Gwen:

This is my friend Gwen.  I met her when she was 10 years old.   Gwen wanted to become a vet when she grew up, and she did.  Now she is one of my Facebook friends, and I follow her life through her posts.  I got these pictures off of Gwen's FB page.

Gwen loves going to Africa and working with the Maasai children.  She goes on teams from America, and serves with a group called Precious Life International.  You can read more about PLI and what Gwen does there in a letter she sent out to her friends and family last April, below.

When Gwen went to Africa last year, she met a baby boy named Pasha, who needed heart surgery.  Gwen raised awareness about his situation, and last week Pasha and his mother flew to New Orleans for the life saving medical treatment that he needed. 

Josephine holding Pasha

I am really proud of Gwen, and I wanted to highlight her today for her dedicated hard work, and for letting the Lord work through her.  Great job, Gwen, and God bless you!

"April, 2009

Dear friends and family-

As many of you know, I had the incredible opportunity to go to East Africa last fall with a medical team working with the Maasai people in Kenya and Tanzania. We worked through an organization called Precious Life International (PLI) http://www.preciouslifeint.org/index_new.html. This organization raises sponsors to support Maasai girls enabling them to be enrolled in school, providing them with choices for their futures and protection from early arranged marriages and cultural atrocities. Among its other functions, PLI also organizes water projects and medical teams in East Africa.

Last year it was unclear prior to the trip what my role would be on the team. It was amazing to see how God put the gifts of each person on the team to work! I ended up organizing the pharmacy and even doing some consulting with the nurses on treatment of diseases.

As many of you know, I fell in love with East Africa and the Maasai people. There is so much need there, but there is also joy, hope, faith, and humor. I have no doubt that working with the Maasai will be an ongoing part of my life, in whatever capacity God has in mind for me. I still hope to find a way to specifically use my veterinary training to serve in the future.

I plan to return again to East Africa later this year with another medical team, and have also been invited to help with a Maasai girls’ leadership camp. This camp brings in guests to speak to the girls about pursuing careers and following their passions and dreams. Not only would I get to spend the week with the Maasai girls, but Kanoi (the girl I sponsor) will be there, which would be a dream come true for me!

Several of you have chosen to sponsor Maasai girls since my return. Thank you so much! If anyone else is interested in sponsoring a girl, please let me know! There are many girls currently waiting for sponsors so they can stay in school.

Gwen"