On April 4th I received a letter from Adam Gould, the Executive Director of eduKenya, offering me the position as Director of Communications on the eduKenya team. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and incredibly excited to be a part of this movement. Over the next few weeks Abby (our new US Director of Development) and I sat with Adam as he shared all about eduKenya, from the very beginning to now and every detail in between. We learned about how eduKenya came to be, and about all the ways God has worked in the lives of our staff and students over the last twelve years.There were multiple times that tears welled up in our eyes as we felt the joy of the Lord through people we hadn’t even met. Unfortunately, tears also fell from our faces not because of joy, but because of heartbreak. Even though we were thousands of miles away, the poverty that 600,000 people face every day in Mathare hit home in our hearts.After over 24 hours of travel, Abby, Hillary and I woke up in Nairobi, Kenya on May 28th. Hillary joined us on the Vision Trip on behalf of Southpointe Community Church in Nolensville, Tennessee. Nerves quickly subsided as the plane landed in Kenya and the first of many welcoming faces brought us through the heart of the city to where we stayed. The next morning excitement flooded the breakfast table, the first of many mornings that would end in a trip of "indescribable wonder".

The photos above are courtesy of Hoffer Photography, our friends who came to Kenya a couple months before our vision trip and beautifully captured with a camera what we had the opportunity to see in person. Photos are worth millions of words and even stories, but they still don’t compare to experiencing it for yourself.

Our days in Mathare were spent meeting the people in the community and the eduKenya team. We met teachers who exude passion for what they do. We met young students who blew us away with their kindness, respect and intelligence. On our last day we were invited into three different homes in Mathare by mothers who have students in the Mawewa school. They all shared with us how much of a blessing the Mawewa school is. We also had the opportunity to pray over them for God’s provision and protection over their families.During two days at the boarding high school in Wote, Kenya, we spent the majority of our time with the students. We watched their faces light up as they shared about their dreams, aspirations and how they want to make a difference in the world, starting in Mathare. In those moments I realized that they, unlike the thousands of children in Mathare not receiving an education, will actually get the opportunity to make their dreams a reality because of eduKenya. These young adults are being transformed to believe that they CAN, whatever they dream, they can accomplish it. Even as adults we were all encouraged by their motivation, discipline, drive, and joy for life.On a vision trip you get to be up close and personal with the lives being impacted and then decide for yourself if eduKenya is making a difference and offering life changing opportunity. If you’re interested in meeting the incredible people of eduKenya for yourself, experience what a day in Mathare is like, and see with your own eyes the lasting impact this organization is making, visit the Vision Trips page on our website to learn more!