JUNE 2023

This time of year seems to be full of contrasts and contradictions. June in the Great Rift Valley is cold and damp as winter approaches. Living at 2200m altitude the clouds roll in and it can be days before you see the bright blue sky. Yet for many of friends it is Summer time, the long days, the day trips to the coast and holidays just around the corner. Schools are winding down and coming to a close, with many in the USA already on break and those in the UK counting down. At Jonah and Caleb's school, The Rift Valley Academy, they finish at the start of July. But at Cornerstone Preparatory Academy, the all-through school that is one of the programs at Naomi's Village, it is the middle of the school year. So we find ourselves at the end of the school year but also in the middle of the school year. It's cold and winter but it is also summer. As we experience one thing and are aware of another, it being both summer and winter, and as we live in the reality of it being the both the end of the school year and the middle of the school year, the contrasts and contradictions remind us of the "already and not yet" nature of the gospel. We live in a theological tension. By faith in Christ, all of the spiritual blessings are ours already, but the full enjoyment of these blessings is not yet ours. This is the life of faith: “the assurance of things hoped for” in the future, and “the conviction of things not seen” in the present (Hebrews 11:1). In one sense, we are already adopted, redeemed, sanctified, and saved; in another, these experiences are not yet fully ours as we live and work in a world broken by the consequences of sin. It is in this tension that we "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14) using education to break the chains of generational poverty and equip and empower the next generation of Kenyan leaders.

At the beginning of July we are visiting the UK for a few weeks. Trading one reality for another; winter for summer, the middle of the school year for the end of the school year. So over the last few weeks we have been preparing for that trip. It is always a surprise how much organisation is needed to "return home" for a few weeks. As well as the obvious stuff of packing and planning for a few weeks away and living out of suitcases, plans and preparation need to be made and put in place for our time away from Cornerstone Preparatory Academy and Naomi's Village. The Ministry does not stop while we are out of the country. That can make it hard to be away and to take a break but we know it is important. We would love you to pray for our time away that we get that balance right. We will still need to have some involvement in what is happening in Kenya but we know that we need to rest well and switch off. Getting the balance right will be like walking a tightrope. This is also the first time we are heading back to the UK without any passport complications, pandemic restrictions or pilot strikes. It could be our most straightforward trip yet! Famous last words...