Check back daily for updates, posts, and more from our mission trip to Kenya! Thanks for your continued prayers and support for us while we are on our trip!
Be sure to follow our social media for daily prayer requests, regular updates and photo drops as well. Each evening at approximately the same time we will upload a new blog update and photos to our social media accounts. Also at the end of the trip, we’ll be uploading albums of photos taken by our leaders and staff on our Facebook Page. Feel free to copy/save those or tag your friends and family!
May 25-26 | Travel Days
Wednesday, May 27 | Day 1
We started off with our first full day of ministry and it was amazing! We visited two schools in the morning, had a quick lunch, and then visited a boys boarding school in the afternoon. We wrapped up our day of ministry with a concert in a plaza and some street evangelism. After heading back to the ministry center we had dinner, a little down time and everyone headed to bed for a real night of sleep.
It was so awesome to see our students jump right into ministry! They hit the ground running, sharing the gospel in small groups at schools and in classrooms. We know they were tired after the short night, but they really stepped up! It was so amazing to hear some of the stories from students who were able to share the gospel with someone they didn’t know for the very first time. The ministry teams were able to use all the training we’ve been having for the last 6 months and they were ready.
The buses had some great time to bond today, come up with a bus name, and maybe have a little fun between locations we visited.
We saw 278 decisions for Jesus today and are so excited and expectant to see what God is going to do in and through our students tomorrow. Pray for rest, for energy and for the stamina they’ll need over the rest of our mission trip.
Thursday, May 28 | Day 2
It’s Thursday, right? Yes. Yes it is. The days kind of run together. After a great night of sleep and a yummy breakfast, we headed out for our morning of ministry which included stopping at 2 schools and some street evangelism time. At the first school, which is a private school, the children knew the songs and we got to truly worship with them. There might have been a few tears over the sweetness of that moment….the good kind of tears. Then our team headed into classrooms, which by the way, we’ve heard from many of them that it’s their favorite part of the trip so far. Our students say they really love spending time in the classrooms with the students, getting to learn about their lives. It was a busy morning, but so good!
We stopped at a local church for some lunch and a little downtime, then headed out to another school (with 4,000 children!!!) to sing. Then off for a street concert and street evangelism. We ended the day with a quick debrief and supper and students got to hang out on the roof and head to bed earlier.
We saw 392 decisions today in classrooms and on the streets. Please continue to pray for strength, boldness, and a team spirit of grace and love. It is so awesome to hear our students sharing about how they are sharing the gospel and seeing lives changed as a result of their obedience.
Friday, May 29 | Day 3
Today we moved along at a fast pace starting with breakfast at 5:30 am, with stops at 4 schools (you’ll only see 3 in pics today because one school didn’t allow photography.), street evangelism and a street concert. So if your kids tell you it’s impossible to get up that early, just know we had 100% participation in our early mornings so far! Every school is so unique. At some schools the children are sitting in rows and quietly waiting for us. In others, they’re yelling like Taylor Swift is about to show up. We got a taste of both ends of the spectrum today.
Our street evangelism time gave us a true taste of Kenyan culture today as students wove in and out of little booths of foods and other goods. They have some amazing stories of some of the conversations they’ve been able to have throughout the week.
We ended our dinner with a celebration time to share some of the best moments that have happened for our students so far. They gave kudos to their fellow students, share some of the questions they’ve been challenged with, and some of the decisions they’ve been able to help lead people through. And before heading to bed we had a sweet time of worship on the roof.
We’re looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow and will be sleeping in and changing gears for the weekend. Please continue to pray for the health of our students and chaperones as this is the point in the trip that those issue tend to rise up to the surface. Also pray for the special opportunities they’ll have tomorrow with the ministry we’ll be doing that can carry an emotional heaviness.
Saturday, May 30 | Day 4
Today was an awesome change of pace for our students today and a whole new set of ministry opportunities. We started off the morning working with Peter’s Tabasamu project. We were able to wash the feet of around 100 children and give them new shoes and socks. To date, Peter’s team has put new shoes on over 35,000 children here. And, as everything we do here in Kenya seems to have dancing and celebration, this was no exception. It was such a beautiful thing to watch our students sit in that ministry moment to wash the feet of the least of these and talk to them about Jesus.
Then it was time for a little fun! We headed over to the Giraffe Sanctuary and got to feed the giraffes! Our students enjoyed the break and loved getting to feed them.
When we finished there, the girls and guys split up. The girls headed back to our ministry center to work with the Mentorship Empowerment Program for girls that helps train them with skills to equip them with life skills and give them a brighter future. We had over 300 girls here in the ministry center and it was beautiful chaos. Our girls led worship and then spent time in small groups talking about relationships, purity, worth, identity, and most importantly, Jesus.
The guys headed over to a guys school to do guy things! They led worship, then played basketball, chess, soccer, and spent time talking with the boys there. Word on the street is that we are less skilled in pretty much everything,, but we gave it our best!
We finished the night with dinner, a short challenge from Matt and a birthday celebration for all of our students and chaperones who have a birthday while we’re here. And they had plenty of time to hang out with friends before heading off to bed. Tomorrow we’re heading to Peter’s church to hear Pastor Matt speak and we’ll be singing at two of their services. It’s going to be a great day!
Pray for students to be fully present while they’re here, to soak up everything and let it change their hearts and lives. They are seeing and experiencing how different lives are here. Pray that students wouldn’t see it as “less than” but as an opportunity to see with new perspective and learn why these people with so little have so much joy.
Pray that God would give them eyes to see what He is already doing, to notice opportunities to encourage others, to share the Gospel boldly, and see people the way HE sees them.
