High School Kenya Trip

Web Kenya Walking

Day 9

All

Today was our last day in Maasai Mara. Please pray for our team as we begin our journey back home!

-Team

 

Day 8

Matthew
The experience you have when visiting Kenya is something that is unbelievable and absolutely life-changing. I am very lucky to have been to many different countries and examine many different cultures and people. I’m even luckier to be able to experience both the amazing Kenyan culture and Kenyan people. I can say that out of all of the places I’ve been, Kenya seems to be the most warm and welcoming place I’ve ever been. The real beauty of Kenya in my personal opinion truly comes from all of the beautiful people who reside in this wonderful country. They are some of the most welcoming and friendly people you will ever meet on the face of this Earth and will always put others before themselves which is an amazing. Wherever and everywhere we went, we were greeted by smiling faces and waving hands by complete strangers, which truly just showcases the great love and joy that the people share with each other. From this experience, I feel that this will completely change the way I feel as well as interact with others forever, in the sense of where I will always be as open and welcoming as I can possibly be. Our experience today alone was one of the best I’ve ever had in my life. The absolute gorgeous landscape of Kenya was already enough to leave me with an incredible showcase of God’s creation but that’s without even mentioning of all of the animals that we had seen. Being able to get up close to all of these animals and seeing them in their natural habitat allowed me to have stories and memories to be able to share and cherish with friends and family as well as even those amazing people I shared these experiences with on this trip. My personal adventure I had with all of the people in my safari car as well as our incredible driver Dominic, was the best it could’ve possibly been. Dominic was hilarious and definitely the best driver in Kenya and proved it by always being in front of all the other cars and speeding up if we told him too and just giving us an incredible time together. My favorite parts of our safari was also making jokes with Mr. Blalock and the others in our car and laughing and loving every single moment we had on the safari. We even wrote a song together as we were on our safari, which might seem ridiculous but we really did write a song which is really a testimony to how much fun we had and how close we all got just from one single day out on safari. Overall, my personal experience in Kenya was one of the best I’ve ever had out of the entirety of my life and I really hope to come back someday because there is truly no place like Kenya on Earth.
-Matthew G

Day 7

Colson and Liam
Kenya is not a place that can be explained in words. The experiences made here and the feelings that come from them are only fully understood by those experiencing them. But it would be selfish of me not to share what I have seen on this trip, or to not try my hardest to make others understand the spiritual wealth on this side of the planet. Missions of Hope International (MOHI) is not only an organization that teaches children-it teaches children and adults how to be community changers, life changers and world changers. How? It can’t be taught simply by talking or reading, but it is taught by demonstration. Every minute of every day the love of God is demonstrated to the kids by the teachers, helpers and social workers. It doesn’t take a visitor like me to realize the genuine hearts that all the workers at MOHI have. Being able to do VBS alongside many of them is a true blessing. The teachers are not the only ones who taught me something-I have pure joy demonstrated to me every time I have the opportunity to look at one of the kids faces, and see that bright smile. Every time I talk to them and get to know them I see the fruit of what God has done through many many people here in Kenya. We are in the last few days of the trip and I already miss giving tons of chomas (high fives) to every kid who sees us. I will never forget them, or what God has done here.
-Colson A
Today we went on our first ride through the Masai Mara. We saw many amazing animals like giraffes, hippos, and wildebeests. I’ve never seen anywhere like this place. On the way back to the hotel today, we were blessed with rain and lightning. We also visited a Masai village. The people there were very friendly and showed us their homes and their way of life. It was very interesting to interact with people that live so differently from us.This trip has greatly expanded my perspective of the world. It is my first time outside of the states and I have learned so much. I am very glad I came on this trip.
-Liam B

Day 6

Faith and
Going into this trip, I had no idea what to expect. I saw pictures and heard stories, but not everyone has the same experiences. Though as a team we  prepared our VBS for weeks, there is no way we could have been prepared for the amount of love and joy the kids have for the Lord and us. No words can describe it. The past 8 days have honestly been some of the greatest days of my life. Though everyday we are tired from the day before, we never get tired of hearing those kids worship their Father. The kids, the staff, the team, all INCREDIBLE people. One thing we do as a team every morning is worship together. There is one song that I think captures Kenya very well, — “the atmosphere is changing now for the Spirit of the Lord is here, the evidence is all around, that the Spirit of the Lord is here.”
– Faith W

 

 

This trip has been an unforgettable and awesome experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my team as well as the many Kenyan people we have met along the way. The people here are so kind and I am grateful to have gotten to connect with them this week. We had our last day at Kiamaiko yesterday and it was so amazing. I befriended many young middle school girls who wanted to know all about me. They were so kind and welcoming. It was hard to leave them at the end of the day. Serving today at Joska was so much fun. I had the opportunity to distribute the snacks to hundreds of kids during the VBS and it was beautiful seeing their faces light up with joy and hearing them say “thank you” with a big smile. I truly believe that God used our performance of In Progress to speak to many of the students at Joska. It was a privilege to be able to serve and interact with them. I am so blessed to be able to be here.
– Briana B

