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 Team at Graduation Day - Bomani

Bomani had their beautiful graduation day celebration and recognized the children for their great work over the past 11 years in school! See the 2016 Kenya Grad Trip blog link for some great pictures and stories about that.  

The medical team enjoyed joining in on the day, spending more time in Bomani with the children, and having the opportunity to meet some of the parents. The first aid / CPR training team spent some time after graduation teaching a few teachers from Majaoni's school - Good News Academy.  

Jill, Cindy and Debbie - such great teachers! 

I also spent a little time catching up with Ann, the matron for Bomani and Majaoni, having tea and seeing her new kitchen. Certainly the biggest pot of rice I've ever seen! Ann takes great care of the children at the centers and our teams when we come spend time there. 

It was a great opportunity to see a traditional graduation celebration and spend one more day with people that we have grown to love. 

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. 

Graduation Day in Vipingo

Today was truly a day 9 years in the making. As we said earlier, our school began in 2007 with KG1-KG3 in 2007. Today we saw that very first KG3 class wear caps, gowns, and be commissioned for secondary school. Suffice it to say there were plenty of sniffles, less than dry eyes, and tissues among the people who love these kids and have watched them grow.

The graduates filed in, excited for what was to come. 

Parents and other famlily, teachers, and the Fox River team watched and participated in the ceremony, proud of what these kids have achieved.

The graduation ceremony was similar in structure to what you expect from a graduation ceremony. The school girls choir began with a beautiful song about the great things the Lord has done, and the newly formed school dance troupe performed a dance as well. Several people addressed the graduating students and the crowd gathered, including Pastor Mark Roberts from Fox River, Pastor Jim Horne who oversees the school in Kenya, Jenna Horgan who serves as the school administrator, Teacher James, the Head Teacher, and Pastor John, who pastors the church that meets at the school. 

Teacher James speaking to the graduates, the teachers, and the families

Pastor Mark addresses the students, with Teacher James interpreting for those Kenyans who don't understand English (or southern American accents). 

Each student was presented with their certificate of completion, and some gifts including a backpack and a Bible. The students with top marks in each of their six subjects and top overall average scores were also presented with awards. Teacher James explained to the families about the students' invitation to Valerye McMillan High School and the sponsorship to attend for free, to which there was great applause. God truly is continuing to do a great work in the lives of these students and their families. 

Part of the ceremony that we in America would not be familiar with was cutting and serving of bites of cake to the graduates on stage. This is found in Kenyan weddings, graduations and other ceremonies. The Fox River team got to line up and literally feed a small slice of cake to the graduates. It made for some laughs and some good photos!

Cutting the cake

Each student was fed a bite of cake, while fellow graduates looked on with giggles. Apparently this is all part of a Kenyan graduation ceremony! 

After the ceremony, we lined up the graduates for some formal group and individual photos. We were able to bring a small, portable photo printer so each graduate got a framed graduation photo later that day. 

Crossroads Academy Vipingo Class of 2015

These individual photos turned out very well and the students were happy to received a framed copy later in the afternoon. 

The team got to spend the rest of the afternoon at the school, talking to the graduates, playing with the younger students, and enjoying our last few hours together. Eventually, the time came for the ever difficult goodbyes. It is always hard to leave on our last day at either of our schools. We shared many hugs, letters and notes were passed, along with encouragements to study hard and follow the Lord. 

What transpired today is just one of many testaments to the incredible work God is doing in these kids lives. I (Jason) was able to speak individually to a few of the graduates and talk to them about their school and their education over the last 9 years. The difference that this school, funded by the generosity of those at Fox River who have partnered with us, has made in the lives of these students and their families is unmistakable. Many of the students came to know Jesus at this school. One student I spoke with, who was a Muslim when he entered the school, came to know Christ through one of the teachers who poured into his life on an individual basis. That student was baptized in 1st grade, took a new Christian name, and sees himself as a child of God. 

I know it can be hard to understand what takes place in a country you've never seen with your own eyes, in a culture you don't fully understand, for people you've never met. Please believe me when I say the impact that you, our partners in God's work in Kenya, is having a huge impact that has literally changed lives for eternity. 

