BEHIND THE SCENES

My friend, we all go through moments of anxiety, uncertainty, fear of unknown and challenges of life giving us a fix and making us feel like all forces of nature are working against us and ready to give us a technical knockout. Sometimes feeling as if life is pulling back a trigger aiming at our head ready to release. You may have a vision that is so clear that you are certain when you achieve it your life will take a complete turnaround but in between the present and the vision, issues, situations and disappointments seem to be ganging against your dream but God brings them so that you can learn lessons and acquire experiences that will be very key to achieving your visions effectively, He is working behind the scene on your favor. He is crafting and welding things together with your best interests at heart. Sometimes we feel like we are pressed against a rough wall and all hope is gone but later we come to say that God made a way, why? Because it was not a surprise to Him.

Every person regardless of tribe, race or gender go through situations at a point in life that are not pleasant and with no definite ending. We all go through things in life that we don’t understand, but did you know that God uses the dark places in our life as part of His divine plan? Do you know that God order our steps and destinies and behind the scene He knit things, experiences, divine connections and provisions to make us be what He wants us to be and where He wants us to be? Take a journey through the scriptures and see how many people who did anything great went through a dark place but developed new potential in that valley. All the celebrities in the bible had to go through some situations that later gave them the hero status. Looking at the lives of Joseph, David, Moses, Jesus, Paul, Abraham, Ruth among others when through the valley of darkness where God was preparing them for the task ahead. The dark places are where you really grow. Just like inside the womb where your body organs and systems are knitted together to make a human being that has five senses and operational organs. For a seed to germinate and grow, it has to be buried under the soil, ‘die’ and later shoot to become a magnificent plant. You are work in progress being prepared to shoot up.

For a case study to exist it has to face the test of time and later becomes a blue print and bench mark. When tough times come, they prepare you for the greatness ahead that other greats will look up to. Sometimes looking at the nature, some features are very captivating but when the government or an investor want to put up a structure or infrastructure there, the same rather beautiful ground on its comfort zone suffer massive breaking and excavation but the end product gives it worth, value and more recognition. Look at the Standard Gauge Railway, Thika Superhighway, Northern Corridor, Two Rivers Mall among other grounds that were calm in their comfort zone but later a time came when they had to go through a rough excavation to be the valuable structures they are today.

It is during that time of wilderness and darkness that God prepare you. That’s where your character is developed; that’s when you learn to trust, endure, to persevere, where your spiritual muscles are getting stronger. Just like the great national projects and us well just like how He dealt with the spiritual heroes who were there before us, these moments of excavation in our lives is because it is a huge project in his hands. Take a new look at facing dark times and discover the God-given growth and potential inside of you that you never knew you had as you learn about the plan and purpose of the valley and our trials. If these spiritual heroes did not go through these tough preparation times, they could not have acquired the status to appear in the good book-the bible.

My friend, you may be going through a situation in life that could be making you feel like God is so far from you, and, probably feeling like He is not fair with you. Just know that the situation is not meant to finish you but give you a great experience and testimony just like the experience David got when he faced the bear, the lion and goliath before being crowned the king. Our God is a God of abundance and His intentions for you are to make you prosper and live a hopeful, fruitful and victorious life. He is working behind the scene on your behalf and for your favor.

Every person in life always desires to do something that will make someone happy and be appreciated for a job well done. Unfortunately, most of us do not know how, when and what to do though we always have a lot of opportunities around to serve mankind. Sometimes God will prepare us for this using a very unfamiliar path for us to acquire crucial skills, experience and character for the tasks ahead. Later in the next chapters I will give a summary of my walk in this lifestyle of humanity and lifesaving; how God prepared me in the wilderness through the hardest experience to have compassion as my mission and service to mankind as a culture.