 

Day 5

April and Becca

Leaving for Kenya, I had no idea what to expect. For the past four years I have been hearing all about it, and all I could imagine was what I’ve been told. That Kenya will “break your heart”, that it will be the “best experience of your life”, and that the children are “more joyful than most Americans”. All of this didn’t hit me until the moment I walked into Pangoni Center (one of the schools we served at). I was literally chased by children and all they wanted to do was hug me and call me beautiful. It was almost as if I was a celebrity, as they played with my hair and took pictures with me. After a long week of serving with children, I leave feeling one way and one way only: shocked. Why would such beautiful and loving children want to treat me so kindly? Why would such selfless and caring sweet little girls want to dance with me and braid my hair? Out of all people, why me? They are the most genuine, pure, innocent, and beautiful souls I have ever encountered in my life, and I almost feel unworthy of their time. You see, many people think of Kenya as some poor country that needs our help. We naturally think that us Americans are more privileged and we need to help them. Although this is true from a materialistic aspect, it’s incredibly false spiritually. WE are the ones who need help. WE are the ones who put ourselves before others. OUR culture needs fixing. We are the selfish ones. In the past week, I have learned more from six years olds than from any American I have ever encountered. America needs to learn from the Kenyan culture. We need to apply selflessness in everything we do and focus on what matters. I was heartbroken when I said bye to the kids, but I know in my heart that I will see them again.

My prayer is that I will come back to America and reflect everything I have learned in Kenya.

-April O.

 

The past three days of the trip we have been at Bethany school doing VBS with the kids. It was so much fun worshiping and dancing with them and seeing their beautiful smiles. Today I got to interact with the older kids and it was such an incredible experience. I had such amazing conversations and I got to show them some music. They were teaching me dances which was so fun. It was so interesting to learn about their culture and hear about the different experiences that they have had. I also met with some sponsor kids. Their names were, Sheril and Afiz. They are some of the sweetest kids I have ever met and loved every minute that I spent with them. While the people in Kenya may be very poor materialistic-wise, they are so rich with joy and God’s love and my perspective on life has been truly changed forever.
– Becca B

 

Day 4

Genesis and Valerie
Today was the second day of VBS with the kids from the Kiamaiko school. These kids may be living in the slums and have a hard home life, but they are they most selfless, kind, sweet, kids i’ve ever met. Every time the kids see us they just start waving at us and have the biggest smiles on their faces. During one of the rotations for VBS, we would all give high fives to the kids. Once, instead of a high five, this little girl came up to me and waited for me to finish giving high fives to the other kids and then she looked up at me for a second and said “I love you” and “you’re so beautiful” . Words can’t explain that feeling. One of the other rotations I was on was the craft team and we had the kids color a picture. One of the little girls I was coloring with started copying everything I put on my paper. She colored the same colors on the same spots and she even put my name on her paper. When we rotated again, a little group of 3 girls called another girl on the team and I over and we started talking to them and in only about 15 minutes we were able to build a bond with them.  The girls faces showed they were super happy and grateful.
-Genesis V.
I am beyond blessed and truly grateful to be able to celebrate my birthday in Kenya. It was such a blessing being able to be here for the past few days and I already don’t want to leave this place. The people here, although may be in the worst living conditions, they are so rich in Christ. Their love for Christ is just so unexplainable. They are filled with so much love and joy. That’s something we don’t see regularly but these kids are so sweet and filled with Christ. Today we did a VBS in Kiamaiko where we were split into 5 different teams. I was on the games team. We worked with 4th and 5th graders. Playing the games with these kids was so fun. There was this one girl in one of my rotations and she came up to me and called me beautiful. When that little girl little girl told me that I felt so loved by her and I barely meet her. These kids are so genuine and loving there is no words to describe it. In our 3 rotations of games, I met the cutest little girl named Chantel. Mr.Blalock was telling the kids how Jesus loves them. When she heard that, I told her “yes Jesus”, and when I told her that, her face lit up with so much joy. I felt so close and connected to this little girl even though I just met her. I am so grateful to have celebrated my birthday here in Kenya and it’s a memory that I would never forget. This has truly been the best birthday celebration that I’ve ever had. I want to thank my Kenya team and the Grace House for making this the best birthday ever!
– Valerie M

