HOW IT ALL STARTED
On a Trip to Kenya… Kathy Kohl’s Story
The reason this mission is so close to my heart is because of a little boy I met in an orphanage in 2017. He was left in a trash bag & thrown in a dumpster alongside the road just after he was born. A stranger found him and took him to the hospital, and he eventually ended up in an orphanage.
I got to visit Raymond three times in the orphanage and really bonded with him. After I returned home from the mission trip, my new friend, Nicole, went to visit Raymond for me. She sent me photos and videos so I could see that he was healthy.
After viewing a photo of Tom, Nicole‘s husband, and Nicole holding Raymond, God placed it on my heart to ask them to adopt Raymond. After asking my Bible study group to help me pray about asking them, one of the ladies said she would pay for the adoption fees if they agreed. I was shocked. We all started to cry. God was opening doors! It was an answered prayer, and I needed to ask them.
I asked Nicole and she said she would pray about it, but God had already put the idea in their hearts. They brought baby Raymond home in 2017. I have been able to watch him grow up to be a healthy, happy boy by zoom calls each Sunday. He loves his big sister, Gloria, and she’s happy that God answered her prayers by giving her a baby brother.
Nicole and I would love to be able to help more children like Raymond. God has placed it on our hearts to build a church & school to help educate the future generation. We will need to purchase land (fully funded & complete April 2022), build a church & a three to six room school, and feed children in one of the poorest counties in Kenya. Check out our YouTube channel for more updates. Nicole has already started a non-profit in Kenya and has incredible support from their board of directors. They will be helping with administration, purchasing the land, finding the right builders for the three-room school, and help plan meals. Nicole, Raymond’s mom, is a teacher and will volunteer her time and talents to the school.
Our goal is to have this project in Kenya complete by 2025. We also want Changing A Destiny/Kenya to become self-sufficient – utilizing the time, talents and funds of local families.
The end goal is to give as many children as possible the opportunity for education. Without an education, the destiny of children in Kenya is bleak. They will never receive the opportunity to go to college and develop a professional career. We hope to CHANGE THEIR DESTINIES through education and by sharing with them the love of Jesus.
While Raymond is the earthly inspiration for this mission, our Savior’s love is the heavenly inspiration. We hope to use this mission to share Raymond’s testimony of how God changed his destiny and glorify God at the same time.
