When I reflect on the past few years, I can freely say, with a warm smile that speaks volumes, what a transformation I have experienced since I began working with Crossing Thresholds. Through the mentorship program, I have developed the skills of generosity and public speaking.
My work has been to direct the mentorship program. Crossing Thresholds finds mentors in the US, pairs them with students in Kibera, and hosts video calls between mentors and sponsored students. Mentors meet their mentees through these calls at a minimum of three times a year. On these calls, we may do virtual home visits, tours of a school, or even a visit to a sports game.
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I have taken students to the Kenyan National Music Festivals before, but the 2022 music festival held in Kisumu at Arya Primary school was special. It was a magical moment for the students, the schools, and for me. This was the first time the Center of Hope (COH) school was participating in the National festivals and the students were so thrilled to feature in a major competition as it was a new experience they had not gone through before.
There are a few special people who seem to stand in an intersection of goodness, eloquence, perseverance, and authenticity. To be sure, the world needs more of them.
I met a guy like this in the fall of 2021 when I decided, for some unknown reason, to walk into a little church that I had driven by on my way to work for over twenty years. The ‘guy’ leading the service was a man named Carter Via. My relationship with Crossing Thresholds began with a phone call from a person I did not know, asking if I would like to work with them. The first few months my focus was simply numbers, money in, money out, which to be honest has always been my comfort zone. In the numbers world, one plus one will always equal two, life is organized and predictable.
When I was 18 years old, I went on a mission trip to Zambia, Africa with my college. Upon my return, I posted a picture to my Facebook page of me and some children from one of the orphanages. As kind and loving messages flooded my post I came across a message from an individual I did not know well. The comment was a link to an article about “Volunteerism and the White Savior Complex.” I clicked the link, read the article, and sat with my own thoughts for a minute or two.
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