As my first foray into exploration, I partnered with a nonprofit organization to travel across Kenya and assist in providing medical care to some of its most remote villages. Not being a licensed medical professional myself, I focused on logistics, triage, and documentation of the team’s work through photography. During the journey, my aim was simple – to understand the depth and complexity of launching a service-oriented mission across a foreign country. Closely observing and coordinating with the trip leads, I had the chance to learn firsthand what it takes to use exploration for service while navigating an unfamiliar environment. More importantly, I connected with the people of Kenya, helped my team care for those in need, and created friendships that persist to this day.
Our journey across western Kenya spanned three regions: Webuye (the dry lowlands), Bomet (the wet highlands), and Maasai Mara (the savannah wilderness). In Webuye and Bomet, we set up medical clinics in a different nearby village each day, providing care to an average of 500 patients daily. We provided wound care and treated colds, flu, and chronic illnesses. At the conclusion of our medical work, we traveled through the remote villages of the Maasai to embark on a safari across the African savannah at the Tanzanian border.
Webuye and Bomet showed me the heart of Kenya’s people (many of whom I still speak to today) while the Maasai Mara displayed the soul of its wildlife, from zebras to leopards to wildebeest. As my first experience traveling across the world, it left a lasting mark, revealing that the people on the other side of the planet were not remarkably different from myself. More importantly, it instilled in me a voracious desire to always lead with service, knowing that all else – the logistics, supplies, funding, and even luck – would follow. To this day, I believe the only work worth pursuing and the only actions “with teeth” are those which lift up your neighbor.