Back in the States...

Well, after about 40 hours of traveling we have made it home safe and sound! Thank you all for your prayers. This has been an incredible 6 weeks and we are so excited to share more about it with you. There still are more stories to come about our last week in Kenya and about what our vision is now that we are back, but for now we just wanted to let you know that we are home and wanted to say THANK YOU for sharing in this mission with us!

Wings of Mercy takes over Mombasa...

Joy and I piled in a bus with about 50 of the students from Wings of Mercy, and traveled to Mombasa for an end of the term field trip. Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya, and since many of those kids have never left their surrounding areas, heading to the big city for the day was extra exciting! Using your gifts of support, we were able to pay the way for many of the kids. Once again, we were able to see your donations bless the kids in an unforgettable way. For us, it was very bitter sweet. We tried our best to soak up every minute, knowing that it would be our last time being with them.

Our first stop was the international airport. We all filed through security (a first for just about everyone there except the two of us!), weighed one of the boys on the luggage scale, and then were taken outside to get a unique, up-close view of the planes taking off and landing.

Next, we headed to Haller Park where we saw crocodiles, snakes, water bucks, giraffes, a HUGE tortoise (which we were told was 300 years old?), and ended up eating lunch with a bunch of monkeys! Another really great experience for the kids!

We ended our day at a beach in Mombasa called, Pirates. It was so beautiful and the kids LOVED it! They played in the water, took paddle boat rides, walked on the beach, and had a ton of fun. It was such a perfect way to our time here with them!

We can't even express how much we have enjoyed being around those students. They all have such a special place in our hearts and pray that God will continue to work in all of their lives.

Pearly Whites!

Our second hygiene lesson for the students was about brushing their teeth. We showed them how to brush and gave them all a travel toothbrush set (brush, mini toothpaste, and a holder). In one of the classes I asked how many of them had their own toothbrush at home and only about 4 out of 13ish raised their hand! Many of them literally use sticks as their method of brushing their teeth...they'll just pick one up and chew on it/scrape their teeth with it. NOT the most efficient way to brush, but I guess its better than nothing! They were SO excited to get their new sets. When I passed them out, one boy named 'Said' said "Oh, God bless you!"...then a few more chimed in in agreement. We are so glad we're able to share some basic items with them that they otherwise wouldn't have!

On a Spiritual Note...

The students had their end of the term exams last week, so since we did not have classes to teach, we went out into the village with Pastor Fondo to do home visits (basically hut-to-hut witnessing). We when first heard of the plan, we were a little skeptical of the impact we would really be able have. We both questioned if the people we talked to would really make a genuine decision to follow Christ, or if they would only be interested because it was coming from a mzungu (white person). Funny how even after seeing how God works we still question Him!

We ended up talking with 3 different groups of people, and we both had the opportunity to share our testimony with each one. Pastor Fondo translated for us and then invited them to make a decision to accept Christ’s gift of salvation. Thirteen people ended up praying with him! Praise the Lord. Now, the important thing will be to follow up with them and help direct them on where to go next. One of the women we talked with wanted to come to church, but wasn’t able to because of her work; so, without hesitation Pastor Fondo offered to come to her home and meet with her Sunday evenings instead (because what else do pastor’s have to do on Sunday’s, right?...this guy is like a little energizer bunny for Jesus!).

Pray that those we talked with will not just continue on with their lives like normal, but that they will begin to seek out what it really means to follow Christ!

Girl Talk!

Our third and final health/hygiene lesson was only for the girls. (Men feel free to skip to the next section if you have sensitive ears!) J We had a special “Girl Talk” time where we educated them about their menstrual cycle. We talked about what is happening in your body, what to expect, what normal symptoms are, and how to take care of yourself during it, and even showed them how to use a pad. The girls were very receptive to the information and it was clear that many of the girls had never been told anything about their period. We were so thankful they were able to overcome their fears to ask questions or request a pad, which we provided at the end for those who wanted one. We were so thankful for how well it went!

On a funny note…after the lesson, one of the girls named Faith said in a defeated little voice, “Oh how I wish I were a boy, there are so many problems we are going to be having!”

More school supplies!!

It’s felt a little like Christmas around here! The preschool/kindergarten classes were really in need of some supplies for the kids. They had NO toys and very few helpful teachings aides…can you imagine keeping 40 or so children occupied all day without those things?! Pretty challenging. So, to help them out we purchased several educational games (matching shapes, word games, number games, etc.), legos, and a soccer ball. The teachers were SO so thankful and know the new materials will not only keep the kids busy, but will really help them learn and develop their skills.

We were also able to purchase even MORE books for the school. After teaching English in class 6 & 7 with only a few books for the whole class to share, Joy has experienced first hand how important it is for them all to have a book. SO, with more of the donations we were able to purchase enough English books so that everyone can have their own copy!

Fruitful Thursdays...

Thursday’s have been our day to meet with the women in the church for a Bible study. Our first meeting we shared about Love…how Christ shows us perfect love and how He calls us to love others. Most of them do not understand English, so Pastor Fondo has been our wonderful interpreter. The last 2 weeks, we talked about the Fruits of the Spirit and how we can develop them more in our lives. Through prayer, reading (and obeying) the Bible, and fellowshipping with other believers we can learn more and more what it means to have Christ as the focus in our live. When we do those things, He will give us a ‘fruitful’ life full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.

We also did a hand-washing lesson with the women and gave them each a bar of soap. The culture is so different here, I have to keep reminding myself that even something so common to me, like washing your hands with soap, is not so common for some of the people here. Hopefully the women will make it a new tradition in their homes! J

To show their appreciation, the women sang for us this last Sunday and presented us with lesso’s (colorful fabric they wear as skirts). It was a really special time!