The Blessings of Showing Up In Kenya

Written by Lisa Marlin

Hope United Methodist Church’s relationship with communities around Meru, Kenya, goes back more than 25 years, largely through the vision of longtime church member Ann Fort. Ann led teams on 19 mission trips to Kenya, the last in 2019 when she was 92. 

Then COVID interrupted the trips, and during that time, Ann passed away from cancer. By 2026, everything had fallen into place for a team to return. 

Our team of 13 included Hope UMC pastor Rev. Jeff Rainwater and his wife, Rev. Laura Rainwater, pastor of Parker UMC, and Hope members Jodie Senter, who organized and led the trip; Dan and Jan Petro; Craig and Laurel Laumann; Clyde and Patti Jo Oakley; Donna Ralston; Chris Chamberlain; Ron Sauer; and Lisa Marlin. 

The purpose of our July 9–23 trip wasn’t simply to resume construction projects that had long been part of Hope UMC’s Kenya mission. After seven years apart, we returned to reconnect with longtime partners, serve alongside local communities, and continue relationships that have grown over more than two decades. 

Welcome to Kenya 

We traveled nearly 10,000 miles to arrive in Nairobi on the morning of July 10. Sammy and Josh of Lindberg Safaris, the Kenyan travel agency used for many previous trips, met us at the airport and loaded our mountain of luggage into two Land Cruisers. For the next 12 days, they became much more than our drivers. They became our friends. 

We spent our first night at the Methodist Resort and Conference Center in Nairobi. It was a much-needed respite after a 14-hour flight from JFK, and the staff was very kind and helpful. 

That night, we began our devotional time as a team. A different person led each evening, followed by songs accompanied by Clyde on his ukulele. These times inspired us, strengthened our connection, and gave us a chance to reflect on each day’s experiences. 

The next morning, we began the six-hour journey to Meru, stopping at Nanyuki Spinners and Weavers, a women’s empowerment enterprise supported by the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. Women earn income through weaving while preserving traditional skills—one of our first reminders that sustainable mission work includes supporting the skills and resources already within communities. 

Meru: A Home Away From Home 

Later that day, we arrived at the MCK Bio-Intensive Agricultural Training Center in Meru. MCK stands for the Methodist Church in Kenya and precedes the names of several of the places we would work with. 

The center was our home base for the next week as we traveled daily to construction sites, a medical clinic, schools, churches, and a rehabilitation center. 

The Bio-Intensive Center itself is also a mission, teaching small-scale farmers how to grow high yields of healthy food, manage livestock, and protect natural resources on very small plots of land. Evans Mutwiri, the Operations Officer and Head of the Farm Department, gave our team a tour of the greenhouses, gardens, and barns; he also joined us in much of the work we did throughout the week. 

We enjoyed breakfast and dinner at the center, with a packed lunch provided. Each day, two members of our team happily assisted Chef Joseph prepare these meals and learned to make typical Kenyan dishes such as beef stew, arrowroot, and mandazi—a sweet fried bread that became a favorite. 

Everyone at the center made us feel at home, as if we were family. 

That sense of family carried over on Sunday when we worshiped at MCK Chuka Town Church, which Ann helped establish in 2002 and Hope UMC continues to partner with today. What began with a handful of worshippers has grown into a thriving congregation serving hundreds. 

Our pastor, Rev. Jeff Rainwater, delivered the sermon, and later, church leaders presented the men on our team with safari hats and the women with colorful wraps to wear. We weren’t tourists or even guests. We were family returning after seven years apart. 

In Part 2, we’ll share how that sense of connection continued as we visited the MCK Treatment and Rehabilitation Center and worked alongside our Kenyan partners at elementary schools and a rural medical clinic.