A Great End to the Year

On the morning of New Year's Eve our Suba Lakers Football Club invited the parents of all of our players to Mbita for a parent's meeting. All of the club officials were there to talk with the parents. Most of the three hour meeting was in the local tribal language, but I think I followed most of it. After appropriate introductions of everyone in the room, our vice-chairman explained to the parents the purpose of the club. Most of them already knew but it was good for them to hear again that we are trying to develop all-around girls, nourishing them spiritually, academically and physically. Football is the means which we can use to help them build better futures.

We officially announced the success that several of our girls had on their National Exams. One of our girls was the 8th best girl in the district (out of thousands), another one was the 16th best. Several of them will be proceeding to High School. We shared about how we help to tutor them when they come for training and that we give them time to study. We also gave the parents advice on how to help their child succeed academically.

Other officials shared about the team rules and guidelines, the program when they come for training and other issues pertaining to them. Before concluding we shared about the successes on the field.

The highlight of the day though was the comments and reactions of the parents. Typically in Kenya, at the end of every 3-4 hour meeting, the participants have time to speak their mind. Most of the time, at least in my experience, they are complaints and other negative things. This time was much different. The parents praised the club for how it is helping their girls. Some talked about how they have seen their child's character changing over the last 1-2 years. Others talked about the improvement in their academic performance. Others said that without the help of the club their girl would have never finished 8th grade and passed her national exam. Many said that football is keeping their daughters busy with positive activities and keeping them away from pregnancy and dropping out of school like many girls in their villages. All of them wanted the girls to come and train even more often (sometimes we feel guilty like we are calling them to come to much, but we found out the parents feel differently). Others commented on the way we handle their daughter with such care and concern and the way we communicate with the families and the schools they come from. There were also good comments on some things we can improve in the future.

I can't explain how touched my heart was after the meeting. These widowed single mothers and old grandmothers can see that we are helping to make a difference in their girl's life. There was no better way to end the year than that!

This Little Light of Mine

On Sunday evening we were returning from Kisii after having played 5 football matches in 4 days. Fortunately we arrived in Mbita before dark so we were able to get almost all of the players home before dark. When you are working with girls, especially in this area, you have to be very careful because of the dangers all around them. Their parents and guardians entrust them to us and we want to do everything possible to make sure they reach back home safely. Only one player remained and she happened to be one of my favorites (I know you are not supposed to have favorites but we all do). Alicent was missing her family and her home and really wanted to reach that night, instead of waiting for the next day. Her home is on the other side of Rusinga Island. My friend Mourine Ooro and I decided to drive her home.

She is the youngest girl on our senior team (she just turned 13 years old), but one of the boldest and bravest. She has a lot of spunk, always quick to smile and loves to laugh. We had a good conversation with her on her way home. She was asking about my family back in America and we were talking about her family here in Kenya. After the death of her father in 2001 Alicent lived for three years in Uganda in her maternal grandparents home. In 2006 she returned to her paternal grandparents home on Rusinga Island to be with her sick mother. Not long after Alicent’s return, the mother also passed away. Alicent had returned from church one Saturday and found the mother lifeless in her bed. Alicent and her six siblings were soon after dispersed throughout different parts of Kenya and Uganda to be cared for by various relatives. Since that time Alicent has remained in Kenya and has been cared for by a step-mother. The step-mother has three children of her own that she is also caring for and she makes charcoal to provide for the family. Alicent has a very strong bond with her step-mother and her 81 year old grandparents.

We parked the car on the road and then walked about 2 km down the mountain toward the lake where their home is situated. I had visited the home several times before, so I was greeted very warmly by the step-mother and grandparents. They are always happy to see Alicent come home.

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law's father, Rich, gave me a very special Christmas gift. It was a Coleman LED lantern which works for over 125 hours before the batteries need replacing. I had used it every night in my house since receiving it because it lights up my sitting room much better than my normal light. It allowed me to do some work or read the newspaper at night. It was also small enough to function as a flashlight too which is why I had it with me when I was bringing Alicent home that night.

After entering their house we prayed and exchanged greetings, but I felt a tug at my heart that I should give them my new lantern. Maybe it was because the house was dark and the only light was a tiny candle that was about to go out. I tried to convince myself not to give it away. I told myself that I really needed it myself and that these people would not even know how to use it. Even if they did know how to use it they wouldn't be able to afford new batteries once these one are used up. I thought of every excuse, even that I wouldn't be able to find my way back to the car that night without a light (even though the moon was full and bright).

