This summer, a team of parents and students had the unique opportunity to work together on a mission team in Kenya. It was a special discipleship experience for these teens and their parents to serve together in an international context. They were able to serve and connect with children and teens who are part of OVC—a program that provides physical, academic, and relational support to children in need within the community of local churches.

Many of our families have been supporting children through the OVC program for years, and some had the opportunity to meet the child they have been sponsoring from afar. Joe Maurer and his daughter Lilly, members of the Taylors campus, got to meet the two boys they have been supporting. They shared this with us:

Our family has been so privileged to sponsor and get to know two Kenyan boys for almost ten years. Our oldest, Francis, is currently a teenager, and we’ve been able to watch him transition from primary school to his second year of university. Our second, Samuel, is younger and is now transitioning to become a young man at his primary school. It’s been a joy to communicate with them several times a year as they’ve been able to learn about our family, and us about theirs. I have met Francis several times on my trips to Kenya, and it’s been rewarding for me to develop an actual friendship with him.

This summer, though, was even more exciting, since Lilly (our teenager) was also able to meet both of our boys with their families. The joy witnessed by the Kenyan grandparents that care for both boys was so palpable, it brought me to tears. We are, as a church and individuals, not just sending money, we’re forming relationships and seeing lives change. It is through those relationships that God is working. Certainly our support as a church has changed the trajectory of both these boys’ lives, but more important is the reality that they both see and know the Lord loves them in such a tangible way.

What a blessing to see how life change is happening across countries and cultures! If you would like to learn more about the OVC program, click below.