Homa Bay Cultural Festival

In the final Ladies match in the Homa Bay County Cultural Festival, Victoria FC from Kendu Bay and the Suba Lakers from Mbita entertained the fans at Homa Bay Stadium with a very exciting match. The two rivals locked horns knowing that a win would earn them a 1st place finish because they were playing in a league format. In case of a draw, Victoria would emerge as the champions due to their superior goal differential they earned when they thrashed Sophia Queens 4-0 in the opening match. The Suba Lakers had to struggle to a 1-0 win over the same Sophia Queens when Leah Ongojo made a superb individual performance taking the ball from the center line and beating the defenders before she smashed it against the goal post, but with a never say die attitude she circled back to collect the ball again and place it past the goalkeeper and inside the far post for the win.


Against Victoria, the Suba Lakers started slow and were dominated in the first half though it remained scoreless. The momentum changed in the second half with the Lakers taking control, but Victoria was the first to score on a rebound shot with 8 minutes remaining. Undeterred, the Lakers responded within a minute to even the score at 1-1 on a beautiful header by Judith Oketch. Both teams battled to put one more across the line in the closing minutes, but it remained 1-1.

For their efforts, Victoria was crowned the champs with a trophy and given sh. 15,000 with a promise that sh. 35,000 would be paid later. The Suba Lakers were given sh. 10,000 with a promise that sh. 20,000 would be paid at a later time

In the Ladies semifinals for the Suba Council of Elders Tournament in Sindo, Mfangano defeated Kaksingre 1-0 on a goal that came off of a corner kick from Leah Ongojo. In the other semifinal Gembe defeated Gwassi 5-0. After missing numerous 1st half opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net, Gembe capitalized in the 2nd half with 5 goals. One each from Syprose Akoth, Alicent Awuor and Irine Achieng and 2 goals from Sharon Bismark.




In the finals, Gembe scored a classic goal late in the second half after a corner kick bounced around in the box and Alicent Awuor pounced on it and sent a laser past the flat-footed goalkeeper. It was the just reward for their domination of the ball possession throughout the game. The winners received The Senior Chief Damianus Ajwang Memorial Trophy donated by Roseline A. Onyuka. Unfortunately the set of uniforms that was supposed to go to the winners was given to the boys runners up instead. Some of the invited guests contributed some cash awards for the young ladies.

Immigration Issues

I have been in Kenya now for 8 years.  Up until this year I have never had a problem with my work permit.  Maranatha Church allows me to be in Kenya under their covering so that I can continue's God's work here in Mbita.  They always take care of those logistics.  In fact, I have never even worried about it bfore.  I am on a missionary work permit which lasts for a couple of years and is cheaper than other ones.  In February of this year my last one was expiring so we applied for a renewal. 

The approval process is supposed to take about a month, but when we checked back a few months later, they couldn't find the file.  The people from Maranatha kept following up, but nothing was happening.  I had to get a 3 months visitors visa while I was waiting, and then had to renew the visitors one for another three months as we waited.  When the visitor's visa expired in December, they still hadn't found the file.  Last week I received a call that I was needed urgently in Nairobi, so I took the night bus on Saturday night after we had finisehd our tournament in Mbita. 

I asked a lot of people to pray for favour with the immigration department and I spent a lot of time in prayer.  In my mind, I thought that since God has called me here, wants me to be here and I had committed the issue to Him in prayer that I would go down to Immigration offices in the 20 story tall Nyayo house, talk to a few people who would quickly find the file, approve it and I would be on a bus headed back to Mbita by the afternoon at the latest. 

As usual in Kenya, it didn't go that way.  All of the government employees I found weren't very ready to help.  Actually they didn't seem to care at all.  One of them simply asked me when I was leaving the country.  They sent me from one office to another, up to the 5th floor, then to the 2nd floor, then the 20th floor, then back down to the ground level, back up to 5th floor and on and on.  No one could find my file and they wouldn't give me a temporary visa.  They said that I couldn't even re apply for a new one.  The only solution was for them to find my missing file.  I offered to start looking through the thousands and thousands of files myself, but they didn't seem to like that idea.  After a few unsuccessful hours going from office to office, I finally found a nice lady named Alice who actually seemed to sympathize with me, though she didn't have any success either.

After beating my head against the wall (and climbing up and down the stairs at least a dozen times), I decided to call the minister for immigration who happens to be the Member of Parliament from Mbita.  Since he knows me well, I thought maybe he could help.  His personal assistant came down immediately and tried to offer assistance with no avail. 

I was told to come back in an hour so I ran out to the bus stage to see if I could get a bus back to Mbita anytime before Christmas.  The bus drivers in the country were threatening to go on strike during the peak season.  Everyone was trying to leave Nairobi to go to their upcountry homes for Christmas, but there were no buses.  The bus stage was packed with people who had been waiting for over 24 hours to get a bus out of town.  They didn't have any seats available for that day or the next day until 8:00 pm the next night, and on top of that, they didn't know if they buses would even be moving because of the strike.  So I booked that ticket for the following night, hoping that the buses would start moving soon.

As I headed back to the Nyayo house, I started questioning God.  I was asking him why he wasn't answering my prayers and wandering how long this process would take, and if I would have to leave the country, and even if things did work out, would I be able to get back to Mbita before Christmas? 