Normally I like to give things away, but usually they are old things that I don't like or use anymore; not something that is special to me.

In the end, I gave a gift that hurt me a little bit, yet it also felt so good. I don't know if they truly understood what I gave them or if they will really use it, but I do know that the tug on my heart to freely give was too much to overcome.

In a small way, it is like the gift that God gave us on Christmas 2000 years ago. He gave His best, His one and only son. I can't imagine the hurt and pain it must have caused God (not to mention the hurt and pain Jesus endured on the cross for us).

The light he gave us wasn't a little lantern that can light up a small mud hut, but the Light of the entire World!

On the Field

During our four day trip to Kisumu and Kisii we played 5 matches. On Thursday we took on Girls Talent Academy in Ahero and defeated them 8-0, but in all honesty it could have been 15-0 as we spoiled many good chances. It wasn't very competitive, but it did give us good practice at finishing around the goal, six different players scored goals in the match.

On Saturday in Kisumu we defeated Kasagam 6-0. We controlled the ball possession for almost the whole game. Irine Achieng started the scoring early with a great left-footed kick from the wing over the goal-keeper. In the finals we face SEP from Oyugis. They are similar to us in that they have school-going girls and try to use football as a way to impact other areas of their lives. The SEP team started much more aggressive than we did and their fans were cheering loud and also were very negative towards our team. I think our girls were a little intimidated and didn't react fast enough towards the ball. The other team scored early in the 2nd half to go ahead by a goal and their fans were even more relentless. Our girls kept battling and finally a few minutes before the end Dorothy Adhiambo scored a goal to even the score. Unfortunately we lost on post-match penalty kicks 3-2, but it was a good competitive game that will help us in the future.

On Sunday we travelled to Kisii and faced the 2nd best team in the country in the first match. Kisii United finished 2nd in the Kenya Premier League in their inaugural season. Our girls played very well, but fell 5-0. Only two goals came during the regular flow of the match, the others came on a penalty, a corner kick and a goalkeeping error. And we had multiple chances, but just couldn't quite convert. All of our players were 17 year old or younger, playing against much older and more experienced players. In fact, our 13 year old mid-fielder (Alicent), 14 year old mid-fielder (Raisha) and 14 year old defender (Linet) played exceptionally well. I was so proud of them and so was the Kisii coach. He was so impressed that he wants us to sign an official transfer for two of our players to join his team in the women's professional league next season. He was even willing to help pay their school fees if they come. It could be a great opportunity for them financially, academically and athletically.

In the second match we scored a late goal to defeat Nyamira 3-2. We controlled the game early on going up 2-0, but let them back in the game before we finished it out.

It was a successful trip. Even though we were without 5 of our best players, our girls showed their talent, grit and determination. I am even more motivated to continue working with them and helping them achieve their goals.

Off the Field

We travelled with our girls football team last week to Kisumu and Kisii to play some matches, We had a unique opportunity this time because one of the days we didn't have any games to play. So after training Friday morning and spending some time on academic work we took them to the museum. They got to learn more about Kenyan culture and different tribes, the various animals that live in different areas. They also saw many species of snakes live as well as crocodiles. They enjoyed seeing things in person that they had only heard about through their teachers or seen in textbooks.

Afterwards the kids went shopping in a supermarket (the first time for some of them) and even got to ride in some bumper cars. They loved "driving" and ramming into one another. Some of them couldn't stop laughing the entire time.

More Than Just Football

The football club girls reported for training on Monday, the 13th. December is the perfect time for training because the school year is over and they have a lot of free time. They were excited to come and showed a lot of enthusiasm on the football field. Free from the burden of school and other stresses, they seemed so happy and lively. Their fitness wasn't the best, but it seemed to improve everyday. The thirty girls love the opportunity to come together and develop their God-given abilities.

But our Football Club is much more than just playing a game. We try to use it to impact the lives of these girls physically, socially, academically and spiritually. Too many girls in this area drop out of school before finishing 8th grade to work or to get married. Throughout the week, we were doing an FCA Bible Study that discussed the basics of Christianity such as salvation, security, Holy Spirit, Word of God, Prayer, Satan and others. It was wonderful to see the girls looking up scriptures, discussing problems and learning the Word of God.

In the afternoons we took time to help them academically, even though school is out. Many of them struggle in Math at their rural schools, so i was able to spend a couple of hours giving them help, answering their questions and helping them to understand better.

it was such a successful week in so many ways.

