Rusinga Island Visits

As I have been working with Paul Onundo and some other local primary school teachers to set up this football club, we have identified the best players in the area. So we have been travelling to each of their schools and homes to meet with their principals and their families. This gives us a chance to share with them what we are doing and why we are doing it. It also helps us to understand the players better when we know where they are coming from.

It has been an interesting journey. The harsh realities of life in this area struck me once again. Today we drove over the man-made bridge to Rusinga Island. I have been there many times, but never deep into the interior. The visit we made was to the house of Alice. She lives in a tiny tin sheet house just off the main road. Her mother has 8 children, but the husband sent her and his other wife away several years ago when he found a third wife he liked more. The mother and her 8 children were staying at the grandmother’s home, but then one of Alice’s older sisters passed away and because of cultural traditions the mother had to move out of her parent’s house. So now they are staying in a tiny rental house for some time period of “cleansing.” She buys and sells fish to survive and take care of all of the children.

Later we went to the home of Lucia. She lost her father when she was young and her mother died a couple of years ago. She was staying with another wife of her father who was a polygamist. That mother just passed away a few weeks ago. Now she is under the care of her elderly grandmother. The only one in their family who earns an income is her uncle who is the principal at her school.

Last weekend we visited Phenny’s home. She is a very hard-working and responsible young girl that was selected as the Head Girl at her school this past year for those qualities. She lives with her mother and her 1 year old sister down close to a fishing beach by Kirindo market. It is a nice compound and a good sized mud-house that they keep very clean and neat. Phenny’s father passed away when she was still young. The mother makes a small income through buying and selling fish at the beach when the fishermen bring in a good catch. Phenny has many duties at home cooking for the family and taking care of her younger sister and also her mother who is often sick.

Working at CGA on a day to day basis for the past five years, I am surrounded by children with the same kinds of stories. As I teach them and spend time with them, I think I sometimes forget the harsh reality of what their home situation is like. Praise God for ministries like CGA that are assisting these children in breaking the cycle of poverty in their families through education.

Suba Lakers Football Club

The Suba Lakers Football Club was founded in 2008 to provide opportunities for children, especially girls, to develop their God-given abilities and potential in a positive setting. Our aim though is to do much more than develop football talent. Using football as our platform we hope to impact children’s lives in academic growth, physical health, character development and, most importantly, in spiritual nourishment. We desire to assist the families and schools in developing well-rounded children that will be successful in life and grow into the future leaders of Kenya.

In each of the last two years girls we have worked with have helped Suba District reach the finals in the primary school Provencial tournament. Several have moved on to good secondary schools and are still developing their talents in various schools throughout Nyanza and Western Province. Last August we took a team to Kisumu that competed against some of the best club teams in the country and the Suba team finished 4th out of 18 teams. There are very many talented players throughout the district, but many never get the opportunity to develop those talents because of challenges that many young girls face in this region such as dropping out of school, drugs, alcohol, early pregnancies, forced marriages and HIV/AIDS. We hope that our organization can positively impact many girls’ lives in these areas.

1) generating opportunities to share the gospel
2) encouraging students to stay in school
3) improving physical fitness
4) building self-esteem
5) developing good character
6) keeping young people busy with positive activities

Starting the last weekend in May, we will be hosting these top girls in the district for weekend trainings one time a month. It will give us a chance to train them athletically on a more regular basis. It will give them a chance to play together and get to know each other better. And, most of all, it will give us a chance to impact their lives in a bigger way.

During the school breaks in April, August and December we will host some 4 day camps and clinics and also participate in tournaments.

We also hope that we will be able to raise money to help support some of these girls to go to secondary schools after they finish 8th grade.

Currently it is being funded through my own pockets along with some help from Jenny Cox (another CGA missionary) and Sandy Thompson in South Carolina.

It is an exciting adventure and something I am very passionate about!

Goodbye Maxine

Maxine Talbert, one of the greatest supporters of Christ's Gift Academy, passed away this past week after a battle with cancer. Maxine first visited CGA in 2004 with two friends from her home church of Bethany Presbyterian Church in Seattle. They came bearing book bags that members of their church had made for each one of our students. She had visited very many different ministries in Kenya, but for some reason CGA was her favorite place. There were three more visits to Mbita in the next few years after their first visit. She was the main catalyst in mobilizing her church to support ministries in Kenya especially CGA.

