Teacher Seminar

Sharing with teachers has been our big passion. Integrating our teaching skills with our faith is something we both feel strongly about; being here in East Africa it has been a great privilege to spend time with other educators, encouraging them to take bold steps as they shape young lives.

On Tuesday we held a seminar for 21 teachers - a group of primary teachers from the Brook of Faith primary school (a Christian private school started with ELI) and Chebaiywa primary school (government school). Focusing upon the development of students, we encouraged teachers to move beyond the instructional curriculum to also focus upon the heart needs of children. Our discussions centered upon formative instruction, learning styles, and critical thinking...all topics Mark and I love to talk about. Challenging teachers to think about the unique opportunity they have to shape the hearts of students, not only their minds, we hope that our seminar and exploration of the scriptures will bear much fruit in the lives of children.

Oreos and Ice Cream!

Sunday nights with kids from the Children's Home continue. This Sunday we had Ebby, Olivia, and Sharon over to share a meal. We enjoyed hearing about their dreams for the future and their passion for service. Sharon wants to be a musician, Ebby a pastor, and Olivia a professor - great aspirations for young girls of 13, 11, and 10 years of age! As this photo shows we also enjoyed sharing a dessert from America with them!

Movie Night!

What would you do if you found that the kids you hang out with loved science and nature and you have access to an awesome video about the world? Host a movie night, of course!

We had great fun organizing a 'night at the movies' for all of the children and teachers at Brook of Faith primary school. Then we had the idea to make it a REAL movie night by giving a bag of popcorn to each person who came. During a recent trip to Kipkarren market we saw a popcorn machine outside of a little shop; making arrangements for the purchase of 350 bags of popcorn took a little arranging but 3 large burlap sacks and 4 big plastic shopping bags later we got it taken care of.

"Planet Earth - Shallow Seas" was our movie offering and everyone LOVED it, especially the parts about Humpbacked Whales and Great White Sharks! Mark opened the evening by reading from Genesis, emphasizing the creation of the seas and sea creatures. The buzz in the room was great as the children and teachers marveled over God's creativity. We hope to have another movie in the future and share more about His wonderful creations!

Graduation Day!

Today the students from the Sustainable Agriculture and Community Development Programme held their graduation ceremony at the Kipkarren Training Centre. By our estimate over 500 people were in attendance to celebrate their accomplishment. It is our prayer that each student will a change agent in their community, bringing new ideas to inspire their villages toward increased agricultural productivity, food security, and knowledge that God is the great provider of all things!

Hair cut!

Mark noticed that the kids at the Children's Home had gotten haircuts...and wondered how they did it. We found they have a hair razor here, which he was really missing. Needing a haircut himself Mark asked one of his buddies, Brian Kibet, to give him a haircut. It turned out great!

A Visit to the Eye Doctor

Recently my reading glasses broke. If I was in the USA I would just go to the Dollar Store for a cheap replacement...but living here in the village my alternatives are limited. I was prepared for the 'functional' but unattractive solution that most missionaries would use - duct tape! Thankfully, a nicer alternative exists at the Chebaiywa Medical Clinic. Last year, due to training and assistance from churches and community groups in the USA, an eye clinic has been operating as part of the medical clinic. Last summer, people had the opportunity to have their eyes tested and glasses made right in the village! Knowing that Dr. Julius has been well trained I thought I'd see if he could help me out with a new pair of reading glasses. My examination was carefully done and happily I ended up with a new pair of glasses that have helped me continue studying and preparing for the numerous sharing opportunities I have each week. It was a GREAT visit to the eye doctor!

A Day at the Office

Much of the work Cathy and I do requires a bit of studying, preparing, and writing. There are the daily devotions at the Children’s Home, the Teacher’s Seminar coming up on July 27^th, preparation for the graduation of the Training Center’s Agricultural and Computer Programs, and most recently a new Bible study for some of the agricultural students staying at the Training Center. I am also still preparing to teach a new course called Comparative Religions this upcoming school year. All of this means quite a few hours down at the gazebo by the river, affectionately known as “the office”…and what an office it is! The “wall hangings” are beautiful 3D images of nature, “air conditioning”, a 674,215,897,325 gallon fishbowl (the Kipkarren River), an alarm and security system that runs on leftovers and dog food (a local dog that has adopted us), and a sprinkler system that functions most every day in the late afternoon (rainy season here).

The office happens to be the best zone for connecting to the internet. Who needs a TV for local news? Just look out and watch the latest developments at the water project. Now THAT’S local news. If you hang around enough you might catch the latest cobra snake snapping at the behind of an innocent bystander (that was me… thanks Wayne for frantically yelling, “Mark! Move away from there!” I actually listened. No harm done.)

Directly above “the office”, high up in a tree is an eagle’s nest… home to two awesome and quite large eagles. One morning we discovered one of the eagles walking and standing in “the office”. As we got closer, we realized the poor magnificent bird was injured. As the “security system” approached, the eagle spread its wings, stretched out flat on the cement floor and hissed. The “security system” ran away. I took multiple pictures and video of the injured bird throughout the day. Eventually it hopped/flew over the fence and into a bush. Nearby an elderly man saw this incredible creature and began making his way towards it. He motioned to me as if to say, “Did you see that?!!!” I acknowledged I did with an attitude of awe. As the man got closer to the eagle, I wondered what he was going to do. In a split second, he raised his walking cane and clubbed the bird to death. One quick swift blow to the head and this magnificent bird became idle, one claw quivering. With a bit of pride the old man picked the eagle up by one wing and raised it high as if it were a trophy. Then just as quickly he threw it back into the brush. Needless to say, my jaw was hanging wide open. What had I just witnessed? My friend Wayne and I just turned around, went back into the “office” rather stunned. “They don’t treat eagles here in Kenya like we do back home… do they Wayne?” “Nope.” Later that day, and for several days following, the locals explained to Wayne and I that those eagles come and snatch up their little chicks, which are quite significant to their families for economic reasons. As one House Parent told us, when the eagle takes a chick that the children were trying to raise, it brings them to tears. So, I guess they treat eagles like snakes… if you see one, KILL IT! The surviving eagle can still be seen from time to time. We have been thinking… perhaps the snake went after the cobra, the cobra won the battle, and the eagle was stunned from the venom. We really don’t know… but that’s a day at the office.