Once I returned, nothing changed much; except I was doing less walking from office to office and up and down stairs, and now it was a lot more waiting.  At least Alice and these personal assistants of the minister were concerned and trying to help.  After nine hours of no progress, I was told to go home and they would continue to look for the file.  I was a little concerned that if I left town, everything would stall again. 

At this point I had spent the entire day, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, trying to sort out this issue.  I was tired and frustrated.  I had booked a room at a guesthouse for the night, but before going there I decided to check the bus stage again.  All of the same people were there waiting and a few more had joined them.  I found a few friends from Mbita who had spent over 30 hours waiting for a bus to come.  As I started to leave, one of the buses pulled in.  People quickly boarded and I asked one of the employees if they had any extra seat.  Within ten minutes I was on the bus headed back to Mbita at 6:00 pm. Somebody had booked a ticket but had given up hope and left just before the bus had arrived and that is what opened up the space for me to travel.     

Even though I hadn't succeeded with immigration at least I was able to get a bus and return to Mbita which seemed very unlikely a few minutes earlier. 

We reached Homa Bay by 1:00 am and I slept on the bus for a few hours before getting another vehicle to take me down the dirt road to Mbita.  I reached Mbita by 6:30 am, showered, changed and by 7:30 I was leaving the house to go pick up our football girls to play in a tournament in Sindo.  By 10:00 am I received a call from Alice, the one nice lady I met in the whole 20 story building in Nairobi.  She had gone down to the registry and personally found the file herself.  It has been misfiled among the tens of thousands of files (a needle in the haystack).  She promised to put it in front of the committee by the beginning of the new year and see if it can get approved quickly.  I will still need to go to the border and get a new visitors visa while they finish the process, but praise God the file was found. 

Later that evening I was reflecting on all that had happened.  Sometimes when we pray we think that God should answer our prayer the way that we want it done.  We think it should be done a certain way and when it isn't we start to blame God or question him.  Yet He is all-knowing.  He sees things and understands things in ways that we can't even comprehend.  He knew exactly where the file was and how He was going to answer my prayer.  But I think he was trying to teach me a few things through the process such as patience and how to trust in him.  I was putting a lot of faith in other humans such as the Minister of Immigration and his assistants. 

God was ready and able all along.  He answered my prayer (and many others) in His perfect timing and in His perfect way for His glory and honor!  Much better than my way!

Council of Elders

The Suba Council of Elders is sponsoring a tournament at Sindo for the Greater Suba/Mbita. Teams are competing in Men's and Women's Football, Volleyball and Netball from Mfangano, Rusinga, Gembe, Kaksingri and Gwassi.


Instead of taking the Suba Lakers as a team, we allowed our girls to play for their home regions. Six of them are playing for Mfangano Island, two others are playing for Kaksingri and our Gembe team is made of entirely of Suba Lakers from around Mbita (some in primary and some in secondary)

In Girls football, the Gembe region (our team) defeated Mfangano 3-2. Gembe started strong in the first half on two goals from Irine Achieng. The first one was on a penalty kick and the second one on a good shot from just inside the box. At the beginning of the second half, it looked like Gembe would cruise to an easy victory when Sharon Bismark scored to put them up by three goals, but Mfangano would not give up that easy as Leah Ongojo (another Suba Laker) fought hard to pick up two goals to bring them within one. Though it was too little, too late and the game ended 3-2. Mfangano came back in their 2nd game defeating Gwassi by a score of 1-0 on a goal by Dorothy Adhiambo (Suba Laker).

In the final game of the day, Gembe scored an early goal from the smallest player on the field, Teresa Atieno (6th grader), in the 7th minute after a nice pass from Primerose Achieng. Gembe created numerous chances, but couldn't add to their lead and the game finished with Gembe defeating Gwassi 1-0. Primerose hasn't played much football over the past couple of years because she is on a basketball scholarship at one of the top secondary schools in Kenya. So most of her time is spent in basketball. She is only home for about a week, but was ready to come and play football with us. It is great to have her back with the team.

In the semifinals on Thursday, Gembe will face Gwassi while Mfangano will take on Kaksingre.

Holiday Classic

The Suba Lakers Hosted their first ever regional girls football tournament.  We had strong teams from all over the western part of Kenya including Kendu Bay, Kisumu and Rongo.  The people of Mbita finally were able to see how fun and entertaining it can be to watch ladies football.  In fact there were several players that had just flown back into Kenya from Lesotho where they had been playing for the Kenya National Team.  The true football fans around here were given a big treat. 

Rongo ended up winning the tournament, defeating Victoria 1-0 in the finals.  In the third place match the Suba Lakers were defeated by Kisumu Leeds United.  The Lakers played so well in the semifinals before losing a close one 2-1 to the chamions.  The third place match was also a narrow 1-0 defeat.  Our Junior tea, comprised of all primary school girls, also competed in the tournament against the old women.  They did a great job and gained a lot of valuable experience and confidence.  They drew two matches and lost the other one 2-1.  They almost qualified for the semifinals. 

I was happy because the tournament was very well run.  All of the matches started on time, the refereeing was very good and there was no problem with the schedule, fixtures, brackets, prizes, meals, etc.  It is very rare to get a tournament in Kenya without having big arguments and lots of drama, but God enabled us to do it.  All of the teams were very complementary towards the organization and running of the tournament. 

