In 2009, I’d been in turmoil for months, feeling a deep calling to step out in faith and for God to use me to show His love in the world. But I couldn’t figure out how to do that. Then in May 2009, God clearly said to me, “Five loaves and two fish: What you have is enough.” I was reminded of the miracle in John 6 when a boy offered all he had — five loaves and two fish — because people were hungry. The disciples were skeptical, but Jesus took the food, and everyone ate and was filled. As I recalled this miracle, I immediately had peace. I knew that if I brought everything to God in childlike faith, it would be enough.
Three months later, I traveled to Kenya to see World Vision’s work. On our first morning, I joined the World Vision team for devotions. The leader started by saying, “As I was praying last night about this devotion, God put on my heart the story of five loaves and two fish.” I burst into tears of gratitude, knowing this was confirmation that I was where God was calling me to show His love.
On that trip, I visited the Morpus Rescue Center, where I met 34 young girls aged 8 to 12. The center helps girls fleeing the traditional practices of female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. While these girls could complete primary school at the center, without access to a secondary school, their prospects remained bleak. When I looked into their eyes, I saw two things: fierce determination for a better life through education and the longing to have someone validate that they are valued and loved. I knew in my soul that God wanted these girls to know He loved each deeply.
Back in the U.S., I shared about these girls’ yearning for education, and others joined me in raising the funds to build St. Elizabeth Girls Secondary School. When the school was commissioned, I was privileged to experience the girls’ deep joy born of tangible hope for a better life. Today, 400 girls attend the school — and this number’s continuing to grow as the culture changes. In 2009, the FGM prevalence rate was about 95% in this area of West Pokot County. After a decade of World Vision’s work there, it’s now under 5%. It is possible to end FGM. That’s the basis of World Vision’s Kenya Big Dream. It’s based on the last decade of work in West Pokot, and it seeks to eliminate FGM everywhere World Vision works in Kenya.
What’s transpired here is nothing short of a miracle — one that God is multiplying, just as He multiplied five loaves and two fish so many years ago.
