My name is Connie, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and I am Canadian.
I don't think my biography is that important because this site isn't just about me. But if you must know, I lead a fairly normal life, laced with some adventure. Like everyone else my life is full of good times, hard times, hilarity, sadness and of course, joy. I have the privilege of doing what I love and living out my purpose. I like films that make me think, playing my guitar, all kinds of music and yes, I like video games. I love to travel but my primary goal is not to see the world, it is to know the people. The rest is just preference and hobbies and you will find some of those out in my writings so please, feel free to have a look around.
Why Stories?
The History:
2003 was the first time I ever stepped out of my comfortable little world and into a place so difficult to understand that being there shook me to life.
I visited Zambia for three weeks that spring with a team to help out in whatever ways we could.
I realized that this was a place where the cry of a hungry belly could not be helped with a credit card. The moaning of a fever could not be cured with a short drive to the doctor and the financially unreachable renovations on the house were not for show, but for security.
This place is not confined to Zambia, not even to Africa.
80% of the people on our planet live on less than $10 a day.
But that's where my vision was born. That's where God showed me some of His passions and whispered His plan into my life.
I've been seeking it ever since.
The Place:
Kenya: my second home.
A jewel of East Africa. A major tourist destination having access to the Great Rift Valley, vast safari plains full of wildlife, the white sands on the coast of the Indian Ocean and a bustling, up and coming metropolis called Nairobi. Kenya keeps a secret from tourists though. less than 30 minutes from downtown Nairobi lies the largest slum in Africa.
The Kibera Slums.
630 acres of tin roofs inhabited by over a million people.
There are an estimated 100,000 orphans in Kibera, most likely due to Kenya's 1.2 million living with HIV/AIDS and of course, the ones that have lost the battle. That's just a piece of the poverty pie in Kenya; people in the countryside are often not much better off. But it's not a hopeless place, and I'll tell you why.
The Vision:
One thing most people will tell you when they return from a place stricken with poverty is, "The people were so grateful and happy."
I noticed it, friends have noticed it. If you've ever spent time in a place like this, you've probably noticed it.
It's impossible not to. But there's a reason they are happy and it's a very good one.
In this kind of life with no overdraft or savings account, no government cheques and the amount of food on the table being in direct relation to if there was the right amount of rain this year, people can only rely on one thing; their creator. In a place where there is nothing left to trust but God, amazing things happen because God is able to provide the needs where people and governments fail. He is providing and sustaining and protecting billions of people in situations that would otherwise be unsurvivable. That's why people are grateful and happy. They see this provision every single day. God is working in both miraculous and practical ways all around us all the time. It's only that in these places, places with extreme dependence on Him, the stories are unavoidable.
The Telling:
One of my main passions is media. It's such an amazing communicator.
I have been given the opportunity and provided the way to be able to use my passion to tell these stories. I will be working on different projects while living in Nairobi, to assist both nationals and other missionaries with their work. There are so many great causes that would benefit from exposure and it's my desire to help in that way. I will be using all kinds of media; video, graphics, photos, writing... to help these stories get heard.
The Purpose:
It's simple. Too many stories go unheard. God is working every day and His stories are worth hearing. I hope to tell them in a way that is inspiring, igniting and empowering to people. To encourage others to help, to go, to pray and to see what God is doing around them. And of course to obey the command of Jesus to tell and teach others about His grace and the hope that this life is not all there is.
