June 2017
My experience in Kenya was simply.. amazing. There aren’t any words that can justify it, so that’s the closest word I could describe the trip being. There are some things I can’t really see the same way or be flippant about. While I’m here able to drink clean water by getting up and walking to the kitchen, able to sleep secure and safe in my home, able to get the things I need right away, there are people across the world who struggle every day just to make it to the next. It’s really changed how I view the world and how I walk through it.
My favorite experience of that trip was meeting the people. Almost every day we were meeting new people or revisiting them. We got to hang out with the kids at the Saaten School often and in that time we grew relationships, made friends that will really stick with all of us, and we had fun. They brought out the energy and excitement in us, and they seemed to really enjoy duck-duck-goose.
The thing I struggled through with the most this trip was learning about and respecting the culture; one that was extremely different from ours. Some things that they considered normal were frowned upon back home. I had to get over feeling out of my comfort zone about that. I loved many parts of their culture, like the dances and songs, their traditions, and the way the people held it with pride, but many things threw me for a loop for sure.
God really showed himself throughout this trip; there wasn’t a moment I doubted that he was there and guiding our steps. Many times there were things that were frustrating and tiring, but later I could look back and say that God used that moment for the betterment of others or even us. He protected and loved us throughout those two weeks, that can be said for certain.
~Sawyer