Medical Team at Vipingo - Graduation day

When Fox River took the first trip over to see the schools in Bomani and Vipingo, we were so happy to meet the very first KG 3 classes. Now today we were so privileged to be there for their graduation from  Standard 8! They have grown up before our eyes, into these wonderful teenagers who will be starting a new chapter in their lives....high school. 

Following the graduation ceremony, the team was able to spend time with the children and the graduates. Some people made connections with children and really enjoyed a day of rest. On a normal medical trip our goal is to help as many people as we can so that doesn't leave time to take it all in and  make connections with the children. 

In the afternoon we had time to spend doing some health promotion teaching. Our goal is to leave here knowing we shared our skills and knowledge to help people improve their health and the community's health as well. 

Jill and Cindy taught the teachers about first aid and CPR

The time was well spent today, building relationships, teaching, and recognizing the graduates and teachers for a job well done.  

Tomorrow we will do our last medical clinic day in Bomani. We look forward to working with the children there.  

Fun Day with Vipingo Grads

The graduation team spent today with the graduates from Crossroads Academy in Vipingo. This is our very first graduating class. We began with KG1-KG3 back in 2007 and as they grew, so did the school. The school year here begins in January, and is comprised of 3 terms with 3 months on/1 month off. So, this class finished their Standard 8 year in November. After this, they took their national exam, the KCPE. They just recently got their exam scores back, and are getting ready to begin high school in February.

The gates of the high school

Each of our students will be invited to attend Vallary McMillan High School in Majaoni. We met the graduating class in Vipingo and headed to the high school from there for a tour of the facilities, since most of our students have never been there.

Some of our graduates, getting ready to enter Form 1 (freshmen year). They actually are excited, honest, but much like American teenagers, the also want to look cool. 

The students broke into groups and were led by upperclassmen from the high school. We got to see the classrooms, science labs, library, and the newly constructed girls' dormitories (the boys will be bussed in rather than live on campus). The high school students were very helpful, showing both the incoming students and the Fox River team where our kids would be studying in just a few weeks. The high school facilities are very impressive and will be an excellent place where these kids we've watched grow from Kindergarten can continue their education.

A few high school students led the incoming Form 1 students on their tour.

The girls' dormitory (still under construction)

The high school has excellent facilities, including their large chapel that serves as a community church on Sundays. 

The high school has a small library with many books (with a larger library under construction), a computer lab, two science labs, and a beautiful campus the students can be proud of.

After the tour of the high school concluded, we loaded up our bus and vans and headed to City Mall in Nyali. If you are imagining that Kenya is nothing but mud huts and remote villages, you would be very surprised by this mall! It looks very much like a mall you would find in the US. Many of our kids had not been to a mall like this before, and enjoyed walking through the shops, riding the escalators (they thought this was hilarious) and the glass elevator up to the fourth floor and back down.

We had a unique and incredibly fun experience for lunch. Domino's not only accommodated our entire class and team, but they invited the kids and their group leaders to make their own pizzas. The Domino's staff were absolutely fantastic with the kids. They took their time to show them how to prep the dough, add the sauce, throw on toppings, and bake them in the pizza oven. They encouraged the kids and made sure they had a good time - and so did we!

Working hard making pizza. Well, mostly working hard. 

After we ate, the Domino's staff continued to impress us with a little show of their pizza dough throwing skills. You could tell these men and women enjoyed their work and loved having the kids work with them. One of our kids, Austin, said it best: "We have had a wonderful time!"

These guys were crazy talented and very entertaining. 

Our time at the mall concluded, we finished the day back at the school in Vipingo. Ben taught a short self-defense class, first to the girls and then to the boys. Meanwhile, we setup a photo booth and took some silly photos with the graduates.

The significance of this graduation cannot be overstated. God has been working in the lives of these kids, most of whom have been at our school from the very beginning in 2007. This milestone not only represents a new stage for these kids, but for our schools as well. It is such a blessing to see these kids - now becoming young adults - move forward into the next stage of their education and their life. Please continue to lift up our mission, our schools, and our kids in prayer - especially this class that is taking their next step into adulthood!