Maxine and her husband Gary had even talked about moving to Mbita and becoming full-time missionaries serving here. It wasn't meant to be, but we are happy that Maxine is at home in Heaven. She will be dearly missed by many friends in Kenya.

Our orphan overseer, Lillian, shared a story today as we were greiving the passing of Maxine. She was recalling how much Maxine loved the song Tutaimba Hosanna. It is a Kiswahili song that means "We will sing Hosanna" and it talks about dancing around the throne of God praising Him. A few years ago they had gone and ministered to one of the CGA widow groups in Nyamanga. When they were returning home, Maxine kept singing it and dancing along the dirt road. She drew many amused looks from the Africans watching this Mzungu (white person) sing and dance along the road. It is comforting to think that now Maxine is literally in the presence of the most High God and dancing around his throne singing Tutaimba Hosana.

Good Use of Time?

Since I had to go to Homa Bay yesterday for police reasons, I decided to make good use of my time while there. I tried to go and visit a government office to get some help. I arrived and met the man at 11:30 am. His breath had a strong alcohol smell and his speech was slurred, but he seemed helpful enough. He was busy in the middle of helping someone else and asked if I could return in 45 minutes. When I came back I waited for a while, then decided to call him. His response was to just wait and he was coming right back. I waited another half hour and then called him again. He said he was just around the corner and would return in 10 minutes. So I waited… and waited… and waited. I tried calling again but he had switched off his phone. Finally after two and a half hours I gave up hope and we got in the car for the long journey back to Mbita on our terrible road. By the time we reached home it was too late to do anything. I guess I didn’t make the best use of my time.

Dealing with people like that can really make you appreciate when you find the good ones that really are concerned and want to help.

To Bribe or not to Bribe

I was not in a good mood today travelling back to Homa Bay on very muddy roads from the consistent rain we have been getting over the past weeks. The reason for travelling was to see the police inspector who last week charged me with driving without insurance. The road was sloppy and several places had vehicles that slid off the road and were stuck. Other places were so bad that the big vehicles didn’t even attempt to pass. They sat in the nearest market and waited for the roads to dry in the hot African sun.

I was stopped at a routine police check last week and the officer helped me to discover my insurance had expired the previous week. Following hours of debating and being brought before many different officers and supervisors, they finally released me after I posted bail.
As we neared the police station today my heart was racing, not sure if I would have to appear before the judge, or pay a big fine or what else might be in store. I stopped to say a short prayer before entering. It turned out to be a very simple conclusion. I showed him my insurance and the bail receipt and he returned the money I had paid and released me to go home.

The sad thing is I could have paid a simple $1 bribe last week to the police officer on the road and I would have been spared all of the hassles of being delayed for several hours that day, posting the bail, spending money for fuel, wear and tear on my vehicle and the time it took travelling back to Homa Bay today. No wonder most people just accept the corrupt system here and pay the bribe so they don’t have to deal with all the other inconveniences, but I guess trying to do things the right way is not always easy.

Still Looking

I was very disappointed to find out that my offer for the Landcruiser wasn’t accepted. I have really prayed and fasted about it and thought it was going to happen. I was ready to negotiate and buy it, but it wasn’t meant to be. The owner decided to sell it to a co-worker without giving me the opportunity to make a counter offer. I trust in God’s sovereignty and know that there must be a good reason why it didn’t work out. I am now praying that my current vehicle would be strong, durable and reliable until the time that God brings the right vehicle at the right time.

Mud-bogging, Posting Bail, and Helping an Orphan in Need

Tuesday night one of our secondary students came to my house and told me how he was sent home from his school to call his parents/guardians to school to discuss his academic issues. He travelled all the way back to Mbita, but his grandmother and uncles, who are his guardians, were not able to go back to school with him. In the meantime he was missing his exams in school which would cause his grades to drop further.

