It would seem that Compassion International understands that it pretty much ruined our lives this week. Our broken hearts couldn’t possible handle one more day of gut wrenching sights. They took us on a safari before we head home…surprisingly, I think it helped me make sense of all that I’ve seen this past week.
We’re heading home tonight. Here are some photos from today:
More to come. See you back in the states.
Beautiful. What an amazing trip. Love you guys.
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BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!
Praying for your safe trip home!
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Wow! Those are beautiful! I especially love that last shot of the running water. I may need to add African safari to my bucket list.
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Beautiful. Ryan, when you post again, can you give us an idea how many children were sponsored due to your trip blog and the blogs of those who traveled with you? I’d like to know and I’m sure those who’ve followed this blog would like to know also. Thanks!
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A HIPPO!! Oh boy, I am jealous. I can’t wait for your slide show party (that I totally think we should do). I love the picture of the toothless grins.
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I’m glad Compassion took all of you on safari. I can’t imagine the state of everyone’s hearts after being in the Mathare slums. My heart is a bit broken now, and all I did was see pictures. Have a safe trip home.
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Amazing photos! I love the third one!
Any chance you’ll be adding some of these to your “for sale” list?! I’d love some more Pastor Ryan originals on my walls
-V
http://www.tealandlimegreen.com
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I’ve been so blessed to read about your trip – the blend of hope and joy with poverty and devastation breaks my heart and is such a reminder about the incredibly privileged kind of lives we lead here in the US.
The young adults church that I help run is in the middle of a series on missions and changing our world perspectives to line up with God’s perspectives, and it’s been so cool to see how what you have shared lines up so closely with so much of where our hearts are at right now. Not sure if you’ve heard of or worked with the folks of Invisible Children, but we’ve just finished spending an extended weekend with the New England team roadies, and it’s been neat to see how that also ties in. When God starts working out a direction or a perspective shift, it’s cool how obvious and clear He can make it!
Plus, our trip planning team has been talking about how to incorporate technology into whatever trip we end up taking, and after seeing how you all have blogged and shared so effectively about your experiences, I can’t wait to get us thinking about how to do some similar things!
So long story short – thanks for taking the chance to do this trip and share it with us here. It’s been awesome!
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Awesome! I love it, what an amazing experience, all around. I’m glad your heart was broken and that you shared with us. And, I love these gorgeous pictures and your photo classes, although when I’m taking pictures I can never quite remember what setting to put my camera on…boy do I need practice.
Safe travels home and blessings in the coming days!
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breath-taking!
your pictures are AMAZING!
and there sure is beauty
along with the ugly stuff,
that is so nice to see!
tara
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gorgeous photos, ryan!
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Yes, the Maasai Mara is amazing, and the Maasai fantastic. I spent an enlightening time out in Kenya in a tiny Maasai village in the summer and it was absolutely amazing and awe inspiring.
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Can’t believe the trip is already over! But I’m so thankful that you were able to experience this right before you guys leave.
You have certainly touched and changed many hearts this week – everything you have said or thought about this blog being a tool of our faithful God couldn’t be more true. Thank you.
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Beautiful….thanks and have a safe trip back to see your Ava and Finn. Beautiful people and amazing testimony of Jesus’s love on the faces of those children in Africa.
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Thank you so much for the wonderful posts this week — I’ve read every one of the Kenya Bloggers’ posts. Such beautiful children in Kenya! I’m a Child Advocate for Compassion and wouldn’t give up this (volunteer) position for anything!
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Ryan,
Thanks for stepping out and taking this trip. I was truly blessed by your writing and heart. God will honor your faithfulness. According to my wife, he already has: 655 Kids sponsors this week. To say our God is amazing, just doesn’t seem to do it justice.
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Hippos are my favourite!!!!
Glad you had a… rewarding? trip. Meaningful? What is the word for it… you’ve written some great Words about it thus far, but I’m sure the experience will have you mulling over the right words for the rest of your life. Thanks so much for sharing.
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Photos you’ve taken are beautiful/amazing!! Totally pulling some for wallpapers. Have enjoyed each and every one your posts of this trip… which is really kinda crazy, seeing as some of the stories in it just continue to prove to me that God doesn’t give a hoot about anything on this planet.
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Ryan, your pictures are amazing!!
Safe travels! Have enjoyed your trip through your eyes.
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The toothless shot is my favorite!
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LOVE your blog! It is so refreshing to read daily!
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I’m sitting here tapping my fingers, waiting on my sponsored child’s packet! Her name is Valentine, which is very special, considering my hubby and I were married on Valentine’s Day. I can hardly wait to tell her how special she is.