A Bad Christmas for Politicians

Last week the International Criminal Court in Hague charged 6 Kenyans for their actions during the post-election violence that rocked the country and left over a thousand dead and half a million displaced from their homes after the 2007 election went awry. These weren't just normal citizens, but a radio personality, the head of the police and high ranking politicians (including the Deputy Prime Minister).

Last year, the government had the option to have them face a local tribunal, but turned that down which then left it in the hands of the ICC according to the peace accord signed by the Prime Minister and President that put an end to the violence. After the announcement of "The Hague Six" other politicians quickly rallied to their side and shot out at the ICC and the entire process. They went back to the card they love to pull out, "This is a tribally/ethnically motivated political ploy. Do these people realize that most people outside of Kenya could care less what tribe somebody belongs to?

I don't claim to know who is guilty and who is innocent, but I do pray for the truth to be revealed and that those who planned and organized the violence and the forceful evictions from people's homes will be brought to justice. That seems to be very rare in this country.

Wikileaks Causing Problems in Kenya

The Wikileaks controversey has really struck a chord here in Kenya. The web-site released just a few comments from the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Rannenberger. He said that the leaders of this country are supporting a culture of impunity because they don’t punish those high ranking officials involved in corruption and other crimes. Then he went on to say something about Kenya having the most corrupt government in Kenya. Oops, I bet he wished that never came out in the news.

During yesterday’s independence day celebration the president, prime minister and everyone else that got up to speak lashed out at him. Kenya’s leaders are really ticked off. I am not sure if they even spoke about any other topic; at least the news coverage didn’t show anything else. I wonder how many Kenyans would say they agree with Rannenberger’s comments? I hear many of them say the same thing, but I guess it is a little different coming from a Kenyan then coming from an outsider living in Kenya.

Probably not the best thing for diplomatic relations between the two countries? How long will it take for the U.S. to transfer him out of the country? My guess is that it will be pretty quick!

Land of Paradox

The past couple of days I have really been reminded of the paradox of serving here. In some ways I love this place so much, and in other ways it drives me crazy. There are parts of the culture that are so endearing, and others that I will never understand. Even the same is true with the people and relatonships.

I received an e-mail update from the leaders of my mission training that I took before coming to Kenya. What they said is so true, and really applies to me. I wish I would have wrote it...

"If I had to choose a word to describe this year, it would be PARADOX. I
love that word. It allows seemingly contradictory realities to dwell together
at the same time. And this year, like most, has held many paradoxes...

At any given moment, our hearts are full and broken, enriched and depleted,
grateful and weeping, content and longing for more. It is to these hearts
that the Savior faithfully comes, bringing grace and a song! It is this Savior
that our hearts celebrate at Christmas and in all the seasons of life!"

Lessons From a Dead Mouse

Living in Kenya is a paradox for me. Sometimes I love it and sometimes not so much. But I think that is true for all of us, whereever we live.

Friday was not the best day for me. After sleeping for only 3 hours Thursday night I was awoken by a noise and couldn't get back to sleep. I was already a little jet-lagged, but I laid in bed for an hour and a half in an unfruitful attempt to induce sleep. Luckily, there was a football game on TV at 4:30 am (time difference between Kenya and U.S.) so I laid on the couch and watched a little. Realizing sleep was not going to happen again, I got ambitous and tried to call a customer service line in America to help me with my new Kindle e-book reader (parent's Christmas present). Well that was quite a joy to spend 15 minutes on hold and then a pleasant 30 minute conversation (on international rates) hearing about all the extra charges for trying to use the 3G downloading function overseas for my subscriptions to magazines and newspapers.


By 7:30 I set off to meet our boys football team who was competing in a tournament in Sindo, 20 km away. Unfortunately, the other vehicle had a dead battery (because the owner had used it to watch TV in his house all night) so I had to jumpstart him so that we can bring the whole team to Sindo. Even though the roads were quite muddy and slippery from the morning rain, we reached well, but the other vehicle got a flat tire just outside of Mbita. Believe it or not, they had no spare tire (frequent occurrence in Kenya). So after dropping my group I had to go back to pick up the other players and the bad tire. We arrived just in time for kick-off but I think the events of the morning played a toll on the kids and they got beat 4-1.


