Daniel's Journey into Missions

Daniel Kateli’s journey to Orthodoxy brought him many blessings, and so he wanted to give back to God. This past year, he finally found a great way to do just that: by serving on a mission team. After much discerning and preparing, he applied to join our youth team to Kisumu, Kenya. He was accepted, and on December 9, he was on his way to Kenya.

Traveling into the mission field is often a grueling experience, but after a 14-hour flight, Daniel arrived. His team traveled out to the children’s school, where they spent the week teaching the children on a variety of subjects.

As is the case with many mission team members, he often felt like he was learning more from his students than they were learning from him. “I then asked her why she loved Jesus,” he said, “and she responded: ‘Because I am alive.’ From my point of view, that answer cannot be topped by any other... that response truly impacted my heart and my soul.”

After a week’s worth of adventure, teaching, and sharing many experiences with the children, Daniel finally headed back to the States. Upon reflecting on the entire trip, his reaction was this: “I am humbled and thankful. There is work to be done, and I want to help.”

Daniel came back from his trip having not only shared many of his talents, but having received a great deal too. He was serious about his intention to help and is now seriously considering the prospect of long-term missionary service. Only God knows what Daniel’s future journey looks like, but we at OCMC are grateful to help facilitate it.

We constantly receive stories like this from all those who serve on our mission teams around the world. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in a mission team, please visit us at ocmc.org for more information!