From the Field with Kailynn Tipton
Our friend and partner in the field, Kailynn Tipton, recently answered a few questions for us about her time spent in the mission field. Many teenagers worldwide, like Kailynn, are sacrificing so much to serve people in difficult places. Thank you, Kailynn, for being a part of love in action and living 25:40! (Matthew 25:40)
How long have you been living as a missionary, and how long have you been living in Liberia?
We took our first trip to Burkina Faso in 2017 and spent a summer there at an orphanage we worked at. Then in 2021 went back for 7 months. Due to terrorism, we had to come up with a contingency plan. That’s how we got in contact with Daryl Roberts from LIVE2540. He told us he had immediate needs in Liberia. 3 months before we were supposed to leave for Burkina, plans changed. We have now been in Liberia since August 10th.
What does your day-to-day life look like? Tell us about your cute new cat!
My day-to-day life here varies depending on the day or week. At the end of the month, distributions start. So that’s waking up early and heading out to 30 minutes away to an hour to 2 hours, depending on traffic here, of course. Sometimes it’s sitting at home and getting some relaxing time in. When we first arrived, I was in an international school, but it wasn’t a good fit for me. So, I took this time to get acclimated to Liberia and take a gap year. I worked on gaps I had in math on Khan Academy online. Next year I will do online for Liberty University. Being here is definitely hard for me. Missing my friends, going to an actual school, and just living a “normal life.” But God brought us here for a reason, and I’m learning to acclimate and make new friends!
I have also been able to plan two volleyball games here on ELWA beach with a bunch of teenage missionaries here. We are trying to do at least one game a month to get everyone together and have a good time. That has been a great thing for me because I loved playing volleyball in the States.
And yes, my cat Jack! We got him from a hotel here in Liberia. It is a hotel most people stay at before their flights out because it is right by the airport. I had been wanting a cat for a long time. Allie Brown had come to stay with us during their adoption process. And I had told her when she was flying out to look at some of the cats there for me. She sent us a picture of this one cat, and we fell in love with him, so me and dad went to pick him up. He is definitely a blast to have around. But won’t kill the lizards or geckos. LOL.
How is life in Liberia different than living in the United States?
Life in Liberia is completely different than life in Georgia. Just driving down the street here is completely different. I think the biggest difference for me is not having the same group of friends around anymore. But I have made some really good missionary friends here and am glad about that.
What fieldwork have you been able to participate in while living in Liberia?
We have been doing a bunch of fieldwork here. From picking up severely malnourished kids and taking them to ELWA the hospital here, medical clinics we got invited to (those are super fun), to our monthly distributions.
Can you share a story of a part of the work that has impacted you? Maybe a child you met or a specific story of transporting, etc.
A part of the work that has impacted me the most so far was the medical clinics. Going out to the middle of nowhere to help these people who have nothing or any ways of getting medical care where they live.
Baby Tabitha was another one that was a big impact on me. She was a little 6-week-old baby when we got a call that she needed to be brought into Monrovia from one of the outside counties here called Gbarnga, which is about 2 hours away. We met them halfway and took her to ELWA for malnutrition. I remember when we picked her up, she was just a smiley baby even though her circumstances. She got given F100, which is a supplement to help bring babies out of malnutrition. She was able to go back to the orphanage that she got sent to about a week later. But then, about a month later, we got a call that she was sick again. She hadn’t gained any weight. So, we took her back and got her taken care of again. Now she stays at a home called “Home of Hope,” which is right down the road from us. We are able to go visit her, and she is doing great now!