I had to quickly rush back to Mbita for a meeting with the leadership at CGA at noon. The meeting was pretty uneventful, and was followed by two more meetings, now with the parents of our secondary students in the sponsorship program. It turned out to be a pretty typical Kenya meeting, lasting about 4 1/2 hours. Everyone has to give their opinion and then open it up for in-depth discussion. Some were good, some were not.


After the meetings, many students and several parents were waiting to share personal problems with me. The family of one of our boys was kicked out of their house and off their land because the father had sold it before he died without telling one. Others wanted to discuss switching schools or their fee problems or other things I shouldn't write about in this blog. By the time I started walking home, it was already getting dark outside.


When reaching home, I realized my sitting room light barely gave out enough light for me to see my own hand. Having wasted hours and hours previously with the solar lights and fixtures, I decided to leave that job for another day. So I lit a candle and a lantern. That wasn't the best idea because they attracted all of the mosquitos and lake flies which seemed to fixate on my face. Soon after, the rain began pouring down and eventually through my roof and in many spots throughout the house.


Tired, hungry and at my wits end, I gave up and decided to go to bed. On my way to bed, I spotted a rather large mouse in my pantry. My reflexes are deteriorating in my old age so I was unsuccessful trying to catch it. Defeated, I strugged to set up some peanut butter (my least favorite food in the world) on a few mouse traps and place them around the house.


I finally plopped down in my bed and just started spilling my heart out to God in the dark of the night. I don't know if it was jet lag, or the 3 hours of sleep the night before, or just cross-cultural frustrations, but I felt totally downhearted. Just a couple of minutes into my prayer time, I heard the snap of a mouse trap. That sound brought so much joy to my heart. I just shouted outloud "Praise God!" My prayers of frustration turned into prayers of gratitude and joy for how good God is to me. I felt like he was telling me, "Don't worry Joe, I have you taken care of. I know exactly what you need and will meet those needs according to my glorious riches."


Thank you God! And thank you stupid mouse!

We Need You!!

1) Please pray for our twenty-four 8th graders as they sit their National Exams November 9-11. It is a pivotal moment in their lives. Pray for confidence in their minds, peace in their hearts and good health. And pray for success for the glory of God (more is written below).

2) Consider sponsoring a student through CGA. We are in need of more child sponsors to help cover the costs of educating each child. Or consider giving a year end gift to CGA so that we can continue providing a strong Christian education and meeting the basic physical needs for these 275 primary school kids and 90 secondary school kids. You can contribute on-line at www.cgakenya.com (click on the button “Donate Now”) or you can send a check to:
Christ’s Gift Academy
636-G Long Point Rd #38
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

3) For all of you in the Charleston area, there is a Golf Tournament and a Dinner/Silent Auction on November 12th at Patriots Point. The proceeds will go to benefit our sports ministry here in Mbita. Download the registration form. Here is summary of what we are looking for.
- Golf tournament ($400/foursome or $100/participant)
- Silent Auction: 5-7 p.m. at Patriots Point Links Golf Club ($20/ticket)
- Hole sponsorship ($100/hole)
- Purchase a uniform for a young athlete ($50.00)
- Donate raffle items (gift certificates, merchandise, services, etc…)
- Donate silent auction items

In October our Football Club hosted a tournament for girls 13 years and younger. We thought we could get 6-7 teams, but 14 showed up that morning. It was a great day filled with a lot of football for young girls who don’t get many opportunities to play in real games like that. We were also able to share the Gospel with those 200 young girls plus hundreds of other fans. The day ended with a good female motivational speaker and the awards ceremony.

It is time once again for National Exams. 8th grade is the culmination of primary school and it ends with all 800,000 students across the country taking their National Exam. The exams will be on November 9-11. They will take multiple choice exams in Math, English Grammar, Science, Kiswahili Grammar and Social Studies/Religious Education. They will also write a composition in English and a composition in Kiswahili. After finishing they will wait for close to two months for the results to be released. Their performance on this one exam will determine if they are able to proceed to secondary school and what school they will be able to attend. There is a lot of pressure on the students and the school to “perform.” Students, teachers and schools are all judged on this one exam so you can imagine the pressure these kids feel when taking it. Many times students fall ill and are overtaken by stress. Please pray for their strength and perseverance during these exams. Pray that they will remember all that they have learned and that they would succeed. This is the first year I have taught 8th grade Math and so I am also a little nervous about how they will do. They have worked extremely hard throughout this year and I know they are well-prepared and will be successful, but there is still a little anxiety. We are busy doing the last minute touches to make sure they are ready! But we need you to help by praying!!!

