February Update (a little late)

Speaking the Truth

As I have begun visiting the various secondary schools our graduates attend, I have been encouraged about two things. First, I have seen an openness that was not there before. Many students are willing to admit some of their past mistakes and even ask for help in overcoming their weaknesses. Some are realizing they are tempted to lie so much and have to battle daily to speak the truth. Others know that there is not accountability in their homes and so they end up doing whatever they want when they return during their school breaks. Still others are admitting they don't spend time studying unless they are forced to. And many are struggling when they have free time at home and spend much of that time wandering aimlessly and trying to get involved with unhealthy relationships. Most of these came directly from the students, even before they were asked. Admitting their problems is a huge step and the beginning of sweeping change in their lives. Some of them are approaching another stage in their life and realizing that the opportunity God has blessed them with to attend secondary school is soon reaching its conclusion. They want to make changes before it is too late.

Leaders

The second thing that is encouraging to me is that so many of our students have been chosen in their schools to be leaders. Over 10 of the 65 students we support in secondary school have been selected as leaders. This shows that other people are noticing the difference in the products that CGA produces. Their teachers and fellow students see specific characteristics in them that set them apart. These children are the future of Kenya and the hope of a new generation rising up to make a difference.

Transforming a Nation

We are busy planning on improving our program for when these secondary students return home from school in April. Our goal is to spend at least a week with all 65 students so we can take time to be around them, counsel them, do some formal discipleship, study times and tutoring times as well as time for sports and other fun activities. For specific ones that are struggling academically, we will give them study times during all four weeks of their holiday and even hire some teachers to come and help tutor them in certain subjects like Math, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. We want to do everything we can to impact each of these children's lives for God's Kingdom and also to provide them every opportunity to succeed in this life. This past week the results were released in Kenya for the National Secondary School Exam from last year. Only 70,000 of the 300,000 students who took the exam scored a C+ or higher and only 30,000 will get chances in Universities (10%). CGA is only one year away from having our oldest students take that same exam. We hope that many of our students will have success and earn the opportunity to continue their education and get good jobs. Then we can see them give back to their own community and invest in the lives of other orphans and needy children. This will help to break the cycle of poverty in their own families and help to transform an entire nation!

Salvation is Here!

The best news of the month was from a student that just began secondary school a few weeks ago. Seth reported to me when I visited his school that he had chosen to give his life to Jesus. He is from a difficult home situation and has had discipline issues throughout most of his time at CGA. His older brothers have had so many problems and were eventually released from CGA. Seth is excited to return home in April and share with his brothers and his aunt who has been caring for the three boys since the death of their parents a long time ago. This was an encouragement to me as it reminded me that we are just asked to be faithful in fulfilling the role God has given us each day. We can plant the seed and water it, but we never know when the timing will be right for that plant to bloom and begin bearing fruit.

For more information on the leaders in secondary school, our safari and other reports, please visit my blog at http://www.joekenya.blogspot.com/

A big thanks to my brother Steve for his years of help in putting together my e-mail updates and sending it out to the list and dealing with all the rejected/returned ones and forwarding on the messages to me! What a blessing he has been!

And another big thanks to my brother Sam for setting up the new format which should make it look first class and will make things easier for adding new e-mail address and changing preferences!

Prayer Requests:

Pray that the secondary students and the younger ones also would be willing to open up and share freely about their struggles so that they can be helped. Pray for strength in the face of temptations and for a desire to live according to God's Word.

Pray that CGA would continue to develop leaders of the future, and that this generation would be a generation of change in Kenya. Pray for the ones in secondary school and the ones at CGA to grow in their leadership positions and do it in a Godly way.

Pray for Seth's decision to have come from deep within. Pray that he would grow in his newfound faith and that God would use him to share that message with his family back at home and with his classmates in secondary school and his friends from CGA. Pray that each of our students would also come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.