Our Story

Nyayo started with three average guys, who all met in our own unique ways and came together over the simple fact of seeing a need first hand and truly wanting to do all we can to serve that need. Looking back to where we started, we honestly never expected to be where we are now but as you can see God works in mysterious, yet magnificent ways.

It all started in 2016, when Gordon and Michael met on a plane from Texas to Colorado after spending time with their families on Thanksgiving. Michael was walking up to his seat when he first saw Gordon and couldn’t help but notice how miserable he looked. As Michael sat down and pulled out his bible to read a little before take-off, Gordon noticed and sparked conversation. After small talk between each other and learning about how Gordon only looked miserable because of how cold he was, Michael learned about how Gordon and his family are from Uganda and how they’ve helped care for children within their communities. Michael was instantly intrigued and kept in contact with Gordon from there on out.

Shortly after that flight, Gordon met Hunter while conducting physical training on an early winter morning at Fort Carson, Colorado. Gordon was new to the surgical detachment of the field hospital and was still acclimating to not only the weather but the high elevation of Colorado as well. As they were sprinting, Gordon made a comment to Hunter about how fast he was running and Hunter replied, “It may seem like that but don’t worry after a month of you acclimating to the elevation I’ll be eating your dust.” And that’s exactly what happened, Hunter has never been able to catch up to him since. Looking back we still wonder if Gordon was originally slow because of his lack of acclimatizing or if he was weighed down from the 50 layers of clothes he was wearing. They instantly bonded with their playful humor towards each other and from there a friendship was born.

In early 2017, Michael and Gordon spearheaded a plan for a small group mission trip to serve the Children of Fort-Portal and Jinja in Uganda. After a little under a years’ worth of prepping, planning and fundraising; we all embarked on a trip of a lifetime to Uganda where our lives would forever be changed. Although Hunter and Michael met over the phone just a few times, they didn’t meet in person until they arrived in Uganda. After some unfortunate flight issues and arriving a day later than the rest of the group and being absolutely exhausted, Michael and his mom never let it affect their spirits and were ready to serve anyway they could. From there it was filled with many hours in a bus going across Uganda to multiple towns for multiple projects. You would imagine there is only so much to talk about or do in a bus for that long but Michael and Hunter kept the team interaction alive with endless humor and endless games made up on our travels.

It was a few months after the initial trip to Uganda when Michael, Gordon and Hunter decided to try and give the Children of Fort-Portal and Jinja long-term, continuous support. Nyayo was then created as a thought and is now in full effect. Looking back at how we met and where we’ve come, you start to realize how God places certain people in your lives at perfect times for perfect reasons.