Click on any image to view it full-size. These photos were taken on  my Nikon D90 using a Nikon 55-200mm lens with the exception of the sunrise pics that I took with my Nikon 35mm f1.8 lens. You can view the complete set of 100+ photos in this set on Flickr.

Fun trip. I’m so glad I have the pictures to remember it by. I’d love to hear what you think.

Here’s a few photos from the Safari that I was able to capture. Click the image to view it full-size. Most of these images were taken with my Nikon D90 using a Nikon 55-200mm lens. You can also view the complete set of 100+ photos in this set on Flickr.

I was pretty happy with the way these pics turned out. What do you think? Do I have a future with National Geographic?

Many of my questions were answered when I met Anthony Njoroge. Anthony stopped by our hotel and hung with our team for the evening where I was able to talk with him and hear his story.

Anthony’s story was especially exciting for me because he grew up in the same project at the same slum where my sponsored child Ivon lives.

After being released from the poverty of the third-largest slum in Kenya through Compassion sponsorship, Anthony applied for and joined the Compassion Leadership Development Program (LDP). The LDP program enabled him to receive valuable education and leadership training. After graduating from University (paid for through his LDP) he went on to start his own computer consulting business. Anthony now sponsors 3 children of his own through Compassion and volunteers every week at the same Compassion project he grew up in.

When I talked with Anthony it was hard to believe that this sharp, well-spoken young man – a small-business owner like me no less – grew up in the poverty of the Kawangware slum. Not only that, he already sponsors more children through Compassion than I do!

These are the stories that get me excited about Compassion. When you look at that photo of your Compassion child on your fridge (I hope you have at least one up there), don’t just see them where they’re at right now, see them for where they will be in 10 or 15 years because of your sponsorships. You’re sponsoring a future Anthony or Maureen. You’re investing in their future.

“Once your heart is changed, your mind changes, your body changes and definitely the environment around you changes, and that’s what it means to release a child from poverty in Jesus name.

For poverty is not only a lack of basic necessities but more so a lack of hope. It’s times like this when I look back at my life and the places I have come from and thank God for having brought Compassion International into my life and the way God has used the relationship with my sponsors not only to show me that I can make it, but that where I came from doesn’t matter and that I am not defined by poverty.” – Anthony Njoroge

Click here to sponsor a child through Compassion ($38/mo)
Click here to sponsor a Compassion LDP Student ($300/mo)

• We set Anthony up on Twitter while we were there. Follow him at @moggaless.
  
• You can read some of Anthony’s guest posts on the Compassion blog
• You can also read the story of another LDP Student named Maureen on Kristen’s blog
• Read more about the LDP Program on Compassion’s Blog
  

Perhaps the person who left two weeks ago didn’t return.

How can I be the same after seeing what I saw in the villages and slums of Kenya? Then again, I suppose that was the point. I honestly thought I had a heart for the poor and broken of this world when I left. If you would have asked me I may have told you, I’m no Mother Theresa but I’ve read the books and I understand the effects of poverty around the world.

And then this trip turned my world upside down.

And all of you got to go on this journey with me.

You cried along with me when I walked through the slums of Mathare and heard Eliud’s story of struggling to survive after losing his sister and both parents as a teenager…

You saw how Caroline learned skills to help her provide for her family and break the cycle of poverty…

You smiled and hummed along when these beautiful children sang with such joy….

You heard Samuel’s story and learned just how important letters are to these sponsored families…

Your hearts melted along with mine when I spent an amazing afternoon with my sponsored child and left a piece of my heart behind…

You joined me on this journey. It would have been easier to not read, to not let your heart be broken by the images and stories. You rejected apathy and embraced transformation. You prayed, you left comments, you sent encouraging emails, and – most importantly – you sponsored hundreds of children.

You could have looked away, but you didn’t.

For that I thank you.

And guess what? This journey isn’t over. It has only just begun. There are so many stories I can’t wait to share with you.

I’ve had a few days to process what I saw and heard on this trip. Perhaps you would like to share as well.

What did you see over the past couple of weeks that changed you? What one snapshot will you carry with you?

When I arrived I found that she had written me several cards to be opened on certain days of my trip. This was the card I opened today:

Those words really resonated with me.

