Dear You,
I’ve been evaluating my life for quite some time now. I keep looking back thinking, “Wow! What if I had never…” I seriously never imagined at age seventeen that more than ten years later I would be planning to move to another country. I always dreamed of being a writer. I always dreamed of being known for what I could do. I never thought God would make Himself known through me.
So here I am twenty-eight years old.
I have no biological children.
I have no boyfriend.
I have no husband.
I have no house.
I have no ladder-climbing job.
But what I do have are girls in Kenya that I cannot seem to stop thinking about. This life that I have said yes to has not been an easy road for I have had to say no to a lot of meaningful things.
I haven’t been able to invest in the lives of my nephews and niece the way I’ve wanted. I haven’t been able to pour into one of my best friend’s daughters the way I would have liked to. I’ve missed birthdays and all kinds of celebrations. And most recently I missed saying goodbye to my grandfather.
But this is what has become my reality. I will continue to miss birthday celebrations. I will continue to miss special events. I will continue to miss seeing the growth of my family members because I choose to continually say Yes to God.
It’s a sacrifice that I’m willing to take because I want others to know of the greatest sacrifice He made.
Majority of my girls in Kenya don’t even know when their birthday is because it has never been celebrated. Most of their parents will not be there for their special events because they have already died of HIV or AIDS. Some of my girls will never grow up because they are dying of diseases that could have been cured if treated properly.
When you’ve seen the world, it’s quite impossible to come back unchanged. My heart tells me to help these girls, to give them hope, to empower, to educate, to embark on a journey with them, to love them in ways they have never been loved before.
I cannot leave them as orphans. I must be a mother to the motherless.
I watched this past January as Sophie found hope, as Theresa brought light to her darkness, as Hope began to laugh. God used me and the arts to bring about transformation in the lives of not only these three girls but about 63 more.
I came home super exhilarated. My best friend got on board, my mother, sister and before I knew it I had 7 women who wanted to go along to empower the daughters of Kenya.
In an effort to raise the support needed for this trip and Art’s program for our orphaned children, we need you. I admit that we cannot do this alone. The total cost of this journey is roughly $2,600 per person, including airfare, transportation, food, lodging, orphan sponsorship, program costs, and cultural events with locals.
We have created a great opportunity for you to not only support us but be educated about REDEEM With God and the orphans of Kenya. On April 28th and 29th we will host Heart Beat, an artistic expression of the orphaned child. This event will be held in Wilmore, KY at Royal Auditorium. Please go to this page today and reserve seats for your group. http://www.redeemwithgod.org/heart-beat.html. The deadline is April 20th. We have prepared a two hour show of dance, live music, film, photography, art, drama, spoken word and storytelling. Please do not miss this. We need your support.
You know, I can’t explain to you why I keep going back to Kenya or any other country for that matter. I have no sad pictures of malnourished children or children with flies around their dirt-filled faces. I don’t have photos of poor living conditions. There are such cases but I refuse to exploit them. The faces I show you are of children I have built relationships with, children I have poured into, wept with, rejoiced with, children I have celebrated. I want to show you more of these pictures but I can’t do so without your help.
Partner With Us Today! www.REDEEMWithGod.org. You can donate with a credit card on our site or make checks payable to REDEEM With God and mail to 100 N Central Ave, Nicholasville KY 40356.