There was really no other solution but to get Festus and his uncle in my vehicle on Wednesday morning, drive to his aunt’s home north of Homa Bay to meet with both families together, and then proceed to school with the family to settle the matter with the principal. It was a good plan, but many obstacles came up. After I taught my lesson at CGA I was ready to leave school, but a truck carrying supplies got stuck coming up the hill and so I couldn’t leave until they got it unstuck. Once we were on the road it didn’t get much better. There were trucks stuck in three different locations that made it difficult for any vehicle to pass. During rainy season the unpaved roads greatly deteriorate. Slipping and sliding through the mud and crossing the standing water in the road that resembled a lake, we eventually made it close to our destination. Unfortunately, we were stopped at a nearby police check. I was surprised to find out my insurance had expired last week. The officers didn’t find it very humorous and started threatening to impound my vehicle, take me directly to court and charge me. Pastor Amos, who was assisting me, and I pleaded and debated with them. As is typical we were asked to bribe the officers to let us go, but we stood our ground and refused. Finally, after taking my driver’s license and expired insurance tags, they allowed us to continue to the school and finish with the student’s situation and then return.

The meeting between the two families of the student went so well and everyone agreed to do their part to help the boy have a chance to be successful in school. The uncles were very ready to assist and take up their responsibility since the boy has no parents to help him. The meetings in school also went well as they discovered some ways that they can better help him and he promised to change some of his bad habits. We were grateful for how things worked out and know that there will be improvement in the future.

When we returned to the police check, they were gone. We proceeded on to the Homa Bay police station and found the officer who remained very strict and harsh towards us. We begged and pleaded to talk to his superior for over 30 minutes until we were finally granted an opportunity. He wasn’t any better and insisted we post bail and then come back to Homa Bay (on these terrible roads with no insurance) on Friday to appear in court. To make it worse it was getting late in the afternoon and another big storm was blowing in. He wasn’t bending at all and wouldn’t give us any other option until we finally asked the right question in the right way. We discovered that we could get a new insurance policy and call him with the policy number and he could cancel our court appearance. I posted my bail, praised God, thanked the man and climbed in the vehicle to try and beat the storm back to Mbita. God is good because that situation could have ended much much worse.

Finally, if nothing else, I hope the student was able to see all of the effort and challenges we faced just to help him!

April Update

Let it Rain

After returning from my trip to Egypt and Israel, God's blessings were apparent in Kenya with the bountiful rainfall the western part of the country has received. It could be seen from the beautiful green hills on the countryside and the muddy paths my vehicle was sliding over. It always amazes me how quickly the landscape turns green with a little moisture. People are really rejoicing because the common person has been struggling to feed their families with the high food prices since the post-election violence at the beginning of 2008 and the low rainfall last year. Most everybody around Mbita frantically started planting their maize when the rains finally began late in the rainy season. Most of our kids and staff were very busy during the April school break in weeding their gardens. People are hoping and praying that it will continue until harvest time.

The Secondary School Students
Once back in Mbita, I was able to spend close to two weeks with our 70 secondary students who had returned from their various schools between terms. We had time for discipleship, tutoring, relationship education, counseling, community service and games. There are many great stories of academic success, athletic accomplishments, promotions to positions of leadership (half of the 70 are leaders in their schools) and how God is using each of them in their schools to make a difference. I wish I could share all of their stories with you, but I will only share about one student and the impact he is having. Until recently all of the students we were supporting in secondary school were children that had graduated from CGA.

Moses' Story
A young man named Moses did not attend CGA, but has been faithfully serving our school as a volunteer for two years with various duties. Anything he was asked to do, he would do it with a great attitude as if he was doing it for God. He had finished 8th grade about eight years ago and tried to begin secondary school, but as an orphan with no parents, there was nobody to pay his school fees. Since that time he has lived in several different towns and worked faithfully at various jobs to survive. Moses is a man of strong faith and solid character. Anyone who meets him is impressed by his moral convictions and enthusiasm about life. He never gave up on his hope of attending secondary school. Last year he began expressing an interest in going back. Through CGA's support he reported to school in February as a 24 year old freshman. In his first term Moses has become a leader in their campus Christian Union and even had a chance to share his testimony one morning with the entire school.

His testimony is a powerful one for our other secondary students as they have witnessed firsthand Moses faithfulness and diligence in his work. They can see how Moses' patiently awaited his opportunity and never gave up hope in God's Will. It makes the others realize how fortunate they are to be able to continue their education in secondary school because most of them would suffer the same fate without the assistance of their sponsors who support them through CGA. Moses brought back a glittering report form from his first term with 9 A's and 2 B's. He had the 2nd highest score out of 102 people in his school and the highest among all of our 28 first year secondary students from CGA. A story like his should motivate us all to be more grateful for the opportunities God gives us in life and the blessings all around us.

