As I sit down to write this I have been back in Canada for 4 weeks. In some ways my time in Kenya seems like a world away and yet in so many others I feel as though I was there just yesterday. It has been wonderful to see friends and family in Kelowna and yet the faces that filled my life for the past five months continue to remain as fresh in my mind and heart as ever. Their lives will continue to impact mine until the Christ calls me home.

Some of you have been following my journey from the beginning, others of you may be hearing about it for the first time. If you are, here is a quick rundown.

• I was in Kenya for 5 months, primarily working in the Kibera slum in Nairobi.
• My partner, Viola, and worked at Changing Times Center in the heart of Kibera working with the youth and teaching at an informal primary school.
• Changing Times Center is run by Kenyans and offers literacy classes, tailoring classes, youth group, HIV support, and runs a clinic and primary school.

Regardless, I want to take a few moments and just share with you some of the incredible ways that God has used you to make an impact on the lives of so many, thousands of miles away in the slums of Kenya.

Because of you…

An entire school of children have uniforms.

A family from Trinity who supported my trip asked before I left if there was anything else they could help with and  after checking with my ministry director in Kenya, this need was presented. Without hesitation they stepped up and covered the entire cost of material and making of uniforms for every child at the school. The uniforms were made in the tailoring room at the center right in Kibera. Having uniforms gives the children a sense of worth and helps them to know that they are valued in a way that I can’t express in words. But you can sure see it in their faces… can’t you?

My class in their new uniforms!

Class Jars

This may sound quite small and simple but it makes a world of difference. When we arrived at the school, most of the students were using tiny pencils, some not even 2 inches long. At break or lunch, they would take a little razor blade from their pocket and scrape away at the end of the pencil to sharpen it. Others lost theirs between the cracks in the floorboards and would simply sit and listen. With support money, Viola and I were able to put together “Class Jars” for classes 1-5. They contain a pencil for each child, sharpeners, erasers, chalk for the teacher, a chalk board eraser, a red pen for the teacher and a ruler for the class. When my parents came over in October they brought with them a huge suitcase full of [ens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, stickers, and all kinds of supplies for the school and clinic. Most was given by people at Trinity. Thank you SO much. We were able to use them and leave some for the teachers to continue using this coming term. Having these simple supplies helps kids take notes, and gives them a chance to really learn.

Christmas Presents

On our last day at the school we had a Christmas party with all of the kids in Standard 1 - 5. (Aprox. Grades 1-5) For most of these kids, Christmas is probably just like every other day. There isn't extra money for presents or a special meal. We took them to play football in the morning and during lunch a Kenyan lady we had gotten to know came with juice and mandazi's (donuts) for all of the kids. What a treat! They were so excited. We sang songs and did a craft with them in the afternoon. Finally, just before leaving we gave each of them a gift, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. Many didn't even know what to do with the wrapping paper, or tried to take it off carefully and save it. Each child received a hard cover book of Bible stories, written in Swahili and full of pictures. Something they can keep and treasure, hopefully, a way that God's Word can continue to find a way into their little hearts.

Christmas presents!

New School & Feeding Program

Since it was started in January of 2009, Changing Times School has been held in a building that has been rented by the Center. At times the situation with the landlord and neighbours has been quite difficult. Between paying rent, and funding the feeding program things can get tight as most students cannot afford the school fee of less than $3 a month. For most, the meal they receive at school is the only one they have each day. In October, God moved the heart of someone at Trinity to give a donation to the children at the school. As a result, the feeding program has been completely funded for the next school year (through December 2010). In addition, the Center was able to purchase a piece of property directly across from the center and build an entirely new school. Classrooms are bigger than in the rented facility and it will be used for church on Sundays as well. The donation also helped to restock the dwindling supply at the Center’s clinic.

The new school! Almost done!

Feeding Program

Textbooks

Right now, the school has one teachers book and one pupils book for each subject. None of the students use textbooks but copy everything off of the chalk board. I’ll never forget how excited my class was the first time I turned my teachers book around to show them the pictures on the page. We grow up looking at pictures and story books; they hardly ever see pictures and especially not at school. With remaining support, we were able to purchase enough textbooks for each student to have a textbook in each subject for Class 2 through Class 6. The books have been covered for protection so they will last as long as possible and will be used beginning with the new school in January.

I honestly do not have words to say thank you for all you have done for these kids. You have encouraged me and inspired others to step up too. In reaching out and making a difference for these kids and in serving them the way that you have it has not only been a blessing to each of them but to our Heavenly Father, a way that you have honoured and loved Him. I love the way The Message puts Matthew 25:40…

“Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”

Again…

Thank you.

Goodbyes are never easy. I suppose one cannot expect that they would be and yet this time was especially difficult. I have spent the last few months teaching, getting to know, and falling in love with twenty-four beautiful children in the slum of Kibera. Their names and faces are forever etched in the deepest parts of my heart and mind. Even in coming, I knew I would find it hard to leave and at times wondered if it was even worth coming knowing I was not staying. Would I make an impact? Would I even be able to do more good than harm in 5 months? And yet, I would not trade the time, experiences and relationships I have had in Kenya.

