52 Weeks of Bloggin with a Purpose: Who I am

It's difficult to be faced with that question. At 23, a college graduate, working in an office job, I should have it figured out by now but I don't. Truth is most days it feels like I'm living in the "Who I'll be one day" phase rather than the "Who I Am Now".

Who I'll be one day is wife to an amazing man of God, mother to adorable kids. A daughter, a sister and an aunt. A sister-in-law, a daughter-in-law and a friend. Pastor in an amazing Church.

Who am I now? That's a tough one.

Well, I'm a writer and a blog designer. This is a newly-formed passion of mine. I've written all y life. In High school I was the annoying girl who did extra essays, compositions and book reports for my English teacher to grade. At some point I thought of that lady as my best friend! Yeah, I'm that girl who scribbled in her journal about boys and God and my future in somewhat equal measure.

I'm a singer and learner and lover of music. I sing at my Church worship team and I love it and it's something I want to pursue.

I'm daughter to an amazing mom, sister to an amazing sister and auntie to a bunch of amazing kids

I'm friend to amazing friends and I love each of them dearly.

I'm many things, but mostly I'm a daughter of God. Beloved, treasured, fought for and won, delivered, redeemed, restored and all those many words that mean, God, creator of the universe loves me and gave Himself for me and for my freedom. His love and grace overwhelms me.

I'm a person learning what it means to walk forgiven and what it means to be redeemed. I'm many things but one thing. Does that make sense?

Of Weddings & Such :: Kenyan Wedding Photographers

Source: benkiruthi.com via Joanne Furaha on Pinterest

I have to break my wedding silence by writing about this photographer...my dream photographer when I have my future wedding here in Nairobi. I have to say I've been a fan from the beginning and I've seen his business and talent grow by leaps and bounds; this is both a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because by the time this single girl finds her one and plans to get hitched, my dream photographer will probably be one of the best in Africa; a bad thing becasue there goes my wedding budget! Either way, this quality is worth it.

Who is it I'm raving about?

Why, Kenyan Wedding Photographer Ben Kiruthi of course!

This is my favorite wedding Number 1, this is my Number 2. Check them out and tell them if you won't rush to book him before I do :-)


xx
Jo

Miracles & Counting the Cost

John 2:1-11

Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” Jesus replied, “Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.”

His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the water jars with water.” So they filled them up to the very top. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the head steward,” and they did.

When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!”
 

Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

I find it awesome that the God who said, "don't build a house without counting the cost", is the same God who re-filled the vats of wine at this wedding. I don't know much about planning a wedding, but from all the shows I've watched I know one of the 1st questions your planner or your caterer asks you is, "How many guests are you expecting?" Then they work depending on your answer.


Now, maybe this couple did do that and did do the work, made a proper guest list, but people ended up thirstier than expected. Maybe people brought their friends along; or uninvited guest just showed up. In any case, there was no wine left.


Think about all the times when we've said yes to God and pledged to do one thing or another for His sake with 100% intentions to do it, but life gets in the way. You get sick, you get lazy, you didn't really sit down and plan every detail perfectly, what happens then? We can learn a lot about the gracious nature of God and how He wants to be involved in every tiny detail through this story.

