my heart at home in Kenya.....

I was so thankful for the opportunity to return to Kenya this summer! I spent the first two weeks of August on a mission/vision trip with a Hope's Promise church partner team.

Pastor and Mama Karau were incredible hosts for our visit to Sanctuary of Hope, the Kenyan orphan home they have established through Hope's Promise .

The Karaus are like family to me... my "adopted parents," as Pastor Karau says!

Mathare Valley

On the team's first full day in Kenya, Pastor Karau led us on a journey through Mathare Valley, the second largest slum in Nairobi.

This slum is "home" to some 600,000 people living within one square mile. Here, families are cramped together in tiny tin shacks, just trying to survive another day.

This slum is also the mission field that the Lord has called Pastor and Mama Karau to serve. The church they pioneered several years ago, Mathare Worship Center, is a strong beacon of light penetrating the darkness of the slum. And the orphaned children they have brought into their home were all born in Mathare Valley.

Pastor and Mama Karau are two of the greatest prayer warriors I have ever met. Their faith is vibrant, and they know what it means to be desperately dependent on the Lord's strength to make it through the day. Their church houses a small prayer closet labeled "power room" - this is where they do battle for the hearts and lives of the precious people of Mathare.

beautiful Kenyan children

Our team also visited Ndii-ini Primary school, where we conducted two days of medical clinics.

We enjoyed interacting with the children... though shy at first, they soon warmed up when we asked them to sing and dance for us! The boys also enjoyed learning wrestling moves from Pastor Dave!

a Kenyan wedding

I was so honored that Steve Karau asked me to be his wedding photographer! I had never attended a Kenyan wedding before, let alone photographed one!!

Sanctuary of Hope kiddos

What a privilege to spend time with the children at Sanctuary of Hope (SoH), the orphan home that Pastor and Mama Karau have founded.

Over the past two years, these precious little ones have been enfolded into a home of love and security where they also have the opportunity to learn about Jesus.

They love to laugh, and sing, and dance, and be silly....

And it brings tears to my eyes to hear them recite Scripture, pray aloud, and worship the Lord!

field trip!

One of the highlights of our trip was the day we took the Sanctuary of Hope children on a field trip to Mamba Village! The kids loved the watching the crocodiles, feeding the ostriches, taking a boat ride, getting their faces painted, and cheering Pastor Karau as he rode a camel!