the coolest guy I have ever met. Bruce lives in Kijabe (just north of Nairobi) where he works with another American named Steve Peifer to build computer labs for Kenyan school-children out of 20-foot metal shipping containers.

One of our goals on this trip was to meet with Steve and Bruce to learn a bit more about this novel idea of building computer labs out of shipping containers so that we might replicate the feat at locations around Sam's Place. (The point behind building them out of shipping containers is that they are inexpensive and very secure.) Bruce has built about thirteen of these labs with his own hands and has several more in the pipeline.

When he's not building computer labs out of shipping containers, Bruce builds himself dual cab pick-up trucks out of the parts from junked Land Rovers. Yeah, he's that cool. He's even cooler than Chuck Norris. Bruce could run Chuck Norris over with a replica of a German Panzer tank he could build out of a wheelbarrow and rusty playground equipment. And not only is he a genius at making things, but he has shown our team immeasurable hospitality.

We had a lunch meeting with Bruce at a little restaurant in Nairobi called Galitos, and Bruce drove an hour from Kijabe just to meet with us. After sitting around and chatting about the details of computer lab construction over rotisserie chicken and chips (french fries), Vernon Williams, Don Herrington, and I climbed into Bruce's hand-made duel-cab pick-up truck for a ride around town. Bruce does a lot of construction and fabrication, so he wanted to drive us around and show us some of the best places to shop for supplies and equipment in Nairobi. This was enormously helpful because we found out that we might be able to save a lot of money on Sam's Place construction by using the vendor that Bruce recommended. Up to now we have been buying all of our building materials in Kisii, which is very near Sam's Place. But what we learned from Bruce is that it would probably be much cheaper to buy our supplies from this guy in Nairobi and have them shipped to Sam's Place. Way to go, Bruce!

But that wasn't all Bruce did for us that day. We had been having a very difficult time figuring out how to get Internet access on our laptops so that we could maintain communication with our friends and family back home. Our best bet at the time was to buy a Bluetooth cell phone in Kenya, then buy a special SIM card for that phone that allowed us to use the Safaricom network, then buy a Bluetooth card for the laptop, then pair the phone with the laptop, then get a dialup account with the Safaricom Internet service provider, then finally have very slow Internet access. I was prepared to do all that, but on a whim I asked Bruce if he knew of a better way. He said, "Yeah, you can buy a Safaricom USB modem that just plugs into your laptop. They sell them for 4000 shillings ($53) at Westgate. I'll drive you there right now." And he did drive us there right then and helped us buy exactly we needed, and then he drove us home through the frightening Nairobi traffic. Any time we protested that he was going too far out of his way to help us he would just say, "Oh, I have to go to that store, too. Or, "my wife wanted me to pick up some groceries there anyway." Or, "oh that's just on my way home, I don't mind dropping you off there."

Bruce spent hours working with our team that was not affiliated with him in any way; in fact, I had just met him and Steve on the internet. He helped us immeasurably when there was no benefit to him, and made sure we didn't feel like we were putting him out for doing it. I'm pretty sure that's what Jesus looks like. So, if you appreciate the pictures and correspondance coming from our Kenyan mission team, you can thank Bruce Kinzer, the Chuck Norris of Kenya, a devoted servant of our Lord, and my own personal hero.

Driving around the streets of Nairobi with Bruce in his home-made, duel-cab pick-up truck was an enlightening and harrowing experience. Not only did he get us to our destination safely in rush hour traffic, but he filled the ride with very helpful commentary on driving in Nairobi. Here is my summary of his long commentary. Driving in Nairobi is like playing a game of "chicken" every 5 seconds. You cut in when you think the other driver is going to yield, and you yield when you think the other driver won't. A Nairobi driver must think quickly in every situation and weigh such questions as: Is my vehicle bigger than his? If we had a collision, who would win? Is the other guy's car worth so much that he wouldn't risk it? Is the other guy a crazy maniac who is going to yield to no one, no matter what? A good Nairobi driver must ask himself these questions about every five seconds. If he doesn't, he either gets creamed or just sits in one place all day.

Big cars rule the road in Nairobi. You would think that if you were going to be driving in traffic a lot you would want to drive a smaller car, but that's because you are thinking like an American, not a Kenyan. You would probably sit at a red-light for up to five minutes at 2:00 in the morning even when it is obvious the light is broken, and you would then feel an extreme pang of guilt as you cautiously pulled through the empty intersection. Wouldn't you? Of course you would because your Mama taught you when you were three months old to obey the law of the land, and that tendency to follow the law has been even more firmly cemented within you by the social pressure to conform to the societal norms of other law-followers. Running red lights and cutting people off just isn't a cool thing to do in the US. Kenyans obey the laws, too, because an armed policeman will whack their car with a wooden stick if they don't. Traffic flows nicely as long as the guys with the sticks and guns are standing around. Otherwise, it's back to playing chicken.

Lord, I find no greater encouragement than in seeing you visibly present in other people. We walked through some very dark places today, where the Prince of the World has his way with your precious children, yet in Bruce and in Larry and in Hollye your light shines so clearly and so unmistakeably and pierces the darkness. Thank you for raising up heroes of faith to encourage us and guide us as we seek to know you more fully and to serve you more selflessly. Amen.