• There was someone outside this situation seeking Jesus on behalf of the couple. I know there's a lot in my life that can be attributed to my mom and my grandma and the rest of my family praying for me. Times when I couldn't pray for myself and I put myself in danger but somehow survived or times when I could have been going through something but miraculously I'm not. This is on us, to keep our friends and families and better yet, total strangers in our prayers because someone somewhere is doing the same for us. Seeking God for you on behalf of something you're not even aware of! The steady insistence and the faith that Mary had that even if He walked away and seemed bothered, Jesus would do what she asked Him to was the force that pushed this miracle to be done. The fact that this was the 1st of Jesus' miracles goes to show this is something we could all learn from.
• Someone has to do the work. You have to have a workable plan. You see, the wine did run out, but they had six stone water jars which Jesus could refill. We need to walk into situations with a heart totally open to God. We need to make enough room for Him to fill us up. This could be stuff like staying consistent with feeding yourself in the word and quiet time and going to Church and so on. The well will run dry sometimes, but as long as it's open to the rain, it can get full again! You have to do the work: if you're looking for a miracle regarding your job, be the best employee there. If you're looking for a marriage mate, become a perfect marriage mate yourself. Whatever it is, do the work, start working on your plan.
• Jesus is so gracious. He didn't go to the couple and say, "Why didn't you plan your wedding better? Why didn't you order enough wine? How does one even throw a party without a good plan?!" He didn't reprimand, He came in and gave them wine that was even better than what they had before. God comes in where we fall short and makes all things new and better. We sing this song at Church, "You latter will be greater than your past, you will be blessed, more than you could ask. Despite all that has been done, the best is yet to come All things are possible,the best is yet to come, the soon is soon to come."

So, I hope this encourages you as much as it has me.

xx
Jo

My Family from Other Mothers - Worship Team

We had our Worship Team auditions yesterday. Everybody has to audition. Even if you've been in the worship team for 5 years, you have to re-audition every year; which I think is cool, it's something to look forward to and to display growth and get feedback.

Well, apart from us "oldies" (I love saying that, since I was a "newbie" for so long, we had a few fresh faces come in and it reminded me of myself - how nervous I was, how I was hoping to be perfect and was disappointed when I wasn't, having guys speak some sort of 'secret language' about chords and key changes, to be honest, I have no idea what a lot of that music talk is about :-)

So with all this, I'm reflecting on how AMAZING the past year serving with these guys has been. My team pictured here - I tell them all the time, they changed my life. I found another family here and even when it's not my team serving, seeing these other guys on stage, I feel so proud to know them, to know how hard they work and how much they love doing what they're doing! So, if you want to join a worship team, or any Ministry team, DO IT! Then show up. It's a humbling experience but you have to stick to it because the best is yet to come.

I thought I'd post today on what I wrote in my journal after my first time on stage, it was a Worship Night I think in September or October last year, I can't remember. Anyway, be encouraged.

ALL PHOTOS BY SHUTTERDIPLOMACY.COM
More Here and Here

OK, first time on stage:

Not so great parts:

Very nervous!

Blanked for a second in the song “make me over”

Forgot some lyrics here and there

Had a hard time harmonizing on some songs so I jumped back and forth between soprano and alto.

My voice is shot! Doubt I’ll be speaking tomorrow.

Band was confusing. Guitar amp was all over the place, some songs we were at the chorus and the band was at the verse, but we soldiered on.

Best parts:

Sung some songs really well

Lots of people came forward for the alter call

Crowd was singing along and seemed somehow into it

Personally, God just jazzed me at the alter call time because I started having these thoughts in my head like, “People are bored and disconnected” etc, and then all of a sudden these people walk up and God is just like, “Jo, this is not about you! I desire to connect with my people more than you desire for me to connect with them.” So, despite my best efforts, it’s not about the worship leader releasing encounters, it’s God.

There were times I really felt the presence of God in me, but at the same time there were many distractions. Like you have to look at the atmosphere in the church, look at what the leader is signaling, listen to what the harmonies are and if you’re ok… I mean, it’s a lot of stuff outside then trying to lay all that aside for what’s inside. It’s tricky, but what I’m telling myself is Jenn Johnson led worship since she was a kid, it’s taken a lot of things - time included to get those guys to where they are.

Now I have a funny story about my first time on stage. I blanked for a whole chorus just staring into space with the mic held off to the side.

:-)

The Rejection "Anti"-Rainbow :: Dealing With Rejection

Rejection isn’t a new concept to me. It’s a mountain I’ve had to walk around regularly for most of my life. When I was a kid, I’d struggle to get in the popular groups in school so I wouldn’t be rejected. I was rejected in the process – popular girls do not give you an easy time when you try and break through their circles - but I thought, if I only make it across that finish line, I’ll be fine. 

