How is it possible that I have only been in Kenya less than 48 hours?? Today we headed out in the morning for graduation in Vipingo - what a wonderful celebration of the 8th graders!! My heart burst with motherly pride for this milestone in the kids’ lives and I was filled with great excitement of at the thought of all the potential sitting in that room. They were challenged to consider what role they may play in the future of their community, Kenya as a whole or even the world using the gifts and talents they’ve been given from God. Would you join us in praying for them as they start high school and face a multitude of new challenges?
Though I shared in a blog post about a month ago how I felt about getting the opportunity to meet the two students whom I have sponsored for the past four years, I was vastly ill prepared for the flood of emotions I felt when I made eye contact with Fredrick for the first time as we walked into the church where the graduation was being held. After lunch, I had the joy of walking with him to his home where I was able to meet and spend some time talking to his father. He gushed with appreciation for his son’s education and what the sponsorship means to them. Fredrick gave me a tour of the school buildings, pointing out various things he has learned. He found my attempts at speaking Swahili for naming the major organs of the body quite amusing!! We then sat beneath the shade of an enormous tree, sharing tidbits about life in America, what it’s like to fly in a plane and I tried my best to explain snow to someone who’s not seen ice. In a nutshell, it was a time of being able to love on in person a boy whom I’ve prayed for and cared about for years from the other side of the world.
Besides meeting Fredrick, (I get to meet Pahe tomorrow!!) I spent chunks of time being swarmed by beautiful smiling faces, wishing I were an octopus as two hands were not nearly enough to accommodate the swarm of hands vying for a turn to be held. Oh the ability to put a tangible touch of love on some of the children that Fox River is supporting! We have heard about My Gift for Jesus quite a bit lately. I can promise you that the administration, the teachers, students and parents, appreciate and are so aware of the life change your generosity is having. The mother of one of the graduates spoke at the ceremony and she thanked Fox River for giving the students, “not something that would be used up, but that would last for a lifetime.” That is what your partnership with Fox River any My Gift for Jesus does. There is nothing more hope-filled than that!!
