My journey started with a daring dream—to see 200 books multiply into something far bigger than I ever imagined and bless children in the African bush. When my friends Chris and Jenn Hadsell invited me to join their mission, I said “yes,” not knowing what was ahead. Together, we took small steps of faith that turned into huge waves of change. What started as a simple goal of getting kids into school quickly grew into something far beyond anything we could have dreamed.

‍
Years earlier, Chris and Jenn met a pastor in Kenya and a group of women living with HIV/AIDS who called themselves “I Do Not Reject Myself.” These women’s biggest hope was to get their kids into school, and Chris and Jenn decided to help make that happen. They launched a sponsorship program to cover tuition, meals, and discipleship. Later, they met a teacher named Patrick, who told them about a remote village in desperate need of a school and a church. In 2014, we visited the village, and I was there when they offered us 15 acres of land—free and clear—as long as we agreed to build a Christian school and church. It felt too good to be true, but we knew God was opening a door.

Chris and Jenn asked me and Dusty, a new teammate, to help as educational coordinators, and I jumped in with both feet. We started by running a three-day teacher training, and it was amazing to see the teachers’ passion for learning and growth. Meanwhile, the village, which used to be called Mwabila (meaning "mold"), had its name changed to Birikani, which means “door” or “port”—fulfilling a prophecy that this place would become a beacon of hope. In just six months, we went from having one room with 30 kids to a school with over 100 students, a new church, and a village elder, once a Muslim, coming to know Jesus.

As things grew, I realized bringing books in our suitcases wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I bought 200 books as an act of faith, praying they would somehow multiply. A week later, I got a phone call from Books for Africa offering us space in a 40-foot shipping container and up to 20,000 books. They even covered half the shipping cost through a grant. It felt like an impossible answer to prayer. Suddenly, we had to figure out how to raise $5,000 quickly and organize the growing piles of donations coming in—books, soccer gear, school supplies, and more.

Raising $16,000 in just one month was one of the most humbling and incredible experiences of my life. Kids donated Christmas money, school groups rallied, and strangers showed up to help. By the time the container was ready to ship, we had collected over 3,000 books, plus mountains of sports gear, shoes, and supplies. We decided to purchase the container so it could serve as a permanent library in Birikani. At the same time, we remodeled another space in Mtwapa to create a library there as well.

Getting the container to Kenya was easier than getting it out of the port. We ran into issue after issue with customs—unexpected fees, delays, and lots of paperwork. At one point, I thought we might never see it released. But God worked through an amazing shipping agent, and we finally got it cleared. The first time we opened the container, one of the customs agents spotted a box of Bibles and asked for one. That moment reminded me why we were doing all of this.

When the container finally arrived in Birikani, it was like a scene out of a movie. We had to build a bridge and repave roads just to get it there. As the truck rolled in, the entire village came out to cheer, and we all prayed over it before we even started unloading. By the next day, we had organized the books, trained the teachers, and set up the library. Watching the kids hold books for the first time and seeing the community celebrate made every delay and challenge worth it.

Looking back, I still can’t believe what God has done. A simple "yes" led to a 40-foot container filled with over 20,000 books, soccer gear, and supplies for two libraries. Birikani has become a place of hope and transformation, and I know this is just the beginning. God has shown me that this journey isn’t meant to be done alone. With so many hands joining together, we’ve made the extraordinary feel ordinary, and I’m excited to see what’s next. As Ephesians 3:20 reminds me, God truly does immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.

- Sarah

Click Here to Download the full story