From Stephanie Bys post on FB 8-12-2019

I once thought that when on the ground in Kenya, I thought the hardest part of missions (besides leaving our family) was not having air-conditioning, or maybe the lack of tacos, or even the fact that we didn't have ice, or iced coffee. The first few weeks here I would have said the hardest part of missions were those things. I desperately missed our family. I was an "a/c set on 72°" girl before moving to Kenya. Mexican food was (and still is) my jam...I could eat it 3 meals a day and never tire. Iced tea and iced coffee was how I stayed hydrated in Texas. Those first few weeks were overwhelming with how "hard" I realized this was going to be.

Then as we dug in, grew roots and started really "missioning". I saw hard things and we did hard things. We were helping people get treatment for things we'd never heard of, but Google had, so we learned and sought help for them. We were helping here and there and seeing total poverty all around us. Total poverty without government assistance, without churches willing to help on every corner, without soup kitchens and food pantries to help in some way.

A couple of days ago I posted a picture of a young man's leg that was severely swollen and infected. One of my friends commented saying "I just can't handle this 😭😭😭". I couldn't agree more with her, but the problem is that I have to handle this. I'm here, and on a regular basis we come across issues just like this. If it isn't a medical issue it is a lack of food issue. If it isn't a food issue it is lack of school fees. I can't even begin to explain the weight on our shoulders. While we are fully aware that we can't "fix" everything, how do you look at this young man and leave him the way he is? When you have a widow just down the street not eating, how do you leave her the way she is? When you know of multiple families that struggle to feed their families, how do you leave them without food? When 20 extra kids show up at the feeding program because they've been sent home from school for lack of school fees, how do you let them miss school and get behind in their education over $1 each?

So almost 3 years into our mission work here and I have to tell you that the absolute hardest part of missions is the needs that we can't meet. The tummies that go to bed hungry, the many major medical issues we can't help, the families that are struggling. We want to do SO MUCH more, but money holds us back. Everyone says "Money can't buy happiness.", but it can feed bellies, fix medical issues, keep families together and pay school fees and that is happiness in my book.

I know that sometimes the amount of posts and all the asking for money can be overwhelming, it overwhelms me. However sometimes I can't NOT ask for money. Sometimes the burden is too great, sometimes it is too obvious that God connected these dots for this purpose, sometimes children are involved and God made me with a crazy heart that just loves all children and I want to help them have a better life. There is so much help needed here and we believe God sent us here to meet some of those needs, physical needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs

Thank you for every prayer you pray for this ministry. Thank you for every post/blog that you read and/or share. Thank you for every time you share our mission here with someone. Thank you for every donation you send in, because each of these things makes a huge difference in the work being done.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13 ESV