MARCH 2021

With children in the UK returning to school and with many people getting the vaccination we hope that it feels like the COVID fog is beginning to clear. In Kenya there is a very limited amount of doses so it is extremely unlikely we will be able to get the vaccine here but we have booked flights to visit the UK for the summer so hopefully we will be able to get it then.

To be honest with you that last few weeks have been pretty tough, maybe the hardest since we've been here. Continuing with issues with the car from last month Sean was involved in a car crash. Thankfully no one was hurt or injured. The damage to the other car was quite substantial and in the UK there is no doubt it would have been a write off. There are a couple of photos below. Following that there were a number of different issues with staff at Cornerstone Preparatory Academy which led to two teachers being fired and a number of others receiving disciplinary letters. Then the cherry on the top was at the end of the week the screen on one of our laptops ended up getting smashed. The following week started with one of the pupils from the community, a 9 year old girl, running away from home and missing for 3 days. It was one thing after the other.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18 says: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing." These verses have brought us great comfort over the last few weeks reminding us of who God is and why we are here, defending and fighting for the cause of the fatherless on behalf of a God who is might and awesome. It has been humbling seeing God at work in the midst of all this. Sean was talking with a friend about all that had been going on and their response was to pray and send us a new laptop. The day we took our car to the garage was also the day that we received a one-off gift from some friends that was unexpected and out of the blue, the amount was the exact cost of the repairs. He is awesome and mighty.

We have been encouraged by the ongoing work in the community. The Maendeleo project continues to provide jobs and food for so many in the community. Strawberries, potatoes, onions are just some of the crops that have been planted on the shembas (farms/ allotments) at the CPA campus. The grade 8s finished their primary school leaving exams this week and we all really proud of them, particularly given the disruption that COVID caused in their final year of primary school. We had a lovely time having the class up on the weekend before their exams starting. Obviously we had pizza which if you don't know already has become a bit of a thing.

Jonah has a month of school for Easter and we are making the most of that time by heading to the Kenyan coast for a few days. We staying at a resort in Diani which looks very similar to Broadstairs...... After the last few weeks we're looking forward to some time together as a family to rest and have fun.