Day 3

Today was an absolutely incredible day full of so much joy. I never knew how much I missed Kenya until I got here and now that I’m here, I don’t want this experience to ever end. Today we met around a hundred kids and led them out in an all day Vacation Bible School. I had the amazing opportunity to lead our games with my best friend, Clarissa and my history facilitator, Mr. Blalock, as well as my friend Valerie. Although it was blazing hot and dust was getting into our eyes, the kids and their joyful energy and their immense love for Jesus made it all worth it. During games, I even saw my sponsor kid, Ivynne. She just kept hugging me and holding onto me. So I took her face in my hands and just looked at this beautiful face full of such innocence. She looked back up at me with these big eyes and huge smile. I can’t even express the amount of love I have for her even though I barely know her. One thing that impacts me greatly is seeing my sponsor kid in school and getting the education she needs and that she is being cared for. With just 38 dollars a month, my family and I are able to provide this young girl with food, water, and education. Seeing my kid having fun and staying healthy is an unexplainable feeling. I love her so much. Being in this beautiful country puts so much into perspective. I am so grateful for my life and to be able to come back and experience Kenya in a completely different way. God is so good.
-Illeleana F.
Today was day 1 of our VBS ministry and I worked alongside my best friend Illeleana . I had so much fun working games and coloring, though at times it was challenging because of the heat and all the dirt being blown in my face. It was worth it because I got to see smiles on all of their faces and their pure joy. One of my favorite parts was when me, Illeleana, Valerie, and Mr. Blalock walked out onto the field for our first rotation and all the kids just ran to us. It was like a stampede of 180 kids that just wanted to hug and love on us. It made me so happy and my heart full, because these kids don’t have the best home life and aren’t always guaranteed a meal, but you would never be able to tell because of the joy that radiates from them and their amazing grateful attitudes. Though they may not be wealthy in materialistic ways, it was quite obvious that they were rich in the Lord.
– Clarissa H

Day 2

Justin and Lilly

So far the trip has been life changing! Walking through the slums and seeing everyone waving at you and letting you hold their loved ones is an experience that cannot be explained. Today was different yet amazing. We didn’t play with kids or walk through the slums, but for the majority of the day we sanded and painted 4 classrooms. It was a lot more work than I thought and by half of our time painting, I was already exhausted. Even though my hair was knotted with oil based paint and my hands were numb from the sanding, I was happy. What made me happy was the team singing, working together and being extremely positive in every situation. What made me happy, was the teachers helping us and teaching us how to properly paint while the kids would occasionally poke their little heads in to see the progress. What really made me happy was the thought of all of the kids sitting in those newly painted classrooms that were no longer empty white rooms. Today was an amazing day and every day we spend here is a blessing.

-Justin O.

 

 

So far Kenya has been amazing and nothing like I had ever expected. The people here are so sweet and their hearts are just so welcoming. Meeting the people here and seeing the joy they have all of the time is so fulfilling. Yesterday, I had met my sponsor child for the first time and it was an experience that I will never forget. Seeing the big smile he had when he was walking over made me feel good inside. When I had given him my gifts he was so grateful and always thanked me. I feel very blessed to be able to support this little boy and watch him grow. Today we went to paint the classrooms at the school and it was so much fun. I had made connections with some of the workers helping us and it was really cool getting to know them. The longer I stay in Kenya, the more it makes me love it more and more. It is eye opening how selfless these people are. I hope everyone can feel the extreme amount of love that I felt from God and the people in Kenya from the past two days.
-Lilly G

Day 1

Connor and Ryan

Today was unbelievable! It was my first experience being in the slums of Kenya and can I just say there is nothing like it. I had three prominent experiences today where I saw the love of the Kenyan people. First, I had the opportunity to do a home visit and speak with a woman about her family. She had been in the slums for 22 years and wanted us to pray for her to get a better job so she could move her family to a better place. The second experience I had was with a little boy on the road of the slum. He came up to our group and gave everyone hugs but then he kept coming back to me for hugs! I realized how much love this little boy had for people he didn’t even know. Lastly, I got to meet with a sponsor child named Juma, he is 14 so he understood a lot and talked to me about some really tough stuff but he still was happy.

-Connor N.

 

March 11th, the day we began to really start learning and exploring Kenya. We went to Pangani Area 1 and it was a complete experience in of itself. We got the opportunity to walk into a woman’s home and really begin to see how harsh living in the slums could be. It was beyond humbling to see the conditions that this woman and her family were living in. From the tight alley way, to the open dirt floors and tight corridors that led us to the house to the small room, no real way for air other than the door, a few blankets and one singular light bulb. It was surreal. The thing I found to be the most impressive and humbling was the resources they used. They use anything and everything they can find, with sheet metal walls, a bottle cap in the stairs and pieces of broken concrete for flooring. It really shows how much everything here is worth along with the importance of all resources. When a truck pulled up and dumped loads of “trash” that the people of the slums scavenged through to enhance their homes, it really showed that they use everything here and that was unbelievably humbling.

– Ryan H