JUNE 2022

Cornerstone Preparatory Academy continues to grow and we now have over 40 teaching staff. The school follows the Kenyan system and starts with PP2 (Reception/ Kindergarten) and runs all the way through to Form 4 (Upper 6th/ Seniors). Over the last term Sean has been working together with some senior teachers to develop a rolling professional development programme for all teaching staff. Having an all-Kenyan teaching staff will make the real difference in the lives of these children and so investing in their development is a priority. Like most countries, schools in Kenya are preparing for the summer break. Schools here break up for the summer at the end of June and return in August for the final term. Although, at Cornerstone Preparatory Academy, we have a much shorter break. This not only ensures the welfare of all of the pupils and helps families who lack food security but also enables us to close the attainment gap. The children return after summer for the final term before a new school year begins in January with a new curriculum. Discussions and planning are already taking place to ensure that every child who attends Cornerstone Preparatory Academy has access to a quality education that will empower and equip them to break the generational cycle of poverty and be able to shape their future. At home, Rachel and Anna are doing well. It has been an adjustment having a baby in an unfamiliar culture and context but one that we are getting used to. Jonah and Caleb finish school at the beginning of July. They both really love school and we are very grateful for RVA and the staff there. RVA has meant that our boys have the opportunity to receive a great education while we are able to serve God in rural Kenya. Although we are not grateful for the American accents they’re starting to pick up. Please pray for that 😉. With the boys finishing school we had planned to come to the UK for summer. We were really looking forward to it as when we came at Christmas the spread of COVID variants significantly impacted the amount of people we could see. Of course, we were also excited about being able to introduce Anna to everyone. However, unfortunately, we will not be able to make that trip. An overseas and first- time passport application is a long and complicated process and a delay in receiving Anna's passport means we will not be able to travel. Every time we book a trip, we seem to encounter complications and it is exhausting. Romans 5: 3-4 says:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

It’s a helpful reminder that London is not “home”. Of course, we want to catch up with friends and family, we are desperate for people to meet Anna and we really need a break, a time to rest and be refreshed. But ultimately, we are pilgrims. In 1678 John Bunyan wrote ‘A Pilgrim’s Progress’ which is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature. It follows a man called Christian as he leaves the City of Destruction and journeys to a place called the Celestial City, encountering all sorts of roadblocks and fearsome creatures along the way. Randy Alcorn, a best-selling author, puts it this way:

“ In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus speaks about storing up treasures in Heaven, not earth…something that requires an eternal perspective. I think of our lives in terms of a dot and a line, signifying two phases. Our present life on earth is the dot. It begins. It ends. It’s brief. However, from the dot, a line extends that goes on forever. That line is eternity, which Christians will spend in heaven. Right now we’re living in the dot. But what are we living for? The short-sighted person lives for the dot. The person with perspective lives for the line."

We can certainly relate to Christian's journey towards the Celestial City and are doing our best not to put our hope in a break over the summer but to live for the line, to live with an eternal perspective. Thank you for standing with us and partnering with us on this journey. We love you and couldn't do it without you.