Some of the little ones outside the center

Monday was our last day with the kids at the school. In the morning we took them to football and had a blast just running, playing and laughing together. Then we took them back and had lunch in the bottom of the new school which is almost finished being built! It was so good to see the kids in an area where they could spread out and run around a bit! Rose, (a wonderful woman and our good friend who runs an internet cafe near our place) came in and had made the kids well over a hundred maandazi’s (Kenya donuts) and brought them juice. A definite treat… they were so excited! After lunch we sang some songs and had room to let the kids dance and make some real noise which was great. We took the kids back over to the current school to wrap the day up with a craft and handed out some cookies/treats/stickers and a book each. We got them each a little book of Bible stories written in Swahili with pictures. My mom had brought over a ton of Christmas wrapping paper so we’d been able to wrap them all up and hand them out as Christmas presents. Honestly, most of the kids didn’t know what to do with the gift or how to go about unwrapping it and once they figured it out. It was a slow process of carefully unwrapping and saving the paper. A little different than our chaotic tearing and shredding of wrapping paper isn’t it?

Honestly, all day I was doing absolutely fine. Having fun with the kids, laughing and just really soaking up every minute of just being with them. As the day wrapped up I went in and said goodbye to Class 1, to Class 4 & 5, then to Class 3. I was not finding it nearly as difficult as I expected it would be and thought that perhaps I had just psyched myself up and was going to be fine, only to walk into my class and find that I was very wrong. The minute I stepped in and saw all of their little eyes and serious faces look up at me I lost it. My eyes instantly filled and I couldn’t bring myself to even get a word out. Any outer shell that was left instantly crumbled. I stepped outside and tried to pull it together and as soon as I walked back in realized it was a completely hopeless cause. I managed to get through a prayer for my class and had Teacher Monica translate for me to the kids. It was just a sad scene… no end of crying kids and teachers. I went around to each kid to hug them and say goodbye. Some sobbed in my arms and others wouldn’t bring themselves to look up at me. Others however, such as Robert, were just fine! Little Robert for example is the one who is often crying because someone has pinched or pushed him and he was looking around with a huge grin on his little mischievous face just glorying in the fact that everyone else was crying and he wasn’t. Even in that moment I just had to smile at that.

I told all the kids that they should go home and they filed out the door as I said goodbye one last time trying to take a mental snapshot as each one walked by. At the end I looked up to see Caleb and Saddam still sitting at their desks, faces down sobbing in their arms. For about fifteen minutes we tried in vain to get them up and ended up having to finally leave them with Teacher Monica. Looking back into that classroom for the last time and walking away with two of my kids still sitting there was hard. Turned out that a few of them had been waiting and about six of them walked with me to the edge of Kibera. Saddam even caught up with us and walked me too… right to the very end.

Tuesday we went in to Changing Times Center to say goodbye to everyone there. In the afternoon we had a party with all the staff which was a moving time of reflecting, sharing memories, encouragement and thanks back and forth. Tears were shed and it was sad to say goodbye but there was so much to be thankful for that has taken place over the last few months… not to mention meaningful relationships and friendships that will definitely last beyond Tuesday’s goodbye. However, throughout the goodbye party with the staff I heard “Teacher Sarah!” being whispered and turned to see little eyes peering in the tiny cracks in the closed window behind me. It was a few of my students who had heard we were at the center. I crept out of the party at one point to say a last (tearful yet again) goodbye and try and send them home. However, Joseph and Saddam waited over two hours for us to finish saying our party and goodbyes and walked with me to the very edge of Kibera just as they had the day before. When I finally had to say my very last goodbye to them I bent down, hugged them and told them I loved them and then watched as they turned back in the opposite direction. To be honest… I really don’t have the words to express how much those last two walks meant to me. We couldn’t talk much but words were far from necessary. Their presence and the look on their faces every time I smiled through my tears at them were more than words could ever have expressed.

Joseph

Saddam

At this point I am learning to trust God with each of those twenty-four children. I struggle with the fact that I will most likely never see any of them again and yet will never stop hoping that I might. I will always think of them and wonder where they are, how they are, and what they are doing. And I will always be praying for them.

I want to share with you a letter I received. On Monday morning one of my students, Catherine, came to me with a thank-you card from her mother. She and her twin brother Raphael have been in my class. It is addressed to me but as soon as I read it I thought, I need to share this because it is just as much to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, been praying for me, and allowed me to be here. Please read this with the understanding that is just as much to you…

Dear Teacher Sarah,

This card is simply to say thank you! Thank you for all the wonderful things you’ve done to Kate and Raphael and on behalf of the other children too. For instilling hope and faith in their daily endeavours, for making leaving to be fun, but and yet still a knowledgeable journey. Thank you for the gifts and the love you’ve shown and shared with them. Thank you for everything and I hope and pray there are more of you to come.

Got your email address and I promise to write to say hello at least once. Mine is ________________.

May God richly and in abundance bless you all. And may his grace be with you always.

Kate and Raphael’s mum, Lydia

Class 1-5 after football our last day

So please, even as I leave Kenya and return to Canada… do not forget these children and their families. Know that you have had a huge impact on the people of Kibera and can continue to through your prayers and support.

We just got back from Kijabe from an AIM Conference and are at Mayfield until flying out tomorrow night. Would really appreciate your prayers as I head back! I should be landing in Vancouver Tuesday evening. Thanks!