Katie Rystrom
Short-Term Ministry Coordinator
I feel so blessed to be a part of Empowering Lives, and can only say that God has taken me on quite the adventure in bringing me to this organization. At a conference in 2003 God broke my heart for Africa when I met a “lost boy” from Sudan who shared his harrowing story with me. God used Amal’s story to change me and to make the suffering personal, and I felt like I had new eyes and a new compassion for a continent I knew nothing about. I went back to UC Davis and started studying African History, getting the amazing privilege of serving in South Africa the summer of 2005, where I truly felt at home among the vibrant and welcoming community. My last year in college I saw the film Invisible Children, which documents the conflict in Northern Uganda. God began to show me that he desires to use me to fight injustice and to stand up for the oppressed, so I began using my creativity and passions to help aid the children in Northern Uganda. Following graduation I moved to Thailand where living and teaching in a refugee camp, God clothed me with renewed compassion and empathy which challenged me to go wherever I could to be used by Him.
God then took me to San Diego where I started working for Invisible Children, traveling around the country motivating and encouraging students to rise up and fight injustice in Northern Uganda. This experience deeply reiterated that our God longs to radically use us in his plan to “care for the orphans and the widows” (James 1:27) of this world. After finishing with Invisible Children, I was introduced to ELI and was deeply impressed by their holistic approach to empowerment and development in East Africa. A few months later, God opened an incredible door, and I was hired as the Short-Term Ministry Coordinator! I currently have the privilege of planning and coordinating trips for teams and interns to Kenya. I work to prepare both the teams and interns logistically by coordinating in-country transportation and projects, as well as preparing them relationally to meet and connect with ELI’s team and friends in Africa. God has literally done “more than I could ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20)!