These are just a couple of pictures of some of the children I met when I first came to visit the school. They are so much fun. Let me tell yo a little about the school and the area....
Christ's Gift Academy (CGA) is a school located in Mbita, Kenya (SUBA District) that serves primarily orphans. Nyanza province is the largest to be hit by HIV/AIDS. The school provides Christian-based education and hope to the children and community. They also provide two meals a day, clothes/uniforms, books, medical needs and love. They also support widow groups of the community and many other needs that arise.
CGA is a primary school (nursery to grade 8) and supports our graduates in secondary schools (two classes at this time) as well. The school is one of the best in the province academically and has done amazing in athletics, achieving invitations to tournaments meant mostly for secondary and club teams. Many of our students go on to compete at provincial levels. But, most of all, our students' character is beyond measure. They are bold, driven and energetic in their faith. This is evident in the joy they show. These are children that have seen and been through more than I can ever imagine, but, because of their faith, they find joy in even the littlest things. It is our hope that these students can graduate from CGA and go out into the world to share their testimonies and joy with others and bring new hope to this country.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
How it got started
In 2006 I was lived in Charleston, SC and attended Seacoast church. I was enjoying my life... many good changes. I really thought I had found my home there. I have always been interested in missions, but not very serious about it. I never thought it was something I would do on a long term basis. I thought... maybe I'd visit a 3rd world country someday... see what I could do to help out while I'm there... nothing more. Africa had always been on my heart. I remember watching Feed the Children and World Vision when I was little, thinking, "I want to go there and meet those children." But, it stopped there. Then, my church was presenting their short-term mission projects for the year. I felt the urge to participate. Two weeks? Perfect!
At the time, I had been working as a speech therapist in schools (mostly middle and high schools) for several years. I was so very burnt out at the time. I had actually decided to take a break from the school system and return to working as a therapist in acute care hospitals. So, I thought a medical mission trip to Africa sounded perfect for me. I attended the missions dinner at my church with this in mind. Each leader presented their trip. The leader for the missions trip to CGA gave her presentation along with a video. My heartstrings were be yanked. I went and sat at her table to listen to more and the minute she said "lesson plan," I was out of there. I signed up for a medical mission to South Africa that day.
I attended the first meeting for this trip. I started my fund raising... even achieved my financial goal. I was ready. It was clear that I was supposed to go. However, a few weeks later, I received a call that my application was not in the file... they had no record of me. The trip was full and I would not be able to go on the trip. I was discouraged, but found 2 more medical trips to Kenya. However, one was such short notice that I could not get things together in time. The other was cancelled 1 week after I signed up. I was ready to forget it. Then, a friend mentioned CGA, the first place that really captured my heart. I called the leader, Sherry to see if she still had room on her team. She said that the team was actually full. However, they needed someone that had experience in the upper grades, like middle school, but was having difficulty finding someone. I explained that I was actually calling her from work... at a middle school. We immediately decided to meet.
When we met, we found that it was a perfect fit. Things that I had done in my professional career over the last 6-7 years; things that seemed so random at the time, now became clear. God had set the path the entire time. I just hadn't seen it. I even had many connections with the team leader. We were both from the same town in St. Louis, had attended the same high school, our brothers ran track together, and some of our family attended the same church. I think God threw these things in for our own entertainment, but how great is that? Thanks!
So, I began preparing for the trip. I boarded the plane in Charleston with my team on June 17th, 2007. We arrived in Mbita, Kenya (another fun story here, but I'll wait) on the 19th. I think I knew before we even landed that this experience would change my life.... I didn't know then how much. Over the next two weeks, I received so much confirmation that this is where I was supposed to be. However, I still wasn't convinced and decided to go home and pray about it for at least a month. Two weeks after I had returned home, I couldn't get it off of my mind. God spoke to me through so many different avenues... After two weeks, I emailed a friend that I had met while in Kenya. I asked him how long it took him to make his decision. His answer was, "two weeks." Hmmmm..... I filled out the application the next day and here I am. Did I have moments of doubts in the 10 months I spent preparing? Yes. Do I sometimes have doubts now that I'm here? Yes. I even sometimes question my decision to return long term. Really? Me? Kenya? Do you know my past? How flawed I am? But, His answer remains the same... Yes. Sometimes I'm too busy to hear, but somehow He always stills me and makes me listen...
At the time, I had been working as a speech therapist in schools (mostly middle and high schools) for several years. I was so very burnt out at the time. I had actually decided to take a break from the school system and return to working as a therapist in acute care hospitals. So, I thought a medical mission trip to Africa sounded perfect for me. I attended the missions dinner at my church with this in mind. Each leader presented their trip. The leader for the missions trip to CGA gave her presentation along with a video. My heartstrings were be yanked. I went and sat at her table to listen to more and the minute she said "lesson plan," I was out of there. I signed up for a medical mission to South Africa that day.
I attended the first meeting for this trip. I started my fund raising... even achieved my financial goal. I was ready. It was clear that I was supposed to go. However, a few weeks later, I received a call that my application was not in the file... they had no record of me. The trip was full and I would not be able to go on the trip. I was discouraged, but found 2 more medical trips to Kenya. However, one was such short notice that I could not get things together in time. The other was cancelled 1 week after I signed up. I was ready to forget it. Then, a friend mentioned CGA, the first place that really captured my heart. I called the leader, Sherry to see if she still had room on her team. She said that the team was actually full. However, they needed someone that had experience in the upper grades, like middle school, but was having difficulty finding someone. I explained that I was actually calling her from work... at a middle school. We immediately decided to meet.
When we met, we found that it was a perfect fit. Things that I had done in my professional career over the last 6-7 years; things that seemed so random at the time, now became clear. God had set the path the entire time. I just hadn't seen it. I even had many connections with the team leader. We were both from the same town in St. Louis, had attended the same high school, our brothers ran track together, and some of our family attended the same church. I think God threw these things in for our own entertainment, but how great is that? Thanks!
So, I began preparing for the trip. I boarded the plane in Charleston with my team on June 17th, 2007. We arrived in Mbita, Kenya (another fun story here, but I'll wait) on the 19th. I think I knew before we even landed that this experience would change my life.... I didn't know then how much. Over the next two weeks, I received so much confirmation that this is where I was supposed to be. However, I still wasn't convinced and decided to go home and pray about it for at least a month. Two weeks after I had returned home, I couldn't get it off of my mind. God spoke to me through so many different avenues... After two weeks, I emailed a friend that I had met while in Kenya. I asked him how long it took him to make his decision. His answer was, "two weeks." Hmmmm..... I filled out the application the next day and here I am. Did I have moments of doubts in the 10 months I spent preparing? Yes. Do I sometimes have doubts now that I'm here? Yes. I even sometimes question my decision to return long term. Really? Me? Kenya? Do you know my past? How flawed I am? But, His answer remains the same... Yes. Sometimes I'm too busy to hear, but somehow He always stills me and makes me listen...
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