The best part of the tournament is that it was more than just football.  Before the first match we had Lillian Ombori share with the girls for a time about relationships and peer pressure, giving some great demonstrations about how a small drop can pollute a glass of water.  She really had the girls attention.

In the evening on Thursday, we showed all of the teams a video with different international athletes giving their testimonies and then had Pastor Amos share a short message with them, encouraging them to seek God first in their lives and to follow his ways. 

It was a lot of work and ended up costing much more than we had budgeted for, but we were thankful for the sucess of the 2 day tournament.  For more detailed information, you can check out http://www.subalakers.com/

Wasichana Tunaweza

The Suba Lakers returned from Kitale on December 13th. It was a great experience spending 4 days in a new place, meeting new people, hearing new ideas and playing against strong competition. The players liked the place very much, except for the cold weather. For young girls that have grown up at sea level on the equator where the temperature is consistent year round, the high elevation "cold" weather was a bit of a shock to their system. It was hot during the day, but cooled down to around 50 degrees F at night.


The first two mornings the players participated in group sessions with the girls from other teams where they discussed how to keep their dreams alive. They shared challenges they face and how to overcome them so they can build a better future. During the discussion times and even during the nights, the girls formed strong bonds with the other teams from various parts of the country that were there.  One of our girls who has had a very difficult life with many challenges, told me that when she heard the stories of some of the other girls and what they had overcome, she was greatly encouraged to keep persevering! 
On the field the team couldn't take advantage of their leads to finish off the games. In the first match we opened with a goal from Dorothy Adhiambo in the first ten minutes and controlled possession against SEP from Oyugis. Unfortunately we had a let down in the 2nd half and allowed them to equalize, finishing in a 1-1 draw. On the 2nd day we played the hosts TYSA, a very strong team. Again we jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal from Irine Achieng. Within a minute TYSA scored to keep the game even. The 2nd half was back and forth until TYSA scored a second goal to win 2-1. In the last group game we domintated against KYFA, winning 2-0 on goals from Dorothy Adhiambo and Irine Achieng. Unfortunately we finished 1 point behind the other two teams and missed out on playing in the finals.


We were thankful for the opportunity to travel to Kitale and make new friends while being exposed to a new area of the country.

Special Clinic

This week we hosted internationally renowned coach Bob Oyugi in Mbita. Bob has been one of the main men in Kenyan football for the last 25 years. He has spent time coaching some of the biggest clubs and national teams and has travelled to every continent of the world attending coaches trainings and conducting clinics and camps. He has been certified as an trainer of coaches in several countries and is also a representative of the National teams, National Youth Talent Academy and UNICEF. Even though he has been to every continent and the U.S. over 20 times, he has never been to Mbita before this week.


Bob worked with 60 of our players during his three days in Mbita and at the same time conducted a coaches training for over 25 local coaches from all over the sub-branch. He was also assessing our players to see if some of them could be invited to the Under 17 trials in Nairobi next month. It didn't take him long to see that we have some of the best young girls in the country. He left Mbita very impressed at what he saw.

It was a very successful week as the club was able to help the players and all of these local coaches with this opportunity. We hope that as an ambassador of Kenyan football, Bob will be going back to Nairobi with a good report of what we are doing in Mbita so that other partners may be able to join us in developing girls youth football in the country.

What I am Thankful For

Kenyans don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but luckily I am in Nairobi now at a guesthouse for missionaries. We will have a traditional turkey dinner over lunch time.  Believe me, I will eat my fair share of food.  Later today I will be connecting with Steve and Judi before they fly out to the U.S. and some other friends later tonight. I will have to wait until Friday afternoon to watch a replay of the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day Game.

I started out writing the top ten things I am thankful for, but there is so much to be thankful that I kept on going to 15 and still left out many.  So here are some random things that I am thankful for (in no particular order)...

1. having the best parents in the world
2. good health free from malaria, worms, amoebas and any other bug
3. a great, reliable vehicle that can carry almost an entire football team and also has a cooler box (even thogh I don't even have a fridge at home)
4. wonderful brothers, sisters-in-law and 4 great nieces and nephews that I miss a ton
5. lake flies (God tells us to give thanks in all circumstances, and that includes nasty, annoying swarms of lake flies)
6. sports- what would life be like without competition?
7. a safe home with solar power, a nice napping couch and a cozy bed
8. a purpose and mission in life with a clear calling from God
9. friends- Kenyan friends who are so warm, friendly and hospitable, and U.S. friends who continue to support and encourage me and are always there for me
10. friends and family who set such a great example for me as they help to advance God's Kingdom in the U.S. and throughout the world
11.  working for a ministry like CGA that takes the downtrodden and disadvantaged children and gives them a hope for this life and for eternity
12. consistent rains throughout East Africa that give some relief to this region that has been suffering from drought and famine which has caused skyrocketing food prices
13. God's faithful provision which gives me the opportunity to serve Him in Mbita
14. to see students and players growing and maturing academically, socially, physically and spiritually
15. A God who loves us so much that He would send his own son to suffer and die on the cross to free us from the bondage of sin and death and give us a new life!  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

From Teacher to Nurse

A former CGA volunteer teacher graduated from Tenwek School of Nursing this weekend. Mourine Ooro had worked at CGA as a volunteer from 2006-2007 after she had finished secondary school. There was a time she considered going to teacher training college so she could be a trained teacher, but felt God leading her to study nursing. She joined Tenwek in 2008 and has worked diligently to achieve her dream. In August, she passed her National Nursing Exam and has been employed at Tenwek Hospital.

