A Heart Opened: One Teen's Journey with Water Mission

Recently Water Mission's founder, Molly Greene, traveled to Kenya to attend the commissioning of a safe water project in a Maasai village. Two supporters and friends of Water Mission, Mrs. Diane Hanlon and her teen daughter Kristine, traveled with her. After years of walking faithfully beside Water Mission, they had decided it was time to see a safe water project for themselves. Kristine, 16, attends The Kings Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, and spent some time describing her experience in Kenya.

"They are rich. Not by materialistic means. For they are rich in the love of God."

- Kristine Hanlon

1. Was this your first time out of the country or to Kenya/Africa? It was not my first time out of the country. But, it is certainly the farthest I've ever been away from home, and also my first time in Africa.

2. Why were you interested in going on this trip? Being a missionary has been a childhood dream of mine. Enduring on this trip would mean that my dream would become a reality. Therefore, how could I have said no to going! God blessed me with an adventurous spirit, and I felt Him call me to this experience.

3. How did you get involved/hear about with Water Mission? I honestly don't know exactly, my family has been involved with them for many years.

4. What was your first impression of Kenya/Enariboo? As I stepped foot out of the airport, my heart dropped to my feet. I was in culture shock. I felt so out of place and was overcome with nerves, as there is absolutely nothing in the world that one can equip themselves with to prepare for this experience. But, as the trip endured, those nerves melted into sheer joy. Kenya consists of an incomparable group of individuals. There was not one person out of all that we met that was not humble, selfless, giving, patient, and extremely welcoming.

5. What was the hardest or most difficult thing you saw? My heart was torn by many varying things through the duration of my trip. But, one particular thing that will forever be highlighted and embedded in my memory, was watching a young woman... poison herself as well as her family with a horrific substance – so-called water. I hesitate to label it as water because so much bacteria, mud, and animal as well as human waste is present in this "water".

6. What was it like being in the community, with the people? It was refreshing. Personally for me, I was revived by seeing how simply they live their lives. If I could only use one word to describe this I would choose exotic. I choose this because I find myself constantly absorbed in unnecessary conflict or involved in time-consuming activities that conquer my life; therefore, I "forget" to live. I forget to interact with other souls. I forget to love others at all times because the grip of stress is so overbearing at times. Seeing those individuals in the villages assures me that genuine people still thrive. Although, they do have worries, such as unclean water and illness, they are not caught up in petty and materialistic troubles. That truly makes my heart smile.

7. Tell me about the commissioning celebration. What was it like? If there's one thing I learned it's that Kenyans sure know how to throw a celebration! The second thing I learned is that their love is endless. The tribes present at the celebration consisted of the most genuine, down-to-earth humble individuals. They continued to give, although they do not have much to give. They are rich. Not by materialistic means. For they are rich in the love of God. It was a fascinating, once in a lifetime experience that I had the privilege of participating in. Seeing precious villagers' faces illuminate with satisfaction and joy of pure, fresh, clean, healthy water. Before arriving at the celebration, we stopped at various water taps where a leader of Water Mission Kenya's team would single out an individual to honor and bless by allowing them to officially "open" up the water to everyone. This acted as the preview before the big finale, giving us all a taste of what to expect at the celebration. As our team was exiting, in the process of relocating to the celebration, Moses, Water Mission Kenya's Country Director, asked me to do the honors of cutting the ribbon at the celebration. My heart stopped for an abrupt moment, knowing this would require me to step out of my comfort zone and present myself in front of an unknown crowd. I answered with a vivid yes, for if I were to answer no, I would be full of regret for surpassing that special opportunity.

8. What was the coolest part? The coolest part by FAR, was when the visitors were singled out to become honorary Maasai. The beautiful women clothed us with handmade gifts including bracelets, necklaces, earrings and blankets. At a later date during our trip I found out that the colors on the blankets each signified an individual's favorite foods. For example, red means cow blood, black means roasted meat, white means milk, orange means fruit, etc.

9. Tell me, in your own words, what y’all did on this trip. We arrived at the Anglican guest house during the late hours of night. In the morning we took a two-hour drive to reach the area where the celebration was later held. After the celebration, we drove to a small resort called Seasons; we spent one night there. The next morning we visited Maasai Mara University, where James is a professor. Here we had the wonderful opportunity to meet the president. She requested clean water at the university. Afterwards, we once again drove to the location that the celebration was held at and met incredible people. Afterwards, we returned to the Anglican mission house (where we stayed the first night). The next morning, we flew to Kitale to meet the local Water Mission Kenyan team. They. Are. Incredible. I cannot piece the words together to express my innermost feelings towards those extremely special individuals. The Lord has truly intervened in the decision making process involving hiring of new staff members. They are on fire for the Lord, every single one of them. God is a common topic of comfort for them in almost every conversation; I admire that so much... while we were in Kitale, we visited another village. We were able to sit in on a WASH Program (water, sanitation and hygiene) meeting that involved Water Mission staff and few community members. We flew back to the Wilson airport, and as an additional part of our trip we went on a safari (this part had nothing to do with Water Mission, it was a leisure trip). We saw lions, leopards, zebras, cheetah, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles. It was incredibly cool!

10. How did this trip change your life or way of viewing the world? It was not my first missions trip; therefore, it was not the first time my eyes have been open to life in a third-world country. My eyes did not necessarily open, as some may claim. But, my heart did. For I have never experienced people so content with the little they have. This fact has made me more sensitive to living on less as well as purchasing less unnecessary items. And instead using my money on things that better myself and others.

11. What is the biggest thing you learned from your time in Kenya? That the Lord moves in miraculous ways. For example, James, who is a member of the first village we visited. He is the reason that these sweet people were able to receive the gift of water. Fragments of his story are absent from my memory, but the highlighted portion that I do recall is that he received a scholarship from a man to travel to America and attend Clemson to achieve the degree he desired. Somehow he came in contact with Water Mission and was able to share the story of the horrific outcomes that unsanitary water was causing. This spurred on the team at Water Mission to start a project. That does not happen by chance, that is 100% the Lord's doing.

12. Did this trip impact how you live your daily life or your goals for the future? How? Yes, it has encouraged me to fulfill what I believe is my calling to be a missionary and love the unlovable, reach the unreachable, and to touch the hearts of the untouchable. I have a hobby of photography as well as journaling. I hope to merge those ideas somehow and use my gifts in the field of mission work if it's the Lord's will for my life.

We cannot do this work without incredible investors like the Hanlon family. Click here to find out how you can get involved with Water Mission.

[Photos courtesy of Kristine Hanlon]