KCPE Testing

Students prepare very hard for the KCPE Exam.

The next three days are a very big deal for our students in Class 8 (eighth grade) at Crossroads Academy in Vipingo and New Life Academy in Bomani. In fact, Class 8 students across Kenya have a big week ahead of them.

Nov 1-Nov 3, Class 8 students in Kenya will sit for the KCPE Exam. This national exam is a comprehensive test of six subjects: Math, Science, Social Studies, Swahili, English, and Religious Education. The exam is graded out of a total of 500 possible points. It is intended to be very difficult. 400 and above is considered a very good score.

The KCPE exam functions as an end of primary school exam, but also a bit like the SAT or ACT here in the United States. A student's score on the exam can determine if they will be able to continue their education in high school, and what high schools they may be accepted into.

Needless to say, there can be a lot of pressure on the students to perform well in this exam. The students can become very nervous. They have prepared hard. Now they need calm minds to perform to the best of their abilities.

Would you join us in praying for these students over the next few days as they take this big step in their education?

Graduation Day in Bomani

On Friday morning, the team arrived at New Life Academy in Bomani as the final setup for the graduation ceremony was being completed. Because the chapel in Bomani is a bit smaller than in Vipingo, the proceedings would be taking place outside, with tents setup for the Fox River team, teachers, the graduates, and their families. It was very encouraging to see a very large group of parents and family members gathered to celebrate their students' hard work and achievement.

The ceremonies began with a procession of the graduates and honored guests. In true Kenyan fashion, this was a slow moving processional moving in the rhythm of a celebratory dance.

In addition to the 34 students graduating from Standard 8 (8th Grade) and moving into Form 1 (freshman year of high school), the kids moving from KG3 to Standard 1 were also dressed in their little robes and graduation caps. Bringing up the rear were four Americans being very good sports to dress in robes on a very hot, sunny day: Pastor Bobby Bechtel, the director of the Hope Foundation of Kenya; Pastor Jim Horne, representing Manna Worldwide with whom we partner to administer the school; Pastor Mark Roberts, representing Fox River; and Denise Conn (or Mama Denise as she is often called), as the one who administers and coordinates our missions in Kenya and Nicaragua.

KG3 and Standard 8 grads filing in

Pastor Mark and Mama Denise were very good sports about wearing the ceremonial garb on such a hot day. 

The students prepared several special performances to celebrate this special day. A student named Silas in Standard 3 (that is, 3rd grade) recited a history of the school, with impressive detail, entirely from memory. The choir sang two songs (one of which was quite familiar to the Americans in attendance - see the video below), and the school dance troupe performed a traditional Kenyan dance. Even the teachers performed a song as part of the ceremony. It was truly a celebration!

Silas did an incredible job reciting the history of New Life Academy by from memory. 

The school choir preformed two songs. 

The school dance troupe performed a very energetic traditional Kenyan dance. 

The graduation continued with addressed from several honored guests: Head Teacher Victor Kalama, Pastor Allan Owano (national Pastor overseeing New Life Academy), Bobby Becthel, Jim Horne, and Mark Roberts. Many thanks were given to the people of Fox River, whose generosity funds the school. One thing is very clear: the Kenyan people are exceedingly appreciative of the work we do.

Head Teacher Victor acted as the emcee for the graduation ceremony. 

Pastor Mark addresses the graduates

Mama Denise was especially thanked as the one who puts so much work into keeping these missions running smoothly, it's amazing that it's not her only job. She was honored with a portrait of her spending time with the kids she loves so much.

Lisa Becthel and Pastor Allan pose with Denise holding the portrait of her and the students in Bomani.

Each of speakers had encouraging words to the graduates and thanks to God for the incredible work He is doing in the lives of these students and families. The theme throughout the proceedings was perhaps most succinctly summarized by Pastor Bobby's words to the graduates. He challenged them that as they continue to secondary school go with God and to follow Him wherever they go.

