Look at that crystal clear water! Not only is it visually clear but it’s also clear of disease and harmful things that make people so sick. This is from a well at the Kauriong orphanage in the remote Pokot region of Kenya. Over the past few years the @hopewaterproject and #NoChild.org folks have seen a drastic change in the health of these kids all do to clean water and food. #weekofHope #waterchangeseverything #cleanwater #hopewaterproject #4PureWater

Time to cook dinner. One way to describe the remote areas of Kenya is that it feels like what the early pioneer days in America must’ve been like. Long trips by foot or donkey, cooking all your meals with what’s available and over an open fire. I loved it. Such a calmer way of life. I was definitely envious of that way of life to a certain extent. The disease and lack of clean water is definitely something that I did not enjoy, and neither do they. Support #cleanwater @hopewaterproject #waterchangeseverything #weekofhope #campfire #cooking #fire

#weekofhope @hopewaterproject just another morning in Kenya. Time to get your villages water for the day/week. I actually got to help fill this round of jerry cans. I can say that I am a man who has done lots of weight training in my day and I was wiped out after filling 2 of these. Those hand pumps are no joke, but to them its a welcomed method over hand digging bore holes (pictured yesterday). Much respect for the kids and women who fetch water every day. That also couldn’t stop laughing when Darby (another friend on the trip) and I were helping pump water, this is something that grown men NEVER do in their culture. Fun memories of them all giggling at us Mazungas trying to hang with them. 😄 #cleanwater #Workout #jerrycan #hopewaterproject #thankful @kensingtonchurch

I often hear the phrase “we give people a hand up not a handout”. And we believe that local empowerment is key to any program like this. Here a tribe leader from the Pokot region of Kenya shakes the hand of Jay who is partially responsible for this village getting water, a much needed basic necessity for life. In the foreground is a pile of thorny twigs that marks the spot a water surveyor said would be the best spot to drill for a new water well. The team gathered some information from him about schools in the area as well as churches and how many people live there. This well would serve anywhere between 2000 and 4000 people. Amazing! One well at a time.. #waterchangeseverything #cleanwater #cleanwaterwednesday @hopewaterproject #weekofhope #hopewaterproject

Continuing with my @hopewaterproject photo week. This how many get their water for the day. How do you get yours? These are “bore holes” that are hand dug, they dig until they hit water. sometimes that could be 2 feet sometimes that could be 6 feet or more, then they scoop it out with their hands or a cup. And I think it’s too much work to replace my #Brita Filter at home. Some much needed perspective for me this morning. #borehole #water #weekofhope #cleanwater #waterchangeseverything #kenya

One benefit to having clean water is that now you get to do the dishes after meal time. I don’t know if the kids were as excited about that. 😄 This is sweet little Dorkus who did her chores with pride, but this is a luxury most in the area don’t have and it’s helping with their health and sanitation. #cleanwater @hopewaterproject #hopewaterproject #kenya #chores #dishes #green

One word that summed up my Kenya experience was “surreal”. This image was taken while we were out with the @hopewaterproject team surveying the land for potential new well sites. Standing in the foreground is the tribe leader who is there to discuss the amazing impact a #cleanwater well would have on his village. Education, disease, livestock and crops to name a few. It was unreal to be a fly on the wall at these meetings out in the bush. This was a totally remote area and out of nowhere somebody would come walking up to greet us and share stories. #waterchangeseverything #hopewaterproject #kenya #waterislife #pokot @kensingtonchurch

Continuing with my @hopewaterproject photo week. Every morning the kids who are lucky enough to go to school in remote Kenya have to first get water for the day. For some of them that may be a walk down the short path, for others that may be a five or 10 mile walk in extreme conditions. This also takes away from time they could be learning (which they LOVE). Water isn’t just water to them, it’s Life! #cleanwater #Pokot #waterislife #hopewaterproject #kenya #kids #smiles #grateful

Helping others is a great reason to wake up in the morning. Continuing with my @hopewaterproject Photo day, these are the hands of a woman who has probably worked harder than any of us in her lifetime. She is very grateful that a #Cleanwater well was drilled in her village. Removing most diseases and easing the extreme physical demand on the woman’s bodies in this region. Most woman here are in constant pain from carrying water for miles every day. Help someone today, whether it’s with water, a meal or a ride to work. You never know the prayer you might be answering. #women #mothers #water #prayer #kenya #water #waterislife

Marriage- 2 people so in love that they refuse to give up on each other, even when things get tough. One is there to support the other when they don’t think the will make it another step, mentally or physically. This is Chad and Shannan finishing the #DetroitFreePressMarathon for @hopewaterproject they say a picture says a thousand words so I will just leave it at that. #love #marriage #faith #runnersWorld #marathon #support #lovewins #Cleanwater #whyIrun

Another aspect to @hopewaterproject is this crazy awesome group of #marathon runners, 1200 strong. They have ran the #DetroitFreePressMarathon #DisneyWorldMarathon #ChicagoMarathon and many more races around the world. Their goal is to raise money for clean water for the people of #pokot. They push themselves to extreme physical limits all so that someone they may never meet can have a basic necessity. They have also learned that life is better lived in community with others. Don’t go through this life alone. #Cleanwater #waterislife #HWP #whyIrun #friends #community @kensingtonchurch #detroitstrong #runnersWorld

Today I will be posting images from the amazing @hopewaterproject organization that I have had the pleasure to shoot for/with many times. #HWP focuses on bringing clean water to the #pokot region of #Kenya one of the roughest and extreme terrains on the planet to drill for #cleanwater to date HWP have drilled 135 wells, 60 in the past 2 years!! Not only to they provide physical life with water and medical trips, they also provide spiritual life by teaching about the Living God and sharing how much He cares for them. Check out Hopewaterproject.org for more info and to get involved. #life #water #Jesus #missions #community #whyIrun

Tonight’s photoshoot was for a Marathon Kickoff Rally for @hopewaterproject and I have shot for this great organization for many years. This year they are also including a massive road bike race that will ride across the state of Michigan as well as the #Detroit marathon. If you like to run, walk or bike and also like to help people in Kenya get clean water, then look into hopewaterproject.org for more info. #cleanwater #cycling #roadbike #marathon #kenya #helpothers #running #bike

Thinking of our brothers and sisters in West Pokot, Kenya. @hopewaterproject amazing to see the great work being done over there. #cleanwater

Fun surprise. Saw this in this in the mail today. One of my Detroit Free Press Marathon images used for a big fold out Info poster for @kensingtonchurch and @hopewaterproject The cool thing is that the runner is one of our good friends Kyle! #cleanwater

People of West Pokot, Kenya

This month I had the amazing opportunity to travel with a missions team to a VERY remote region in Kenya called West Pokot. After landing in Nairobi we drove 16 hrs into the “bush”. We were way out there, but it was an amazing adventure. One that will alter your mind and perception on everything going forward.  

I was there to take photographs of all the children(700+) in 3 orphanages that we (Kensington Church) work with. These photos will be used to update the sponsor program Kensington runs, www.Nochild.org 

I also had the amazing chance to ride along into some of the local villages to look at a few proposed water well sites in the area. This was amazing in that it gave me a chance to see life outside the walls of the orphanage. Life was devastating as we know it but was life as usual for the Pokot. The big issue every where we went was water… CLEAN water. Working with http://www.hopewaterproject.org  they are able to raise money to drill wells for these people, giving them access to clean water that will not make them sick. Its simple but so basic. 

I will be posting more when I edit through my thousands of images captured of life in this remote region Kenya. Please follow along if you like and share with your friends to help raise awareness.