Kenya has been a part of our family’s heart since 2008. Tori went on her first mission trip to Kenya that summer and then we hosted 3 girls and the choir leader from the Daraja Children’s Choir in our home that fall for a few days. We fell utterly and completely head over heals in love. The next summer, Jakeb took his first trip to Kenya and Tori her second. The following year, 2010, Jakeb took his second trip to Kenya.
The rest of the Stunz fam have sat on the sidelines soaking in all of God’s goodness to them. Praying for them, fundraising for them and cheering them on for their boldness in their faith, courage and love in being willing to go “to the ends of the earth” to share God’s love in a very tangible way.
I need to be packing so I really don’t have time to compile all the links to previous blog posts so if you’re interested in our past history with Kenya and Daraja, do a search on our current blog and then also go to our old blog (link is on the sidebar of our current blog) and click on the Kenya category.
Anyway, so this past April I got an email from Christi, the Daraja Choir leader asking if I’d be interested in going on a trip to Kenya to do some research and learn more about how a leadership program might benefit the former choir members who are now back in Kenya. Of course I said, YES!! I told her, though, that I couldn’t really leave Anna here in Singapore for 10 days and that we were sort of a package deal. She was fine with Anna coming along. When I told Anna we were going, she cried. Tears of joy. She had raised money and prayed for her brother and sister to go before and we both were humbled at God’s gift to her.
The dreaming began… and amazing dreams they have been.
Basically we are going to Kenya to travel around to the communities where most of the former choir members live. We will visit and love on those kids and gather info on their environment, education situation and such in order to try to come up with a way to keep them networked and to continue to grow them as leaders in their communities. We’re not going to build anything, fix anything or really even do anything. Those will come later as God puts all of our info together and inspires the leadership of 410Bridge.
410Bridge is not a mission organization that sets out to fix a problem. There is a problem, for sure, but 410 desires to come along side the people of the Kenyan communities and offer them tools to fix their own problems. They are very capable of doing that and we won’t be there day to day so it needs to be up to them to do the fixing. We must always keep in mind that what we see as problems might not be problems at all. It’s just a different way of doing things and it works for them. So there is a specific mindset that we need when going to places like Kenya and it’s not the American mindset. Not at all. It’s a God mindset.
Tori and Jakeb are not too happy that they aren’t coming along. This is hard for them. I understand and hurt for them. A huge chunk of of their hearts are in Kenya. I almost feel like I am going to Kenya and will see Tori and Jakeb there. That a big piece of my heart will unite with their hearts already there. Together, our hearts will hug Kenya all over.
Tori & Isiki 2009
Jakeb & Mercy 2010
Tommy could not go because well, someone has to make money for all this traveling. 
I SO wish he could go because we are better together and I really don’t like experiencing life without him but I feel like he will be in Kenya one day. The Stunz Family 5 together in Kenya… Now that will be a force to be reckoned with. Someday… more dreaming ahead.
We will hopefully get to see Mercy and Gladys, our sweet sponsored daughters. Oh, how I long to hug their necks! I will cry when I see them and cry when we have to leave them. My heart already belongs to them but now it will get to be in Kenya with them. These three in the photo, Rahab, Mercy and Gladys are who stayed in our home in 2008 back in Texas and we get the incredible privilege to sponsor them for basic needs and education.
2008
So in two days, Anna and I set off for 10 days in Kenya. Our dreams will become reality. We will set foot in Nairobi, Kenya with our beef jerky and Starbucks Via coffee packets and a heart ready to see what God has in store for us. Maybe we’re going to help Kenya change but we know full well that most of the changing will be in us. We could not be more grateful, anxious, excited, scared, thrilled, nervous, consumed, etc. God is just too good to us!
Please pray for Anna and I and the rest of the team coming from the US for travel safety and for us to use our gifts according to His will
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
