Update #12

Another update from Nairobi...

This past month I spent more time with the Light and Power guys. I have such a heart for these young men and enjoy getting to know about their families, struggles, and dreams. Five of them ran the Nairobi half marathon a few weeks ago- their first (Pictured on the left). They all beat me by over an hour! Kenyans are fast and as I learned on our practice run they are like energizer bunnies. They took me on a "practice" run that turned into a trial 21km race. Thankfully, one guy would stay back with me and go at my pace, but between the hills and fumes from matatus, buses, and cars I was ready to collapse by the end. Then, this past weekend we took a trip to Fourteen Falls in Thika. We try to do one activity with Light and Power every month- whether it is a soccer game or a trip somewhere. They jump at any chance to get out of the Gatina slum. At Fourteen Falls we did a bit of hiking and exploring- it was a wonderful day and they were disappointed when we had to return to Nairobi (Pictured on the right).

By the end of this month the guys at Light and Power will have made over 4,000 bags in November alone! It is incredible to see the hearts and lifestyles of these young men change and at the same time the business grow. I continue to struggle with the idea of combining a ministry with a business, but realize that by offering people a tangible hope through consistent income you are allowing them to comprehend an everlasting hope in the Lord. We haven't had any thefts lately and things seem to be stabilizing. They recently completed a 1,000-bag order for the UN and are currently working on Christmas bags- thanks to a graphic designer in America who gave us the idea. We will be bringing them home in December, so if don't feel like dealing with wrapping paper and tape- let us know-it will be great way to support the young men at Light and Power.

The Akiba School year is coming to a close on November 30th. The class 8 and Form 4 (senior) students will finish the National Exams this week. I will give my Form II students their final exam next week. This month I spent any free time tutoring those struggling in class. It has been my prayer this entire year that they would change their mindset about math. I hope they have seen the importance of this subject. We just finished a chapter on statistics and with the Kenyan presidential election underway right now it served as an opportunity for them to see the application of math. They learned about pie charts, bar graphs, sampling, etc. and Saturday's newspaper highlighted the recent polls, demonstrating everything they just learned.

Students at the Akiba School

I have also spent some of my time connecting various organizations/groups together. There is a HIV/AIDS community group connected with the Anglican Church in an area called Kuwinda. The women here recently went through an arts and craft training for 5 weeks and learned how to make beautiful necklaces out of recycled products. I am working to connect their Board with organizations that already have an established marketplace for selling.

As ministries begin to close and wind down for the Christmas holidays, Amber and I will head to Mombasa at the beginning of December. As my family joined in throwing a pre-Christmas party for the girls last year, Amber and I will try to continue the tradition at Mudzini Kwetu.

I look forward to seeing most of you when I am back in America for Christmas! I still wake up each morning with a joy to serve and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be in Kenya. Thanks for your emails and notes of encouragement.

-Anne

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