I stacked Mourine’s family (parents plus 4 siblings), along with six other friends into my landcruiser and we travelled together to Bomet on Friday to share with her on her Graduation Day. They had a special banquet on Friday night for the graduates and their families. The graduation ceremony was highlighted by a great a wonderful message from Pastor Meshack Habib about overcoming obstacles. All of Mourine’s friends and family enjoyed a nice meal down by the dam and shared a few moments together before departing.

Mourine has personally been a very good friend of mine since she first started working at CGA back in 2006.  I am proud of Mourine’s achievement and wish her the best as she takes the love of God with her in ministering to her patients.

National Trials

One of our Suba Laker Girls received an invitation to attend the Under 19 National Ladies Team Trials in Nairobi this weekend. Caren Akeyo travelled eight hours to reach Kenya's capital city for the first time in her life. Seventy players from across the country were invited for the tryouts. The twenty five players selected will represent the country during a tournament in Lesotho which is near South Africa. The players camped at a very nice hotel called Sabina Country Inn which is where the National Youth Talent Academy is currently calling home. They conducted the tryouts at Nyayo National Stadium.

After the first day Coach Florence Adhiambo made cuts and sent twenty players back home. Caren survived the first cut but wasn't so fortunate on Sunday. She didn't make the final cut, but the coaches were impressed with her ability and asked her to come back in two weeks for the under 17 tryouts they will be having as they prepare a team to compete in The Netherlands in December. Caren is only 16, but shined while competing against some of the best players in the country.

Looking Ahead to Secondary

Our ten Standard 8 students finished their National Exams on Thursday and are now anxiously awaiting their results which will be released at the end of December. We are hoping and praying that they will do well and have the opportunity to continue their education in secondary school if they pass and God provides the funds for them.

Four of those students were invited to a secondary school for a tryout this weekend. Our club chairman, Paul Onundo, and our team manager Eunice Oluwanda, and myself (Joe Peterson) were able to drive Raisha, Alicent, Lydia and Leah to Siaya County to visit Jera Mixed Secondary School. Jera is a powerhouse in girls football winning the Nyanza Provencial Championship 11 times in the 14 years since the province began competing in girls football. This past year they won the province again and made it to the National Semifinals with mostly 1st year students before getting defeated by the eventual national champions. One of their first year students from Jera was one of two girls in the country selected to go for a special training with Manchester United.

The school was a little bit far from Mbita. After crossing the ferry, it took us two more hours driving before we reached. Upon entering the school gate we were greeted by their players who were ready to give us a tour of the school. It is a medium sized school with around 500 students. Each grade has three classes of around 50 each which is a good size for a Kenyan school (most have more than that in each class). The staff and students were very friendly and helpful to all of us. It seemed like a big family with the way they interacted.

After the tour, the girls filled out an information sheet and then they were given a uniform to change into. It was the same uniform that Jera was given when they qualified for Nationals. The Jera players took the girls through warm-up drills before they started playing.

Playing in front of all the students and staff of the school, our girls didn't show any nervousness and competed hard, mixed in with the regular Jera players and other girls trying out. Alicent scored a goal within the first ten minutes and the others also displayed their talents, while playing very good team ball. They played three halves which gave the coaches enough time to evaluate the players, but tired the players out; especially since the ones trying out have not been training very much over the past few months while they were preparing for their national exams. Alicent closed the games with the final goal. After practicing their penalty kicks, they did some stretching and talked in a group for a while. The program closed with a great meal and speeches by various teachers from the school and the special guests.

Overall, we were very impressed with the friendliness of the staff and students. We liked how organized they were. The school's academic performanceis above average, but they really try to focus on holistic education by helping their students develop their talents and abilities in many areas. It is obvious their coach really knows football and how to train a football team. He is an honest man who interacts very positively with the girls.

Once the results come out in late December they will offer some of these players an opportunity to come to their school for a reduced school fee. We were grateful to Jera for giving our girls the opportunity to come and tryout.

Wonderful Gifts

Today was our last training for the 2011 school year with our Juniors. We have been having between 25-30 come from all over the area for one Saturday every month during this year. Most of these ones are in 4th - 6th grade. Some are really small, but have the heart, energy and attitude to play football. There aren't many tournaments organized in Kenya, especially for the young girls (except the ones we organize ourselves). These ones come to the field running so early just eager to take a ball and start kicking it. We have tried to teach them basic skills (dribbling, passing, shooting, juggling, heading, chesting, trapping, etc.) and get them organized to play a position in the field.

Through some generous donations and the organization of Joyce Maier, we were able to give each player a brand new pair of Nike slippers. I don't think I have ever seen them so excited before. Some of them may have never received a gift that was brand new. Young ones here mostly just get hand me d0wns or used items from the market. One of the little ones exclaimed, "This is the best gift I have ever got!" We also gave out sports bras to the few that needed them. And each of the players also received a set of exams papers to help them as they revise and prepare for their end-year exams so that they can pass and move to the next class.

