Matt

Matthew Benoit
I am from Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit.
I am currently studying neuroscience at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
I am looking forward to the Kenyan smiles I have heard a lot about. It is a reflection of their kindness and hospitality I would assume. But I am most excited to witness a different form of poverty. It will be more devastating in a lot of ways and I look forward to witnessing God shining through the tragedy. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Kenya for several years and they attested to the miraculous joy that the Kenyans had in the midst of many terrible events. It will be amazing and hopefully life-changing.

Adela

Helloo! My name's Adela, I'm from Flushing, New York and was born in the Dominican Republic.  I studied Sociology and Languages as undergrad and am currently pursuing my MA in Sociology at St. John's University, also in New York.  What I am most excited about is to work with the Daughters of Charity closely. I am convinced they are one of the strongest groups of people in the world. Growing up as a Franciscan, I learned to love service and try to live simply, which can be a challenge in my city. A quote attributed to St. Francis is: "Preach the gospel always, and if necessary use words." I really like it because it emphasizes living out the word, faith in action which is what I always associate the Daughters with, walking the talk per se. Apart from service, I also love my family/friends and cooking for them, playing my sax, and submerging myself in art (all kinds). I hope this blog inspires you all to do great things or if anything makes ya smile, enjoy!  :-) 

Emily

My name is Emily Edwards, and I am the coordinator for this year's VLM trip to Kitale, Kenya.  I am originally from Memphis, TN and I have lived in Chicago, IL for the past four years.  I recently graduated from DePaul University with a major in Psychology and minors in Women's and Gender Studies and Community Service Studies.

I am so excited to return to Kitale, Kenya and see the sisters, children, and people in the community that I grew to love last year. Kenya brought a state of joy and appreciation for relationships that I had never experienced before my visit.  Community is very important to the culture of the Kenyan people, and that is something that I immediately picked up on and appreciated.

Kenya is a beautiful place that is made even more beautiful by the people that you meet; when people are around you, they are truly with you.    

The distractions and busyness of American culture is replaced with patience, attentiveness and intentionality.

The children that I met were full of energy and smiles.  I also noticed a sense of resilience with the children that I have not experienced as much with children in other places.  The people of all ages that I met challenged me to grow, learn and love more every day.  

I am so excited to return to Kitale and honored to have Matt, Dom, and Adela as my community.  I am excited and hopeful for what this journey will bring.