Am one of such who at an early age in primary school desired to do good to people more so to save lives and started as a scout. My desire was that one day I would become a doctor and save lives. I was brought up in a very poverty stricken family and had a humble background. I know what it means going to school in a torn short trouser exposing all your buttocks because your parents cannot afford a needle and knitting thread. I know how to go to school bare footed Monday to Friday and in church on Sunday because you do not have a shoe and the one available which is donated is a plastic/Sandak one and cannot fit your foot and causes injuries but is kept for Christmas. I know what it means sleeping hungry because the only little floor available is to cook some little porridge for the children. At Kamurunyu Primary School I survived by the grace of God. Most of the times after exams boys would fight something we called kufunga na wewe and because I was very weak because of malnutrition I lost all the fights including two cases when I fought with girls. I was also a stammerer and all these affected my self-esteem. My academic performance was seriously affected that I was appearing on the list from behind. After completing my primary school education, I didn’t get any form one admission as my performance did not qualify me to join any school and so my dream to continue with education was dimmed. Luckily a neighbor who was concerned tried to intervene and it is at this time I got a chance to join either Jemus academy or Bavuni Secondary School.

My parents didn’t have money to buy uniform and so I went around people’s maize farms collecting left over maize which is accidentally left after harvesting called Kereiyo. I managed to get few hundred shillings out of that and went to Wanguhu market where I managed to do some mix and match for school uniform.

I joined Bavuni secondary school in March and so I was behind the schedules and honestly I remember getting 0% in Mathematics, Physics and Biology. I was always the last person in class. Even fellow form ones took advantage of me and so anyone would bully me as I could not tell who was of my level and this really affected my self-esteem.

A lot of times I didn’t take breakfast at home because there was none and missed lunch in school because I didn’t have a meal card. It was not easy at all. As much as I can remember, the best I ever scored then in Physics was 16% and Mathematics 32%. For me to afford a meal, I would corporate with the kitchen staff to help in cleaning the big sufurias and fetch water from a nearby well and with this I could get a plate of left over meal after lunch and in the evening before going home.

I remember a gentleman called Ouko who was always on my side and as a prefect he intervened for me in a lot of ways. May God bless him wherever he is.

In pursuit of trying to be relevant in school, I joined a bad company of drug users and this is where my life started taking a twist. We could get out of the school compound through some panya routes and get involved in some petty crimes and gradually I graduated into a criminal. Today, eight members of the colleagues are no more. Two of them became touts and died in road accidents, one was found murdered along the road, two died of HIV, one committed suicide and the others died in unclear circumstances. I thank God am here to give the testimony.

I have worked as a casual worker in almost all the farms in Murunyu area. For us to be guaranteed of a meal, we had to be given maize, beans and potatoes by some families and in exchange my mother, brother and I would spend days in their farms cultivating their lands.

When I reached form two at Bavuni Secondary School in Nakuru, I was discontinued because of lack of school fees, poor performance and engaging in drugs. My academic performance was also poor as I was always the last person in class. Later I became a street boy for four years in Nakuru town. When I joined the streets, I was trying to learn by the game and very fast I got to serious crimes. An aunt who was selling tomatoes there tried her level best to tame me by involving me in business but I was untamable.

Clubs like Coco Savanah, Taidy’s and Dimples were my den every Wednesday (Ladies night), Friday night and on Sunday Jam session and with time my life was corrupted. Because of drug use and a careless attitude my life seriously changed and I started robbery, pickpocketing and other serious crimes. Am sorry for all the people I robbed off their phones, money and properties.

It is at the streets that I learnt the value of humanity through being compelled to attend to many injured colleagues (street families-Chokoras) and sometimes other people either involved in hit and run Road traffic accidents, mugged, assaulted, gunshot wounds etc. This made me desire more to be an emergency doctor as I was handling a lot of very severe cases.

Later after the four years, on 3rd August 2003 a guy by the name Joseph Maina invited me to Deliverance Church Murunyu promising me that there were beautiful girls there and so that morning I showed up with a motive to get a girl for myself. The sermon then was from Isaiah60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.…Rev Elijah Maina Mwangi really by the help of the holy spirit shared about second chance and how my life would turn around and so my time to arise and shine came. I gave my life to Christ that day and my perspective of life changed.