Encouraging the Young Girls

Our Suba Lakers Football Club hosted its first ever tournament for Under 13 year old girls. Fourteen teams showed up early on the 20th October, a Kenyan National Holiday. Our club officials were hoping for around six teams so we were stunned at the response. Even despite the heavy rains that had made the roads difficult to travel on (and also washed away the lines we had drawn on the field the previous day) the teams arrived early which is rare here. Many people commented that this was the first time they had ever seen a tournament like this in Mbita. Each team played with seven players and we used a smaller field which gave the players more chances to touch the ball.

Our goal was to encourage the young girls to be developing their various talents. Many times girls don't get the opportunity to play at their schools because the boys take the ball and dominate the field. If girls get to play, then it is usually the older ones, which leaves these younger ones left out. We also wanted to use the tournament as a way to spread the Gospel and to encourage the young girls in other ways. A pastor came and shared a message with all the teams gathered around before the seminfinals began. Also, a successful woman from the community share some words of wisdom to motivate and inspire these young girls to work hard in school and take good care of their bodies.

Age vetting was a difficult process as almost every coach brought older girls that we had to disqualify. In fact, one team had seven girls who did not make our age cut. The sad part is that the coaches would prep the girls to lie about their age and year of birth; a very common practice in this country.

Each team was able to play at least two matches and most played three matches. The winning team from each pool qualified for semifinals in the afternoon. In one semifinal Temo from Rusinga Island met with Wanga Primary where my good friend is the principal. In the other seminfinal CGA face Milimani. CGA allowed their first goal of the day by one of their own players heading it backwards into their own goal. It was a heartbreaking way to lose, but they rebounded to blow out Wanga in the third place match. Milimani won the championship on penalty kicks in a hard fought match.

We were able to feed lunch to each team and also give them a football and certificate. Each coach received a t-shirt. And we handed out many awards like cleats, t-shirts, goalkeeper gloves, etc. to the outstanding players. Everyone went home happy.

It was an incredibly fun day and very successful in motivating the girls from all around this district.

Across the Lake

Even though all of the students from Christ’s Gift Academy have grown up on the shores of the second biggest freshwater lake in the world, most of them have never travelled across on it on a boat. On Friday, forty-four CGA students and ten teachers travelled by boat to Mfangano Island for the release of the results from a joint exam we did with the other top schools in the district. It was the first time many of them had been out on Lake Victoria. They really enjoyed the scenery and being able to look back and see their homes from a different perspective. The boat ride each way lasted about one and a half hours. They were busy telling stories to each other, pointing to landmarks they could recognize and singing songs.

Once reaching Mfangano, they were warmly greeted by the students of Gethsemane Academy, our sister school on the island. Similar to CGA, the school was created to give a quality Christian education to the orphans and help them break the cycle of poverty in their lives. During the release of the exam results, the highlight for CGA was being #1 in English for 6th Grade. Also, several individuals were honored.

6th Grade- Wendy was #2 overall in English and Esther Juma was the #3 girl overall out of over 200 students

8th Grade- Valary Macklago was #1 overall in Math and #5 girl overall out of over 200students. Adah Sharon was also in the top ten girls

Secondary Students Preparing for National Exams

It is with proud hearts that 16 former Christ’s Gift Academy students will be taking their National Exams from October 21 – November 11 at their various secondary schools. This will be the first group of CGA students to reach this milestone in their lives. Many of these students began at CGA in Nursery school the year the school was founded, 1997. Without the support of Christ’s Gift Academy and their sponsors, many of them would have never had the chance to reach this far in their education. We are so proud of each one! There have been many struggles and obstacles along the way, but God has seen them through.

Please pray for these students as they diligently prepare for their National Exam. Around 300,000 students around the country will be taking the same exam. It is done over the course of three weeks. They will usually do exams in 8 subjects. Some are mandatory such as English, Math, Kiswahili, Biology and Chemistry; and there are other electives they can choose between like Physics, History, Geography, Business, Religious Education, Computer and Agriculture. Some of the subjects require multiple exam papers so, on average, most of students will take around 15 exams within those three weeks. They feel a lot of pressure and stress during this time because their performance on this test will determine much of their future possibilities. Please be praying for their health, for peace in their hearts, confidence in what they have learned and how hard they have worked, and for their success.

Once they finish their exam, they will have to wait for about four months for their results. You can also be praying for them during that time. It is not easy for many young people after they finish school. There are many temptations out there, especially when they finally have a lot of free time after working so hard to prepare for exams. Pray that they would use their time well by volunteering, serving, helping and learning new skills.

