Anxious Heart

I leave for Africa tomorrow afternoon. I am at a loss for words.
I am so thankful for all the incredible support that I've had from family, friends, and my church throughout this journey. It's so humbling. There are so many different emotions at this point, tonight, as I'm hugging my parents, receiving phone calls from family members and best friends, and as I'm sitting here in awe of how The Lord has brought me to this moment. Through the years of not knowing how or when I would get to Africa, The Lord knew. And here I am.


"My mission belongs to the Lord. With all my heart I give my energy and my time to the Master because I love Him. Therefore, I'm going to look at every day not as mine, but as His. And I will treat each minute of His time with respect and focus and the dedication that it deserves." -Elder M Russell Ballard



Sincerely,
Kenna

I Promise to Share You.

Dear Sketch Book, 

In less than two weeks, I will start to fill up your pages. We will travel 9,000 miles across the world together and I will keep you tucked in my backpack, at all times. I promise to share my stories with you. I will let sweet little babies draw on your pages, if that’s okay. I will fill you with names, and prayers, and love. I will write to you about Jesus and all that He’s doing. I will take pictures of the places I leave my heart and of the people that steal it, and I’ll patch those pictures inside. I’ll let dirty handprints remain and I’ll probably cry a few tears that will drip onto your pages. And once we return home, I promise to share you.

Sneak Peek.

I love my church.

Timberline Church has been stellar through this whole process leading up to my trip. Not just by generous financial support, but also by covering me in fervent prayers beyond what I expected.

On May 26th, two days before I leave for Kenya, the church offered to share my story by asking questions about my trip, for example: what led me to this point, where will I be going, and what exactly will I be doing, etc. They will be cross-promoting the article on both Twitter and Facebook.
It is an amazing opportunity to formally introduce myself to the Timberline Church family and to the supportive people that have been following my journey.

So, mark your calendars, people. May 26th. Check out the lovereaches.org website for more info and follow Timberline Church Missions on Facebook and Twitter.

Here's a sneak peek:

What prompted you to make this step at this stage in your life?
- Honestly, I've had a number of people ask me this question. They can't seem to grasp how an eighteen year old girl has her heart in a country that she's never been to.
Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I had a passion for helping people and a growing desire to do missions. I remember one Sunday morning, about seven years ago, we were attending a church in Branson, MO, and a huge group of African children came from Uganda to share their culture and talk about how Jesus was changing lives. Africa never left my heart since.
A few years passed, and in 2010 I had the opportunity to go on my first mission trip to work on an Indian reservation in Sisseton, South Dakota. Due to my family struggling financially at the time and the limited amount of time to fundraise, I began to lose hope for my chances of going. That was until a couple days before the deadline, a family friend showed up at my door and presented me with a check to cover all of the costs.
Jesus just kept showing up, as He always does. A few more years passed while I continually prayed about Africa. I knew that it would be a huge step if the opportunity ever came up, but I also knew that God was tugging on my heart more and more each day for me to take action.
The end of last summer, an old friend of mine introduced and had me contact her friend Riley Banks. Riley's heart has been in Africa since she was thirteen. Once I started talking with Riley, I found out that she had just opened up a school in Kenya the beginning of that summer. She talked to me about her non-profit organization "Generation Next" and how they are continually providing hygiene kits for girls, and backpacks/school supplies for the children in Kibwezi. She also told me to let her know if I ever felt led to go to Africa, because they were planning their next trip for May 2014. When I received that information, I literally sank to the floor and wept. I was so overwhelmed with the fact that I just received a huge confirmation from God. 

The Countdown Begins.

Fifteen days.

Visit my new Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/kennasjourneytokenya

Hey. It's May.

I woke up this morning and it hit me. It's May. I've been so bubbly with laughter and tears so far today. Why, you might be asking? Well, I'm leaving for Africa this month. How incredible is that? The Lord, I know, has spent the last 18 years preparing my heart for this specific, life-changing event. Even though I'm not sure if I really feel totally prepared. I think we all feel that way in life most of the time. The great thing is? Jesus is all-knowing and all-powerful. And the strength that comes from putting your trust in Him, compares to nothing else.

During some intense brainstorming, I was praying about a certain way I could share my story and bring parts of my journey back home with me. I knew almost immediatlely the answer to that.
Ever since I was younger I've kept a journal. But most of them weren't like the average young girls "diary," I've always written down dreams, goals, plans; I've drawn pictures, and put a lot of prayers in writing. My family always says that I've basically had my life planned out since the age of six. But I sooner realized that life never goes as planned, and that's okay.

Back to my brainstorming idea: a sketch book. But not just any sketch book. A compilation of pictures, words, names, places, handprints, drawings, prayers, and daily events.

 A journal. A journal of Africa. 

#withlovefromafrica