This has been quite a trip. I’ve seen some things I just can’t comprehend and will probably spend weeks processing. Reading this card helped remind me why I’m here.

It also is a challenge that I would like to pose to you.

RISK more than others think is safe

Sure, I know that sponsoring a child is a risk for some of you. You’re committing to send $38 a month when your finances may already be tight. I get that. But these children are worth the risk….their future is at stake. You have the ability to change their life and offer them hope and a brighter future. The simple fact is that nearly all of us can manage to set aside $38 a month…that’s less than the cost of one dinner out.

CARE more than others think is wise

Sponsoring a child will open your heart up to a love you didn’t know you could have for someone you’ve never met. The first time you receive that letter from your sponsored child your heart will melt. I’m warning you, if you sponsor a child, you will never be the same. And neither will they.

DREAM more than others think is practical

How much of a difference can just one sponsor make? Until you’ve seen what I’ve seen this week you have no idea. I’ve visited homes and talked to families whose lives have been radically changed because of the generosity of a Compassion sponsor.

I met a Compassion graduate this week who grew up in Kwangware slum in Kenya. He entered the program at the age of 6 then went on to graduate, go to college and start his own business. This same graduate is now sponsoring 3 Compassion children of his own and volunteering at the Compassion project in the slums he grew up in.

All because someone dared to dream for him.

EXPECT more than others think is possible

I wasn’t sure quite what to expect when I agreed to this adventure to travel 8,000 miles around the globe. I knew this trip would change my life but I had no idea how much. Seeing the work Compassion is doing here in Kenya and around the world has inspired and challenged me.

I’m excited when I think about the 1 million plus children who have been given a brighter future because of Compassion sponsors. But I also know that there are over 900 children awaiting sponsors right now in Kenya alone and many more worldwide.

I have no idea how many children we can release from poverty this week because of this trip but I am dreaming big and expecting the impossible for these children.

I’m asking you to take the leap.

Sponsor a child in need.

Don’t wait a minute longer…this is your moment to change a life.

Here are some of my favorite photos we’ve taken of the children we’ve met this week (photos by myself, Keely Scott, Ryan Detzel, Kristen Welch & Jennifer McKinney). Let these images capture your heart…

Each of these photos represent a child who is sponsored by a Compassion sponsor. Each face represents the hope that Compassion gives. Don’t wait…click here to find children who are still waiting to be sponsored.

roof after rusty roof of the Mathare Slum, one of the largest and most congested slums in the world. Over 800,000 people live within these 3 square miles. Garbage is piled everywhere and sewage flows freely in between the houses.

And yet in the darkness of this slum we discovered a ray of hope.

We met Eliud Otieno.

Eliud is an 18-year-old Compassion-sponsored boy. His older sister died when he was young. By 2007 he had lost both his mother and father leaving him an orphan, alone in one of the most filthy and impoverished slums in the world.

Thankfully, Compassion was there to help. They purchased the slum-shack he was renting so that he could continue living there. They stepped in and supplemented his food and provided financially so he could continue his education.

Eliud was eager to tell us about his Compassion sponsor, Nick Erskine, who lived in California. Nick has sponsored Eliud for 11 years. When we asked if he had any letters from his sponsor he immediately grabbed a stack of papers from the corner of his 10′ x 10′ shack.

One of the letters was written after Eliud’s mother’s death.

It was obvious that Eliud had a deep connection with his sponsor, a connection that continued to sustain him as an orphan living alone in the Mathare Slum.

We asked Eliud what he would say to his sponsor if he ever met him. He smiled and proceeded to deliver a message so moving that it had us all in tears.

As we left his home I noticed something written on the wall above his door…

It was a prayer he said he prayed every day as he left his home.

I was moved with the perspective this young man had while living in some of the worse living conditions I had ever seen. While many would consider his situation hopeless, Eliud recognized that God had graciously provided everything he needed. Nick, because of Compassion’s work in Mathare, is the answer to that prayer.

I think back on all the things I’ve prayed for in the last few years. Suddenly everything seemed so trivial when I stared at that simple prayer written on the cardboard wall of a shack in a Kenyan slum.

God loves me enough to feed me, bless me, and give me hope for the future. Amen.

Amen indeed, Eliud.

I’ll never forget Eliud’s story and I hope you don’t either.

