Kelsey Gilchrist

Kelsey has been inspired by her love of people and of Jesus to help children in Africa. She is currently working in Uganda with the Divine Holistic Ministries, a new orphanage for abandoned children.

While at Our Lady of the Bay Catholic High School, Kelsey was actively involved with art and eventually won the school’s award for art design. She participated on the ski team and in track and field. Throughout high school she was also an active member of her church community.

Kelsey started her personal journey of missionary work after high school by joining the Denver based Youth With a Mission. She was in Haiti to help with recovery efforts following the 2010 earthquake and experienced the “rawness of what happened.”

Next year, she plans to return to Canada to attend Emmanuel Bible College in Kitchener, where she wants to earn her Bachelor of Religious Studies and Counselling. Kelsey is a model of how Catholic education shapes students into becoming responsible citizens who are committed to God’s work.

“When I started my work in Africa I thought that I was just going to be a guest and see what it was like. We spoke in prisons, visited women with HIV and AIDS, but God really opened up my eyes to see the kids who are abandoned, who don’t get to experience a childhood.”