Over the past couple of days, I’ve received to emails from Megan White who works with Homeless Children International-Kenya.

There were four pictures which can be seen here, here, here, and here.

Letter 1:
Dear friends and partners,

Hello again!
I hope this finds you well.

Thank you to many of you who have encouraged me greatly with all your positive feedback and blessings.
It is a real joy to hear from you and to partner together in service to the children.

I wanted to recap a fabulous year for us since we got water in LTK.
I’ll send you a bite-sized chunk every day for the next week... Today is about schooling.

These updates will culminate in details about our April trip to the USA.....
so stay tuned....
and begin thinking about what the students could do if they came to your town...

Blessings,
Megan

Continuing in Education!

Priscilla Wairimu, our Head Girl in LTK, scored #1 in the district in her mock exams.

Last year we had 17 students graduate from Primary School (8th grade), 16 of whom continued to secondary school and one who will be enrolling in vocational training.

This year we have 22 students sitting their 8th grade exams in November (KCPEs).

We also have two graduating from High School (Lilian Anusu and Elizabeth Munee), with 62 others boarding schools. Priscilla is still learning a lot as she studies pharmacy at the Nakuru College of Health Sciences and has been doing internships with VIPS clinic in Kibera during her holidays. Her younger sister Margaret is continuing towards her pursuit of a degree in finance.

Please keep all those who are studying for exams in your prayers, as these exams determine what doors will be open to them for the next step in their lives.

Kibo Slopes has a new home!

Our children in LTK are in their own school building now!

I’ve attached a photo with me outside the school building, which was completed in April of this year. Kibo Slopes Academy is now registered and has 7 classrooms in a semi-permanent wood structure.
.....For those of you who haven’t seen me in a while, I’ve changed a bit, no more long blond hair – very fun!

Attached also is a photo of Margaret Wamboi last year when we completed our water project. This sums up why I do what I do. This joy she has comes from the gift of a safe childhood, where she is free from the stresses of street life and able to laugh and play – an essential ingredient to academic excellence. Its a spiritual analogy as well, for when we come to know the love God pours out in abundance on our life, what else can we do but spread that love throughout this world?

"Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die;

that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone;

and that there is only one glory which is eternal. If you do this, there will be

many things about which you care nothing."
- Theresa of Avila, 16th c.

Letter 2:

The boys have a new home too! Our boys home in Kibera has finally relocated!

After many years (yes, years!) of searching for a new home in Nairobi, we reached several conclusions:
1) we felt we should not open a second school;
2) public schools are terrible and do not produce children who can think for themselves;
3) private schooling for the boys would be financially untenable.

We felt that the land we bought last year in Loitokitok (which we abbreviate "LTK") was a bigger gift than we had realized initially. We thought it would just be for the girls home and school (and is where the school has been built). But, it is also the perfect solution for our boys: to allow the boys the freedom and safety of the countryside with quality education.

The move, which happened in August, also allows for siblings to reunite, which makes everyone happy. Two teams from New Song church in Irvine, CA, helped to make this a smooth transition, doing the grunt work of breaking down the Kibera home (the blue tent, the classrooms, etc), and fencing off two acres for the boys soon-to-be-built dorm. One of the teams also spent months preparing for a fabulous arts camp helping the students to explore the talents they have and the possibilities God might have for their lives.

I've just arrived in LTK to oversee the groundbreaking for the dorm, which we can construct with thanks to The Cabot Foundation. Attached is a photo taken an hour ago :)
The Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund has given 3 mobile toilets while we await a Rotary grant to extend our water to the boys’ site.

Construction isn't the most exciting, however, so i've also attached a photo last Christmas with one of our volunteers, Lee Massey, who is working with us and the Stanwich School on a long-term arts development project.
Hopefully she'll return in December to do another arts project!
The boys came down for the holiday and had a chance to do a lot of artwork and have fun. SUCH a better environment than Kibera.
The faces painted in the background were done by Ernest, our multi-talented program manager.