I heard them, before I opened my eyes, some of God’s majestic creatures making their presence known: A cock crowing proudly, a cow mooing lazily in someone’s yard, an inaudible crash followed, and not to be outdone, a dog barked furiously, and then I heard it, a high pitched, irritating, and menacing sound moving closer and closer to my ear, I turned my head to look, and there it was, the dreaded mosquito, it seemed blind to the fact that there was no way in, I was protected by a mosquito net, but it persisted, trying to find an entry. Every one of these unique creatures seemed to be telling me, “We are alive, we are here!” And so, I add my human voice to the chorus, Rahab and I are alive too. We made it, and the bus trip wasn’t as bad as I thought. The Chinese have descended on Kenya, and they have work crews everywhere. These roads are the best they’ve ever been. Hooray!
Today we visited Kolanya Girls’ Secondary School and what a day it was! Miss Fanis Manyala, the School Principal welcomed us warmly. The school caterer brought us some freshly squeezed fruit juice cocktail. After that we met with the Esther’s Hope Ministries Teacher Liaison, Mr. Dismas Kiboi, and the Selection Committee made up of seven teachers from several academic disciplines as well as two vice principals. The wonderful teachers (pictured below) were responsible for shortlisting potential scholarship recipients. We thank God for their dedication to ensuring the selection process is fair and transparent. After our meeting the caterer magically appeared again, with tea, sandwiches and, …wait for it----mandazi (a donut like Kenyan delicacy, and my favorite weakness)! Kenyan hospitality is faultless.
And Oh, Yes! We met the Esther’s Hope girls from 2017. What a wonderful reunion! They are grateful, very, very, grateful for this opportunity and they are ready and willing to work hard in school. In one conversation, I spoke to a young girl, Charlene, who is very personable and confident, and she assured me, “I promise you,” she stated, “I will not let you down. I am committed to starting a home for orphaned children when I graduate from college.” I believe her! She’s got what it takes, faith in God, brains, determination, mentoring support and opportunity. I think very soon, she’ll be making her mark on the world, her way of saying, “I am here!” And here we are in pictures, as we wait for a new day: “but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).