#sendLindseytoKenya | Recap + Thank you! | Youngstown Ohio Wedding Photographer

09.18.15

Friends & Family,

There are many of you to thank and I thought the best way would be to send a brief summary of what we did, what I learned, and what your money supported. With that being said, THANK YOU! Your support, prayers and encouragement meant so much to me, big or small! This trip has renewed me, refreshed me, and humbled me. It was also an amazing opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I wish I could share every detail in my heart but I’m afraid that would be a very long letter, or a very long coffee date 🙂 If you’re up for a coffee date, give me a holler.

Let me start off by saying Carol Perkins is an amazing woman. I learned so much through getting to know her, watching her interact with her Kenyan family, and listening to her words of wisdom. She is an amazing leader and God has truly blessed her obedience. Your money supported her ministry and beyond. We were able to visit and encourage several churches during the 2 weeks. We were able to give food to dozens of families as well as 40 goats to 40 families. The goats will help sustain families during the dry season when crops aren’t growing. This made me really think about the importance of rain and what it means to these communities. At two different church dedications, we were able to give well over 100 children gifts and treats including t-shirts, tennis balls, barbies, cookies, gospel bracelets, baseball caps, hot wheels cars, and candy canes. The joy I witnessed is something I’ll never forget. Each child was filled with excitement and gratefulness for their gifts. This is a once in a lifetime experience for them and I was so honored to be there. We were also able to bless the pastors of each of the churches with new suit outfits, socks, money for school fees for their children, lotions for their wife and much more. Their leadership in these communities is vital to the growth of the church. Carol has done an amazing job equipping these pastors to be the best leaders they can be to their families and their church. This is definitely a needed area and many prayers are appreciated for this growth. Your money also supported the Women’s Seminar we hosted. We had around 90 women attend the two day event. Carol, Joann and myself were all able to share what was put on our hearts. I shared my testimony in hopes to communicate that we were equals in God’s eyes despite our skin color or way of life. I shared joyfully and they rejoiced along with me that we are sisters in Christ and we will one day live forever in Christ’s kingdom. There are many other things that your money supported and I am 100% grateful for every penny. Please know you made an immense difference in the Kenyan community.

It’s overwhelming for me to try to even begin to share with you what I experienced. A “brief” summary seems impossible. I’m thankful I journaled each night because I would not be able to remember every single detail. Carol had so much planned for us and we got it done. The first week we ministered to the Maasai tribes in the southern part of Kenya. We also got to meet the seven women that work for the Aprons for Africa business that Carol started. All of the women were around my age and it was so great to connect with them. They work so hard and were really excited to meet us. We were able to have the Women’s Seminar, church dedication, famine relief, and worship services with various churches whether in a church building or under a tree. Having church under a tree is very humbling. I got to witness many families eager to worship together despite the fact that they didn’t have a church building. Their faithfulness was refreshing and uplifting for me. And I can’t forget that they walk miles for church, and I mean lots of miles. Again, very humbling. It was an awesome experience to give away Bibles at each church we visited as well. Over the weekend we took a small airplane to the north to visit a few more churches, do famine relief, another church dedication, and visit an orphaned family that Carol has kept in contact with and supports. We did a lot in 3 days before traveling back towards Nairobi and west of the city. During the second week, we were able to rest for a few days and enjoy the safari. This was an awesome experience and we were able to worship God through his creation. It was also very nice to rest. We were on a tight schedule and it didn’t leave room for recovery but God gave us the strength we needed for each day. On our last full day in Kenya we visited another church under the tree near Narok. The community was very welcoming and it was a great way to end the trip. On Saturday the day we left, we were able to explore Nairobi for a bit and visit some businesses that offer jobs to Kenyan women to provide for their families.

