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.