A Few of my Favorite Photos

I feel like I am finally beginning to process all that God did in my heart during my trip to Kenya, although I know this will be a process. I've been thinking a lot lately about all the people and places I have seen in the past few years. I have had the opportunity to travel a lot: 2 months in Siberian Russia, a school mission trip to Mexico, a leader for a trip to the Dominican Republic, and now a trip to Kenya with a mission team.

While I often dream of touring Europe or visiting exotic locales, I would not trade my "Third World Experiences" for any glamourous vacation! I've met people who walk miles each day to get water, I've met people who are unsure if they will make it through the winter because of the extreme conditions, I've met barefoot children who dream of being doctors and lawyers, I've met mothers who have given up their dreams for their children. It's so easy for me to wonder why me sometimes. Why did I get born in a country where we waste more food than is needed to feed the rest of the world? Why do I get to have a college degree and a bed to sleep in? These questions often lead to feelings of guilt or shame at all the things I take for granted, but God has taught me many lessons in this area.

For the short time I was in Kenya, I encountered more joy than I have in most of my life combined. The very people who have no shoes or no house, taught me that our God is simple, and calls us to live a simple life. The people of Kenya are blessed in a different way than me because when you have nothing, it's a lot easier to give it all up. I have so much stuff, and still I can think of more that I want. This desire for worldly "stuff" will probably never go away for me, but even if I strive a little more to live a simple life of faith, then I've taken a step in the right direction. Maybe all this is just me babbling, but maybe you can relate. Maybe you've seen God work in the little things: a smile and wave from a street kid or a breathtaking view or a man praying for the first time. These things may sound small, but each of these things changed my life over the past two weeks.

Only an incredible God could write the stories I have to tell!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from Kenya. The country and the people were so beautiful!