We receive a continual stream of photos from our partners around the world as they inform us of pressing needs that are being met through funds we've entrusted to them. We always request that they send us photos of smiling beneficiaries, but coaxing smiles is not always easy or appropriate, and we sometimes receive poignant portraits like this one. When we read the stories behind such portraits, it causes us to pause and pray. Here's the story behind this photo....

Today was our sixth day in Kenya. Yesterday, half of us flew north to the town of Lodwar, which sits in the heart of an area populated by Turkana tribespeople. Their region is generally arid, but it hasn't rained here in eight months, so living conditions are even more challenging than normal. The Turkana survive as small-scale goat and camel herders, and their livestock is dying. Water has become so scarce that women are walking ten or more miles to a polluted river to carry back a dirty drink for their families.