In High School, the popular crowd had a name and an actual club. Have you heard of the St. John’s ambulance cadets? Well in my boarding girls-only High School, we sure had, and almost every girl on campus wanted to join it. We used to wear special uniforms and march around the quad singing songs and having fun, it was just a fun crowd. This was good for me because admission was best on how well you grasped first aid techniques so it wasn’t a popularity test as such. Again, seeking to be in the most popular group in school, I sacrificed studying for Chemistry or Biology or whatever and I’d give all that time to learning the First Aid manual and what to do in case of an emergency because those are the tests you had to pass.

Let’s not even begin to unpack the mountains of rejection I’ve had to face out of High School and into the real world. The friends who edge you out, the relationships that leave your heart wounded the job applications you never got a reply to and all that’s yet to come.

When you want something, when you really want something and you’ve been waiting a long time to get it, then suddenly the stars align and it seems that your dreams could actually be a reality or that things are working out in the direction you wanted, it’s exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time.

You move from a place of anticipation to excitement to intense vulnerability because you know things could go either way. You sit in vulnerability for a while, then with the passage of time, you slowly inch toward acceptance. This is it. This is real. This is happening. // All of a sudden the ground shifts beneath you realize the other person hadn’t really been moving through the phases like you had, you aren’t on the same page as that person you thought you could spend the rest of your life with and you watch as they walk off into the sunset with a piece of your heart or your job doesn’t have room for you anymore and you have to pack up that little brown box and make room for someone else. 

Rejection stinks.

Rejection hurts.

Sometimes it is what it is. There’s no happy reconciliation at the end of the break, there’s no hero coming back to reclaim his lost treasure. It’s just over.

This is the point where we need to remind ourselves the power of redemption. That God can breathe back new life where death once existed. That God can turn this nasty battle into a story of hope. That at the end of every death, there’s always a resurrection of some sort. I know that’s not what you want to hear. You want to hear tips for avoiding the death in the first place, I wish it did, but it doesn’t exist. What we do have is God’s call to us that we don’t have to circle the mountain of rejection looking for a cave of acceptance once in a while where we can set down our luggage and rest for a while, only to discover the walls caving in after you've barely settled in.

God is our resurrection and our hope. Christ sits at the throne over every area of our life. He’s calling us to head north and stop circling the mountain.

Head to Him for your acceptance

Head to Him for your reliance

Head to Him for your home

He is the reminder that rejection from man isn’t rejection from God or from His plans for you. His plans for you DON’T rest on another person’s plans with you. Yes, He does bring some powerful partnerships in your life, but at the end of the day, He has plans just for them just as He has plans just for YOU.

One day, we’ll look at this beautiful tapestry of our lives that He’s weaving together and realize that it all made sense.

RESOURCES

 

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Confessional Friday

I'm linking up today at A Blonde Ambition because I have plenty of things to confess!

I confess that I can't wear this red lipstick out of the house, it feels a little..."gaudy" to me.

I confess that I doubt I'll ever live alone again. When I get home after a long day what I need the most is to see familiar faces around me!

I confess that I love blog design and might see where that adventure takes me.

I  confess that I'm nervous bout my interviews later this month seeing as it determines a huge chunk of my future!

I confess that I am searching high and low for a leather jacket like this:

Source: coggles.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

And leather leggings like this...

Source: fashforfashion.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

That's it for now. If I bear my heart anymore, I might scare a few people away!

Real Estate Investments Trust (REITS) - an investment opportunity for every Kenyan

I wrote this for Dream Properties Ltd, website first published on 5 June 2013

 

Good news for those of us who've been trying to get a foot in the door in the Real Estate Market. With good reason too; Kenya's property values are on an upward trend towards becoming among the best in the world. Interest rates for developments are on the high, rents have increased by as much as 3.8% and there's still room for growth as the middle class increases and the lower segment seeks better housing.

