A visit to three of the schools we support in Nairobi...

What a joy to be able to visit the schools we support in Nairobi! 

Alex, the head of Kidstar Academy, is seen in front of a classroom  in one of the pictures with Juan Carlos and Jerry, and in the next one with his own two kids Angela and Noah! The picture right after that shows some of the kids who gathered yesterday for the first day back at school after the elections!  Others left town for what they call upcountry, which is back to their native villages where they ran to for fear of the election violence, which by God's grace, never happened!    

In addition to the schools we ae supportung, we had the joy of meeting  the staff of a brand new school which has settled right next to Kidstar! They offer free tuition for any kids that can't pay and already have 150 kids!    (Alex's school charges about $30/ month.)   The new school is named after an American supporter and is called "Becky's School" 

We also visited Principal Judy's school - Graceland. There is a picture of her with Pastor Jerry and some of her beautiful students, and the next one is of some of her staff. 

Today we headed to a second slum, Mathare, where we support Amson School with food twice a day and some equipment...   The staff is tremendous, led by a wonderful brother in Christ, headmaster Edwin!  He is first and foremost about their relationship with Christ and then unity amongst the staff as they care for these beautiful young Kenyan boys and girls! The woman in the next picture is making school sweaters for the student body which has swelled in number from 230 to about 340!  Their total classroom size is about the same as  1 1/2 Normal U.S. classrooms but holding more than 10 times as many kids!  The Day they get their sweater is a great day and becomes the most prized piece of clothing they own!!

The next picture shows the 2nd from the highest grade at Amson, one more level up and they will pass on to the secondary school, if they can pass the State exams!!   In our local, public school system kids are passed on to the next grade regardless of their attendance or performance!  But they someday will be competing with bright, multilingual students like these who study like crazy to have the chance to advance to the next level- there is no other way! And they are thrilled to be in be school regardless of the crowding and lack of materials! 

Edwin, the headmaster, is seen with the top class who are studying hard to pass the State exams in November for a chance at secondary school!   The kids in these various class levels are accountable for each other as well as their studies! If one is missing, like many are today because of the election scare, the other children go after them with homework and help, so they can comeback and rejoin the others prepared and loved!

The final picture at Amson shows the children who are the youngest group at Amson and they have two small classrooms where Esther, Enos' mom, lives!  They recited Scripture after Scripture in English for us today- amazing kids and teachers!!        

We not only had a great time with staff and students at the Amson Center. but spent time walking through the area meeting all kinds of young men, moms, kids and outlaws...I really love it!  We haven't seen any other white guys anywhere in the slums and even most Kenyans will never go back in, so we are a curiosity!  When we smile and shake hands it disarms everybody and we all start laughing and the Holy Spirit brings a spirit of friendship that fills everybody with joy!! I wish we could learn to do this before Wars start!  

After Amson Center, we drove about an hour and a half to Enos's sister Jill's house for lunch with her and her husband Daniel!  They have been longtime friends and the Davies actually helped Jill fulfill the impossible dream of getting a College degree!  There is a huge network of people that gets all the work we support actually done, and Jill has always been a significant part of it! 

Then later in the day we met again with Alex (the Director of Kidstar) and his family for dinner!  It was a great, encouraging time that was all about Christ, our own faith journey and various plans for serving others!  It is profound ministry that by the work of the Spirit just grows naturally!   

Finally, just a personal struggle with the blog right now...God has given us tremendous opportunities and blessings here in Kenya and we have Ethiopia coming up next, and I don't want to take anything away from here and now, but at the same time, God continues to do a great work in our brothers' and sisters' lives in Russia and Ukraine with amazing reports constantly coming in that I am passionate about sharing with you!!  I will keep praying about all this and I would be very grateful for your prayers as well!  I am sure there is a good solution...as there always is in Christ!