It was a good ending to a good year of training. The main primary school will also get the slippers, sports bras and exams when they come for their next training. Our 13 secondary students will receive when their boarding schools close at the end of November!

Fixing Feet

After many prayers and much advice Violet Achieng has started the process of corrective foot surgery. Her feet have steadily gotten worse the last few years and were now causing her much pain when walking. Her mother had the same problem when she was young and has lived most of her life in a wheelchair because she is not able to walk

Lillian Ombori, the CGA Student Care Overseeer, took Violet a few months ago to a Cure International outreach clinic. The doctors that assessed Violet gave her hope that her feet could be corrected with surgery.

I was able to drive her to the Cure International Children's Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya along with her grandmother last Saturday.

Violet's right foot was operated on Tuesday, October 11th and all went very well. She is resting and will be in the hospital for the remainder of the week. Violet selected her right foot due to the pain that it was causing her. After 6 to 8 months she will be free to have the left foot corrected.

Continue to pray that recovery will go well and that no infection will enter her body. Also pray that her family will take good care of Violet

Chapel

I got a call late on Sunday night from one of our teachers who asked me if I could lead chapel on Monday morning. Excited about getting the chance, I didn't have much time to prepare, but its a good thing the Holy Spirit is always ready.

The text was from 2 Peter 1:3-11 which talks about making our calling and election sure. In simple terms it tells us that God has given us everything we need for this life to do good.

I started by addressing the 270 students and 30 staff members with some questions about what we need to be a good student, teacher, police officer and other vocations. We talked about all that CGA has given to these students so that they can do their best (uniforms, books, school supplies, good teachers, nice classrooms with desks, medical help, 2 meals a day and even food during the holiday). Then we compared that to how God has given us everything we need to do good and to escape the corruption of this world that are caused by our evil desires.

Then I had some of my students act out skits we had rehearsed early that morning. We thought of six different scenarios where people face temptations that are common in this area (and the rest of the world). In each case, the student made the choice not to give in to the temptation instead do the right thing. One was tempted to steal a pen, but did not. Another was tempted to lie to his mother about his grade in school. Still another was made fun of, yet he did not retaliate. A girl was propositioned by a boy, but declined his advances. One was pushed down and he chose not to fight back. And the final scenario was a teacher who was tempted to beat the student (which happens a lot in this culture), but he decided to handle it in a better matter.

After the drama pieces we talked about how nothing or no one (note even Satan) can force you to sin. It is always our choice. In fact, life is made up of our choices. Then we shared some of the qualities that we should posess in increasing measure from 2 Peter 1, starting with faith and building on that foundation. We had different students holding up signs with those words on them (goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love).

I hadn't planned on this next part, but I think it was the Holy Spirit that brought it to my mind at that point. I shared the story of my friend Will Coker that was kidnapped, held hostage and eventually beheaded in Afghanistan. He possessed those qualities and in increasing measure. I think it shocked some of the students who had not heard the story yet, but it definitely made them think deeply and contemplate how committed they were to God. Most of them may never face the kind of religous persecution that Will did, but it might come in other forms.

I love the opportunities I get to share with our students and when God uses me to deepen their faith and draw them closer to him!

International Star

Former CGA student Primerose Achieng just returned from the East African Games in Kampala, Uganda. Primerose was representing Kenya as she played for Shimba Hills High School in the secondary school event. This is the third straight year her team has competed at the African regional event where the top teams from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan battle it out to see who is the best in East Africa. The competition includes boys and girls basketball, boys and girls football, rugby, field hockey, track and field, volleyball and other racket games.

This year Shimba Hills finished fourth in the region, losing in the semifinals to the eventual champions, Tigoi Girls Secondary School (Kenya), in a closely contested match. Unfortunately, they also fell in the third place match-up by a single point. Primerose uses her good speed, along with her dribbling and passing skills to man the point guard position. She has also been selected to play on the Kenya National Team later this year.

Article on Will

The story of Will has been reported differently by AP and CBS News, and the details are yet to be confirmed. Here is one of the articles in the Charleston Post and Courrier.


http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/sep/08/slain-man-saw-mission-work-in-future/

Martyr

A long-time friend and faithful supporter of mine passed away recently. I first met Will Coker when we both came to serve in Kenya at CGA with a missions team in 2003. We became close friends and even shared the same tent. When our team returned home to Charleston, Will was instrumental in helping me decide to leave my college basketball coaching career and serve in Kenya full-time. After I quit my job and was beginnging to fundraise, he invited me to move in with him for several months to help me save money. He even hosted a garage sale at his house.

In the time that I lived with him I saw his strong, genuine faith in Christ. He spent many nights studying the Bible carefully, praying and worshipping God. Almost every day when we would meet, he would share with me something new God was teaching him. His faith deeply impacted my life and he became a mentor to me in so many ways. With Will there were very few "shallow" conversations; most of them get very deep very quickly. He was bold about his faith and shared it with just about everyone he came into contact with whether it was in America or another country.

After building many strong relationships with the children and staff at CGA, he returned to Kenya several times to invest more in those relationships. He had also done mission trips to other places such as Burundi.

Recently, Will was living and working in Afghanistan as an engineer. We had been emailing each other right up to the day before he was taken captive. That day he had told me that he would be travelling to Charleston on September 15 for a short break and then returning to Afghanistan to work until next June. True to his character, he was leading Bible studies in his workplace and also evangelizing outside of the workplace.

