Half way through the school year.

Psalm 100:4-5 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

It is hard to believe, but we are halfway through what probably is our last year here at Rift Valley Academy. God has really been faithful to us, not only meeting our direct needs here, but in providing those individuals  back in the States that have made our stay here possible.  Many have been faithful with encouraging emails and snail mail, in prayer support, financial support, taking care of our belongings  such as the car and house back home.  Debbie and I just want to thank you once again for all you do.

We are now at term break in the second of three terms of the school year at RVA. Most of the students are off campus for a long weekend, but the girls in our dorm remain, along with some of the parents. I will give you the reason for this a little later in the blog.

A baby chameleon found outside our dorm

The students arrived back on campus on January 4th to begin the second term.We added one more girl to our dorm this term, and now have a total of sixteen. Debbie had  previously taught her last year in one of her Spanish classes , but she is new to me this term. She is a delightful addition to our dorm girls.

A Safari trip to Crescent Island with Carol

 Of the three terms, this is the shortest term, being only twelve weeks long. A few days before the term began, Carol Jacobson, came out to spend six weeks with us.

Carol enjoying a meal with a group of Missionaries from Pennsylvania

  Carol is Debbie's sister and an alumnus of the  1966 Class of RVA. The nursing staff at the Student Health Center has been understaffed and overworked this year, and Carol's long career as a nurse kept her busy here as she volunteered and provided  greatly appreciated help at the Health Center. While here she was also a great help in the dorm tending to the little blisters, sports bruises, and colds of the dorm girls and helping Debbie in the kitchen.  We and girls will miss her as she returned to States last week.

I, along with five other men have been involved with teaching the ninth grade Sunday School this year. The goal of the class is to teach the boys what it means to be a Christian man. Some tough topics are presented to them including how to treat young ladies, pornography, and their sex lives as it relates to their Christian walk with the Lord.

 During the second term we usually have two special events for them.  The first event is called the "Iron Man Competition".  The boys are divided into teams and they are rotated through different competitions. The competitions  include climbing over high walls, combat with pillowed sticks, navigating virtual mine fields while blind folded and guided by team members, and pulling a Toyota Cruiser uphill with a rope. The goal is not only to physically challenge them but to teach them that through team work they can accomplish difficult goals.

The second special event involves a camp out in the bush at a Maasai residence. The first day the boys are involved in an outreach service project. This year involved clearing about a half mile of trail through the bush to a Maasai home so that needed supplies could be brought in with a four wheel drive vehicle. Brush was cleared with picks and hoes, and large rocks had to broken up with sledge hammers and the path leveled to allow a vehicle to pass. Although the work was hot and hard,  the boys accomplished it with no complaints.

As evening approached, the boys set up their sleeping bags and tarps on the ground to spend the night at another Maasai property. As is the custom with the Maasai, goats were slaughtered and a meal was prepared by them for the boys. The goats were roasted over an open fire and other dishes prepared by the Maasai women including a flat bread called chapati, a potato dish and other local vegetables. Although they save and drink the blood of the goats, thankfully that was neither offered or expected of us. Breakfast included some tasty Mandasi and Chai. Mandasi are a deep fried sweet dough and are delicious if you can get past all of the hundreds of flies on the food.

Several Maasai elders then were seated in front of the boys, and the boys were allowed to question them on about their customs and specifically how a Maasai boy becomes a warrior and and adult.

Unfortunately after returning to school the next day most of the boys and adults came down with an amoebic intestinal infection. The student health center was overwhelmed with sometimes four to a room. Thanks to your prayer back home and medication, all have recovered and are doing well. Thank you for your prayer support which is so vital to those here.

Taking a break from working on the road

Sitting with the Elders

Working hard

Roasting goat

Digging the Choo (latrine)

Clearing rocks from the road

Our work being inspected by an Mzee

Many rocks to break up and clear

dinner sacrifice

Mandazi for breakfast

Chai

Some of the boys caught doves for breakfast

Crawling on one of the boys sleeping bags

As mentioned in other blogs, each month we meet with our Caring Community of seventh graders. The purpose of Caring Community is to give some of the student's a different venue in which to meet and have fun while at the same time building a relationship with some of the RVA staff whom they otherwise would not necessarily have an opportunity to know.  We play games, talk, eat snacks (always) and generally just have a great time together. This month we played "Minute to Win It" and then roasted Smores over a fire. We have a great bunch of young people and really enjoy getting to know some of the younger students. Our group is mixed, four boys and three girls.

Cooking marsh mellows for Smores

Playing Minute to Win It

Each year we treat the girls to an outing off campus to swim at a local resort.  We rent a bus from the school and usually spend most of the day there.  There is a nice restaurant to purchase lunch if the girls choose to do so, although we order box lunches for them before leaving.  The resort is adjacent to Lake Naivasha and many times hippos can be seen on the property.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the blog, our dorm girls did not go home during term break.  One of the really big events at RVA is Banquet.  Banquet is a time where the junior and senior boys can ask the ladies out for a very formal dinner and entertainment,  which is a drama put on by the juniors. Much thought goes into asking the girls to accompany the boys to event.  Flowers, a romantic home prepared dinner, a serenade or sometimes an outrageous prank that the boys, but not necessarily the girls,  think is funny are used to entice the girls to say yes to the invite.

Tradition dictates that the seniors simply show up for the event, but the juniors have to prepare the meals, prepare all of the decorations, practice and prepare stage props for the drama. During the banquet some of the sophomores serve the meals. Prior to the event, evening gowns are purchased or borrowed and all have to pass inspection for modesty. Parents of the juniors come and stay on campus over the break to help with the preparations and many stay on until the banquet itself a week later.  To put it in teen vernacular it is huge.

Our girls have worked hard on the event all through midterm break, starting after breakfast each morning and ending after nine or ten in the evening.  We have five family members of the girls staying with us with one very small bathroom.

Last evening we had what appeared to be a flash mob (40 plus junior boys and girls) spontaneously appear in our living room to watch a movie.  It sure beats sitting in a rocking chair watching what the neighbors are doing back home.

We are looking forward to Colleen Davis coming for a visit during term break.  Christine is also planning bring a group from her church towards the end of term break in order to look for some ministry projects that her church may  possibly support here in Kenya.  We ask that you pray for them as they prepare to come. Pray that God will meet all the financial and medical needs for the trip, and that He will give them a heart for missions while here that may even become a call to serve Him somewhere on a mission field.