I connected with friends like Mash, Dadson, Mose, Martin, Mum Mama Kiarie among others and they helped me grow spiritually. I went through new converts class, baptism class and was later baptized and filled with the holy spirit and now there was a new me, with a changed perspective, mindset and elevated faith.

I knew I was now a new person and committed to be a man of faith and one thing that I purposed to do was go back to school and pursue my dreams.

Salvation really changed my life and my faith elevated. When I made the decision to go to school, I reconciled with my parents, shaved the deadlocks, set my mind ready for school. My parents were still not able to pay school fees and so I had to do some manual work, saved five thousand Kenya shillings which I used three thousands to buy uniform and left with two thousand to enroll with.

Let me share with you how faith operated. I made a decision to join Anestar School in form two bearing in mind I had left school four years ago just after form one and was from the streets and so it was not obvious any institution would accept me. I bought the school’s uniform and told my parents that I would be joining it and this time I had not even made an inquiry at the school. I went to the School and met the Madam Principal and after sharing my story she allowed me to join the school, in form two, without even sitting for an interview. That was a miracle. I paid the two thousand shillings that I had and left the rest to God.

Few people who knew me were amazed by how this criminal changed all over sudden and went back to school and rumors spread around the school of my life and all students would stare at me wondering what the hell I was doing there.

Just to take you back: The best Physics score I ever got was 16%, Mathematics 32% and Biology 24%, went to the street, had my head get intoxicated with drugs, sniffing glue, crime et cetera… you can guess what was waiting ahead but the hand of God was in control. That is where I started and every term I improved. I started from grade D Minus in first term and all the way upto form four and in the last Secondary School Exam – KCSE I scored A Minus and was the fourth best student. Look at this hand of God at work; All my life I was always the last person in class academically, went to the streets thus this would cause more effect on my literacy level but later God turns it around and am admitted at a public university to study pure Economics.

It is at Anestar School where I met some great people who inspired me and planted the seed of compassion in me. Later I became a school teacher before joining the University and again here I dealt with a lot of cases including dormitories on fire, road accidents, medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, Asthma et cetera. My desire to learn First Aid and Fire Safety was stirred up.

When I joined Moi university, I joined clubs like St John Ambulance, Counseling club, Karate club, Environmental club, St John Ambulance, Redcross and Christian union and all these touches lives in a way. I was immediately nominated by Kenya Redcross Moi University chapter to be the training coordinator where I was in charge of all trainings like induction, First Aid, blood drive, humanitarian training, Disaster Management, HIV and Aids etc. St John Ambulance also appointed me as a Sergeant in the brigade wing and within months I became the regions Divisional Superintendent. It is here where I met very influential people like Abbas Gullet the Kenya Redcross Secretary General, Mr Joe Wangendo the Founder and Executive Director of Blood link who later became my boss amongst others who are my closest mentors even today. It is in Moi University that I pursued advanced emergency response courses, ILS, ICS, Disaster Management, Fire Safety and later Training of Trainers with St John Ambulance Sommerset United Kingdom and became an approved trainer and due to that I had trained 10,000 people by end of 2014 and responded to a minimum of 127 recorded incidents and received an award from the deputy president Mr. William Ruto.

My first major employer was St John Ambulance as a first aid trainer where within three years I was promoted from trainer, training and development officer, assistant training manager and later Training manager. As a Training manager I organized and conducted hundreds of trainings in East Africa and was also part of government committees designing several policies like the EMS, MCI, Fire and Disaster Management plan also participated in designing the Machakos County Emergency Response plan and Training needs assessment for the county and the Kenyatta National Hospital Disaster Response plan. All police at Kiganjo Police Training College and General Service Unit (GSU) had their First Aid Certificate signed by me and had other great powers and privileges.