More details of his death are still coming out, but apparently he was kidnapped from work around September 2nd and held hostage for several days. Sometime later his body was found in a cave. He had been strangled with a belt and also beheaded.

We can’t be sure of the reasons why, but most likely it was because of his outspoken faith in God. He was a mighty man who was never shy talking about his faith, and surely he must have stood strong up until the time his life was taken.

Will had just turned 59 last week. He will be missed dearly by his three grown children, grandchildren, newly married wife and all of his friends throughout the world. His life impacted many others while he was alive and also now through his death. The CGA family will miss him, but we know that he is before the throne of God now and we will meet again someday.

I am thankful for the contribution he has made to my life in helping me come to serve in Kenya and drawing closer to my Lord and Saviour. I hope that when my time here is finished I will have impacted the world for God's Kingdom as much as he has in the 59 years God granted him.

University, Here We Come!

CGA’s pioneers are once again blazing a trail for the ones following behind them. They began at CGA in Nursery back in 1997, finished primary school in 2006 and then went off to various secondary schools and completed that step in November 2010. With their impressive results on their National Exams several of them received opportunities to be selected to join University, sponsored by the government.

Bill Clinton Owuor earned an A- and will be joining Kenyatta University to study Commerce.

Brenda Ollimo earned a B and will also be joining Kenyatta University to work towards a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education

Cathorine Agiro and Edwina Ollimo also qualified, but we are still awaiting word on which University they were selected for and which program.

Carolyne Aoko Orony will be starting Teacher’s College next week. Her program will be for two years and when she finishes she will be a qualified primary school teacher.

We are proud of their success and how God has used CGA to help them reach these heights.

Developing Leaders

All of the CGA secondary students returned to CGA during their August break between Term 2 and Term 3 in their various secondary schools throughout the country. We had two successful weeks of extra teaching in Math, Physics and Chemistry. Then their reunion was 29th August – 1st September.

Just like in April, a group of ten University Students from Compassion International’s Leadership Development Program travelled to Mbita to work with our kids. This time they were also joined by 13 secondary students from the Bondo/Rarieda area across the lake.
It was a lively and spirited four days, as the leaders taught on spiritual gifts, the local church, leadership in Africa, self-esteem, sexual purity, drugs and alcohol, personal devotions, relationships with the opposite sex, entrepreneurship, Biblical perspectives on poverty, career planning and academics. There were also powerful times of worship and prayer as well as time set aside for fun and games.

It is so encouraging to see these young men and women wholeheartedly serving the Lord by mentoring these secondary students with such passion and vigor. They take time to hear their problems, advise them and pray for them. Our kids are blessed to learn from these individuals. They are receiving everything they need to succeed in life academically, socially, physically and spiritually.

One of our students commented to me, “I wish I could get to where those people are.” I encouraged him by telling him that it is within his reach. If he puts God first in his life, stays disciplined and works very hard, he also has the chance to qualify for University.

It is blessing to have mentors like these for our secondary kids. They also come from a challenging past, most are orphans that have worked hard to reach where they are now and have a strong testimony of what God has done in their life. I think it provides much hope for our kids that they can also make something of their lives by putting their faith in God.

Over 100 secondary students benefitted from the program this week.

Admirable Alicent

Though the Suba Laker Juniors finished third place in the KYFA 2011 Under 15 Tournament, Alicent Awuor was still awarded as the best player. She scored several goals in the 7 games and was outstanding all over the field, helping the Lakers win their pool and finish in third place. She was awarded with a nice duffel bag, a trophy, t-shirt, certificate and other gifts. She was smiling ear to ear as she received her reward. We are proud of her!

So Good

The Juniors also competed in the KYFA tournament in the Under 15 age category. Though several of the teams had older players, our young girls really competed well. In the group stages they won three matches and drew one to win their pool. They went on to win the quarterfinals in dramatic fashion. They celebrated like they had just won the world title.

Due to an unfortunate error, we had to face the #1 team from the other pool in the semifinals instead of the finals. So the two best teams played the match of the tournament in the semis. We went ahead five minutes into the match with some great passing and a classic finish by our smallest player, Teresa Atieno. A few minutes later Port Victoria equalized on our defensive error. We played great football, passing it around and controlling possession, but we missed many chances. In the end it came down to penalty kicks where we were defeated 3-2.

In the third place match, substitute Winnie Akinyi scored a goal in the 2nd half to bring home the trophy. The juniors were rewarded with a nice trophy, medals for each player, and about $7 cash that each player took home.
They played great football and showed how strong they are.

Winners of Losers

This past weekend, the Suba Lakers brought two teams to Kisumu to compete in the KYFA tournament. Our Senior team played in the open age category against some of the best teams in the region. One special part of the weekend is one of the club’s good friends, Kelsey Moore, also played with the team. Kelsey had lived in Kisumu for a couple of years and was visiting again this summer. She has come to Mbita several times to help coach our girls. The players were really excited when they found out she was going to play on their team. It always helps to have another mature player that knows how to pass and move the ball around. Our younger players learn a lot from that.

