Kim was a force to be reckoned with. Her life was a splash of dedication, courage, adventure and Christ…a hard, intentional splash.

I picture an enormous boulder being thrust by God into this world. It caused an eruption of waves and a series of unending ripples. Such a force that it permeated country borders, numerous cultures and souls spanning all ages. 

Her splash was quick, yet full of force, strength, and faith.

As we gathered on Saturday here in Nairobi to celebrate her life, I couldn’t help but look around the room and see the hundreds of people who were intensely impacted by Kim Pace. Thousands more, in countries and timezones afar, streamed the service… displaying the breadth of her work on this earth.

Many were caught up in the direct wake of Kim. Others, like myself, were hit by the more distant, but steady swells of her life. Thousands more, for years to come, will be touched by the continual ripple of her life and legacy.

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Early in her 20’s Kim followed the Lord’s guiding to move from the comfort of home in Georgia to the wild and unknown of Kenya. In the following years, Kim fell in love with Kenya, developed the ministry and vision of Bluesky, and wooed many of us into joining forces for the sake of Christ.

. . .

I first met Kim in the fall of 2006, as a Berry College freshman. However, stories of Kim had already reached my ears years before while I was still in high school.

I flew to Kenya the following summer, immediately after an intense  and fear-filled sobbing session at her parents house. I was terrified, yet even then, Kim’s courageous and adventurous spirit summoned me to let go of home and embrace the journey that laid ahead: being a counselor for (then) Camp Brackenhurst in Nairobi, Kenya. That summer, we called her “Mama” at camp, traipsed up mountains in Maasai land and loved on campers together. I shared a tent in the beautiful Maasai Mara with her, listening to stories of her past adventures and dreams of future ones.

In those brief two months, I too fell in love with the country of Kenya, the people I met, and the vision of Bluesky Kim had set in place. It was that summer that I confidently felt the Lord’s soft whisper, “This will one day be your home.”

. . .

Since that summer 11 years ago, and because of Kim’s willingness to follow the Lord, my life has changed drastically.  She was a crucial vessel God used to ignite my passion and appreciation for culture, to develop my gifts, to stretch my sense of adventure, to introduce me to my husband, and to call us to Kenya and serve with Bluesky.

I am forever grateful for Kim’s faith and boldness to dive in and make a big splash for the glory of God.

– Shanna