Travel to the Holy Land & Egypt
During my short break from school in April I had the opportunity to travel with a group of 25 Kenyans from Parklands Baptist Church in Nairobi to the Holy Land. We spent eleven days in Egypt and Israel. The highlights of the journey for me included climbing to the top of Mt. Sinai, floating in the Dead Sea, being baptized in the Jordan River and the three days in Jerusalem. My blog at http://www.joekenya.blogspot.com/ tells more about it.

The Vehicle Situation
Since I had the engine rebuilt in my Mitsubishi Pajero two years ago, I have been praying for God to help me find a reliable vehicle that will be a blessing to me and all the others that are impacted by our ministry here in Kenya. I need something strong, long-lasting and able to handle these rough roads in this part of the country. I have loved my Pajero, but there have been numerous problems in the past couple of years with the engine, turbo and other areas. I have been patiently praying, waiting and looking for the right one. I think I may have finally found a good Toyota Landcruiser from another missionary in Nairobi. From selling my current vehicle and using money I have saved up, I would be able to pay for it if the owner accepts the offer I made this week.

Prayer Requests:
Pray for Moses and the other 70 students that are returning to secondary school during the first week of May. Pray for their needs to be met physically, socially, financially, and spiritually. Pray for them to be faithful, diligent and successful in their academic work.

Pray for the rains to continue long enough so that Kenya can produce a good harvest to help relieve some of the hunger throughout the country.

Pray for this vehicle or another one that can be reliable for me to use in this ministry. Pray that God would open up the right doors and guide me to the right one for the right price.

Tough Competition

Our Suba Lakers club soccer team was invited this weekend to Kisumu to compete against one of the top club teams in Western Kenya. Kisumu Youth Olympic Center is preparing for a trip to Sweden next month and wanted some good competition before going. It is a club from a big city and their teams live together, attend school together and train every day together. We called four girls to travel from Mfangano Island and four others from different parts of Suba District to join with four from CGA and four of our Secondary Students. With one afternoon to prepare we headed out the next morning. It was tough competition as we lost two matches by three goals each, but we managed to defeat their second team 2-0. They were superior to us in their deft passing and ball-control. It was a great opportunity for our girls to play against top level competition and see where they need to improve. It is a joy to spend time around them and try to impact their lives in a positive way. The CGA girls show strong leadership on the field and off the field.

We hope to be able to do more in the future by organizing regular training sessions, playing in friendly matches or tournaments and hosting some camps and clinics during the holidays. It is wonderful to help develop their God-given talents, keep them busy with positive activities and away from some of the temptations that cause many girls to drop out before finishing primary school.

Works in Progress

After returning from Israel and Egypt I have had the chance to spend some good time with our CGA secondary students that have returned to Mbita from their various schools. During the month-long break between school terms, we organized two weeks of tutoring in Math, Physics and Chemistry for 45 of them. It was a great opportunity to provide assistance in the subjects that most of them struggle with the most. We hired two excellent secondary teachers that worked with them each afternoon for an hour in each subject. At the end of each day we would give them an hour for sports.

Last week we hosted a week-long reunion. We do that during every holiday. All but four of our seventy students we support was able to return for the program. The time was used to encourage the kids in developing positive relationships and staying away from unhealthy physical relationships with the opposite sex. There was also time for discipleship, discussion, counselling, advising, studying, community service and sports. I also was able to share a slide show from my journey to Israel and Egypt and we watched the movie Prince Caspian and used it as a teaching tool.

I hit the ground running from the time I returned to Mbita, but it has been so sucessful and encouraging. It is a blessing to see how God is working in these childrens' lives. Being around them for a couple of weeks, I can see growth in so many of them

We shared with them that we don't want CGA and Mbita to always depend on the U.S. Our prayer is that with the support of CGA, these children will get a quality education and be successful in life. Ten years down the road these students will be the ones that are sponsoring children at CGA and giving back to this community in various ways. They will be the teachers, doctors and engineers that are impacting their world for God.