October, 2009 I boarded a four-seater toy plane heading to Northern Kenya. My purpose was to capture stories. Me and my teammates had heard of the major drought in that area and wanted to see it for ourselves in order to tell the story of those living in that area. Nomads...always in search for the water. 
When we got off the plane and walked around I remember the feeling of literally being in the middle of nowhere. There was desert for miles and miles. And the water? Yeah...those people have to walk miles and miles to haul it on their backs or heads all the way back to their village. More on this later... for now, this story is about my friend, Alicia. I met Alicia the first night of my stay in the desert. The moment she and her friend, Jamie, walked through the door of the home I was staying at, they greeted me with a warm Texan welcome. Yes, Alicia is a Texan through and through and yet gave up the comforts of home to live in the desert of Northern Kenya to teach Rendille students. I had the privilege to sit in on her classroom one day. It was amazing to witness her love for these students as she taught with patience and joy. 
Alicia is one of those people that I feel privileged to know. Her fiery personality can brighten anyone's day. And her sass? Yeah, well...she's got it! She came to Virginia last week to visit the east coast. During one of our conversations about Africa, I asked her if she wanted to go back someday, despite all the hardships over there. "YES" was her response as she gave me the 'are you crazy???' look. In fact, she is planning to go back sooner than later. I'm so excited for her as she is gearing up and heading back to the Land we both love so much, Africa. I was honored to take photos for her new prayer card.
Alicia, thank you for being faithful and putting aside the comforts of this world. Thank you for being a light to Africa! Oh...and.....can I come visit???
We stopped by an antique store and found these incredible glasses. We figured these would make the pictures even better! These next pictures are why I love this girl so much!
