Look Up

About a month ago, a high school friend of mine visited us. It was fun to walk down memory lane with her as she snapped photos all over campus and we talked about our many memories here at RVA,  as students. She lives in the US and is juggling the roles of mom, wife, and employee. And it struck me: Our lives are not that different. Sometimes I wonder if people think our life here is different just because we are missionaries. The answer - not really! We get up, go to work, come home, try to fit in the kids' homework with our dishes, emails, and other business. We have good days and bad. We can easily get caught up in the mundane, the nitty-gritty, the boring. Many days, my head is so bent down to my task in front of me, I have to remind myself to look up and see what is around me.

Thankfully, there are those moments that I remember why we are here - the bigger picture. The moment when a student has a prayer request for his family's ministry and I remember that we are part of the big picture of reaching people for Christ. The moment when we witness a dozen students taking a stand for Christ in the waters of baptism and I remember that we are investing in the lives of these kids.

There are also moments I remember we live in Africa. When we hit our Christmas vacation and after catching our breath, we pack up our tents and coolers and head to the wild for a days. We feel the warm African breeze, smell the dust and earth, and savor God's creation.

May we all remember to look up today and see what is around us.

A Mid-Term Update

We have just completed our first half term of this school year. The six weeks went by quickly, which I guess is a good thing. Don't they say time flies when you are having fun?

The first six weeks of teaching 5th grade went really well. Yes, it is busy. Yes, it has taken some adjustment for the family to get used to Mom working full time. But overall, it is going great! The 5th graders are really sweet!

All of the above pictures are taken in my classroom.

I love the staff up at Titchie Swot! (The elementary school). They are a great bunch!

A highlight of our term was taking the fifth graders on a field trip to Lake Naivasha. The kids learned a lot at the Owl Centre we visited. Many of them even got to hold an owl. We also went on a boat ride on the lake, and were able to spot some hippos!

We will try to post some other pictures next time, such as Jeff's soccer team and the kid's sporting events. Thanks for praying for us! We appreciate you. :)

School's Just Around the Corner....

Well, we have had our fun, but our "summer" (really, winter, with the cold weather here!) break is almost done!

I am thankful we chose to stick close to home these past few weeks. We have been on-the-go so much int he last year, it felt good just to "be." Doing projects around the house, playing games with the kids, little day trips to Nairobi or Naivasha, welcoming new staff to RVA, etc.

For Megan's birthday, the ladies took her out for a real "coffee date" at Brackenhurst.

Our kids, plus a few neighbor kids, organized a little Moto-Cross race one day. They had a blast... and stayed safe -(my favorite part!)

We took the kids to an Elephant Orphanage one day. It was cool to see how this organization rescues baby elephants who are orphaned or abandoned, and re-introduces them to the wild when they are old enough.

We joined another family for a rock-climbing day in the valley. Here are our girls, enjoying the outdoors. Megan found a baby rock hyrax. It was covered in fleas, so we took a quick pose and let it go!

Horseback Riding in the bush! The kids had so much fun...

Now that we are winding down our summer, we are gearing up for school. I am re-entering the world of full-time teaching again! I will be teaching 5th grade this year, and I am excited that I get to team - teach with another teacher. He will do the Math and Science and I will do the Language Arts and Social Studies. I spent a good chunk of time getting my classroom ready this break.

The new families arrive today (Aug. 29) for an orientation day. The returning students arrive tomorrow. And then classes begin on Monday (Sept. 1)  

Pray for a wonderful school year and that I would be able to shine Jesus to my students each day. 

Megan's 12 Tasks

There's a neat tradition that takes place in our community here. It was started by a family years ago and lives on. On a child's 12th birthday, they are presented with 12 Tasks - decided upon by the parents and child together. Those tasks are worked on and completed by the 13th birthday. It is kind of like a rite of passage, or a gateway into young adulthood. Megan has been talking about her 12 tasks for a months now. So, on her 12th birthday, we presented her with a journal. Here are her tasks for this next year:

                                            Megan’s 12 Tasks:

1.             Grow nails to end of fingertips.

2.             Save 5,000/=

3.             Provide 12 hours of free babysitting services

4.             Read through the New Testament in a year

5.             Run 15 miles with Mom (accumulated – not at once!)

6.             Plan and cook a supper meal for the family.

7.             Plan a friend event and invite 3 or 4 friends.

8.             Memorize James chapter 4.

9.             Climb Mt. Kenya with Dad.

10.         Change the oil and a tyre on the Landie with Dad.

11.         Plan and create a piece of artwork to be framed.

12.         Plan and record 12 random acts of kindness for those around you. Make sure you include your brother and sister.

She accepted the tasks with great excitement. We can't wait to see what a responsible young lady she will become this year! Here she is, working on task number 4:

A Celebration and a Graduation

At the end of this school year, we attended Megan's 6th grade "celebration" - not to be confused with a graduation. I am kind of glad they keep those separate! I am certainly not ready for that step yet! :)
Megan is a part of a wonderful class! As these kids leave "Titchie Swot" (our elementary school) behind and head to Junior High, this beautiful service sent them off with a blessing and a challenge to grow closer to the Lord.

A few days later, we attended graduation for our seniors. It was a wonderful, yet bittersweet day. We have known many of these students since they were young and we are so very proud of them, yet sad to see them leave! 

We are so blessed to work with these amazing kids!