High school should be for everyone

Our youngest daughter graduated from high school last night and, needless to say, I am very proud of her for that accomplishment. But it got me to thinking of our attitude about school here in the States compared to our friends/family in Kenya.

Here in the states parents expect, and even take for granted that their children will attend school. And the kids, even though they may not like it, expect that they will have to attend.

In Tala where Nice View Academy is located, we have families who can only afford to send one child to school and if they can't afford to send a child to school many will pray for a school like Nice View to take them in as a sponsored child. If the child is an orphan some show up at the gate of Nice View hoping to be taken in, others are brought in by a "well-wisher" who found the child and is requesting the school take care of them. Otherwise they would not be able to attend school.

Even if a family can afford to send them to school (primary school goes from Nursery to 8th grade) many can not afford secondary school (high school) so the student will have to drop out after 8th grade. What do they do then? If they can find work they will work to help the family, or if no work is available they will help with the farming to feed the family and possibly sell some produce to make a bit of money. If the child is an orphan they will try to find family to take them in, but there they are treated as slaves not family.






Saved By God's Grace is working on completing a new school at Nice View. Your support is needed to complete the building which will educate at least 500 students! And the orphans currently at Nice View will have a secure future in knowing they will attend school through 12th grade.

My prayer is to have all our kids in Kenya complete primary then secondary school and go onto university if they want. I would love for them to "expect" to have to attend school rather than praying they will be able to attend.

Printers and socks...

What these two have in common is how long it takes to fix/purchase each in Tala, Kenya.

As some of you may have noticed on my Twitter the printer was finally fixed at Nice View Academy in Tala, Kenya. This was in the works for about two weeks and I received word today that is was accomplished!

Getting the printer fixed took the efforts of Pauline (here with Gideon who is the Executive Director of Nice View Academy) calling people, having someone come to figure out what was wrong with it then fixing it. Needless to say it isn't as easy as taking it to the local office store.

We had the same issue with socks, uniforms, mattresses, sheets and so many other items that here we just run down to the local store and pick up these items in one stop.

We planned days in advance to head to Nairobi for these items. Then we had to make plans for them to be transported back to Tala where we have a storage room for the orphanages supplies.

We were able to buy the uniforms in one store (pictured) but we were in this store for about 6 hours - counting and recounting uniforms, making sure we had the right colors/sizes/amount! Their backpacks, however, were very expensive. So those had to be purchased at another store, then we had to go to another location for books, another for mattresses, another for sheets, etc. It made for a very long day and we usually only crossed off one or two items from our list. Meaning another 1 1/2 to two hour drive into Nairobi, finding our items, getting them back to Tala and then the three (possibly five hour drive if we get into a traffic jam) back home.

After our return home to the states we were brought to tears when we needed socks. We got into the car, headed down a few miles to the local store, drove the smooth/safe roads and bought a package of socks. We had just come from planning for days to buy socks and here it was so simple - taking just an hour or less.

Sometimes I feel like complaining when I need to get some milk or other item from the grocery store (it's too hot out/I'm comfortable/I just don't want to go out/I just want to get home etc.) but the Holy Spirit convicts me and reminds me of our brothers and sisters in Kenya who do not have that opportunity.

Toys for Kenya!

More people helping the poor is always a good thing and we are always humbled as to how people get involved.

We are in the process of working with the Academy of Cinema and Television (A.C.T.) for a toy drive. With the extreme poverty in Kenya, toys may seem like a non-important item. But for our children in Kenya it not only lets them know they are cared for but that they are worth our efforts of getting toys to them.

The simple act of giving them a toy of their own puts a smile on their face and that is priceless.



This video gives you an idea of what the nursery students were playing with and this was the only doll for the entire class. This was taken in February 2008 on our first trip to Kenya.

On our last trip in October 2008 we took with us several dolls, trucks, Frisbees, jump ropes etc. But as many of you know, toys don't last forever. The A.C.T.'s offer of having a toy drive is wonderful and we look forward to partnering with them in this effort.

More info to come...

God comes through yet again!

"...She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16:49 NIV)

Great way to start the blog, huh? This was in my reading this morning and when I read it I first thought of the United States. Sad, yes, makes me angry, yes, but oh so true for many here. Later in the reading God says He will do away with them. Scary, yes, but it doesn't have to be if we follow the teaching's in His word.

Ok, so that's just a very short version of my first impression of this reading. Then I started thinking of people who are helping the poor and needy.

You may remember last Sunday we spoke at Peoria Baptist Church. They took a love offering for us and we received that yesterday. Now what does this have to do with helping the poor and needy other than the obvious - Saved By God's Grace is helping the poor and needy in Kenya.


