Casey King's Time in Kenya

My name is Casey King and I am a Corporate Marketing Major with a minor in Strategic Communications at Lipscomb University. I was born and raised in Nashville, TN and couldn’t think of a better place to call home. Three random fun facts about me is that i love people, soccer, and photography. This summer I lived in Malindi, Kenya working with a non profit organization called Caris Foundation. Their mission is to empower participants (mainly women) to fulfill their God-given potential, sustain that potential by training and equipping, and transforming character and community from one of despair and survival to hope and productivity. During my time their I assisted five different women in business training. Each of their businesses are unique, but the main part of the business we focused on is their record keeping. With the help of a translator and the amazing employees at Caris I was able to help these women discover their weekly/monthly profit by accurately recording their sales and expenses. Their culture has a mindset of surviving day to day, but this process allows them to save and plan for their future. There are so many reasons that I wanted to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. First, at the time, I had been longing for something more meaningful to do with my life and my summer. I didn’t want to do my normal summer thing of getting a job or an internship in Nashville. I really felt the desire to let go and allow God lead me to have a more meaningful summer. To make a difference in others lives. Secondly, I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I felt like I was in a continual bubble of normalcy. I wanted to experience something knew. I knew God had been stirring something in my heart for a long time so when this opportunity presented itself to me I felt called to go where God wanted to take me. I didn't know if Africa was the answer, but I knew God didn’t call us to stay comfortable. The most challenging was simply being away from my family. The first 2-3 weeks I was there I was very home sick. Everything around me was new and I was trying to absorb anything and everything I could so sometimes I was very overwhelmed. Living in an unfamiliar place and going to work everyday with people I did not know was intimidating to say the least. Plus, I had never been this far away from home for such a long period of time. Another challenging part of the trip was the language barrier. Most of the women in the villages could not speak english. Sometimes they could understand what I was saying but couldn’t respond to me. Even though I had a translator with me, it was still frustrating at times to not be able to actually understand the words she was saying and the way she was specifically saying it. The most rewarding part fo the trip was by far was all of the relationships I made. Not just with the employees at Caris, but also the women I worked with. The people at Caris are truly so loving and welcoming. Even when I felt nervous and uncomfortable they made sure to make me feel included and wanted. They continued to pour into me. Lydia, Maddy (the two other girls that went), and I became very close with two women that worked at the organization. Mwende and Jerilyn became our best friends. It was an honor and an incredible experience to get to see their culture through their eyes. It wasn’t just an interview or quick talk with someone, but we continued to build a personal relationship with them throughout out trip. Getting to hear stories abut their lives, how their culture has affected them, their tribal rituals, and how they view America was an experience I’ll never forget. Similarly, the relationships I formed with the women in the villages was life changing. Even though we had only known each other a few weeks it was amazing to see them open up to me in our time together. In the beginning they were very shy, but over time I go tot see their personalities come to life and their hearts for their families and work. One of my home told me, “I believe we have found a friend in you”. It is hard to explain, but the only way I can put it is that I feel such a deep connection and bond with these women. They are truly my friends and I hope one day I get to see them again.

I think the biggest lesson I learned was to be thankful for the little things in life. Seeing the people in Kenya have so little and still smiling ear to ear made me more grateful for what I have at home and the people God has placed in my life.