I have also been hosted by several media stations such as QTV, Inooro, Family Tv, Hope Tv et cetera to discuss about safety. I have participated in different safety competitions and won, I have nurtured young emergency medical responders like Brian Ochieng who was with a patient in an ambulance for 18hours, Brian Beuttah who was the best EMT in kenya in 2014, Sam Okello who is one of the best Emt and trainer amongst others. I have trained the military, presidential escorts, GSU, Recce group , Fire brigade first aiders et cetera. I have conducted safety advisory to companies like Delloitte, Crown paints, Brookside Ltd, Kapa Oils, Kenha, Central Bank, KPA, KRA, Safari Park Hotel Villa Rosa Kempiski, Alexander Forbes, USIU, Kenya Utalii College amongst others. When I got my first employment, I purposed that I would either work for three years or train 10,000 people whichever will come first then resign to start my own life changing initiatives and within three years I had achieved both and thus I resigned and went to self-employment. Note, I was a street boy for four years, born a stammerer and was always the last student in class, and within few years all these changes had happened in my life.

I started an initiative called Makinika Afrika doing free safety awareness through social media campaign, written articles, schools and church visits and in public places. We encourage young people to take part in humanity activities more so through the skills, talents, abilities and opportunities they have. The name Ambassador came from the First lady Margret Kenyatta and other people who found me very passionate doing free bodaboda road safety awareness, schools safety awareness and in social media. I started the first World safety day event and World first aid day events in Kenya and this far am proud of the growth and commitment of different institutions towards these events. Am an Ambassador of Safety and Wellness. You can follow me on twitter via @AmbSteveMbugua or @makinika_afrika for daily safety awareness campaign. Makinika Afrika has trained thousands of people in the country on different safety areas, has given opportunities to a number of trainers and health consultants, launched online safety training portal as well as having regular training sessions at Inooro TV Ndagitari show, Family TV Family Health program amongst other media stations. Remember am not a trained medical doctor but a trained economist who had a passion to save lives and build a culture of safety and wellness and behind the scene God orchestrated things, people, events and opportunities that made the dream come true. Today I have responded to more than 200 major emergencies in the country, done a research on Factors that affects effective Fire incidents response in Kenya slums that later led to the Africa Fire mission team from America coming to Kenya to support Fire teams as well as Reasons why First Aid should be introduced in the Kenya primary school curriculum that connected me to the Kenya first lady and senior education experts. Later I launched the Nairobi Safety Shop which is a one stop safety shop, the largest in Africa that provides solutions to all safety equipment and systems amongst other initiatives and programs. God allowed me to the streets to learn the value of humanity and service to mankind, allowed me to become a primary school teacher after form four before joining campus which helped me to become an effective instructor later, allowed me to join Kenya Redcross and St John Ambulance as a volunteer where I developed the passion, experience and exposure to help me become an Ambassador of Safety and wellness. All that time I was work in progress and the chief master planner was connecting the dots behind the scene.

Our God is an extra ordinary master and even when we see like our lives amount to nothing just like how Joseph would have felt when he was thrown in the pit and also put in prison, He provides enough grace and behind the scene He craft everything to work together for good to be what He created us to be and serve His purpose. Don’t fear when you see like part of your life has a state of inadequacy. Joseph could have felt the same when he was thrown into a pit and prison but he was focused unto his dream and he was diligent wherever he found himself. There was sufficient grace for all the circumstances he found himself in and the hand of God was with him, he was work in progress. God was all that time preparing him for the tasks ahead in an extra ordinary way. God doesn’t provide almost enough, maybe enough or barely enough. He provides more than enough in every area of our lives. Enough grace, enough mercies, enough of His presence. With God, there is no such thing as wasted time or opportunity. God does not waste an introduction neither does He waste an experience. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the lives of others and He will use you. Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. He sees the end from the beginning and He gives us what we need to get what we want.

Whatever you are going through is not a surprise to God. You are work in progress and God is working behind the scene on your case and setting up your stage for crowning. Keep moving, Keep soaring, Keep shining, Keep rising!