Pray that the conversations we’ve had, the songs we’ve sung, the testimonies we’ve spoken, and the Gospel we’ve shared would continue to bear fruit long after we leave. Ask God to continue working in the hearts of the people we’ve met and in our own hearts as well.
Sunday, May 31 | Day 5
You won’t see a whole ton of photos from today, but sometimes that’s how it goes. We didn’t take the big camera and video camera into their services today out of respect and tried to keep phones put away for the most part. Plus, we all need an opportunity to just sit in the moment of worship. The boarding school we visited today had some specific guidelines about photography that also limited what we can post. That being said, trust that we had an amazing day.
We spent the morning worshipping at Peter’s church this morning and hearing our very own Pastor Matt preach. Students got a taste of the Kenyan worship with an intro music set that lasted well over 30 minutes and is unlike anything they’ve seen before. (I’m pretty sure that was the shortened version to allow them some time to also lead worship there.)
After singing in both services we headed out for our afternoon of ministry at a large, prestigious girls boarding school. A group of girls led us in worship and one of them gave the most eloquent speech to tell us about their school and what sets them apart. They are so proud of how they came to be selected to attend there and the way they learn. Then, we had a dance party led by one of our Swahiba team mates before our team sang and shared their testimonies. The sun here is SO bright since we’re right near the equator, so even though it was only in the low 70’s you’ll see our students squinting (not scowling…we promise). Their campus was over 130 acres and absolutely stunning with greenery and beautiful buildings and they were such gracious hosts to us.
We’re about to head out of town for a couple of days so the Day 6 update will likely not happen until Day 7. Please don’t panic. We’re having the time of our lives. And we’ll give updates when possible.
Monday, June 1 | Day 6
We loaded up the safari vans in groups of 5 or 6 and headed south out to Maasai land in Kajiado. We stopped for break and were graciously hosted while Pastors Chip, Carey, and Seth had tea with the Bishop. Then we headed on to the Maasai tribe where we were staying for the night. When we arrived we had the most amazing welcome processional with all the Maasai people from the area lined up to greet us. It was a truly beautiful cultural experience. Then we got to work! We set up foot washing stations and sorted and laced 550 pair of shoes that would be given away that afternoon. Everyone played a part from filling wash basins, to lacing shoes, to washing feet, to entertaining the children while they waited and was so awesome to see our team work together so seamlessly.
Our Swahiba team had set up all of our tents while we were busy and cooked us dinner. We had a giant tent with tables and chairs to eat dinner and breakfast at, port-a-potties were brought in, and they even ended the evening with a bonfire and worship before every one headed to sleep and get up for an early morning game drive. Yes, there were prickly burrs and some bugs, but we all survived the night and it was worth the minor inconveniences. Sometimes we need to be reminded of just how good we have it.
Tuesday, June 2 | Day 7
Safari Day! We went on a game drive for about 5-6 hours before heading back to the ministry center. We posted pictures on Instagram from various chaperones as well as the photos from our staff. Each van will have slightly different experiences even though we stayed together for the most part! We’re sure a lot of students have some great photos as well.
Our team made it back to the center tonight, had dinner and is now tucked into bed, ready to hit the ground running again tomorrow for our last 3 days of ministry before we head home.
Wednesday, June 3 | Day 8
We’re gonna keep it brief tonight since editing photos took longer. We visited 3 different schools today, all of which were very large. Our hosts for the day took us to their church for a mid-day break to eat our lunch and use the restrooms. After finishing up ministry at schools around 4, we headed into our host church’s neighborhood to do street evangelism and share Jesus. If you look at our photos, you’ll notice we always have our students and chaperones, Swahiba Networks team, and a team of people from our host church’s neighborhood. We always want to be helping local churches and ministries build connections that last long after we’re gone.
After sitting through some traffic and finally making it back to the ministry center, we had dinner and Pastor Chris brought us back some ice cream before he heads home to the states. We’re so glad he got to hang out with us this week!
We have two days of ministry left before heading home. Please pray for our students to have the energy they need to finish strong and the passion to share Jesus continues to grow. We are so excited to see what God will do in these last two days.
Thursday, June 4 | Day 9
Day nine was one for the books! We visited four schools, eating lunch on the way between schools two and three. While it was a busy day, and our last full day of ministry, our students managed to dig deep and bring the energy! Every school we visted today was HUGE! Our last school was the school where Peter Abungu’s daughter attends, so that was a fun surprise for her and Julie and Peter loved being able to see her. Their staff even served us a proper Kenyan tea before we headed out for a street concert. It was a welcome time to relax for our team.
On a day when we know students were tired, we are so proud of them for bringing the very best they had to offer to Jesus and we know He honored their sacrifice and hard work.
Friday, June 5 | Day 10
The last day…and it was so sweet. The morning started with getting bags of food ready that would be carried into the slums of Kibera. These bags, containing, rice, oil, corn meal, soap, a few other items, would provide food for a family for a whole month. Knowing the value of such simple items was great for our students to see.
After packing the bags, our students headed out into Kibera to deliver them, accompanied by our Swahiba team and a family member from each of the houses they would visit. Each home brought a unique experience, but we loved hearing students talk about it when they got back. It was truly eye-opening and humbling for them to see their homes and hear their stories.
Then we had one final hurrah before heading home…visiting the Maasai Market. Students got to learn the art of haggling and hopefully landed a few precious souvenirs from their trip. We heard a few made it home with Maasai clubs, machetes, and knives, but it seemed like the favorite items were jewelry, belts, t-shirts, art, and nativities. We hope the memories outlast all the trinkets!
While were in Kenya, our students saw 2,722 decisions for Jesus. What an amazing impact they had!