Anyway, many thanks to you for blogging about your trip, your photos and words have been amazing.
I think you should frame the toothless grin picture…it would make you smile every time you looked at it. Awesome.
Love to you, have safe travels home.
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Love the elephant picture. Are you selling prints?
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Beautiful photos as usual, Ryan….and beautiful hearts you have!
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I recognized a couple of the Masai women from my trip there a year and half ago!!! They are such beautiful people
Did they get you to jump “dance” with the men?
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Also, I am privileged to be the new sponsor for Mwaka, a beautiful 6 year old little girl. I’ve been wanting to sponsor another child for awhile now, but didn’t feel like I had the room in my budget. Your previous post pushed me beyond that concern. Thank you!!
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Jambo! Habari! March 2, 2009 I got on a plane and went to Kenya for 3.5 weeks to teach in Enelerai with Free the Children. It was a fantastic experience and your pictures keep bringing everything back. A year later and I still have vivid memories of the things I experienced – both the good and the bad. Your pictures and stories are great!
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Your photos are absolutely amazing!
Thank you for going on this trip and bringing Kenya to all of us. You have done such a great job telling Compassion’s story through photos and words.
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Beautiful trip for all of you, for all the extremes, laughing through the tears. Thank you for sharing. Love the grinning photo.
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Hoping all of you have a safe trip home. I also hope you know how inspirational and moving your journey has been for so many. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
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I can’t believe they sent you on a safari. What a waste of money that could have gone to the children of Kenya! The whole trip is a safari, in a way…ogling people, then animals. Disgusting. Why not help build a new community center or school and blog about that? Why not serve meals in the slums and blog about that? You could raise awareness and get children sponsored that way too. Walking around with a camera for a few days does not deserve the title of “mission.” Publicity stunt, perhaps. Just because it’s all for a good cause doesn’t mean that it should be free from criticism.
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Tracy says:
March 10th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
@Paula H, 655 children sponsored because of this trip…so far…..x $38.00 per month X 12 months per year X about 10 years of promised sponsorship (give or take a year) = almost 3 million dollars because of this trip. This is a conservative estimate. By the way, they are “serving meals” in the slums….one sponsored child at a time…
and not just one meal. Meals for a lifetime.
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anonymous says:
March 11th, 2010 at 3:20 am
@Paula H, Paula, I think criticism is good. My guess is that this is in large part a publicity trip. That being said, there are now so many children sponsored that would not have been otherwise. I would liken it to the parable of the talents in the Bible. One man was given 5 talents of silver and when the master returned, he had double his money. Compassion makes choices that will help them increase the number of children that can be helped in the long run.
I spoke with someone at Compassion and was told that over 80% of all funds given make it to the sponsored project. Also the operating costs for Compassion are very low compared to other missions oriented organizations.
I don’t know if this changes your mind, but consider that a few thousand invested in a blogger trip has a multiple millions return as Tracy suggested verses a one time project as you suggest. I was also told that the bloggers were not compensated for their time other than the trip itself.
God spoke to Samuel when he was choosing a king from the tribe Jesse and said, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” I think if you peer into the heart of Compassion International you will find pure motives and love from these trips.
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TheDan says:
March 11th, 2010 at 8:38 am
@Paula H,
Those are some mighty fine answers. Wouldn’t you agree Paula H?
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Paula H says:
March 11th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
@TheDan, While I agree that it is fabulous that money is being raised and that this trip has been profitable for Compassion…that was not my point. I don’t doubt that Compassion is a fabulous organization.
I was simply shocked that the bloggers were essentially on a human safari. Why not spend the time there doing something with your hands? Building a school, for example. Clearly very few people commenting here have taken a university degree in Third World Economics, Modern African Studies, Global Initiatives? I have, and I won’t waste your time explaining why there is so much wrong with the construction of this trip, because there are some very big issues in there. I don’t doubt that there is good, so so much good in the hearts of Compassion leaders and the bloggers. I applaud them. If they were further educated on the implications perhaps things would have gone differently on this trip and on future trips. It’s not my place to educate, only to question. To me, the dollar figure of money raised is not the most important thing.
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TheDan says:
March 11th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
@Paula H,
This trip was to raise awareness and in turn raise sponsorship. They had one week to let people know what Compassion International is doing in Africa so that’s what they did. I would hardly call it a human safari. That just sounds demeaning to these beautiful people. The money raised will be used to educate, feed, and shelter these kids. I was told when I was in India that the only chance to escape poverty is through education and that’s one of the things that this money represents. This trip is only a tiny piece of a very big puzzle.