Do I think this trip was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity? No. Would I travel again to Kenya? Yes. I plan to be obedient and listen for direction from the Lord but one thing I learned is that everyone is called to missions. Some people give, some people pray, and some people go. This time I was able to go and I’m so thankful for the opportunity. I think fear blocks Christians from stepping out in faith and ministering to other cultures. Fear can look like a lot of things including excuses. One thing I do know, if God wants you to go and if you’re obedient, he will make it happen. There were so many speed bumps in the way for me with this trip. Satan tried his hardest to break me down and I felt defeated before the trip and during the trip. To start off, I’m pregnant and that caused a lot of worry with myself, family members and anyone else following my journey. I know some thought I was crazy and irresponsible. I’m not gonna lie, that hurt and it hung over my head the entire trip. I also had to deal with getting shots and medication before the trip to protect myself from any harm. This was a huge worry for me because of the baby. And how did I start off the trip? I got the flu. Here I am far away from home, thinking I’m going to need to be hospitalized because I was that sick. Fear just overtook me completely. I had no idea what I was going to do. Carol sat me down and we prayed. She then explained to me exactly what I needed to hear. God used her wisdom as a learning moment for me. She said, “Lindsey, the devil knows our weakest points. He knows you’re worried about the baby and taking this medication and not being able to reach your doctor. He is trying his hardest to bring you down because you have a purpose for this trip. You came with a pure heart and pure intentions. But, God is in control and he will either show his supremacy by healing you, or show his sufficiency by giving you the strength you need each day despite your sickness. He will use you for his glory either way.” Right then and there a page turned for me. I knew I needed to stop listening to the lies of fear and remain faithful to the mission God led me to. That night I was able to rest the entire night and woke up renewed. I dealt with the symptoms for the next week of the trip but I didn’t care. God made a way for me to get better, communicate with the doctor, and persevere through the pain. This experience reminds me of a verse I shared with the women at the seminar – John 16:33 – “In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” I explained to them that the word “will” is important. Jesus didn’t say that we “might” or “could” have tribulation. He said we WILL and I experienced that completely. So did I rejoice in my suffering? Yep! And the women rejoiced as well knowing they had a Savior who cared for them despite their suffering.

This trip to Kenya stretched me and I learned many other things. God gave me a boldness I’ve never encountered before. I am completely horrible at public speaking and I get so worked up about it. This was a fear going into this trip but I overcame. Everywhere we went, the churches and communities wanted to hear from us. If I have to speak in front of an audience I like to have something prepared, typed up, and organized. It is much easier to hide behind a piece of paper and just read your thoughts. After all, I’m a much better writer than speaker. I wasn’t able to prepare like this for the times I had to speak. So I really had to learn how to listen to what God wanted me to share, despite my lack of public speaking skills. It ended up being an awesome opportunity to share God’s word. I was able to share my favorite verses, favorite psalms, and encouraging words for new Christians. Let me tell you, every Kenyan I talked with was beyond excited that I was having a baby. They expressed so much gratitude that I would travel this far to minister to them while expecting. That meant a lot to me and it allowed me to bury that fear of worry. God used their excitement to comfort me.

I witnessed a lot of things both good and bad. I witnessed desperation, hunger, greed, corruption and dishonesty. While all of that is evident in the States and around the world, it gave me a new perspective on the Kenyan’s dependency on a Savior. They want rescued and they rejoice in their suffering knowing Jesus has saved them. With all of that bad that I witnessed, I also witnessed good. I saw joy, love, purity, humility, and kindness. Even in the midst of a drought, families wanted to serve us a meal made with love. They invited us into their homes and were so excited to get to know us. Witnessing their dependency on Jesus helped me to realize and reflect on the distractions I have here at home. I’m guilty of living like I don’t need a Savior. I’m guilty of not living with that desperation in mind and I’m guilty of every area of my life not glorifying my Creator. It is so easy to get comfortable and I want to honor God even on the mundane days. Not everyone will get to go to Kenya and experience what I did, but we all should strive to glorify our Savior with desperation and humility. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t coming home with this “mission’s trip high” and watch it fade away after a few weeks. I plan to be obedient with what God wants me to do as far as involvement with Africa Health & Hope. One need Carol has mentioned is branding and website design. Carol really wants her ministry to expand and reach more people and I hope to help with that. I got to bless Carol with well over 600 pictures from our trip and I wish I could share all of them with you! I wanted to include a few of my favorites so that you could see some of what I experienced, reflect, and pray for Kenya.

As I said before, I could go on and on and still feel like I didn’t share enough of what I experienced with you. Most importantly, I want you to know that I learned a lot, we helped a lot of people and I hope I was able to reflect Christ’s love to at least one person. Thank you so much for your support. I am forever grateful.

Until I visit Kenya again,

Lindsey Yeagley

Mount Kilimanjaro