Bobby's message was clear: go with God

One by one, the students were called forward to receive their certificate of completion, invitation letter to attend Valerye McMillan Hope High School, and a book bag with a Bible and other gifts. The three boys and three girls with the highest scores on the KCPE, the national primary school completion exam, received special recognition and a special gift of their high school sports kits (shoes and uniforms) purchased for them.

The students who received top scores on the KCPE were recognized and awarded.

Cutting the cakes and giving small pieces to each of the graduates wrapped up the graduation ceremony. Since the Vipingo graduation day, there has been some debate as to the veracity of the rumor that feeding the grads is a widespread Kenyan tradition. We'll have to leave that question to the ages. (In other words, it's probably not, and we're not entirely sure where it came from.) In any event, this time the parents got in on the cake feeding action. After one more final prayer, the graduation celebration concluded.

New Life Academy Bomani Class of 2015

We got to spend the rest of the afternoon on the campus of the school, talking to teachers, graduates, and students. This trip is entirely comprised of people who have been to Kenya at least once, so many of us had students we wanted to connect with while we had the time.

The graduation day in Bomani served to again underscore the incredible transformation that has taken place in these two communities. When we first began following God's lead to work in Kenya, these students were in KG3 - just barely beginning their education. Today, wearing caps, gowns, and smiles, they are ready to begin secondary education - something we often take for granted in the US, but is in no way a given here in Kenya.

By working through people willing to show love to the least of these halfway around the world, lives are being transformed and the kingdom of God is continually advanced. If you are one of our partners working in Kenya and Nicaragua, you have made this possible by saying yes to God. On behalf of our first graduating class, and all kids who will fill their shoes, we say: Asante sana na Mungu akubariki sana -- thank you very much and may God greatly bless you.

Fun Day with Bomani Grads

If you read about our Fun Day with the Vipingo Grads, today's post is going to sound very familiar. One of the perks about sponsoring two schools in Kenya is that when you figure out a good structure for a day or finish a really great activity, you can do it all over again with the other school.

We started out the day by meeting the graduates from Bomani at Valerye McMillan high school. As we did on Tuesday, we split into small groups and received a tour of the school with our group of incoming Form 1 (freshman) students. The Bomani graduates seemed very happy and even overwhelmed by the facilities and the high school students.

Checking out the school library

The current high school science lab. Another lab is being built that's even larger than this one.

The girls dorms are still under construction but are coming along nicely.  

The grads loved the mall. We looked through shops, rode the escalators and elevators, and looked around at all the sights. Bomani is a village a bit further off the beaten path, so even more of the students were seeing new sights that they had only heard about from friends.

City Mall in Nyali

As we continued to enjoy the day, the students became much more outgoing. We've often noticed that the people from Bomani seem to be a bit more stoic at first, but really open up once you spend time with them. Our students from New Life Academy are no exception to this, so the trip to the mall really helped establish (or re-establish) those personal connections.

Making and eating pizza at Domino's was again a fantastically fun experience, for both students and the group leaders. It was fun to see the different toppings the kids chose to put on their pizza. Besides the usual toppings, the Domino's here had Kenyan ingredients like Swahili chicken and piri piri (spicy) sauce.

First spread your dough out... 

Then spread the sauce like this... 

Then add the toppings and smile!

Pop it in the oven

Box it up when it's done! 

After the mall, we returned to the school for some additional time with the students. The graduates got to learn self-defense techniques with Ben and David, while other members of our team talked with the graduates more, or took the time to play with the younger kids at the school.

Some of the littles we got to spend time with in Bomani Thursday afte the trip to the was complete. 

The day at the high school, the mall, and then back to the school was a fun way to celebrate this important milestone with the graduates. These students have worked hard and achieved excellent results. Not only is some time of fun a great way to celebrate, but it's a great way to give deeper attention and connection on an individual basis. It was a huge blessing to the team to have this special time with them.

