By: Sydney Wright
Before I went to Kenya, I had a pretty simple idea of what it meant to serve. I thought it meant
giving up my time, sharing Jesus with those around me and hopefully making a difference in
someone else’s life. I knew I was going to be stepping into a new culture, lifestyle and definitely
out of my comfort zone and I was so excited to see how God was going to use me, but I never
would have imagined how much this past year was going to change me.
I went to The Olmalaika Trust to make a difference, but I quickly realized those girls were going
to be the ones making the difference in me.
This past year, I was so fortunate to have been able to serve at The Olmalaika Trust in Sekenani,
Kenya, right on the border of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The Trust is a safe home for babies and little girls who have undergone some form of trauma in
their innocent, young lives, such as abuse, abandonment, child marriage, rape, female genital
mutilation (FGM) and more. Olmalaika provides them with safety, love, education, hope and a
better future.
These girls have heart-wrenching stories, but you’d never know it just by looking at
them. They’re filled with so much laughter and joy; sometimes it’s hard to remember
that they’ve been through worse things in their few years of life than I will ever have to endure. I
knew from the very first day I arrived that these girls were going to be everything to me.
My days were spent helping in the nursery with the babies in the mornings, followed by moving
outside to teach preschool to two very energetic four-year-olds.
Getting to spend time with them taught me a whole new level of love. I’ve loved working with
kids my entire life, and I have immense love for every child I meet, but one in particular was
different.
God sent me a little girl named Joy. And that’s exactly what she brought to my life.
She immediately became my whole world. Everyone who worked there knew she was my baby
and that we were going to be connected forever.
I was so lucky that God allowed me to experience a kind of love I had never experienced
before—a maternal love. I knew from that second on, I was never going to be the same. These
girls were going to be in my heart for the rest of my life. And I was going to do everything
I possibly could to help them succeed.
Because the Trust is run solely on donations, I knew I had to do everything I could to help them
continue this beautiful ministry when I left. They are making such a difference in these kids’
lives, saving them from so many traumatic backgrounds, giving them hope, paying for
their schooling and then sending them off to build a better, healthier life.
This past year made me realize service isn’t always doing something extraordinary.
Sometimes it’s simply showing up. Some days it’s just a hug or a smile; some days it’s picking a
little girl back up and telling her that she is so loved.
God doesn’t always need us to do something big; He just needs us to be willing. I went to Kenya
thinking I was going to teach these girls about the love of Jesus, but instead, they were the ones
showing me what it’s like to live out His love in the simplest ways. They showed me that it’s not
about how much you give but about being willing to give whatever you have, wherever God has
placed you.
Living in Kenya changed my whole perspective on life, service, faith and even my own purpose.
That wonderful, resilient, beautiful family showed me that service doesn’t end when you get off
the plane; it’s a way of living–choosing to love, listen, show up and make a difference in the
small moments of every day.