Clinic Day 2 - Vipingo

Today the medical team spent the day seeing the children at Crossroads Academy in Vipingo. In addition to all of the KG and Standard classes, we were also able to see the new graduates! In addition, some of the staff at Crossroads came in for reading glasses.  

Today was quite hot, it was only 92 degrees but most thought it felt much hotter. One of the major focuses on medical trips is health promotion education. Today the team taught the kids about the importance of drinking plenty of water and the symptoms of dehydration. 

Yvonne, who also joined our medical team last year, consults on many of our cases

Joseph joined us today, his third medical mission with us.  

In addition to the conditions found yesterday, there was a higher prevalence of fungal skin infections noted today. 2 children with heart murmurs were identified and will be sent for further assessment with a specialist. Overall we found the children to be healthy, with about 55% reporting no illness. 

Again we were so happy to have our Kenyan team with us and got the opportunity to spend more time getting to know them. We know that without them we would not be able to accomplish half of what we do on the medical trips. Many of them we have had the opportunity to serve with in years past. 

We had the best help in the pharmacy! They kept up with med dispensing and assisted with dosing. 

Tomorrow we look forward to being able to be at the first graduation ceremony for our kids who began at Crossroads Academy as our first KG 3 class! They have worked so hard and now they will begin High School soon.  

Clinic Day 1 - Majaoni

Today the medical team was joined by our other half...our interpreters and Kenya medical team. We got started at Good News Academy in Majaoni at 8:30am by unpacking our supplies and medicine and got our work stations set up.  In the morning we saw half of the 11 classes and then finished the other half by 4:00. The schools in Kenya have 3 kindergarten levels called, KG1, KG2 and KG3. Each class after the KG classes is called Class or Standard, followed by the number. For example, first grade is called Class 1 or Standard 1. At Good New Academy, the school goes up to Class 8. There are 34 students per class. 

First station: Registration/Check In. Cindy and Mercy 

Heights and weights taken

The practitioners saw many different diagnoses today. The most prevalent being coughs, allergies, tinea corporis, tinea capitis, headache (mainly due to dehydration), ear wax impactions, and upper respiratory infections. Overall, the majority of the children had a healthy child check up. This improvement in health over the years is evident based on the high percentage of healthy children seen (43%).   

Jen checking the throat of a boy diagnosed with strep throat

Roger doing an irrigation, due to wax impaction  

Debbie teaching her interpreter to help out

Jodie doing ear exam

Roger

Dawne examining fungal infection  

Yvonne and Jill collaborating  

Our wonderful pharmacy techs

One major goal of the work we do on the medical trips is to provide health promotion education. Sue and Debbie saw expectant mothers and provided prenatal assessment and counseling. Thanks to the donations of friends in the US, we were able to provide baby blankets, quilts, baby clothes, and prenatal vitamins to each lady.  

Sue

We are looking forward to another great day with the kids at Vipingo tomorrow. 

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.

Medical Team Update

Did you know there are two Fox River teams in Kenya right now? One team is focused on activaties with the kids at our schools, specifically with the kids who just graduated 8th grade in November and will be moving on to high school soon. The other is a medical team that will be setting up medical clinics and addressing the kids' health needs.  

The medical team arrived safe early this morning at 3:00am. We picked them up and got everyone checked into their rooms. They were a tired but excited group! Some chose to sleep a few hours and others chose to stay up and enjoy their first morning in Kenya.

At 10:00am we headed to Crossroads Fellowship Church in Mombasa. Jim Horne, missionary to our school in Vipingo - Crossroads Academy, gave a good message on starting the new year right and the worship team kept us moving and awake! It was a great way to start the trip and put us in the right mindset for the upcoming week.

We had lunch at the hotel and then did some shopping at Nakumatt (Kenyan version of WalMart) to pick up some snacks and supplies for the week.

When we returned to the hotel we began the fun process of sorting through the supply suitcases and getting our things organized for the week. Everyone made it until after dinner and most retired to their rooms early to catch up on much needed sleep!

Sorting through the medical supplies

We are so looking forward to working with our Kenyan partners this week to provide medical care to the kids at our schools in Bomani and Vipingo as well as Majaoni. Good News Academy in Majaoni is a school that is a part of Bobby & Lisa Bectel's ministry, as is Bomani.