give different

A Contagious Optimism That Is Unstoppable

Teacher. Mentor. Coach. Motivator. Inspiration. Charles Kasura is all these things and more. Charles is a native Kenyan who has devoted more than 20 years of his life to the advancement of his people. As a World Vision Kenya staffer, he has managed multiple Area Development Projects (ADPs), most recently as the head of the Katito ADP.  His faith in God and in his bothers and sisters within Kenya

and from sponsor churches all over the world fills him with a contagious optimism that is unstoppable. He marshals what resources World Vision can muster and squeezes every bit of benefit for his community. During his watch, not only have the food, sanitation, medical and educational conditions of the area improved dramatically, the outlook of the people is forever changed.  Through his tireless education of civic, religious and scholastic leaders, every man, woman and child in the region knows of World Vision.

God bless you, Mr. Kasura! 

Joe Buser

 

 

 

An Instrument of God

We approached the community center and saw a large tent crowded with people.  At one end were a number of empty chairs, apparently set aside for us.  As we took our seats, our eyes met those of our sponsored families.  They studied us carefully, trying to locate their benefactors among the group. When her name was finally called, Melvin Apiyo approached me, cradling the baby doll we sent her months before.  She was more beautiful than I could have imagined!  She didn't smile but rather studied me carefully, her large eyes fixed on my white skin and blond hair.  I was so alien to her, I might as well have dropped from outer space.  She knew my family was responsible for her school uniform, medical care and family luxuries such as a solar cooker and mosquito nets as well as a multitude of improvements to her community.  But for the first time, her good fortune had a face. At that moment, I know I was an instrument of God.

 

Joe Buser

 

 

Changed Forever

It is difficult to put into words what my trip to

Africa

meant to me.  Meeting the staff of World Vision in Katito was amazing.  They are so dedicated and have such a deep love for Christ and His children.  They have such a deep devotion for loving and serving the poor and needy in Katito.  It was awesome to see how they interact with the people they serve.  As we toured around seeing the work that we are partnering with World Vision to accomplish, everyone knew them.   They do not sit in an office, but are out in the field being Christ’s hands and feet to these beautiful people.  Everyone knew and loved them. 

 

The people of Katito are so generous and kind.  They are so thankful.  As we visited with them and got to know them, they shared about what an inspiration we are to them by just coming to visit and support them.  I was so humbled.  It is now impossible to forget the many faces and images I saw that has forever changed me.  It is very real to me the difference that we as a community at Spring Creek make to these beautiful people across the world.  They also inspire me to be a better person and servant.  They have so very little, but give so very much.  They are so happy.  The phrase that will forever be burned on my heart is that “God is good all the time, all the time God is good”. 

 

In His Grip,

 

Angela Bolin 

Challenged to Make A Difference

 

My time in Katito can be summed up in one word: challenging. I was challenged to open my eyes and actually see first-hand what is going on in Africa. For so many years I was caught up in my own life, trying to get the latest game or IPod and not stopping to realize what I actually had. Going to Katito, showed me that I overlooked the things in life that mattered. I had forgotten the meaning of family, the necessities to live, and even to just be happy that I’m alive and well. I saw poverty but I also saw one thing that I do not see here in America, a hopeful smile. Everyone was smiling from ear to ear while we were there. They were always thanking God for the things they had in life no matter how small the amount was. The members of World Vision taught us a well known phrase that Pastor Keith shared with the church when we all came back.

God is good, All the time, All the time, God is good.

I would sometimes think that God would not be watching over me or he had given up on something in my life, but the people that I met while in Kenya proved me wrong. God is always watching over us. He is always working through us to spread his message and to spread his love to the entire world. The smiles and the generosity of the people from Katito proved to me that Give Different is doing miracles there. Through our giving from the church, we are making a difference in the lives of others and after being there, I never want to stop making that difference. My visit caused me to never give up and to always keep pushing because in the end, there will be that light at the end of the tunnel.

God is good, All the time.

 Ryan Reed

 

 

 

Christ's Hands in Katito

It is difficult to put into words what my trip to Africa meant to me. Meeting the staff of World Vision in Katito was amazing.  They are so dedicated and have such a deep love for Christ and His children.  They have such a deep devotion for loving and serving the poor and needy in Katito.  It was awesome to see how they interact with the people they serve.  As we toured around seeing the work that we are partnering with World Vision to accomplish, everyone knew them.  They do not sit in an office, but are out in the field being Christ’s hands and feet to these beautiful people.  Everyone knew and loved them. 

