Students go on mission trip to Kenya
August 26, 2019
Over the summer a few Maize students went on the same mission trip to Kenya. The trip was from July 18 to July 30.
Junior Mitch Waggoner said he learned how to use his gifts and talents to impact the world around him and to be confident in yourself.
“There’s no need to worry about what others think of you when you know that God can use you for things that are so amazing, ” Waggoner said. “That was an awesome way to reassure how he gives you things and that’s all that there is to it.”
Senior Kristin Woodruff was helping on the medical team while she was there.
“So the main things that I was doing was working in the medical clinic,” Woodruff said. “So I was taking vitals for people and doing general assessments.”
Sophomore Zoie Ecord said the trip positively impacted her view of the people around her.
“Just even more open minded,” Ecord said. “Just knowing that there’s good in everyone and a story behind everyone.”
When they weren’t working, the students who went on the trip got to explore more of Kenya.
“We also went on a trip down to the border of Kenya and Tanzania,” Woodruff said. “And we went on a safari there and got to see the animals. We also got to go to a traditional African church service. So that was really cool.”
Ecord said the people she met there had a very different lifestyle than she was used to.
“Their houses are made out of tin,” Ecord said. “I don’t even know how it was staying together. But then they would have ten people living inside that was maybe a fourth of a classroom size.”
Although the living conditions were different, the education system is equally as surprising.
“They don’t start school at a certain age,” Ecord said. “They just kind of start whenever and they have to take tests to get into high school. It’s like a huge test and then they take another to get into college. I met someone who was 15 and they were in third grade. So that kind of shows the difference because they’re my age.”
Waggoner said he would encourage any student to go on a mission trip and that the experience is life changing.
“I would say definitely go whether you have a relationship spiritually with God or not,” Waggoner said. “If you feel like you want to help others, usually money shouldn’t hold you back because we do a lot of fundraising and stuff and it’s a lot of fun and your life is definitely changed”.
