SEPTEMBER 2022

For a lot of people September is the start of a new term. And that is the same here. The boys have started the new school year well and are really enjoying being back in school and seeing their friends. Jonah is in Grade 3 (year 4) and is becoming increasingly independent. Caleb is now in Grade 1 (year 2) and is as lively as ever. It such a blessing that the boys continue to love school, it certainly makes life easier. Anna will be 6 months old in a few weeks and continues to bring a lot of joy to our home.

Sean has returned to Cornerstone after a short break and we have all enjoyed being back in routine. The Kenyan term dates are slightly different to what we are used to and at the end of September pupils returned for the final term of the year. The end of term break allowed time for meeting and planning with key leaders as well as a couple of days for teacher training. After having some time off, Sean was expecting to be to return with some fresh zeal for the term ahead before we return to the UK for Christmas. However, this was not the case and he found it quite difficult being back. It has been a long few months and with the accident and the arrival of Anna there have certainly been some heightened emotions. The lack of progress in school improvement has also been rather disheartening. Of course, it will take more than two years to break the cycle of generational poverty in this community and it is a helpful reminder that Jesus calls us to obedience and not success. Progress can be slow and difficult but Christ does not call us to be fruitful but faithful. So we keep going, committing ourselves “to Him, who broke my chains because to live is Christ and to die is gain. There is nothing I want more, than my last breath confess, A life lived all to Him.”

This month also saw Rachel’s parents arrive which was wonderful. It was so lovely to be able to spend time with them and for them to meet Anna. We loved being able to show them what our life looks here, for them to see the boys’ school and our local area. It was amazing for them to be able to go and meet the family of the child they sponsor and to see the five different programs run by Naomi’s Village. It has been so much fun to be able to spend time with family and after not having any visitors over the last two years we have really enjoyed being able to host people, share our lives and show them what God is up to in the Great Rift Valley. So when are you coming?

When writing to the church in Thessalonica Paul said "...we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." (1 Thess 2:8) and that is what we want to do, we want to share our lives. We can't do this work on our own so we are so grateful to be able to share our lives and partner with you as we join in with what God is doing. Thank you.