 

The people of Katito are so generous and kind.  They are so thankful.  As we visited with them and got to know them, they shared about what an inspiration we are to them by just coming to visit and support them.  I was so humbled.  It is now impossible to forget the many faces and images I saw that has forever changed me.  It is very real to me the difference that we as a community at Spring Creek make to these beautiful people across the world.  They also inspire me to be a better person and servant.  They have so very little, but give so very much.  They are so happy.  The phrase that will forever be burned on my heart is that “God is good all the time, all the time God is good”. 

 

In His Grip,

Angela Bolin 

 

Community Leadership

I had the opportunity to visit a small village and community that was so alive with honor dignity and aspiring leadership. This community had transformed a hut filled school yard into something that would replicate our modern educational facilities. The head master led us around and explained with great detail the progress and future of this community. He was a person I will NEVER forget because of his leadership skills that motivated this village into a proud place to live. He had placed the right people in the right places to grow in all areas and seemed to delegate at will the right people for the right job. I was moved by this only to find out that our team from Springcreek was the first EVER white people to visit that village since the beginning of time.

 

Along with this headmaster was a woman named Ellen. She was one of the elder women in the village widowed because of the AIDS Pandemic. Her role, along with other elderly widows, was to care for the orphans in the village and to see that all their needs were met. She was a woman that had the respect of everyone. She looked very aged because of the life she had lived but was so alive in spirit. She had a translator tell me that she had never seen a white person like me before. I laughed because I did not know how to take this since she had NEVER seen a white person before. I decided that her comment was a good thing. We took a picture together and from that moment on she was called my "MAZUNGU MAMMA" (mazungu means: white man) for the rest of the trip. I will never forget this woman who made an everlasting impression on me.

 

Shawn Messick

A Journey of the Heart

I traveled to Africa on the other side of the Globe NOT as a trip, but to witness God's compassion and GRACE. Upon arrival you get the feeling that you have taken a trip back in time to a civilization that could only be described at best as primitive. By that I mean that there is no running water, no electricity, no sanitation and barely a way to provide a meek existence for yourself. Basic needs as those just described, as small as they may seem, are something we as Americans take for granted.  However, they take a hard second place to what I saw and experienced when it comes to survival and mortality.

One day when returning to our quarters, on the side of the road I witnessed a man on his knees in front of a hole that was about a foot wide and two foot long. This man was weeping as he took a bundled up blanket which I believed contained a small infant child who had suffered death and was burying the child on the side of the road where everyone walks. It seemed that people were passing this gentleman by as if he was bent down tying his shoes.

 

Myself and the rest of the team in our vehicle were moved to tears as the reality of what was happening was REAL, and most of all, an everyday occurrence. I remember lying in bed that night crying to myself and praying for God's mercy for these people who are no different than I, who want the same things out of life as we all do, yet are coming up short.  

 

What I discovered the next day was even more of a reality check when we traveled to a small village and there was a young boy who could not have been more than 7 to 8 years old.  He was holding an infant who could not even crawl yet and was approximately 8 to 9 months old. This boy was raising this child because the parents had died from AIDS and his only recourse for that child's survival was to be the mother, father and brother to it. I have no doubt that the child will make it because of the compassion of its sibling. I was saddened once again by the reality of life here as compared to the one I have. God, I pray that you lift these people up in spirit, mind, and body and provide them with your grace, love and care.

 

Shawn Messick

Africa...In My Heart Forever

The experiences I had when I traveled to Africa changed my view on sponsoring a child. I am glad to be a part of World Vision because they are making a difference in this community. I always wondered if the money really went to the people and how much. By going to Africa and seeing firsthand how much progress they are making in changing a community leaves me speechless.

We went to an area of Katito where the children would come out of their houses to catch up to the truck. They would run along the side of World Vision vehicle and wave. The people walking along the side of the road with big buckets on their heads would smile and wave as we drove by. We walked through their market and people would come up to us and say thank you for all you have done for our community. The most memorable experience was when we arrived at the ADP office. A beautiful lady came up to me and hugged me. I felt tears on my cheek, she said, “Thank you! Thank you!”  I was puzzled and overwhelmed by her graciousness and did not understand why. Later in the week I saw her again and she was up dancing with a beautiful smile on her face. Then she spoke, informing all of us she has HIV and was bed ridden. Due to World Vision sponsorship she was able to have medicine and now is able to educate her community.

I had a remarkable feeling in each place we would visit in Katito. Each day I would reflect on their way of living and the only way to describe my views would be………the experiences were precious, the people we met changed my thought process and views of life. These memories will never fade. Africa has a place in my heart forever.

Dawn Jette