Stacey and I are going to Kenya

In a recent LinkedIn post, I wrote about getting involved in things I care about and finding that I wanted to make more room for them. Near the end, I mentioned that Stacey and I would be going to Kenya to help build a medical facility. I promised to share more about it once we had a way for people to support the project.

Our GoFundMe is now live.

We'll be traveling in September 2027 on a mission trip with Weatherly Faith Church. It will be our first time in Kenya. We're going to volunteer, work alongside the people involved in the project, and help where we're needed.

I've spent years in EMS and the fire service. I've seen how much it matters when someone needs medical help and there are people ready to provide it. That makes a medical facility a project I can connect with personally. It's also something Stacey and I have decided to take on together.

There's a lot we haven't experienced yet. I can't tell you what being there will be like, because we haven't been. What I can tell you is that we want to contribute to something that will keep helping people after our visit is over.

Why we're doing this

Our faith is part of why we're going. We want to set an example by serving others, and helping people get medical care is a practical way to do that. We welcome support from people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Two teachings helped me put that into words while we were working on the fundraiser. A Jewish teaching in Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 is often expressed this way:

"Whoever saves one life, it is as if they have saved an entire world."

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus describes caring for someone who is sick as an act of care for him:

"I was sick and you looked after me" Matthew 25:36 (NIV, excerpt)

I've also been thinking about the recent CBN report on the killing of at least 60 Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia. It's difficult to read about that kind of suffering and know what to do. Our mission is a separate project in Kenya, but the news has made me want to look for opportunities to do some good where we can. Every person's life matters.

For Stacey and me, helping with this facility is one of those opportunities.

Helping us get there and supporting the facility

There are two parts to the fundraising. Our total estimated costs to travel and volunteer are about $3,200 each, or $6,400 for both of us. Beyond those costs, the wider mission effort has a target of approximately $30,000 toward building the medical facility.

We're raising money to help with our trip costs and contribute toward that building project. We've already started making payments, and we're doing local fundraisers as well. Anything we raise beyond our goals will go toward the medical facility project and its needs.

If you'd like to help, you can read more and donate through our GoFundMe. Sharing the page helps, too, and we welcome your prayers for the mission team and the community we'll be visiting.

I'll use this blog to share updates as we prepare and as the project progresses. For now, thank you for helping Stacey and me get started.