Who we are

Just a few hours from take-off now. Bags are packed (ok, mostly packed) and, ready or not, here we go! The team sorted and packed all the gifts and donated items together yesterday and spent time in prayer together today, and I am continually in awe of how blessed I am to be part of such a quality group of servants. Everyone on this team has the most important trait of a missionary, which is simply the willingness to GO, but in addition each member has unique experience and passions (Ephesians 4, anyone?) which I believe God will use to huge effect on this trip and afterwards.

The team (from left): Zach, Elise, Gerald, Angie, David, Anneliese

A little more about our team members:

Zach: hey, that's me! I'm leading the team and am all kinds of excited for this trip. I believe God has plans not only to do great work in Kenya, but to use this experience and our partnership to open people's eyes back in New Mexico to His power and love.

Elise: Recently graduated from Tulsa University with a degree in international business, and has lots of international experience in Latin America, as well as a passion to work with children. This is her second trip with Celebration and she'll be helping lead the kids program.

Gerald: An engineer-turned-lawyer-turned-executive in Albuquerque. He has been involved in the partnership for a while, including hosting Pastor Tom when he was in New Mexico in summer 2011. Gerald will be heading up the Worldview conference for church members in Nairobi and the village, and he and I are also actively working on ways to use business and micro-investing as a means to help people lift themselves out of poverty permanently.

Angie: Leader of Hydration2Others along with her husband Justin. She's also a mother of five children, one of whom was adopted last year from Ethiopia. The experience Angie had traveling to Ethiopia and learning about the problems with access to clean water there was what motivated her and Justin to start H2O. In addition to this site, you can read Angie's thoughts on the trip at the H2O blog.

David: Lead Pastor of Celebration Baptist Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Through his leadership at Celebration, David has played a huge role in motivating people to get involved in the Kenya partnership. David has a doctorate in theological studies and will be leading a pastor's conference on the trip to train and encourage church leaders. For many of them this will be the first formal training they have ever received.

Anneliese: High school teacher in Bryan, Texas, and has also worked alongside local leadership to run an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. Along with Angie and Elise, Anneliese will be working primarily with the kids. Follow her blog, Beautiful Feet, for another perspective on the trip.

Now to finish that packing...stay tuned...