I always believed that helping the poor was important, but I didn’t have the conviction to take action until I visited Kenya on a mission trip with my church. We worked at an orphanage with teenagers that had been living on the streets. They took us on a tour of their old neighborhood and the garbage piles they used for beds. We saw such poverty that day that my heart changed forever.

I never thought of myself as wealthy because in America so many people have more than I do. But while touring the slums of Nairobi I saw so many women and children walking through sewage-filled streets with no shoes because they can’t afford them. When I came home to America and saw how many shoes were in my closet, I cried.

I felt shameful for having so much, and compassionate toward those who have nothing. I’ve realized how blessed all Americans are, even if we are not the wealthiest Americans. It’s wrong not to share that with the poor who hurting in countries like Kenya. After that trip I started sponsoring two projects in Africa through World Vision and I joined the ONE campaign to lend my voice to the poor who have no voice of their own.

-Bethany Fitelson, member of the ONE Campaign, Hayward, CA

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