Another progress report on the gate!

Every Friday the students split into two groups (nursery – class 3 and class 4 – class 8) and have devotionals. They sing, dance, and have a bible reading, discussion and prayer. I joined them and enjoyed singing and dancing with everyone. They all squeeze into a classroom but I watched as an older boy allowed a smaller boy to sit on his lap. I thank God for His Spirit being shown here at the Academy.

We handed out shoes on Friday and you can see what your help is achieving here. These are just a couple examples of what condition the children’s shoes were coming in like. Because of your support the children who are orphaned or in a single-parent family will have good school shoes and many of them will wear these shoes outside of school because of the condition of their original shoes. There are so many ideas I have for fundraising before we come back in September because of the needs of these children. I thank you all for the support you’ve shown and the prayers. God’s hand is moving here in Tala and what a blessing it is for me to watch it happen.

Milkah, I told you about her in the last post, requested to have a picture with me before she left for Nairobi on holiday next week. I was going to tell her it was a MySpace picture but she wouldn’t understand that. I had my iPod out the other day and the kids were fascinated with it. They all thought it was a radio. As for the holiday the kids will be off school next week then they will all be back for two weeks with classes 6-8 staying an extra week. Then the second term begins in May. The school year here goes by a calendar year – January thru December, going three months to school and having a month off. Some schools, like ours will have school during the break with just a short holiday for the kids. The attitude here is geared towards educating these kids and the more they are in school the better chance of an education. Many parents board their children at school even though they live very close. They believe that coming home at night is too much of a distraction and it is better for the child to live at school to learn.

While we were in Tala on Friday morning we stopped at a shop to get juice and biscuits (cookies) for the kids’ last day before holiday treat. I was standing next to the car not really paying attention when I finally heard a bunch of little kids yelling “muzungu!” (I have learned this is Kiswahili for “white person”) So I turned around and they all waved, so I had to cross the street and greet them with “sasa” and take a picture of them. I didn’t have any candy but had Kudo bars but they liked them just the same!

Now for a story that will break your heart and make you praise God for His perfect timing and intervention. I told you before about a boy named Ta Te' (Tah-tee) who lives alone while his mother works as a maid and lives with her employer. She is only able to visit Tate on Sundays and sometimes during the week. If you remember he was the one who burned some clothes while he was cooking for himself one night. While we were handing out shoes Ta Te' was the only one who couldn’t fit into the standard school shoe. So we had to take him into Tala and get a wider shoe for his foot and then we were going to take him home. While we were at the market I asked him what he was going to have for dinner that night. He would be making oogali – this is flour and water cooked until it’s thick and has to be cut with a knife. We have this but we usually have it with spinach and meat. But he was only going to eat oogali that night. So we told him we would get him some fruits and staple items from the market. He got rice, flour, soap, sugar, biscuits, and more that would fit in the basket, plus I threw in a few candy bars. Before we took him home we ordered him chicken and chips for dinner that night so he would have some protein. When we took him home and my heart broke when I walked into his home. First the doorway was just wide enough for me to get through; Chuck had to go in sideways. His “home” may be 10’x10’ and this is where he eats, reads, studies and sleeps, his mom sleeps here too when she is visiting. He has to move his mother’s clothes in order to lie down to sleep. He has one basin to wash from and wash his clothes and one pot to cook with (which may be why he was only going to eat oogali). I asked him what he did after school by himself, he said he read then cooked for himself. Now remember that this boy is only 13 years old! When I was interviewing him the other day he said that since he lives alone he does all the chores: washing his clothes, washing the dishes, cooking, cleaning and whatever else needs to be done around his home. You can see a small part of the only window in this room; the window is about 8”x8” and doesn’t provide much light. We were there at 5pm and couldn’t see much because of the darkness. He was so happy though when I asked to take a picture; you can see the joy on his face! I had to try very hard not to cry in front of him, I kept thinking what a brave and responsible boy – maybe by necessity – but still. Before leaving we asked him if he would like to live at the Academy – you should have seen his eyes light up and he said yes he would like that very much. Chuck told him we would come by his home again on Sunday afternoon to meet with his mother and ask her permission. Chuck asked him what his mother might say, and he said that she would not refuse. This boy has touched my heart from the first time I met him and he is officially the first U.S. sponsored child. Chuck and I both cried and prayed about Ta Te' that evening, we wanted to take him home with us that night, but since he has a mother we have to ask her permission. When we left TaTe' said that he would escort us out. He is very polite and intelligent and I’m proud to be his sponsor. So you can understand the heart breaking part, but if God had not made Ta Te's foot too wide for our shoes he would have gotten a regular pair of shoes and went home. God had a plan for Ta Te' and he fulfilled it with a pair of shoes. Lord God you are the creator of all things, the lover of our soul and I praise you and glorify Your Holy Name. If getting Ta Te' to the Academy was the only reason for us to be here then I thank God for opening our hearts and eyes to His plan.