I am finding it hard to put into words how much of an impact this trip made on me personally and spiritually. If I had to summarize what God taught me during this time, it would have to be that I was able to see the beauty of God amidst suffering. We had the privilege of meeting moms at a clinic in Diani that have children with severe special needs. Several of these moms are single and are caregivers 24/7. They travel on a motorcycle "taxi" with their child strapped to their back to spend a few hours hearing a word from the Lord and receiving therapy for their child. The missionaries at this clinic are truly amazing and their love for Jesus is contagious. Most of these moms are Muslim, but see the love of Jesus being carried out each week. We were able to visit the homes of these families and bring them food and some supplies they needed. The first home we visited completely broke me. At one point during the visit, I had to turn so that no one would see me... I was truly crying to God and asking Him why these people were dealt such difficult life circumstances. But He has shown me that it is in the midst of this suffering that we can see the very hand of God. He shares in their suffering....in our suffering and it is only temporary for those of us that live for Him. We can often feel that God has abandoned those that live in such poverty and have so many things going against them. We may have felt that way during difficult times in our lives as well. But during devotion one night, a person that was part of our group shared something that has stuck with me. He said that God abandoning us would say more about His character than ours...that is so true. He simply cannot abandon us because of who He is. So we must believe that He is working in all of it. If the cross of Jesus Christ shows us that God shares in our suffering, then His resurrection shows us that God's triumph over evil is a real thing. As we visited that first home of the family that had the most extreme poverty, they were the one family that offered us something. They took time to cut open coconuts to share with each of us and were so happy to spend time with us. This truly touched my heart. I am happy to be home but I feel that I left a part of my heart in Kenya and I would love to go back. I ask that you pray for the self-less missionaries there (Tina, Melynda, and Mark) that they will stay encouraged and that God will protect them on all sides.