New Classroom

The school is doing well. I am amazed at how many times we struggle to make a decision, wondering if we are making the right choice. Then we started the school on the faith that God would provide all we need and he hasn’t failed us yet. The classroom that we were using was small. The kids crammed in the room and the teacher didn’t have much space to walk around and barely enough room to stand. There was no space for Dan and Isaac because they need support to be able to sit and there was no room for their sitting aides. We knew it was cramped in there, but we were grateful that God provided us with the means to start educating these children. 

The kids in the old classroom.

Then we had a team from Saddleback Church that came to visit the house. They asked us what our needs are and we told them that we would like to build a temporary classroom so that all of the kids would have enough space and opportunity to start learning and they gave us the financial support that we needed to build the classroom.

The new building.

The new building is finished and is exactly what we needed. All the kids are able to sit and learn together. We are now planning on gathering items to make an area in the old classroom where the younger kids can play with educational games after lunch and the ones who need a little extra support can have a quiet place to work one on one with the teacher.  

Classtime!

Dan and Isaac in class.

We are amazed and thankful at all of your continued love and support. Thanks again!

Thank you Mr. DelPadre's Class

I am often left in awe of how God works. He has put this passion and love in my heart for these twelve very special kids at my house and because of his love others are so supportive of the work that we are doing here. I want to give another special thank you to Mr. DelPadre’s fifth grade class. Such young kids have such generous and unselfish hearts. We received a late Christmas present from their class this week and the kids were so excited. We appreciate all of your love, prayers and support! Thanks for your gifts and for putting these big smiles on the kids faces.

The whole gang looking good in their new beanies!

Cyril

Bramwel

Sammy

Newton

Lillian

Allan

Willy

Isaac

Lavender

Silly Willy tried on everyone's hat.

Manu

All the excitement tired Dan out.

Franco

Manu was so excited to read his cards.

Sweet Franco reading Isaac's card to him.

Willy reading his card.

Allan and Bram happy campers with their hats and cards.

Lillian helped out by reading everyone's cards to them.

Franco reading his card.

Bramwel loved looking at everyone's drawings.

Dan woke up to take a look at his cards.

Little Sammy was so excited!

New Year. New Blessings.

We are excited for this new year and are excited for the things that God is doing around here. We have been blessed with so much support in so many different ways this past year. 

We’d like to give a special thank you to Bre and Jay for helping us finish building the rest of the rooms at the house. Now we have extra space to keep expanding an moving into the next phase that God has planned for the house. 

The side of the house when we first moved in.

All the rooms finished. 

As we approached the new year we were thinking about where to send the kids at the house to school. We had dreams of starting a school, but were going to wait until we could afford land, buildings and all of that other stuff. Then we thought why not now? God blessed us with more space and then it will be easy to make sure that the individual educational needs of every one of our kids are being met. So, we decided to open up an integrated pre school where the kids can start learning and growing to their full potential. We are blessed to have found an excellent teacher with a caring heart to invest in the lives of these young kids.

Teacher Cristabel with her students.

Margaret, Christabel's daughter, who also is a part of our little school.

Cristabel and all the kids singing, playing and learning together. 

I am excited to be able to put my education into practice as I begin to work with the ECD (Early Childhood Development) Teacher to plan our curriculum and design an individualized education plan for the ones that need extra support to be able to learn. I have been taking the kids out one at a time to spend some time one on one reviewing what the teacher covers daily in class. We made a few activities that the kids can be presented the material in a new way to support their learning. Here are a few pictures we took during one on one time.

Willy working on his colors.

Lavender working on counting and identifying numbers 1-3

Manu working on sorting and matching colors.

We are starting with eleven of the kids living at the house and six children staying at another children’s home that is run by my good friend Leila. The kids come in the morning for school and then go home in the afternoon. It's great having her kids around to give our kids that little push and support that they need to learn. 

Leila and all her kids.

Martin

Rose

Rael

Emily

John

Alex

We are excited for what God has in store for us as he continues to bless us by expanding our territory.

Also this month Lillian started third grade at Milimani Primary.  She is was a little nervous to be starting a new school in a new town, but she is a confident little girl and is already making friends and making a  quick adjustment. After school she comes home in the afternoon and sits in the classroom with the other kids and helps the teacher work with the ones who need a little extra support. 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is a time to remember all that Christ has done for us. We give gifts as we remember the greatest gift that God gave the whole world on a single day. It was great to see the joy in all of these kids faces on Christmas. Most of these kids come from places where there was no extra money to celebrate Christmas so it was just another day to them. It was a blessing to be able to see these kids with such big smiles on their faces knowing it is because of Christ’s coming to earth that we are able to carry on his work here. Thank you all for your continued support and we pray that God will continue to bless you and your families as we move into another new year. 

Augustus, Sammy and Franco with their new water guns. 

Everyone playing together with their new blocks. 

Thanks to Maike and her family for our new swingset. 

Isaac loved his new toy and didn't put it down the whole day.

Allan

Lavender with all her gifts piled up.

Manu loved his new water gun.

Willy building a car out of the new blocks.

Augustus with his new puzzle.

Lillian and Franco showing Lavender how to push the buttons on her new phone.

Lillian loves puzzles!

Big smiles from Branwel.

Lilian writing on her new whiteboard. 

These boys love their cars.

Sam and Lavender playing together.

Willy lost the water gun fight.