A letter from Nairobi (pictures coming soon)

Hi, everyone!

I just came back from a two-week trip to Nairobi and it's about time I give everyone an update on how the kids are doing (allthough I don't know if I should call them kids anymore, they've really grown!). First of all I want to thank everyone for the interest and support that we receive in this exciting situation that we find ourselves in. As the big Book says: Paul planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. I hope that this update will give you the impression that what we have sown has been fruitful.
 
Physical surroundings:
Since last fall the guys have been living in a place called Mowlem. It's pretty far from the city centre and is, by Nairobi standards, a quiet and secluded neighbourhood. The house we're renting is big by Kenyan measures and has four bedrooms, living room, kitchen and three bathrooms spread out over two stories. We're renting this house at a really cheap rate, and thank God for that. It's worth much more than we are able to pay. The eight kids stay there together with Charlie P, Antony Macharia and Dominique Malonza.

School:
All the kids have been in school since May last year. The seven "original ones" are in a school a five minutes' walk from the house, while Peter is in a school run by the local church. Simon, Ken, Jacob and John will start class 4 come this August, while Kevin, Peter, Michael and Kim will start class 6. They have all done an exceptional job catching up in school. Most of them have spent less than a year advancing from being the poorest students in their classes to being above average today. Ken has been the top student in his class the last three terms. In spite of them being a bit older than their classmates they have been able to stay motivated and focus on the sense of accomplishment that they feel by continuously improving. I am very impressed by them.

Material conditions:
Even though our budget is pretty tight, the guys have most of the things they need. They have three nutritious meals a day, have most of the school supplies they need and get new clothes from time to time. They have purchased a TV and a DVD player, so like most teenagers they spend a lot of time watching movies. As everyone in Kenya we have felt the consequenses of the food crisis, with food prices almost doubling in the last few months. With eight growing teenagers in the house food is a significant expense and the grown-ups are doing their best to stretch the budget.
Personal growth:

When I got to Nairobi this time around I was surprised at how much the kids had changed. They have always been good kids, but now they are also very reliable and responsible. They take (relatively) good care of their belongings, listen to what you say and do as they're told. This is a remarkable change. At the same time they become increasingly confident about themselves and their talents. They have a healthy take on the time they spent on the street and a lot of dreams about the future.

Spiritual growth:

These are guys who from the start have known very well that God is the one who has brought them to where they are, not us. They are very aware of and grateful for God being present in their lives, and having a plan with them. They belong to a local church and participate in Sunday school and teen gatherings there, in addition to being taught about Christian faith in school. They show a lot of interest to learn about who God is, and it is very exciting to take part in their growth.

The ones who make it all go around:

I thank God for giving Antony, Malonza and Charlie P a heart for these boys, and for the huge responsibility that they have taken on. They do a fantastic job taking care of everything from money management, following their progress in school, mentoring, devotional life and everything else it requires to be a part of this family.On top of everything, they do this in addition to their own work and studies.

Challenges/prayer issues:
I know that I tend to focus on what is good in every kind of situation, but I will try to put across some of the challenges that we are facing:
- Some of the boys, especially one, still struggle with their relationship to their families. Next week he is going home to try and reconciliate with his father, and it is hard to tell how it will work out. Please pray that he will have strength and wisdom, and that God will open the father's heart.
- There has been a tendency that the kids keep problems to themselves, rather than sharing them with the grown-ups. This is understandable seeing how they have been used to dealing with their own issues, but it is still not a good thing. It affects the emotional climate in the house, at the same time as it prevents the grown-ups from knowing about challenges they should be dealing with.
- In a home of 11 individuals there will inevitably be certain dynamics and people will rub each other the wrong way from time to time. Please pray that anything which might resemble favourizing, "cliques" and such may be resolved. There have been tendencies of this, but Antony, Malonza and Charlie P are trying to deal with it.

In the end I want to share some quotes from the kids with you:

- "When I was living on the street it was just as if I knew that God had other plans for me. I used to come to a new place, and after a while it was just as if a voice told me 'this isn't where you're supposed to be'. Then I would get up and keep moving. Now I know what God wants with my life: he wants me to praise him through song and music. I had to experience what I did in order to have something to sing about." (Kevin)
- "I have a whole collection of exams and test sheets that I found lying around in school, many of them on class 7 and 8 curriculum. When I find these sheets I bring them home and try to solve them to see if I can do it. When I grow up I want to be a police officer, and I want to help other street children to get an education." (Kim)
- "There are a few things I like more than food(!) and one of them is maths. I really love everything that has to do with numbers. But I think English is difficult. What I really want to be is a pilot." (Michael)

Again, thank you for all your support! If you have questions, suggestions or constuctive criticism, I'd be happy if you left a comment. As they say in Africa: it takes a village to raise a child.


Have a beautiful summer's day!
Lots of love from Michael (16), Kim (15), Peter (14), Kevin (14), Ken (13), Simon (13), Jacob (13), John (12), Antony, Malonza, Charlie P and Kristina.