In the first match, we took charge early and won 3-0 against Kasagam. Kelsey scored two goals and Dorothy Adhiambo one. We thought we had another match that day, but had to wait for the next morning. On Saturday, we started off poorly by losing to eventual champion Victoria 3-0. In the next two matches we drew 0-0 with TYSA from Kitale and 1-1 with Smart Ladies from Kisumu when we scored a late equalizer from Pauline Otieno. So we ended up finishing 3rd in our pool of 5 teams and qualified for quarterfinals.

We were matched up against the 2nd best team from the other pool, Ibinzo. They scored in the first half on a clear off-sides infraction that wasn’t called. In the 2nd half we battled hard and even had a chance to equalize, but missed a penalty shot. The girls were exhausted after playing four matches in one day. Fortunately for us, the losers of the quarterfinals had their own consolation playoff. So on Sunday, we played Kisumu Leeds and scored two goals in the 2nd half to come back from behind and win 2-1. The goal scorers were Dorothy Adhiambo and Pauline Otieno. In the consolation Final, we managed to score a lone goal by Irine Achieng to defeat them 1-0. Seven matches in three days concluded with three wins, two losses, two draws and 18 exhausted young girls.

For winning the consolation bracket they received t-shirts and a ball.

It was a great opportunity to compete against good competition. We learned a lot about our team’s strengths and weaknesses and know what to improve in the future.

Talented Little Ones

The Suba Lakers 2nd Annual Junior Girls Tournament was a rousing success. 16 primary school teams arrived early on Friday morning, 29th July ready for the 7 v. 7 competition for girls aged 14 and below. Each team played three preliminary games before moving to the knockout stages. Wasaria Primary, Christ's Gift Academy, Mbita Primary and Usare Primary won their respective quarterfinal matches. In the semifinals Usare Primary eliminated Wasaria from title contention with their victory and Christ's Gift Academy dispatched Mbita Primary. In the third place playoff Mbita Primary emerged victorious over Wasaria 1-0 on a goal by the tournament's top scorer (and one of the smallest players), Laurine Achieng. In the Championship game Usare and Christ's Gift Academy battled toe to toe, taking their shots at winning in regulation. The match ended scoreless and went to penalties where Usare won 3-1.

The 200 participants were also taught how to take control of their own lives and make decisions that will help to build a better future. Lucy Ondari from CRADLE shared with them at the beginning of the day and Joe Peterson shared the Gospel with them during a break in the action. The District Quality Assurance Officer also took time to watch them play and share some important pieces of advice.

The day ended with an awards ceremony, honoring the outstanding teams and outstanding individual performers from the day. Each team received a ball and a certificate. The 2nd and 3rd place teams both received cash awards given directly to the participants. The 1st place team also received a cash prize, along with a jersey and pair of shorts for each player. The outstanding performers were also recognized and given jerseys and shorts. The list of awards consisted of:

Best Goalkeeper- Jennifer Awino from Mbita Primary and Lillian Awuor from Usare Primary
Best Defender- Brenda Sharon from Wasaria Primary
Top Goal Scorer- Laurine Achieng from Mbita Primary
Best Young Player- Brenda June from Usare Primary
Best Player- Dorine Ongata from Gethsemane Gardens
Most Valuable Player- Teresa Atieno from Christ's Gift Academy
Winning Coach- Lucy Ondari from Usare Primary

Some of the teams attracted large cheering sections, especially from boys who came to watch. People were impressed at the level of talent that girls could display on the field, especially from some very young girls. It was a 14 and under tournament, but the top two goal scorers were 12 and 10 years old respectively. Mbita continues to demonstrate that they can boast of some of the top up and coming girls in the country.

2nd Annual Suba Lakers Tournament

The Suba Lakers Girls Football Club is hosting the 2nd Annual Junior Girls Tournament on Friday, 29th July. Sixteen primary school teams comprised of girls aged 14 and below have entered this year’s competition at Mbita High School. Gethsemane Gardens will be coming from Mfangano Island, Wasaria and Temo will be coming from Rusinga Island and the other 14 teams will be from the mainland within Mbita District. Last year’s surprise champion was Milimani Academy, a new up and coming school. Temo finished in 2nd place and Christ’s Gift Academy was 3rd.

The competition will have 7 players aside on smaller fields to maximize opportunities for the players to be active and involved in the games. Each team will get three preliminary games before the knockout stages begin. All of the participants will receive lunch and each team will get a ball and certificate. The winning team will be given sh. 3,000 to share among the players as well as soccer jerseys and shorts for each player. The second and third place teams will also receive cash prizes.

Several guest speakers, including the Mbita District Quality Assurance Officer Mr. Ragot, will be coming to share with the nearly 200 girls participating and the spectators about issues that are affecting the girl child in this area.

Everyone is welcome to come and watch these young girls display their abilities on the football pitch.

The Week That Was

It has been difficult since Sharon disappeared. A lot of time, energy and even money has been spent to try and find her. Our hopes have gotten up several times, but only to come crashing to the ground. The feeling of helplessness overwhelms me.

But as I was complaining to God yesterday that he has not returned Sharon yet, He reminded me of what he has been doing this past week. On Monday when we were looking for Sharon, we found another runaway girl and we were able to trace her home and school and get her back to being a young girl again. Later in the week we picked her up on the way to watch some of our girls play their secondary school district tournament. It was good to see her interacting with some of our girls and be a normal 14 year old.

