Ahhh, My favorite… the ocean!

Today we arrived in Biloxi and are right across the street from the coast. Going for a jog on the shore is by far one of my favorite things to do. Today, I had the privilege. The sunset was breathtaking. My eyes were hypnotized by the glowing shades of pink, orange, yellow and red, fading together, shining so brightly and reflecting off the water. Whenever I am near the ocean, it reminds me how small I am and how Big God is. I’m reminded that my minute problems, challenges and concerns are nothing in comparison to God’s Big plan.

On the Road

The next couple of months I will be traveling the United States with a missionary family who lives in Africa. They are here to raise additional funds to bring more children into the centers they started. The children that become part of these centers are initially very malnourished, sickly and uneducated with minimal to no knowledge of a loving God.

At the centers the children’s nutritional needs are met and maintained. They immediately start feeling better from having food in their tummies, since they are used to eating one meal (consisting of corn), or less a day. They are finally able to drink clean, fresh water without traveling long distances carrying buckets on their heads, or drinking water from holes in the ground IF it rains (droughts make even that impossible).

In addition to food and water supply, the children are placed in the classroom to get the quality education they deserve. Their alternative is no school at all, or schools that have a very low education quality, with no food, no water, no toilets, etc.

As the children attend these well established centers, they are academically brought to places they never dreamed of. Most importantly, they also have the opportunity to learn about the God that Loves them so much and cares about their every need. They are taught morals, ethics, how to treat others, how to obey their parents and to value themselves as they trust in God and His love for them.

As I think of the immense amount of aid these children receive, I am reminded of a day I recently spent at one of Bobby and Lisa’s centers in Kenya named Injili. I went there to take pictures of potential future enrollment students. Upon arrival, I learned that it may not be the best day to take these pictures because there was a feeding event in the village and most of the families would be at that event. However, there were a couple of parents present with their children for me to photo. I started taking pictures of the few children that were there. By the time I was done taking those pictures, I looked outside and saw a HUGE line of parents with their children. The word got out quickly that pictures were being taken for potential enrollment. Eventually, the staff had to close the gates to stop the flow. I ended up with 144 pictures. When I came back on another occasion to finish up, there were another 100 plus children. That’s well over 200 individual hearts and precious lives just hoping for a chance.

The picture above is one of those children.

I feel thankful to have the opportunity to travel with Bobby and Lisa. Their ministry has helped hundreds of men, women and children. My hope is to learn from them and gain more knowledge about the mission field as I explore the option for myself. Helping the poverty stricken of this world has become something I am very passionate about. My prayer is that God will show me the most effective way to do that. I am excited to see what this journey will transpire!