World Next Door

My time in Nairobi, Kenya transformed me in a way I didn’t expect. I knew that living in a foreign country would affect my heart for the needy and my knowledge of the world, but I didn’t prepare to change as a writer. On an everyday basis I found stories that I couldn’t get out of my head and faces that wouldn’t leave my heart.

As I worked alongside the incredible staff at Beacon of Hope, their passion and everyday faithfulness compelled me to change the way that I wrote and the way that I looked at the world.  By the end of the summer, I found I had become a storyteller, someone who was involved and affected, not just an observer.

The stories I found made me look past the ugliness of dependency and the tragedy of desperation to be able to see the beauty of hope.  That hope came from the ways Beacon of Hope empowered the community to sustain themselves and worked to heal the hurts of those in need.

But it wasn’t easy. Some situations that I encountered were uncomfortable to think about and some images I captured were hard to look at. There are stories I couldn’t tell because I couldn’t process them while they were happening. Now that I’ve returned home, I’m asking myself questions about compassion, service and justice that are too disconcerting to have easy answers.

Still, somewhere along the way I’ve come to the conclusion that searching for hope often shows you more darkness than you’d care to see. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the needs in the world, the crushing darkness of poverty, hunger, and corruption. But no matter what the situation is, no matter how hopeless it seems, I’m more convinced than ever that God’s redemption covers everything.

There is no circumstance beyond his control, no person beyond his reach. In the mess of the world, God still has a plan… and His story is the one I’m really telling.

Better Plans

After coming to Kenya, I found out not being in control was harder than I thought…

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Photo Gallery: Creating a Future

Classes at Beacon of Hope are giving women more than just new skills…

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The Exceptions

What happens to the ones you can’t help?

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Without Words

So much can be communicated without using words.

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One of Them

Despite our differences, I’ve never felt more at home.

Click here to read this travel journal…

Burdened

There’s one need I can’t keep to myself…

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