In preparation for this trip, I didn’t take it too seriously until we started our d-groups. When we first got into our d-groups, our leader Tyler made sure we were going to take this seriously. He wanted to ensure that we would make our lives worthy of the kingdom and always bring it BOLD. To bring it BOLD meant we needed to stand out from the rest. This made it easier to take things more seriously and become a leader to people in the church and those I interact with.
One hardship I faced was with some friends constantly telling me there was no point in going on this trip because I would be suffering. But I didn’t listen to them because it didn’t matter what they thought. I had the Lord’s calling and enough support from family, teachers, and pastors. Another hardship was with my sport, as I would be missing the whole week of summer practices, but I thought the Lord was more important.
When we first landed, we were all super exhausted, yet excited to finally be there. After a year of anticipation about where we were going and waiting for the day to come, my experience with the trip was amazing. Seeing all these kids coming to know Christ, even when some raised their hands just because their friends did, I knew that a seed was planted.
My favorite day of the trip was day four because we packed food for families that rely on these packages and met kids our age to bond with. After that, we went to the giraffe center and fed them. Then, the guys and girls split up, with the guys going to an all-boys boarding school and the girls returning to the ministry center. Unfortunately, on the way to the school, our bus got into an accident, but thankfully we were all okay. At the school, we bonded over sports and had meaningful conversations. Before our interactions, Eli told us their spirits were down because one of their classmates had taken his life a couple of weeks prior. Our main focus was that God’s love is incredible. We talked with a student who told us the kid was not fitting in because of his choices. We told them we need to love everyone no matter what and to “love the sinner, not the sin.”
On day seven, we talked with several students and it was incredible to hear how big their dreams were. We told them that with God, anything was possible. That day, my bus group started feeling more like a family. As we shared laughs with Frank and Anthony, we grew closer. Anthony was like a mentor to me and never failed to brighten my day. He made the final bus ride much more fun.
As we finished the trip, I will forever thank my parents and most of all, God, for opening doors and allowing me to go on this trip. I will forever remember the relationships I made and grew, especially my relationship with Jesus.
#mission #kenyamissions #swahibanetworks #burnthickory
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