Well, you may also remember my Twitter (see those updates at http://www.savedbygodsgrace.org/ at the bottom of the page) about Fransisca (the manager from Eldama Ravine Children's Village) being pick pocketed with most of the funds we had sent her. The amount that was stolen was almost exactly covered by the love offering from Peoria Baptist! Praise God! That money has been sent back to Eldama Ravine and the kids are continuing to eat because of God's providence.

God worked through Peoria Baptist to bring providence to a situation we didn't know was going to happen. He brought us all together for a reason and what a privilege it is to work for the King!

Accepting the good with the bad

I was about to write this post with news we received from friends in Eldoret, Kenya when we received an email from Francisca at Eldama Ravine with upsetting news.

Now the question is - do you want the good news first or the bad? I'll give you the bad -

Francisca (from Eldama Ravine Children's Village) was pick pocketed yesterday between Eldama Ravine and Nakuru. She wasn't hurt as a matter of fact she didn't even realize what had happened until this morning. She had over 190,000 shillings which included most of the funds we had sent her for supplies and salaries.

We were reminded just this morning before this news of Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV).

Please pray about this situation and we must trust God to always be faithful. Francisca was very upset and distraught in her email. She asked us to pray that she would "have the grace even tonight" to see this situation through.

Now for a bit of fun news. Our friends in Eldoret, Kenya started a school, Jamii School, last year. Before they opened they expected 30 students to arrive, on opening day 60 children showed up on their doorstep. They were a bit overwhelmed but trusted God to provide the needs for the students. They have been struggling to survive but have put complete trust and faith that God will meet their needs.

Yesterday we received pictures from them and at the beginning of this school year (January) they had 170 children show up!

Now you might think that is bad news because as they put in their email "We are facing a very hard time because we don’t have enough facilities especially classrooms food and so on" but they are being faithful to the call God has put in front of them and I know that He will shower His grace and mercy upon them and the students.

We will keep you informed as to the situation with Fransisca and thank you for your prayers for Fransisca, Jamii School and Saved By God's Grace.

Rains are a welcome blessing

We've received word that rains have come to Tala - Praise God! Seeds were planted in time so that means a harvest will be forthcoming for Nice View Academy, Mercy Child Foundation and Eldama Ravine Children's Village!

The following pictures are from our last day in Kenya April 2008 (at Nice View Academy) when the rains had just began. So needless to say, this rainy season was a bit late but we are so thankful it's rained and crops are growing.


























As you can see when it rains it really rains, and this is just one day! Our friends and family also like the rain because it cuts down on the dust and cools things off a bit.

Thank you for your prayers for the orphanages in Kenya and please, if you are able, consider helping financially. The children thank you, their caregivers thank you and we thank you for any help you can give.

Home away from home

Here are just a few glimpses of our hometown in Kenya - Tala.

This is a row of kiosks. Each is very small and each has their own specific things they sell. We go to one kiosk for eggs, one for milk, one for cabbage etc. It makes for a long shopping time going to each kiosk, but most are very close so we park the car and walk.

Here is Chuck and Pauline walking into Rat Race - our local kiosk for getting our top-up cards for our phones.

Tala has the kiosk area which leads to the market - this area is closer to the market. You will find second hand clothing, vegetables, second hand shoes etc. But you can also buy 1 bar of soap, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 dixie cup of kerosene - that is how most people buy these (and many more items) because they can not afford anything in a bigger quantity.

This is the market and my favorite place to shop and watch people. The women are all friendly and wanting you to buy their vegetables/fruits/pots & pans because they will give you "bei mazuri" (good price)! On market days this area is packed with people selling 1 head of cabbage, 1 banana and trying to make enough to feed their family that night.

Sorry if you have a weak stomach! This is the butchers. In the morning the butcher will slaughter a goat, hang it in the window and wait for customers. When we went in he simply hacks off a chunk of goat from the window with a machete, weighs it on the scales (bones and all) and wraps it in brown paper.

Sometimes you'll even get a small package of herbs/spices to boil the meat in!

On the far right of the picture are the intestines which are considered the choicest part (Kenyans say the sweetest part). Yes I have had them and sorry to my Kenyan friends and family but I don't consider them to be the sweetest!

So there is a small picture of what our home away from home looks like. It is pretty rustic and getting supplies for the school isn't possible here, but our daily needs were met.

Your support is helping to keep food in the kids' bellies, clothes on their backs and education in their lives! Thank you for your continued support.