Alabamians were among the more than 50 high school and college students who hit the streets of Nairobi, Kenya, this summer with plans to change the world through various missions projects. What they didn’t realize at the time was that their world was the one about to change.
Experiences ranged from eating with their hands to waking up at 4 a.m. to feed the street children. The students also toured a Hindu temple, worked in the second largest slum in Africa and conversed with African peers who put their faith in everything from Islam to witch doctor magic.
“My world’s never going to be the same. I’ve done so much and seen so much,” said International World Changer (IWC) Leah Barrier of Decatur. “I’m taking in way more than I can ever give to the people here.”
Students from Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington, California, Louisiana and Georgia merged as one International World Changers group for 10 days. The youth organization introduces students to missions and demonstrates through projects how they can make a difference in the world through Christ’s love.
Kenya IWC Project Director Rob Cain said the Kenya event was unique in that students are involved in so many different ministries.
“This project has many ministries to choose from and every participant gets involved in no less than five different projects,” said Cain, who is from The Church at Tuscaloosa. Ten students from The Church at Tuscaloosa joined Cain.
“We had ministries such as the traditional construction projects, prayer walks and puppet shows,” Cain said. “The wide variety of projects has really affected the kids. Their eyes have been opened to the world.”
Dimonah Jackson’s world changed when a 6-year-old girl who lives in the slums gave her a hug. “She hugged me so tight — I didn’t expect it to happen. Then, the rest of the day, she held my hand and wouldn’t let go,” said Jackson, a student from Virginia. “That impacted my life by showing me that you need to have joy even if you don’t have very much to be joyful about. I could see God in that girl.”
One church that the World Changers worked with was robbed just a few days before their arrival. The group painted the church and built benches to replace those that had been stolen.
Stephanie Wong of Sacramento, Calif., said the day she spent at the church taught her about servanthood.
“When we met the pastor and he was telling us about (the robbery) — he wasn’t angry or upset. He was very calm and at peace. He didn’t want to get back at the thieves, but wanted to pray for their salvation,” Wong said. “He had so much faith. Seeing his faith in action showed me how much my own was growing just by being here.”
Josh McLin of Baton Rouge, La., said the poverty he saw every day broke his heart. At the orphanage where the World Changers performed a puppet show, the group had a chance to see how Kenyans cook beans and heat water on top of three stones with two sticks of fire beneath.
“I’ll never forget the poverty but mainly, I’ll never forget how happy people are here,” McLin said. “They are so happy for what they have. I pray that I always remember the lessons I have learned here about being joyful in the Lord.”
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