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Carol A. says:
March 12th, 2010 at 12:15 am
@Paula H, With your advanced degrees, why not share your knowledge with Compassion International…instead of posting here and giving Ryan grief because he simply accepted an invitation to go to Kenya and blog about it? It’s fine if you’re angry, but your anger is, IMO, misplaced.
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wow – you truly had an amazing journey. If i wasnt just laid off, I would love to sponsor a child – I had no idea that sponsoring a child is so positive for the entire community. the skeptical side of me wondered if the kids always wore there clean and bright blues and yellows or if they just put it on for the visitors, but i guess it doesnt matter either way. It was nice to see so many children with shoes – something that is a total vanity thing for me yet so essential. You guys did a great job spreading the word
thanks for sharing it with us
BTW – i saw a bumper sticker yesterday that said “God doesnt believe in atheists”. I thought it was so close minded an mean because the god i would believe in would love me no matter what; a lack of faith is understandable – there is no concrete proof. he would overlook that because i am a truly good person – i give more of myself than i really should but it feels great
your atheist
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Hi, have been following your story and enjoying the great photos. It would be really helpful for us who like photography to write something about the lenses you used to get those great photos and which ones you recommend the most. Thanks, and keep up the great work.
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Your photography is so amazing! Thanks for all of the wonderful updates of what you are doing. That horrid place Mathare (sp) sure puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
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I’ve been excitedly following your blog all week, what an amazing journey! Amazing photography, as usual! Your photos add so much to your words, they help bring your journey to life for those of us who reminded behind. Thank you for sharing, both the good and the harsh reality with us.
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That crazy Ryan. Always taking his teeth out.
I love the photos. Such a beautiful way to gain perspective and clarity. God is good.
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Your pictures are amazing!
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Andrea says:
March 10th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
@Andrea, Oh yeah, God is pretty creative too!
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love wins….and Jesus SAVES!
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I’ve been following since seeing the link on Pioneer Woman’s blog. I spent 4 months in Kenya a few years back and it still holds a chunk of my heart! Your photos are gorgeous and bring back mass memories and yearnings to get involved again with missions pertaining. Sponsoring a child is great way to do so! Anyhoo . . . just writing a comment to tell you thank you for the effort of great photography and sharing that greatness with us! What heart and soul caught in each shot! :0) Beautiful!
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be safe on your travels home! take care!
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These two links will answer most of the questions anyone has about compassion.
http://www.compassion.com/about/compassionfaq/default.htm#aboutusfaq1
http://www.compassion.com/contribution/contributionfaq/default.htm
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I love the “teeth” picture!
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Stunning, amazing, beautiful images. Thank you for sharing your trip. It gave me a lot to think about.
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Oh Africa, be still my heart. I miss you so – land of big sky and blazing sun and sharp colors. Land of grief and joy and abundance and poverty all in the same place. Thank you for a glimpse into home from a homesick girl, two years since she was last there.
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Ryan, your pictures are absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing! And thank you (and Allie) for going on this trip and sharing with us. Our lives were changed as a result. We’re so excited about our two little kids from Compassion, and we’re telling everyone about sponsoring.
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The composition of these photos are incredible. Thanks for the perspective.
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Your photos are beautiful…breathtaking in fact…just the kind i have longed to take myself…wow! Thanks for sharing!
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beautiful.
I feel your heartbreak.
Ecuador rocked my world.
I still haven’t really felt normal.
Whatever normal is.
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I’ve enjoyed going on this journey through your blog posts and beautiful pictures. God has definitely used your posts and the posts of another blogger (kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com) to shake me from my complacency. Thank you and I pray that you all have a safe journey back home. God bless.
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Ruined in the most beautiful way….
Ruined for His glory!
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You inspire me….looking forward to posts after you get home and settled. How does one get over that trip?
BEAUTIFUL…..oh to do God’s work!
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WOW! The photos are amazing!
Looking forward to reading your words and seeing more photos once you are settled and able to share more with us!
Blessings and prayers for all that came with you!
Jill
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gorgeous photos! maybe you will consider adding some of the animal photos to your prints-for-sale?
i’ve also been thinking about people’s (or maybe it was just one person, i don’t know) comments about this being a “publicity trip” and i disagree. i don’t think pure publicity stunts do so much work in people’s hearts. just by the virtue of you going on this trip, taking those beautiful photos, and telling us that compassion international is REAL, LOOK, THESE ARE THE CHILDREN…that has in turn done so much for the communities that are being sponsored AND for the people who are doing the sponsoring. kudos.
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Incredible,incredible photos….
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