In July, CCV sent a team of 29 students to Nairobi, Kenya to work with our mission partners, Missions of Hope International. Recently two of our students, Lauren Moore and Lauren Rasmussen were interviewed about their short term mission experience in Africa.  

If you could sum up your experience in one word, what would it be?

Lauren R: "Stunning. The people had such beautiful hearts, that shocked me. The students had such joy and love for one another. They respected the teachers which was completely expected there, but in America, students look at school as an obligation, not an opportunity."

Lauren M: "Revealing. This trip showed me who I really was. It’s easy to come face to face with your flaws once you are in a third world country.”  

What was your first response to the environment?  

Lauren R: "I was in a state of disbelief the first couple days. We walked through the slums on our first day in Kenya with what appeared to be a river flowing down the street, which was actually their sewage."

Lauren M: 'I was expecting slums, but there were some things that were difficult to cope with...smelly trash and rats...these were hard to see. Yet, I promise you, hope was alive and Jesus was present there."  

What is next for each of you now that you have experienced this trip?

Lauren R:"I am trying to value relationships over everything. First my relationship with God by reading the bible and working on my prayer life. I am really trying to pour into friendships this year, love on them and dive deep with them. I have realized the urgency we must have in bringing people to Christ!

Lauren M: "Next step for me is to continue in my faith and bettering interactions with people, but it's always got to be about God. No matter where you are, all that really matters is your faith in God."  

We are thankful for students like Lauren and Lauren who desire to win people to Christ, train believers to become disciples, and send disciples to impact the world. Please continue to pray for our mission partners, Missions of Hope International. If you would like to know more information about our partners, check out http://mohiafrica.org/.