The end of May is fast approaching and I am beginning to
look ahead to coming home for a few months later this year. I am planning on taking my first furlough in
the past four years in September, October and November. I haven’t bought my plane tickets yet or begun
to think about my travel schedule while I am home, but I hope to start doing
that in June. There is much work to do
here in the next few months before I go as look at preparing things on this
side and handing over some of my responsibilities while I am away, while still
taking care of current day to day activities.
I am beginning to get excited about reconnecting with family, friends
and supporters; and look forward to the opportunities to report about what God
is doing here in Mbita through CGA, the Suba Lakers and my life. I am hoping to be able to spend some time in
California, Arizona, Montana, South Carolina and possibly in Louisiana, Ohio and
Oregon/Washington. If your church, small
group or other gatherings would like for me to come and share with them, please
let me know so as I put together my calendar I can include it. In addition, if anyone is able to help at all
with any logistics while I am home such as a place to stay, an extra vehicle,
plane tickets, cell phone, or other needs, I would greatly appreciate it. Please help me by praying that my time home
would be a fruitful one for the people I connect with, our ministries here in
Mbita, and for me personally.
Peer Discipleship
Back to Kenya… After returning from coaching girls football
at the Primary School National Tournament on the Coast in early April, the rest
of the month was spent with our returning secondary students during their break
from school. We had a very successful
two weeks of remedial lessons for them and a week of reunion. For the first time the secondary student
reunion was led by former CGA students who have finished secondary school. They planned the week long event, organized
the praise and worship sessions, gave the talks on different topics, led them
in games and activities rich in practical life lessons, and led the Bible
Studies. They did as good a job as our
visiting teams have done in the past. It
was especially rewarding to see these young people digging deep into God’s word
and discipling the younger ones.
Success on and off the Field
Also in April we brought our football club girls together
for a week of training before travelling for the KYFA Nationwide Ladies Football
Tournament. It was much more than just
a football tournament though as they brought in successful young women in the
community to give motivational speeches focused on a theme of “Overcoming the
Challenges.” Their program also
included times for group discussions, peer education sessions and a skit
contest among the teams. Our girls
benefitted much from their intensive program.
On the field, our Open Age team and our Under 15 year old team both
managed to reach the semifinals before losing, but they both rebounded with a
win in the playoff game to earn 3rd place and were rewarded with
medals, trophies and some cash.
On Top of Kenya
After the busy month of April, I took a little
excursion. You might call it a vacation,
but some would probably disagree with that term. My missionary friend from South Sudan met
with me in Nairobi and we went and climbed Mt. Kenya. I have been wanting to do it for the past
nine years and finally it came to pass.
Since it was the middle of rainy season (one of the heaviest I have seen
in Kenya), we probably didn’t pick the ideal time to do it, but it also meant
we had the entire mountain to ourselves for four days (there were only 2 other
visitors in the park while we were there).
It was challenging but also invigorating at the same time. Nothing good in life comes easy. The peak was packed with snow from the base
to the top. It was extremely cold and
difficult to sleep at night (especially for someone who is used to 80 to 90 degree
weather year round), but it was one of the most beautiful sights my eyes have
ever seen. I can honestly say that we
were the highest people in Kenya that day (and maybe in all of Africa), and
that there was no one else in the country getting snowed on. We were thankful that God spared us the rain
until the day we were leaving.
Pressing On
Now we are ready to start the 4th week of Term 2
in school. This time of year is always
challenging for the students because it seems like we started the school year
so long ago and the end still seems far away so we are trying to motivate and
inspire the students to work hard and stay focused. We have dealt with several deaths recently of
our children’s parents/guardians as well as some of our teacher’s spouses, one
student has been out of school the whole term with typhoid, another was hit by
a vehicle on the road and has serious head injuries, another young girl was
rescued from an early marriage. Through
it all we are praying that “God’s Kingdom Would Come to Kenya through the Lives
of These Children.”
For more detailed stories on the secondary students,
football tournaments, climbing Mt. Kenya, etc. check out the blogs listed
below.
Please pray
1) For
our secondary students (and those that have already finished) to put into
practice all that they have learned about putting God first in their lives and
following his ways. Pray that they would
be ambassadors of Christ in their schools.
2) For
God’s covering over the children of Mbita, for their needs to be met
physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Pray for their health and growth.
3) that
my time at home later this year would be a fruitful one for the people I connect
with, our ministries here in Mbita, and for me personally.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment