Every time I visit Kenya, I come home changed.
I often board the plane thinking about what I can contribute, but I usually leave realizing how much I have received. The people I meet, the families I visit, and the churches I worship with continually challenge and strengthen my faith.
The lessons I’ve learned in Kenya didn’t stay in Kenya. They have changed how I see God, people, poverty, and even my own life.
Here are five things Kenya has taught me.
1. Joy Is Not Found in Possessions
Many of the families I visit live with very little by American standards. Some homes have dirt floors, tin roofs, and few belongings. Yet when I arrive, I am often welcomed with warm smiles, laughter, and a level of hospitality that humbles me every time.
I remember visiting families whose entire household contained fewer possessions than what many of us keep in a spare bedroom. They don’t have overflowing closets, garages packed with storage bins, or a long list of conveniences that we often consider necessities. Yet they open their homes, share what they have, and make you feel like an honored guest.
What strikes me most is not what they lack, but what they don’t seem burdened by. They are not constantly chasing more. They are not measuring their worth by what they own. Their joy is rooted somewhere deeper.
Many of the families we serve live day to day. They don’t know exactly where next month’s income will come from or what challenges tomorrow may bring. Yet they continue to trust God.
I’ve sat with mothers who pray for rain because their crops depend on it. I’ve met fathers who pray for work opportunities so they can provide for their children. Their dependence on God isn’t something they talk about only on Sundays. It is woven into everyday life.
In America, we often place our trust in savings accounts, retirement plans, insurance policies, and carefully constructed plans. While there is wisdom in planning, Kenya has challenged me to ask a difficult question: Where is my ultimate trust?
When everything feels secure, it can be easy to trust our resources more than our Provider.
The families I meet in Kenya remind me what it looks like to rely on God daily. They pray because they know they need Him. They trust Him because they have learned that He is faithful. They celebrate His provision because they recognize it when it comes.
Kenya has taught me that joy is not found in possessions. It is found in knowing that no matter what we have—or don’t have—God is enough. The more time I spend in Kenya, the more I realize that some of the people with the fewest possessions have taught me the most about trust, gratitude, and contentment.
2. Poverty Is More Complicated Than I Once Thought
Years ago, I believed poverty was simply a lack of money.
Like many people, I assumed that if someone was struggling financially, the solution was straightforward: provide resources and the problem would be solved.
What I’ve learned is that poverty affects nearly every area of life. It impacts education, healthcare, nutrition, opportunity, relationships, confidence, and hope for the future.
I’ve met mothers who skip meals so their children can eat. I’ve met grandparents raising grandchildren after losing parents to illness. I’ve met families facing challenges that most of us can hardly imagine.
At the same time, I’ve learned that poverty does not define a person’s value, intelligence, work ethic, or potential.
Some of the most resourceful, resilient, and hardworking people I have ever met live in extreme poverty. They know how to stretch resources, solve problems, and persevere through difficulties.
What many families lack is not determination. They lack opportunity.
This is one reason I became so passionate about family preservation. Instead of creating dependency, programs like Family Partners focus on empowering families with training, support, accountability, and resources that allow them to create lasting change for themselves.
I’ve watched families start businesses, purchase livestock, grow crops, send children to school, and build stable futures.
Kenya has taught me that people are not looking for someone to rescue them. They are looking for an opportunity to succeed.
That lesson has changed not only how I view poverty, but also how I think about helping others. The most effective help preserves dignity, restores hope, and empowers people to use the gifts God has already placed within them.
3. Family Matters Everywhere
One of the things that has touched my heart most deeply is realizing how similar families are, regardless of where they live.
Before my first trip, I expected to see many differences between life in Kenya and life in America. While those differences certainly exist, what stands out to me most are the similarities.
I have sat with mothers in Kenya who worry about their children just as any mother would. They wonder if their children will be healthy, safe, educated, and able to build a better future.
I’ve watched fathers work long hours under difficult conditions because they love their families and want to provide for them.
I’ve listened to parents talk about their dreams for their children and their desire to give them opportunities they never had themselves.
As a mother, these conversations always touch my heart.
When I look into the eyes of a mother in Kenya, I don’t see someone who is different from me. I see someone who loves her child fiercely and would do almost anything to keep her family together.
That reality is one of the reasons family preservation matters so much to me.
For years, I believed orphanages were the answer for vulnerable children. Then I learned that many children living in orphanages around the world have living parents or extended family members.
Often, the issue isn’t a lack of love. It’s a lack of resources.
Kenya has shown me that when families receive support and opportunity, children can remain where they belong—with the people who love them most.
No matter where we live, family matters.
4. God Is Already at Work
One of the greatest blessings of serving in Kenya has been witnessing God’s work firsthand.
When people think about missions, they sometimes picture bringing God to places where He isn’t present.
Kenya has reminded me that God doesn’t need me to bring Him anywhere.
Long before I ever boarded a plane, God was already moving in Kenya.
He was working through local pastors, churches, ministry leaders, volunteers, and families. He was answering prayers, changing lives, and drawing people to Himself.
I’ve worshiped in churches where people sang with incredible joy despite facing significant hardships. I’ve listened to testimonies of God’s provision during droughts, financial struggles, and difficult seasons.
Again and again, I have been challenged by the faith of Kenyan believers.
There have been times when I arrived expecting to encourage others, only to find myself being encouraged instead.
Their trust in God during uncertainty has strengthened my own faith. Their gratitude has challenged my perspective. Their perseverance has inspired me to trust God more deeply.
Kenya has reminded me that God’s Kingdom is much bigger than my local church, my community, or even my country.
He is at work all around the world, and it is a privilege to witness a small part of what He is doing.
5. Obedience Matters More Than Having All the Answers
Perhaps the greatest lesson Kenya has taught me is that God rarely reveals the entire plan at once.
If I’m honest, I would prefer a detailed roadmap. I’d like God to show me exactly where He is leading, how He will provide, and what the outcome will be before I take the next step.
But that isn’t usually how He works.
When I adopted my daughter from Russia, I had no idea that decision would eventually lead me toward missions. When I traveled to Ethiopia and Haiti, I didn’t know God was preparing my heart for Kenya. When I first became involved with Family Partners, I couldn’t see all the doors He would open in the years ahead.
Looking back, I can see God’s faithfulness woven through every step of the journey.
But I could only see one step at a time.
There are still moments when I don’t know exactly what comes next. There are still prayers I’m waiting to see answered.
Yet Kenya has taught me that faith is not about having all the answers. Faith is trusting God enough to take the next step even when the path ahead is unclear.
Time and time again, I have watched Him provide the right connection, the right conversation, the right opportunity, and the right encouragement at exactly the right moment.
God has never asked me to figure everything out. He has simply asked me to follow.
Final Thoughts
As I look back on each trip, I am grateful for every lesson, every relationship, and every family that has allowed me to be part of their story.
Kenya has taught me about joy, poverty, family, faith, and obedience. But perhaps the greatest lesson is this:
God is faithful wherever He calls us to go.
Whether He calls us across the world or across the street, His invitation is the same: trust Me with the next step.
And when we do, we often discover that the people we hoped to bless end up blessing us far more than we ever imagined.