It’s our goal at CGA, that each student has the chance to complete their education with a high school diploma. We are thankful to God for bringing them this far and for their sponsors and the school sponsors for their consistent and faithful support over the years to help make their dreams a reality!

Small Gifts for our Football Club

This weekend our 25 primary school football girls came for another weekend of training. They report on Friday afternoon and stay with us until Sunday afternoon. There is much time for training, studying, guest speakers, watching some football videos and spending time together. We had a great speaker this weekend who shared with them about how to take good care of their bodies, personal hygeine and how God has created them.

On the last morning a Junior Boys team from Rusinga Island came to play a friendly match with us. They thought they would be able to dominate a girls team, but were a bit embarrassed when our girls defeated them 5-2. We played two full 45 minute halves so it was good conditioning and good competition playing against fast, agressive young boys.

Because of a generous donation our madam teachers were able to buy a couple pair of underwear for each girl. That is a big blessing as many of them only own one or two pairs. We also got each girl a mosquito net to take home with them to help protect them from getting malaria. CGA had bought a large order for our students last month and they had some extras that we purchased from them. We also were able to give almost half of them old half-deflated basketballs that they could use at home to kick around a little and play with in the village (I never imagined I would give basketballs away to be kicked- don't tell my former basketball coaches).

The girls received the gifts with big smiles and sincere thank-you's.

Challenges

I don’t know if the following story is what is really supposed to go in a blog from a missionary, but this is what I am going through and some of the battles that we face here. God is at work and doing mighty things, but there will always be opposition.

I think I have experienced two of my lowest points since coming to Kenya 7 years ago.

In July, one of our third year secondary students decided to leave his school. He had been having problems for several years now and we had been trying to counsel him and advise him. He had finally had enough and thought it was best to leave. When he returned to Mbita we were very kind and gentle towards him even though we were upset at his poor decision. Our Kenyan Principal, Mr. Gwalla, and I sat and talked with him and tried to help him think about his future and the right way to move forward. We reassured him that we were committed to supporting him in the future. After our conversation ended with prayer we left the office. The boy returned quietly a few minutes later and stole our principal’s phone. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! By the time we noticed, it was too late as he was already across the lake and well on his way to Kisumu. Fortunately his family helped us to recover the phone, but it was damaged by the time it was returned.

Over the next few weeks we heard some stories of how over the past couple of years he had been trying to involve some of our younger girls in sexual relationships. I was greatly disappointed because of all that I had invested in this young man, but was satisfied that he was far away from Mbita and wouldn’t be coming back any time soon to cause more problems, or so I thought…

After a few weeks he returned to town which worried all of us because of the girls being in danger. I decided to go find him one day and when he saw me, he started running… so I decided to start chasing him. I knew I wouldn’t catch him with my heavy boots on running through the bushes in this rural area he knows so well, but I thought that at the very least, I could put a little scare in him.

It was difficult to understand what was happening. This is the same boy that I taught for three years in primary school, helped him get into one of the best high schools in the country and visited him regularly in his school. Now he is running away from me. How did it get to this point? I didn’t catch him, but I found his mother and requested her to make sure that he leaves Mbita and returns to his family in Kisumu or his father in Nairobi.

They didn’t think I was serious and he decided to stick around. So a couple of days later we had the police arrest him and put him in jail. Our principal, Mr. Gwalla, and I were able to go to the assistant police chief and spend a few hours with the boy and his mother. The policeman had the boy read aloud the minimum jail sentences for breaking and entering and also for defiling a minor.

The following day the policeman brought the boy up to CGA to do a practical lesson for all the secondary students who had come for extra teaching that week. He led the boy, handcuffed, in front of the awaiting students and was met by a lot of shocked faces and long stares. It was a good lesson that the others will not soon forget.

A few days later they let him out of jail with a strong warning that he should find a new school as soon as possible and told to stay away from Mbita. Even though we will not be able to continue to help him, we are praying that his eyes will be opened and he will turn back to God before it is too late.

