God's Timing

I was reminded this weekend of how perfect God's timing is. I had tried to visit Asumbi Girls High School two different times, but was not able to see the four girls from CGA that are there. The first time was because they were in the middle of exams. The second time was because they had just gone to Mass for two hours (Catholic School). So this forced me to make a special trip on Saturday through the dusty roads that haven't been maintained in a long time for the two hour journey.

After Pastor Amos and I arrived at around 9:00 am we were waiting to see the four girls; three of which I haven't seen since last August before I went to America. A few minutes later Martha came around the corner in her basketball uniform. She greeted me with a big hug and I asked her what was happening. She said they were just getting ready to begin their District Championship Game. She and Cathorine (another girl from CGA) were playing for Asumbi and Maureen Achieng (who just graduated from CGA and joined secondary school) was playing for Ogande against them! So we were able to share some soda and mandazzi with the other two Asumbi girls and catch up on what is happening for a few mintues and then we settled in to enjoy the finals.

Asumbi jumped out to an early lead and dominated most of the game behind Cathorine's aggressiveness and Martha's rebounding and passing. Basketball in Kenya is a little different since it is played on a dirt court and the dust flies everyone; plus there isn't much traction and the officiating may not be considered top notch. They substituted Martha out at the end of the third quarter with a 9 point lead, but Ogande came roaring back with a few steals from Maureen Achieng and took the lead. By the time Martha got back into the game, it was too late. Asumbi only scored one point in the entire 4th quarter and that was on a free throw by Cathorine.

Needless to say I was extremely proud of our girls from CGA. The three of them play the game the right way; very unselfish, hardworking and as all-around players. We try to teach them at CGA how they can glorify God through sports and these three really demonstrated that today.

God's timing is perfect. If I had seen them when I stopped the last two times, I would have never returned to Asumbi today and would have missed the great matchup.

I am thankful for what sports can do in a student's life. It teaches things like perserverance, hard work and teamwork. It also helps them to feel like a big part of their school. It also helps to develop good friendships and be exposed to other parts of the country as they travel. It also gives them time to relax a little from the stressful academic environment in these secondary schools in Kenya.