Trust us, we know what we are doing is unconventional and not common. While the American dream calls us upward, Jesus calls us downward. While our culture calls us to find ways of securing more wealth, more power, more prestige - Jesus calls us to forsake it all to follow him.

And we’ve found that in the paradox of letting go of what we think we need and so often want, we find true joy. Jesus said it well: Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? Luke 9:23-24 (The Message)

Good question. The answer is - complicated. We don’t love the word missionary, because of all the baggage it holds, especially in a place like Africa. We know that many people have done harmful things in the name of God across the globe.

This is a much longer conversation, but in short, we feel that we want to build God’s kingdom with our talents on whatever continent we live on. And we also want to tell others about His goodness - whether that’s in California or Kenya. Maybe that makes us missionaries? I suppose it depends on your definition. For us, Jesus is our model - someone who gave his own life for the sake of the other. Our aim is the same: to lovingly serve, empower, and lift up our Kenyan friends.

We think there are several answers to this question. Most importantly, we believe in the power of presence. Jesus left his place of privilege and came to live amongst us - making our problems His problems. True service is about more than just sending help - but being with people and sharing life together.

Secondly, it’s hard to recruit Kenyan doctors to serve in Kapsowar. Many Kenyan physicians opt for jobs in cities, which can provide better education for their children and a higher standard of living than a rural town like Kapsowar.

Thirdly, we also believe in and are excited about training Kenyan physicians in medicine. While we feel privileged to provide direct healthcare, we also believe in long-term sustainability by training residents not only to provide high-quality healthcare care but also to model a heart for serving the poor.

Lastly, we believe in order to really help someone, we have to know them first. Our heart is to build relationships, which takes time and presence. By living in Kenya, rather than just sending money, we can more deeply understand the challenges Kenyans face and how we can partner with them.

Our initial commitment with Serge is for two years, but we are open to staying longer if it’s a good fit. We feel serving the poor globally is our life’s calling, and our hope is that these two years will continue to give us clarity and insight on how and where we can best do that.

You probably think of mud huts (which definitely are there) when you think of life in rural Kenya. And while we wish we could say we are that adventurous - that will be far from our living scenario. We’ll be living in duplex on the hospital grounds next to Western and Kenyan physicians and their families. We’ll have running, hot water, a fridge, electricity (when it’s on!), and a kitchen with cabinets - all things we are most grateful for! We are excited to be only a five minute walk from the hospital where Jack will be working as well. We’d love to give everyone a tour of our home and new surroundings when we move, so make sure to sign up for our newsletter so you get all our updates!

Our hope is to leave in April of 2023 if we are fully funded by then! In March we will be doing a month of required cross-cultural training in Colorado Springs. After that, we plan to head back to California to pack up in April.