A few weeks later something else came up. Another boy that is one of the main leaders among our secondary students had some problems. He comes from a very poor home where his elderly grandmother has raised him along with his brothers. The boy was the school leader while he was in primary school at CGA and always comes back to volunteer at school helping with anything that is needed during the holidays. He is hard-working and has a very outgoing personality. We have shown a lot of confidence and trust in him. There were some inconsistencies we noticed on the report form he handed in when he came back to Mbita over the holiday. We asked him questions about it, but he had some excuses. Because of some other issues we decided to bring him back to his school to start the new term. After arriving we quickly realized that he had changed his report form, not only this time, but he had been doing it for three years now. So this student who we had thought was doing so well in school has been struggling throughout, undetected by us. We also realized he had been deceiving us about other things also. The worst part is that even when he was caught red-handed he still wouldn’t admit it. He continued to try and make-up stories and acted like he hadn’t done anything wrong until finally at the end he was able to speak the truth. It was painful to witness.

Adding insult to injury… after discovering these lies, the deputy principal at his school told us that the boy needed a new mattress before they could readmit him to school. So Lillian (our orphan overseer) and I had to drive to the nearby town and spend more money to buy the boy (who had been deceiving us for three years) a new mattress because the grandmother had no money to assist. Lillian used the opportunity when we gave him the mattress to tell him that it is a picture of God’s grace with us. He blesses us and does so much for us that we don’t deserve, but he does it because of his love for us. I still believe he will learn a lot from this experience and change for the better. He knows right and wrong. Maybe this is a good “wake-up call” that will help to put him back on the right path.
To be totally honest these cases really got me down for a while. Through prayer and scripture God continues to remind me to not focus on the problems, but to focus on what God is able to do, which is much more than we can ask or imagine. All of us are “works in progress.” Sinners saved by grace.

CGA has 90 students in secondary school and most of them are doing so well, working hard and being a “light” in their schools, but it is easy to get focused on the few negative ones. Without God, there wouldn’t be much hope, but as believers we continue to be faithful to what God has called us to do and leave the results in His hands!

Secondary Students Being God's Hands and Feet

This past week we have been hosting around 70 of the 90 secondary students we sponsor in various schools. Each of them completed 8th grade at CGA before moving on to the next level of education. We call it a reunion because they are reuniting with their former classmates. It happens during each of the three school breaks during the year (April, August and December). The students enjoy catching up with close friends and learning from each other.

This time around I let the students plan the schedule for the week and lead the program. They set aside time for worship and prayer, testimonies, small groups, guest speakers, crazy games, and sports. The testimony time this week was very powerful as many stood up and openly admitted some of the mistakes they have made in the past and urged the others not to do the same. One boy talked about his struggle with lust and sex. Another discussed her bad choices when it came to cheating on exams. Others have talked about stealing or just being lazy. It is good for them to hear from one another. I have been impressed with their honesty and sincerity. Several mentioned how grateful they are for the opportunity they have been given to attend secondary school through their sponsorship by CGA.

On Wednesday the entire group walked to the home of one of their classmates who was having a funeral for his older brother who passed away last week. They are a poor family with an elderly grandmother and then all of the grandchildren. As soon as they reached, they began helping. Some started carrying buckets to the lake to fetch water for cooking and washing. Others went to the local primary school to get chairs and benches, others helped in cooking and washing the plates. It was awesome to see the kids being the hands and feet of God. The community was so impressed and were really giving a lot of compliments to the way the CGA secondary students were serving. It feels good to hear the community talking well of the teenagers for once instead of just speaking ill.

The reunion ended on Thursday after the students watched a great movie, Faith Like Potatoes. It had a wonderful message about having big faith and sharing that faith with others and how God can transform lives. The kids enjoyed it and took home a lot that they can apply to their lives.

On Monday and Tuesday, all of the 90 students will be returning to their various secondary schools to finish out the last 3-month term of the school year.

Our Boys Can Also Play

Over the weekend the Suba Laker Boys competed in the Omit Pile tournament on Rusinga Island. It was an under 17 year old tournament for local teams. The boys sailed through the preliminaries with 2 wins and a draw. They dominated their semifinal game winning 2-0. The finals on Saturday afternoon were hotly contested playing against the home team from Rusinga. The locals didn't want the trophy to leave the island, but the Suba Lakers wanted to take the trophy back across the causeway to Mbita.

The Lakers scored two goals in the first half, but both were taken away by the referee. The first one was because of off-sides and the second one because of a push. In the second half the Rusinga team gained momentum and put a ball into our goal, but their goal was also disallowed because of off-sides. The game ended in a scoreless draw and went to penalty kicks. As the sun was setting, our goalkeeper saved the first three kicks and we quickly converted our chances to lift the trophy.

I have to share a few individual stories from this weekend, especially concerning the junior tournament...

