Why Kenya?

"I see kids in the street with not enough to eat. Who am I to be blind pretending not to see their need?"

My favorite song of all time is "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. I remember seeing the music video for the first time when I was 8 years old. I remember sitting in my living room on our country-blue carpet and I sobbed uncontrollably. At 8 years old, God gave me a heart to serve and love orphans.


"That's why I want you to know...I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways."

When I came back from Kenya in June of 2009, and when Scott and I returned from Haiti last year, my heart began to change. And it keeps changing. My views on life and what will make me happy have changed significantly.

I am ashamed to admit that for the first 7 years of our marriage my biggest dream, my biggest goal, my highest aspiration was to have "bigger and better." A bigger house, a better car, designer clothes, a closet full of trendy shoes, more, more, more.

But God, who started working on me when I was only 8, didn't quit. He wouldn't allow me to stay self-centered. No, His heart is much bigger than that. I am thankful that He is giving me more of a heart like His. To abandon my dreams for His own.

This beautiful little girl is Wiuwa. I fell in love with her on my first day in Ngaamba, Kenya, and every day we would spend time together. And every day she was wearing this worn and tattered dress. Leaving her (and my friend Damarus) was the hardest part of my journey.

I wrote her name on my arm so that she would know that I wouldn't forget her. And I haven't.


"And no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make that change."

Maybe it surprises you, given the fact that Michael Jackson had a "colorful life", that he wrote such a powerful song. But it doesn't me. I believe God gives us all a heart to serve and love others.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

One of the most profound sentences in the song "Man in the Mirror" is this:
"You gotta get it right, while you got the time 'cause when you close your heart, you close your mind."

It is the truth that we (especially in America) can so easily turn a blind eye to the heartbreak in our world. I am guilty of it, too. I rarely watch the news because I get so upset by stories of horrible acts that people do to one another, and I cry uncontrollably yet again when disasters strike and families are left homeless and fighting for their lives. But when I refuse to "see" the hurt around me, that is when I become caught up in my own life and forget to serve others. 

That answers the question, "Why Kenya?" Why? Because I have to leave my eyes open. I have to allow myself to travel and live in uncomfortable situations (for just 10 days) in order for my heart to remain open. I can't turn my back on anyone, because everyone is a child of God.


"I'm gonna make a change. It's gonna feel real good. Come on! Just lift yourself, you know. You gotta move. You gotta stand up! Make that change."

 https://my410bridge.org/AmberCastleberry