Do you ever wonder....

...if you make a difference in other people's lives? Do you ever wonder if the people you meet from afar actually remember you?

I met a boy named Andrew when I went to Kenya a few years ago. I had seen hours of video footage of Andrew before I actually met him. I was in charge of our mission project that year for Summer Spectacular at church. Pastor Steve Rutenbar and I worked together to create short videos of Andrew's life, videos that 2700 children would see everyday for 5 days...hoping they would create an emotional connection with him. It totally worked, and children still remember a boy in Kenya named Andrew...powerful!

When we arrived in Kenya a few of us stayed in Nairobi to lead a Purpose Driven Youth Conference, then we flew to Kitale. We went straight to the Purpose Driven Academy where the rest of the team was already. I knew Andrew would be there and I was SO looking forward to meeting him.

When we went to the school I walked into a classroom and the first face my eyes landed on was Andrew -- I knew it was him right away. It immediately brought tears to my eyes and there was an immediate connection with this 8 year old boy. I probably spent a total of 10 hrs with Andrew, it wasn't much time...

I have been on dozens of mission trips, met hundreds of kids from around the world, but for some reason Andrew is on my heart more than anyone else. I constantly pray for him and can't wait to see him again one day.

Julie just went to Kenya...sent me an email this morning..."Did you get the picture of Andrew?" I said no -- and she responded with this picture:She said he talked about me and totally remembers me. This is such an overwhelming joy I cannot put into words! I love that he remembers me, because he is someone I truly care about and cannot wait to see how God is going to use him in the slums of Kitale...

One day...