Seniors Kenya Outreach + Child Sponsorship

Eastside Global Compassion is hosting a Global Compassion trip to Kenya designed for seniors 55 years and older. This will easily be the experience of a lifetime for all who travel with us. We will serve alongside the ministry of Missions of Hope International, a long-time trusted partner who began serving children in the year 2000 with one small school and 50 children. Today, by God’s grace, MOHI now has over 30 schools from Kindergarten through high school in two countries. They serve over 30,000 children six days a week with Christian education, two meals a day, healthcare, school uniforms, social work, and a Micro Loan ministry that has transformed the economy for hundreds in Kenya. Your 10-day excursion to Kenya will allow you to bring much needed food, bedding, and household items to some of the poorest families living in the slums of the Mathare Valley. This valley is home to close to 1 million who make their living on less than a few dollars per day, living pressed together in just a few square kilometers in small tin shanties. You will experience what it means to “give a cold cup of water” in the name of Jesus and give hope to so many who have only known this extreme poverty all the days of their lives. You will see smiles on kids' faces and joy in their grateful hearts because you have come.

There will be much to do while in Kenya…
• We will host Health and Wellness pop-up clinics offering optometry, glucose screening, and blood pressure checks.
• At all of our pop-ups, we’ll be taking portraits of individuals and families, printing them to give away on the spot. A rare treat for the community! 
• We’ll deliver new bunk beds to families that may be sleeping six to eight people in a one-room shanty where most sleep together on a worn mattress or tattered blanket on a dirt floor. 
• You will have a unique experience of visiting one of the many MOHI churches in the Mathare Valley, witnessing how God is transforming the lives of these Mathare residents. Some will also have an opportunity to be on the speaking team sharing your life’s journey with God.
• You will meet your Sponsored Children and greet their families, spending the day sharing a meal, opening gifts, and visiting the historic giraffe and elephant parks of Nairobi…creating memories that will last a lifetime for both you and your sponsored child. 
You will wrap up your trip to Africa with a two-night stay in a well-appointed safari lodge in the world renowned Masai Mara/Serengeti planes. While on Safari you will be just a few feet away experiencing God‘s handiwork seeing hundreds of different animal species and getting your fill of lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos and so much more, all in their natural habitat. Kenya has been a favorite destination for hundreds that have made the journey repeatedly to serve others, meet new people and see God’s handiwork in the people of Kenya. A trip like this will leave an indelible mark on your soul and is guaranteed to broaden your understanding of God, and how He is truly the God of the nations! The cost is all-inclusive and includes air travel (coach) from LAX in California, or MSP in Minnesota, all ground transport, hotel, meals (except in airports), safari, ministry program, and all in-country flights to safari. All rooms are double occupancy; single rooms are available at an additional cost. The flight to Kenya may have up to two stops and is a 22–25 hour flight. The hotel we will stay in has no elevator; limited rooms on the ground floor will require you to climb some stairs. If you are limited in your mobility or require a walker, we sadly would not recommend this trip. We will have opportunities for those that would require a less physically taxing experience as well as for those that can withstand more physical activity.

Your Team Leads will be Arty VanGeloof, Director of Global Compassion, and Diana Rush, Director of Build Community, here at Eastside Christian Church. Everyone is welcome; however, all participants will need to make arrangements to depart from either our Eastside Anaheim campus (LAX) or our Park Rapids, MN campus (MSP). We hope to see you in Kenya!

This trip is physically moderate, and will likely contain mostly unpaved, uneven/hilly terrain, or lots of walking/stairs and/or medium lifting. Sometimes comfortable climate, maybe no A/C. Probably 3-4 of the following conditions–uncertainty, odd schedules, emotional stress, long or difficult travel days, culture shock, language barrier, jet lag, uncomfortable accommodations, unfamiliar food.

BEFORE YOU APPLY, check out this short information video for requirements and our team agreement. Click "Apply Now" to create an account for this web platform that manages everything about this trip, and fill out your application! Prices are subject to change based on airfare rates.