1) One of our returners from last year's champions was Linet. She is small in stature but big in heart and she is like the energizer bunny on the field. She is a student at CGA and I have taught her for the last 5 years so we know each other well. She can be moody at times and it rubs off on her teammates. And sometimes she thinks she knows everything and doesn't accept correction very well. She displayed both of those bad characteristics in the first game, especially towards my assistant coach. So I substituted her out of the game and had a private talk with her on the sideline letting her know that her attitude better change very quickly if she wanted to play in the upcoming matches. For the rest of the weekend she was such a great leader and dazzled on the pitch. She was the defensive stopper that no one could get past (we only allowed 2 goals in 6 matches). She was encouraging her teammates and helping every chance she could get.

2) Winny was our goalkeeper. She has some good natural ability, but she is a 6 foot tall 13 year old still trying to figure out how to use those long arms and legs (I know many of you are wondering why I am not teaching her basketball). She lacks confidence and experience, but she gained both this weekend playing in five of the six matches and only allowing one goal. My favorite part was the semifinal game on Sunday morning with a goalkeeper box filled with mud from the rains overnight. She doesn't really like getting dirty, but she was diving around in the mud all game to protect the goal. We eventually lost the game on penalty kicks, but I was so proud of her.

3) Our Junior captain was Alicent. She just turned 13 last week and is such an impressive young girl. She had lost both of her parents by the age of 6, but is fighting to make something of her life. On the field she is like a coach during training, constantly talking to the other players, encouraging them and running drills if I am not there. She is tiny, but has the heart of a lion. During our third place game I began breaking out in tears watching her fight to the end. She had been sick the night before and hadn't eaten anything that night or the next morning, but she was still willing to go out on the field and give everything she had for back-to-back games. She could barely walk, but that didn't stop her. Working with teenage girls, sometimes one will show up at the field and unexpectantly start crying because they are sick or scared or because of some other problem going on in their life. I couldn't help but appreciate the effort that she was making on the field that day. The great part is that she makes that same effort in school and in everything that she does.

Juniors Finish Third

In the Junior category (under 14 years old), we were the defending champions. We had three players returning from last years team and some new younger girls we added on. These games are played with only 7 players on each side and on a small field with small goals. It is actually a dirt field used for field hockey.

It took a few games for them to get going, but once they did, they were very impressive. The referees and spectators quickly began admiring them and the way they play. All the other teams were just kicking the ball down the field and chasing after it. The Laker girls were passing it back and forth all over the field and playing "their game." They managed to reach the semifinals where they played the host team, Galactico. That was the same team they had defeated in the championship game last year. It had rained hard the night before which left the dirt field pretty muddy. Both teams battled so hard and our girls grew stronger as the game went along, but despite getting many chances, they just couldn't find the back of the net of the small goal. The game ended in a draw and went to penalty kicks where we lost on the final kick.

The girls were devastated about not going to play in the finals on the main football pitch with a big crowd, but they quickly got excited when they learned they would have one more game to play to compete for third place. They took control of that game from the first seconds and thoroughly dominated the opposition in winning 3 to 0. They were overjoyed to take home another trophy, medals and sh. 200 each ($2.50).

It is so much fun to see the youthful enthusiasm and joy from 12, 13 and 14 year old girls. These ones are a special group of girls. Three of them, despite their young age, are a major part of our senior team because of their talent, work ethic and leadership. The Suba Lakers have a bright future.

Galactico/KYFA Tournament

The Suba Lakers Girls Football Club travelled to Kisumu this weekend to compete in a 3 day tournament. We took an Under 14 year old team to compete in the Junior Tournament and an over 14 year old team to compete in the Open Tournament.

This is the third straight year we have competed in the Open tournament against some of the top teams from around the country. Our senior team is comprised of school going children from the ages of 15-18 and we compete against teams full of seasoned veterans mostly around the ages of 18-25. Each year we have seen a remarkable improvement in our level of play as a team. This year we played so well in our four preliminary games, winning one and losing three (all by the score of 1-0). It was a good showing considering that we ended up losing close matches to the three teams that finished the tournament in the top three positions. We held the hosts and eventual champions, Galactico, scoreless for the entire match until they scored in the final minute. We have made big strides with our girls and I am convinced that if we continue to train and play together that much success is ahead for the club.

I was proud of the girls "fighting" spirit, good attitude and overall character they displayed on and off the field during the tournament

Final Pictures from Nairobi