On Thursday, we went to visit a young girl that gave birth last year. We offered some encouragement, joked around with her a bit and prayed for her. Then we visited the homes of a couple of our new girls in the football club. The first one was a 6th grader, Maurine. She has 7 other siblings in her family and her parents are trying to provide for each of them through any job they can get on a daily basis. She had been sick and out of school for 4 days so we were able to give her a ride to the hospital so that she could get treated. The family was so happy that we made the effort to visit their home.

We also visited Winny, a tiny, energetic girl from another big family. She also has 7 siblings that her father tries to provide for by fishing. Going out into the community to visit homes still deeply impacts me, even after being here for almost 8 years. It reminds me of the challenges these families face with high food costs, low income and many children to provide for. Each family was so happy that their child was joining the football club. Both fathers talked about how much their daughter loves playing, even when they are sick or injured. They were happy to encourage them to develop their God-given talents. They commented that the club gives them a ray of hope in their life.

On Friday, I took a boat to Mfangano Island. As we boarded the boat a young third grade girl came and sat next to me. She was all alone so I tried to take care of her. As she snuggled up to me, she told me about her school and that she was going to visit her father on the island. When we reached, she ran to hug the father who was driving a motorbike. He became my angel that day as he ended up carrying me all over the island to see different people and to look for Sharon. He took me to the school of one of the girls who had played with us during the Primary School ball-games. When Nancy saw me, she ran and gave me a hug. The school's head teacher and deputy were happy for her to be able to join the club but said we needed to get permission from her guardian who lives on the other side of the island. We were also searching for another man who was the father of a young girl who is in a boarding school in Mbita. By God's Divine Providence, it turned out the man we found was both the father of the young girl and the guardian of Nancy.

We had a great conversation and he narrated to me the story of Nancy. She had told me this a few months ago, but the guardian confirmed that Nancy's father died back in 1996 and Nancy's family came down from the top of the island to live on the shores with the father's brother. In 2005, the mother died, leaving Nancy and all of her siblings in the care of the uncle. She sat her national exams in 2008, but failed (probably because of missing a lot of school because of the lack of fees). She was out of school for two years before the guardian decided to let her go back to 7th grade to get a better foundation and try again at the national exams in 2012.

These visits just remind me once again of the way poverty, disease and death are destroying many lives in this district. I returned to Mbita that evening, though we had quite a scare on the way back when the boat almost capsized.

On Saturday, we brought some of our students and some of our football players to Asumbi to watch a few of our secondary students play in their district tournament. Two teams were having several of our club players and CGA students. Unfortunately they had to meet in the semis where Asumbi defeated Magare 2-0. Asumbi went on to win the finals. Three of our girls star for them. It is fun to watch them play and hear people in the crowd (who don't know us or them) comment about how good "that little one" can play or that the goalkeeper is so skilled, etc. Watching our girls shine in their secondary schools (in class and on the field) is always one of the highlights of the year for me.

On Sunday, we had a great church service where they prayed over me individually and the sermon was excellent.

So in spite of the struggles and challenges, God is so good!

Prayer Request

We are still searching for Sharon Akinyi. She ran away from her home on the night of June 14th. The father had come to school to report it the next morning. He said he had been asking her to come to the table to eat dinner, but she kept doing her homework. Because she wasn't obeying him he got annoyed and starting caning her (beating her back with a stick). When he went outside to get another stick, she ran away and didn't come back that night.

After reporting the matter to school he went back home to find Sharon in the house with two of her brothers. Because he felt guilty, he asked her what she needed. Sharon asked for new slippers and so the father gave her the eqivalent of $7. The old man fell asleep on the couch and when he woke up Sharon had left with all of her things. Since that day (June 15th) she hasn't come home.

Sharon is 16 years old and in 8th grade. She is registered to sit her National Exams in November and then begin secondary school in January. She was always responsible and hard-working. She was even selected as one of our school leaders for the 2nd year in a row. She performs well in school, in fact she had really been improving over the last couple of months. She is also a great football player which makes all of this more confusing. Because of her athletic ability she is known all over the area, so if she really is around here, then surely by now, someone would have spotted her. The only person that has seen her since that time was someone in the Mbita market who talked with her when she was going across the causeway to Rusinga Island on June 18th.

In conjunction with the family, we have been searching for her everywhere. I have been to Rusinga Island almost everday, driving around the island, stopping at marketplaces, beaches and schools to show her picture and see if anyone has seen her. We have reported to the police, chiefs, and clan elders. We have followed many leads that offer so much hope, but ultimately culminate in dead ends. We have interrogated several people, and even searched some houses. On Friday I took a boat out to Mfangano and covered almost the entire island searching for her. We have announced over the radio locally, within the province and even nationally. And we have prayed, fasted and prayed some more. We have prayed individually, corporately, and in churches; pleading with God for her safety and protection, and that he would bring her back.

We have done everything possible to try and find this girl, with no fruit at all. My mind wanders so many places just imagining what is happening with her, things that I don't even want to write down or speak outloud. A 16 year old girl is so vulnerable.

SO I am just requesting you to pray for her. Pray by yourself and in your small group and in your church. Pray for her protection and safety. Pray for her to realize what is happening and to realize how much she is cared for by her family and friends. Pray for her to come back today or for us to be able to discover where she is.

Please Pray