Medical Clinic Day 3 - Bomani

The medical team worked with the children at New Life Center in Bomani today. This day was especially fun because they have a baby class in addition to KG 1 through Class 8. These littles ones are 3-4 years old, and what a great way to start the day! 

In addition, we saw teachers and staff at the school and provided reading glasses to some of them as well.  

Jeremy, a doctor on Crossroads Fellowship Church's medical mission team, joined us today. He was a wealth of knowledge for us. 

One common medical concern in this village is jiggers (Tunga penetrans, also known as chigoe flea). These are tiny parasitic arthropods found in tropical areas. They live in sand and soil and feed on blood by burrowing into exposed skin (most often feet and fingers). They lay eggs under the skin and cause intense irritation called tungiasis. Tungiasis causes secondary infection, toe deformation and nail loss. When the eggs are ready to hatch they fall off and the jigger dies. The eggs then hatch in the area they have fallen. For this reason, it can be difficult to get rid of them from treating one person. Instead the whole family needs to be treated and the home needs to be cleared of them. For some families this is a difficult and on-going issue. The best prevention is good hygiene and wearing socks and shoes. 

To remove the jiggers, we soak their feet in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water for 20 minutes which kills the jigger. Visible egg sacks can be excised.  

Our tean enjoyed reconnecting with old friends...

Roger and Risper

Jodie and Dorothy

And spending more time with our Kenyan friends... 

Another great day of teaching today. Here is Sue in the prenatal class.  

This was our last day of medical clinics. Tomorrow is Bomani's graduation and some health promotion teaching at Vipingo and Bomani. We look forward to another great day in Kenya and feel very privileged to be here, serving these beautiful people. 

Ice Cream and Coloring

What could be better than ice cream and coloring? How about sharing God's truth using both? 

Today was our first day in the schools - Crossroads Academy in Vipingo in the morning and New Life Academy in Bomani in the afternoon. Denise had some administrative work to do (January is usually her work trip), so the team helped out where we could, and also led the kids in some activities in the meantime. 

One group went to work with the Kindergarten classes. In Kenya, there are three levels of Kindergarten: KG1, KG2, and KG3 with ages 3, 4, and 5, respectively. These young kids do not speak or understand English very well, but what they lack in communication skills, they more than make up for in smiles and love. The group working with the KG kids spent time coloring a picture with them in small groups. They used the pictures they were coloring and songs to talk to them about how much God loves them, working with their teachers to interpret.

Meanwhile, another group worked with the kids in Standard 1 through Standard 8 (1st through 8th grade), teaching them about Jesus feeding the 5000. Ben explained to the kids that the ingredients in Jesus' miracle were 5 loaves of bread, 2 fish, and one boy's willingness to share his lunch. To illustrate that point, we used ingredients of cream, sugar, and vanilla (shaken up in ziploc bags of ice and rock salt) to make ice cream. The classes passed the bags around shaking and shaking the bags, having a lot of fun.

Who wants ice cream? 

You've got to shake, shake, shake.... 

We have a new addition on the campus of our school in Vipingo: Life Spring Children's Centre, which opened in August. This is a rescue center where babies who have been abandoned or are otherwise in need of a stable home are cared for full time. Right now, the center is home to three children, ranging from 2 to 18 months. The team was able to see the new center, meet these precious little ones, and meet the incredible care givers who give these little guys their love.

Life Spring Children's Centre

Sleeping peacefully in a loving, stable home

Hello there, little one! 

The Rescue Center sitting room and kitchen

Finally, we were able to distribute some letters that sponsors have written to the kids. They LOVE getting letters. It really makes them feel cared for. Most of them (perhaps not the littlest littles yet, but all the others) understand that their school, uniforms, daily meals, and education are only possible because of their sponsors' generosity, so they are very thankful to hear from you! If you'd like to contact the child you're sponsoring, look on the back of their photo or email missions@foxriverchristian.org

The medical team had an excellent first clinic day as well! Another post detailing there work will soon follow. Thank you for following our journey with us. We can't wait to share what else God has in store for us here.