For those raised to see Africa as "the mission field," it might come as a surprise that someone from Africa would seek a mission field in East Tennessee. But that's just what Erick Orandi is doing. Raised in the Western Kenya village of Myagetinge, Orandi is studying to become a Catholic priest, and he's serving part of a one-year internship program through Glenmary Home Missioners at St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Church in Maynardville.

Orandi was raised Catholic. After high school, he started college at Consolata Institute of Philosophy in Nairobi to study towards becoming a priest. After he finished a degree in philosophy, he had second thoughts.

"I felt like I didn't want to continue," he said.

He went to work as an inventory clerk, but volunteered at a home for orphans in his spare time. Most of the children in the home had lost their parents to HIV and AIDS. It was that experience that changed Orandi's mind again.

"I thought again of going back to study as a priest," he said. "After thinking about it for quite some time, I chose to write to a congregation that serves the interest of the vulnerable and most disadvantaged in society."

It took another two to three years before Orandi came to Maynardville. In addition to duties at the church, he stays busy, visiting nursing homes in Maynardville and Rutledge, visiting the Union County Senior Center, visiting people who are homebound and sharing Holy Communion with them. He volunteers at Kingswood Home for Children, helping out wherever he can, from mowing the grass to washing dishes. On Saturdays, he helps out at local events like the Union County Heritage Festival and Hogskin History Day. On Fridays, he takes a day off to rest, pray and reflect.

Orandi said he's enjoying his time in East Tennessee.

"I like the mountains. Where I come from we have mountains, so they remind me of home," he said.

He has also enjoyed getting to know people and hearing their stories, although sometimes language can be a barrier since English isn't his first language.

"There's a lot I've learned," he said. "Some people are very committed to their faith. It encourages me to see people who are committed. It kind of tells me that I should pull up my socks, that I should get more committed."

He has also been impressed by the community's generosity. He mentioned a parishioner donating a trailer for the church and another donating a trailer to a Rutledge woman whose trailer had burned down.

"That's reaching out. I like it so much," Orandi said.

It will be a long road before Orandi is ordained. He'll be in Maynardville until the end of January 2019, then he'll go to Cincinnati to finish his internship. After that, he has three years of school, then a year as a deacon before he may become a priest.

"It takes a lot of prayer, humility and prayer to get through," he said.