Our Kenya team has been home for 1 week. Jet lag has passed and our lives have returned to the routines we left just 3 short weeks ago. We were in Kenya for just 10 days. Ten days that changed our hearts forever! Today I share highlights from the team.
Going to Kenya always changes me. In some fashion or another- and I pray God continues to allow me to go back to Kenya more and more so He can continue to change me.
This trip was special in a lot of ways- one of them was that I got to visit with a student from Vipingo, Salome. I met Salome on my first trip to Kenya in 2015, and we formed a special bond. Our family has prayed for her, her family and her schooling. She is a hardworking girl that we are really proud of. This year my husband and I got to visit her in her home. We were able to meet her mother, grandfather, grandmother and siblings. We had the opportunity to pray with them, and just do a little bit of life with them. Seth was able to speak into how proud we are of her, and that they are in our hearts always. It was an experience we’ll never forget.
Home visits are just one of the amazing ways that we get to do ministry here in Kenya. If you get the opportunity- go. You won’t regret a single second, a single dollar- you just won’t. - Ashlyn
Something that sticks out to me is spending some quality time with my sponsored child, Jemmimah. She was among the Vipingo Class 8 graduating class and we spent time at City Mall. Being able to see the students decide how to spend the money they had was great. Most bought something that they could share with their families and were very discrete as to what they chose. It was sad knowing that Jemmimah would no longer be associated with Fox River because she, among a large group of graduates, are headed to a national school.
I can’t talk about Kenya without talking about one of my favorite places which provided a number of highlights. Sahajanand, the special needs home/school provided some great hugs and many, many smiles! I was able to spend time with my beloved Jimmy. On our second day at the center, JoAnn and I were able to introduce some of the supplies that she had brought to the children and their Physical Therapist.
My observation of God’s greatest impact came from a conversation I had with a high school graduate, Martin. He so perfectly exemplified the results of our efforts with these children. He is a God loving, joyous and incredibly grateful young man. These children are given a rare opportunity to know God and receive an exceptional education. Chatting with these students brings such warmth to my heart. We see so many young people on the streets and in the villages who have not had the opportunity that our students have had. - Barb
"When all you have is nothing, there's a lot to go around" is the song quote (from the 1998 movie 'The Prince of Egypt') that crossed my mind during this, my first visit to Kenya. The children, adults, teachers, and parents are blessed with the culture that both welcomes generosity and genuinely strives to provide the best for their visitors. The fact that they have much less than I do does not hinder this action - rather, they prefer sharing what little they have over being aloof and indifferent towards their guests. The level of comfort and gratefulness I experienced from nearly everyone I crossed paths with - people I had never met before and possibly, though realistically, never see again - is a notion that I never thought to experience while there but will without a doubt follow me for the rest of my life. -Ami
The main purpose of my trip to Kenya, was to attend the Valerye McMillan High School graduation of Julius, as part of the 1st graduating high school class sponsored by Fox River, and the 8th grade graduation of Saida, from New Life Academy in Bomani. Both events were not only a highlight of my journey, but will be lifelong memories of pride and joy for what these two have accomplished in spite of the obstacles that living in a poverty stricken third world environment can present every single day. To add even more joy to my heart was having my daughter Ami accompany me, to meet her Kenyan brother and sister and experience the same love and joy she has heard so much about for the past 9 years during which I have sponsored Julius and Saida. God also blessed this trip with a team of people that truly had a "team heart" for each and every person, the support and encouragement of your team members is a vital component to the experience and this team was indeed open to the Holy Spirit's guidance in both prayer and action with one another. If you aren't sponsoring a child yet, please consider doing so, you truly will change a child's life. - Jan
As I wake up in my own home and reflect on the 11 nights that I slept in Kenya, it amazes me how much I take for granted. We had most of the conveniences of home for those 11 nights, but I got the opportunity to see 3 of the kids’ we sponsor homes and it was humbling. Two of them lived in a community of mud huts surrounded by extended family and one lived in a rented cement room about the size of my bathroom I think. Five people slept in two beds in that tiny room. And. They. Were. Happy. They were grateful. It was hot (I mean really, really hot) and not private at all and they were happy to show us around. One young gentleman was going to inherit his grandmother’s hut soon and he was telling us his plans to work hard and do the work on it that it needed and make it his own. He was so proud! My big takeaway from this is: Family. Family is important. We should build each other up and do what love requires of us in the moment to do for our family – blood family and God’s family.
As I’ve been home these few days and thinking about how even small things have a huge impact on people and then attending the celebration of life for a friend who was all about serving others, it seems clear to me that we all can do something to show the love of Jesus. (Matthew 25:40) My friend, JoAnn, had a vision to get supplies to Sahajanand Special Needs School while we were in Kenya and she did it. It was such a joy to see the impact of that. My takeaway from this: Do for one what you wish you could do for many. It does make a difference. I’m grateful for my time in Kenya. I pray that my life will be different because of it. -Brenda
