A Voice Of Hope: Kanita Benson Founder of She Save A Nation
I’m a Texas-born, east coast raised Pastor’s kid (PK), living every day in pursuit of the mission to see spiritual poverty eradicated, to equip the global church for mission and biblical living, to edify the hearts of hurting people, and to empower women and girls living in marginalized regions of the world.
I currently have the honor of serving as Director of Intercultural Prayer & Missions for the National Day of Prayer Task Force, am the Founder of international nonprofit She Saves a Nation, and am currently pursuing a Doctor of Missiology at Fuller Theological Seminary. I live at the intersection of theology, missiology, and worship, passionately speaking, teaching, and empowering Christ-followers to live intentionally and on mission.
As an independent gospel recording artist, I absolutely love to see the transformation of peoples’ lives through the power of music and worship. I released a debut EP “Surrender” in 2019, with a forthcoming single “Jesus, (Oh the Name),” set to release September 2021, and an album in 2022.
Hope is unwavering, enduring promise. Moments where hope requires our greatest effort, are opportunities for crucial maturation. Our challenges reveal the source of our hope, our endurance unveils the authenticity of our hope. Relinquishing comfort zones and accepting challenges will usher us toward a renewed, fresh perspective on hope itself.
My hope and faith are secured by the reality that my story does not begin or end with my life alone; neither do my decisions. I live from a place and perspective of legacy, and that perspective translates to a life of destiny decisions. My life is not my own and the purpose my life serves is greater than I am. The ethos by which I live also serves a mission greater than myself. My life’s story is woven into a grander, more splendid narrative, authored by God. It’s why I am constantly in awe of the places my feet touch that could not have occurred apart from divine orchestration. Rightly prioritizing my values and goals from a missional and eternal lens, by way of biblical understanding, produces invaluable fruit in my daily life.
In times of uncertainty, I no longer aim to move on, or bypass the moment; I lean in. I lean into the reality of the pain, all of the questions that uncertainty brings; so that I don’t remain in that place as I approach the future and the assignments that the future will require of me. Hopeful reminders for me in seasons of uncertainty are in the things that don’t change. God never changes, His Word never changes; nor do His plans for my life change. No matter how massive my issue is, God is my unmovable, unchanging anchor who I can place my full trust in.
In my early twenties, I endured a three-year battle with severe anxiety and depression. It was a season that completely shifted the trajectory of my life. While I’ve endured many challenges throughout my life, this one will always be significant. Had I succumbed to this battle, I wouldn’t be working, traveling, and serving globally today. Every day, I feared death. Years of buried emotions surfaced at once and manifested into daily, ongoing anxiety attacks and frequent emergency room visits. I learned to come face to face with internal trauma, personal failures, insecurities, and the many truths we neglect to acknowledge in ourselves. This personal confrontation was cathartic and healing. I experienced redemption and restoration through Christ, community, and counseling. It was God’s gift that unveiled a season of praying and clinging to Him more than I ever had before in my adult life. I saw God and my purpose for life freshly. I had no idea at that time that my life would be built around equipping Christians globally and empowering women around the world. My hope was ignited as I realized the power of God working in my life, and the authority that power afforded me as I placed total dependency on God’s all-sufficiency. He was my only hope during that dark season. He was the One I will forever cling to. He IS hope.
Learning to live a lifestyle of hope-inspiring, hope-giving advocacy began with the realization that God is the sole answer to our deepest voids of hopelessness, but also that He demonstrates His hope through us. It takes courage and boldness, to embody compassion and to physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally place yourself in the shoes and lived experience of the suffering. Serving was the culture in which I grew up, that translated to my adult years, and eventually, become a call that would produce global impact.
In the year 2013, ahead of my first mission trip to Kenya, I had to push through the noise of impending threats of safety. Kenya had experienced a gruesome terrorist attack not far from where I would be landing in just a few days; and I had received warnings from concerned supporters not to embark on this journey. After praying and coming to a firm resolve that I would complete the assignment that I was given, following God’s directive over the voices of people, I landed in Kenya for what would be another seed planted in the vision and launch of “She Saves a Nation.” Had I listened to those voices, from well-intentioned individuals, this global advocacy movement for our girls would not exist and the multi-pronged expressions of my calling would not have been realized. Hope is not a word that accommodates our convenience. It reveals the deepest of our convictions and reminds us of a purpose that we are willing to give our entire selves to, even if it costs us our lives, because it’s worth it. It also affirms why we would never give up on that purpose, because hope reminds us that legacy is on the line.
She Saves a Nation has worked to actively respond to the COVID-19 crisis, feeding over 600 people, 120 families, and serving over 500 women and girls addressing food scarcity and the dire lack of personal care and hygiene supplies. We’ve also partnered with organizations on the ground to implement Trauma Healing counseling and intervention, to address the severe effects of post-election violence, tribal clashes, sexual exploitation, and abject poverty in the lives of our girls. We’ve been grateful to counsel and empower our girls through our Five Pillar program focus: Education, Wholeness & Healing from Trauma, Mentorship, Leadership and Health/Hygiene Empowerment and succeeding; seeing the beautiful outcomes of growth in their grades, their esteem, and their interactions. While we advocate for their personal development and leadership, we also work to combat global women’s issues directly impacting our communities, which include female genital mutilation, early pregnancy, and forced marriage. We are working diligently to expand our organization’s programmatic efforts toward the launch of our “Global Leadership Academy, Women’s Entrepreneurial Initiative, and Dada Yangu scholarship fund for girls’ education.” We look forward to increasing our support for our girls in Uganda and Thailand and continuing to thrive in our Kenyan headquarters, so that we can continue to tear down barriers that our girls and the women of the world face.
Ultimately, pushing through this moment of potentially gripping fear was one of the most spiritually liberating catalytic moments I’d ever experienced. I’m exceedingly grateful.
(Colossians 1:27) tells us, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (ESV)
Christ is the hope of glory. He is the summation of all things; our past, present, and future. Without Him, there is no beginning, middle, or end. His track record is unmatched and untarnished. In a post-Christian, post-modern era, and ever-evolving culture, the only sustainable anchor we have is in this hope; a hope that cannot be shaken, nor fail.
My message and prayer for every purposeful woman reading this would be that we remain anchored and innovative. Having firm resolve, being bold truth-tellers, advocates, and change agents, while never losing sight of our God-sized dreams. God’s end goal should be our end goal. The worship of all people for His glory is where our daily motivation should be rooted.
When your hope in every season deeply abides in our God who is very much so present, powerful, and alive…you, my sister, are unstoppable.
As told to Sherrell Valdezloqui
This article has been condensed and originally appeared in the Spring 2021 Today’s Purpose Woman issue.