(click here to read the continuation of the story on Shaun’s post)

There are so many more stories just waiting to be written. Will you be a part of one?
Click here to view Kenyan children who are currently waiting for a sponsor like you to release them from poverty.

She was a little shy at first but she began to loosen up after I pulled out pictures of my family.

I couldn’t blame her for being shy and a little overwhelmed. Today was a day of firsts for Ivon.

Her first time at a restaurant…

Her first time in a bounce house…

Her first face painting…

My girls have seen giraffes at least a dozen times but today was the first time Ivon had ever seen one…

Her first time on amusement rides (or the African equivalent of them)…

Her first time jumping with her very own “skipping rope” that I brought her…

The first photograph she has ever owned of herself…

For a few hours today, Ivon was plucked from the poverty of the slums and allowed to experience the fun and happiness every little girl should know.

Our day of fun came to an end all too quickly. When it was time to go I hugged her tight and told her that I was so very proud to be her sponsor. I assured her that we would write soon and that we would anxiously await her letters.

As I got on the bus to drive back tears welled up in my eyes. I had only known Ivon for less than a week and yet I felt a love for her that made my heart ache.

Today was probably the most fun Ivon had ever had in her entire life…and yet why is it that I feel like the fortunate one? How could one little child affect me so deeply?

Today I and the rest of the bloggers here with me got to witness first-hand the power of a Compassion sponsorship relationship. I’m leaving a piece of my heart in Africa with this precious child.

You may never be able to meet your Ivon in person like I did today but your impact in their life will be no less powerful. You have the opportunity to change a life, to release a child from poverty and give them the hope for a brighter future.

Don’t wait. Sponsor your child now.

This little girl wowed me with an impromptu performance. Her little head bob just kills me!

I had so much fun hanging with these kids at the project. I slipped back into my VBS days and had fun telling stories and playing games. How could you not have fun with such an attentive audience?

One of the highlights was teaching them how to play “Duck Duck Goose”

All of these beautiful children are currently sponsored by amazing people around the world…

…but there are still so many precious children waiting for a sponsor. Children like little Igoki:

Her birthday is coming up in just a couple of weeks. I can’t think of a better birthday present for her than to know she is sponsored.

There is someone out there for little Igoki…maybe that someone is you. Will you sponsor a child today and give children like Igoki the chance to break free from the cycle of poverty?

I could tell you about it…or I could introduce you to Samuel…

and his brother Paul…

Samuel is 8 years old. He is what is known in Compassion Sponsor sites as a Highly Vulnerable Child (HVC). 3 years ago when Samuel entered the Compassion sponsorship program he was so malnourished that he couldn’t walk or talk. The Compassion workers began providing Samuel’s family with vitamins and well-balanced nutrition. Today, Samuel is completely healthy.

We also met Samuel & Paul’s mother, Martha.

Prior to Compassion’s help Martha wasn’t able to provide for her family. She didn’t have a job and consequently wasn’t able to feed her family of five.

That was then.

Today, because of Compassion’s Complementary Intervention assistance, Martha was trained and given resources to start her own business. She now is able to raise vegetables and sell them in the market to provide for her family.

All of this happened because of one sponsor.

We asked them if they ever received letters from their sponsor. Martha stepped out of the room and returned with several letters from Maggie & Cassie Goff, Samuel’s sponsor.

These letters from their sponsor were a treasured possession to this family because they were from someone who invested into them from around the world. Because of Maggie & Cassie, their family can support themselves and Samuel can now walk and talk.

As we left their home and walked back to the project, Samuel fell in beside me and slipped his hand into mine.

I was privileged to come to Kenya and visit Samuel and his family in their home but I’m not the hero here. Maggie & Cassie are.

I looked down at that precious hand in mine, the hand of a child who just three years ago couldn’t walk or talk, and I realized that I am simply standing in for Maggie and Cassie. They are the ones who deserve to hold Samuel’s hand.

They have invested in his life and their investment has paid off. Samuel walks and talks because of them.

So Maggie & Cassie, if you ever read this, thank you. I caught a little glimpse into the world of your sponsored child today. I read your letters. I saw the difference you made in their lives. I am so thankful that you made the decision to step up and break the chains of poverty.

Be inspired by this story. Who is your “Samuel?” Who will you sponsor? There are so many more just waiting for you to be a part of their story.