 

Investing in income-generating real estate can be a great way to increase your net worth. In come REITs, (pronounced:reets) or Real Estate Investment Trusts. Simply put, REITs are corporations that own and manage a portfolio of real estate properties and mortgages. Anyone can buy shares in a publicly traded REIT. Trading will be regulated by the CMA (Capital Markets Authority). They offer the benefits of real estate ownership without the headaches or expense of being a landlord or property developer.

 

The CMA has been pushing for establishment of public REITs in Kenya for years and we might see this come to fruition, following in the footsteps of South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria in the African Market.

Why Should You Be Excited?

• The biggest advantage of REITs is that they are exempt from Double Taxation: no corporation tax, no VAT on rental income or on professional services, no capital gains tax, no stamp duty on purchase/sale/transfer of properties and no income tax. The only tax burden will be withholding tax on interest income and dividends. But, of course we'll see early on if the CMA ensures the KRA sticks to these incentives.
• Another is REITs will enable mobilizaton of savings from individuals and groups, i.e. you as an individual can invest sums as low as Ksh. 5000 depneding on the structure of the REIT ofcourse and your chama can invest even larger than that.
• Developers will be able to go to the CMA for funding which means lower interest rates for developments i.e lower mortgage rates for you as a buyer after banks follow suit and review their rates downwards.
• Liquidity; unlike actual real estate property, these shares can be quickly and easily sold.
• Diversity; because you're investing in a portfolio of properties rather than a single building, you face less financial risk.

Types of REITs

There are different types of REITs:

Equity REITs purchase, own and manage income-producing real estate properties such as apartments, malls and office buildings. Equity REITs are different from typical real estate developers because they purchase or develop real estate to operate it as part of their portfolios instead of developing it for resale. Equity REITs are considered superior for the long-term investing because they earn dividends from rental income as well as capital gains from the sale of properties.

Income REITs primarily owns properties that are net leased to single tenants.

 

Mortgage REITs loan money for mortgages to real estate owners or purchase existing mortgages or mortgage-backed securities. Their revenue is generated primarily by the interest that they earn on the mortgage loans. Mortgage REITs react more quickly to changes in interest rates than equity REITs because their dividends come from interest payments.

 

Development REITs specialised in producing more Residential Properties that are in short supply.

 

Hybrid REITs are a combination of two types of REITs (Income and Development or Equity and Mortgage). They both own property and make loans to real estate owners and operators. Hybrid REITs earn money through a combination of rents and interest.

The proposed framework in Kenya is to use the Hybrid model which comprises of Income REITs and Development REITs.

Expected Structure of REITs

Each country has it's own framework by which REITs are operated, what we expect in Kenya (subject to change) is:

• Listing on the NSE as close-ended trusts. (Closed-end, it can only issue shares to the public once and can only issue additional shares, which dilutes the stock, if current shareholders approve it. Open-ended REITs can issue new shares and redeem shares at any time.)Development property should be restricted to 15% of the REIT value, this helps restrict the risk that coomes with developing property.
• Majority ownership will be allowed up to 50% for the primary sponsor. All other investors stake should be restricted to a maximum of 25%
• A minimum of 100 shareholders will be required for a publicly listed REIT to help ensure liquidity.
• 90% of the income shouldbe distributed to shareholders as dividends
• The CMA is also expected to set the minimium value of a publicly listed REIT to Ksh. 50M for low-medium cost housing and Ksh. 500M for high-end housing/non-residential properties.

As a smart investor you need to check out a few things before jumping in on the bandwagon:

• The area of the investment: some things just won't work, like building a high-end mall in a low-income area, so be smart, consider the demographics.
• Remember past performance is no guarantee of future performance, so look past initial dividend payments. At the end of the day, investing is still risky business, it could go up, it could go down.
• Be wary of high yields. If there have been excessive capital gain distributions, this can be a sign that the income is coming from nonrecurring events and will not continue for long. Make sure the REIT is not selling off properties to provide income, because future rental income will be affected.
• Consider what you're looking for; REITs can provide both current income and long-term opportunities.
• Due diligence checks including checking out the REIT's management, professionalism, integrity etc.
  

So, eager investors, keep your eyes out for this, it might just prove to be a great opportunity.