The countdown is on! From May 18 to June 2, 2025, Baylor’s Music and Missions Team will trade this *ridiculous* Texas heat for the breathtaking landscapes, vibrant culture, and heartwarming hospitality of Kenya. Here’s a peek into what’s in store for our team!
Departure: May 18–20 (it takes a minute!!) ✈️ ✈️ ✈️
Our team will head up the beloved I-35 to fly out of Dallas on Sunday, May 18th. Then, we’ll head onward through Doha (Qatar) before touching down in Nairobi. Please be praying for health and good sleep on our plane journeys. Last year we landed in Malaysia with several cases of Norovirus!! No more of that, please!
We’ll start the day there in Nairobi with a brief stop at Subiaco Retreat Centre (our hub in Nairobi). Then, we’ll roll out for Nakuru with our first of two duffel bags and a packed lunch for the road! On the road, we’ll stop to catch the views at Rift Valley.
Nakuru, Marigat & Pokot Village: May 20–25
We finally arrive to Nakuru where we will meet our hosts at Word Ablaze Ministries, the Tocco family, as well as the Gasperis. We will also get to meet Paul Mwangi, longtime friend of the Baylor team, and get a preview of his paintings.
Next, we venture to Marigat to visit St. Joseph Boarding School and distribute the thousands of pencils, crayons, erasers, etc. we have collected from so many generous friends! We will also visit Komolion Village where we will spend time in the Pokot community. We’ll stage concerts and support local projects each day—including a full day of ministry and a community medical clinic.
Back to Nakuru we go, with impromptu concerts along the way and perhaps a peek at the tortoise sanctuary (if Madison has anything to say about it!!) There, we’ll back with the Toccos on Saturday evening before church on Sunday. Church in Kenya is sure to be a core memory for all of us, especially those Church Music students getting to see a church service through Kenyan eyes. I’m really looking forward to that. After Sunday worship and lunch with the church community, we’ll share a night of music with the Lake Nakuru Singers.
The Great Maasai Mara Safari 🐘🐘🐘: May 26–28
Heading out from Nakuru, we’ll meet our safari vans in Narok to bring us to the legendary Maasai Mara. Our stay in the National Park will feature several game drives and even a visit to a traditional Maasai village. It’s safe to expect these will be truly magical days—I’m hoping for some gorgeous sunrises, sunsets, and hopefully catching a few big cats!
Service & Fellowship: May 29–31
Back in Nairobi, we’ll visit the women of Amani ya Juu (meaning “Peace from Above”), spend time at our friends Daniel and Zippy’s home, and join in dancing and drumming at our very own Revina Karani’s home! It will be a real treat getting to see Revina’s corner of the world and meet some of her family.
A day trip to Kajiado comes next as we share more supplies and music at Priscilla’s School, AIC Girls School, and a local school for children with disabilities. We’ll cap off our service journey with ministry at Pendo Amani in Juja—a day of hands-on work along with dancing and drumming together with our Kenyan brothers and sisters.
Farewell Worship & Departure: June 1–2
Our final morning worship will be outdoors at Subiaco for one last moment enjoying the sights and the weather in Kenya — the beauty of God’s creation in a way we don’t normally get to enjoy. Then it’s off to Nairobi airport, with full hearts I’m sure, to head back home to Texas.
Prayer Requests
We hope you will join us in praying for a life-giving trip for all of us and everyone we meet in Kenya.
- Of course, pray for safe travels, healthy bodies, logistical mercies, and a whole lot of fun!
- We have students traveling internationally for the first time, and many in our group are walking in with a variety of fears, from logistics to insecurities to potential for culture shock. Please pray for each of our hearts, that we would lean on each other, trust the Father’s leading, and that God would provide for each and every need among us and that we encounter in Kenya.
- And finally, together with us, we invite you to pray against the many barriers to human flourishing in Kenya. From disease and lack of medical care to brutal abuse of girls and women to rampant alcoholism, there is much to pray for over the Kenya population. If interested, you can read more here from the Human Rights Watch about specific ways to pray.
This is an incredible team of students, faculty, and staff who are eager to put feet on the ground in Kenya. We can’t wait to report back all that God is showing us through our experience!
So here we go! 5 more days and then… Habari Kenya! (Hello Kenya!)
