november 2021.

Just like that another month has come and gone. The countdown for Christmas is officially on! 25 days, friends!!! I don’t know about you, but this month flew by for me. For this month’s blog post I’ve decided to split it up into 3 sections: School life, Personal life, and Ministry life.

School: This month was filled with wonderful activities. This month in Science, the students learned about ecosystems. My class and I were able to go on our first field trip this year (and their first in almost 3 years!). We went to local, nearby forest to explore ecosystems and landforms in person. It was so fun to see the awe and wonder in their eyes. After the field trip, the students spent some time researching other ecosystems and created their own dioramas to present their findings.

We also had Spiritual Emphasis Week during the month of November. During this time, the students have chapel times everyday which consists of worship songs, crafts, games, and a teaching. This year’s theme was on closeness with Christ, confidence in God, and grace. It was so special to see all of the students gathered together worshipping Christ! I was reminded of the privilege it is to openly declare our beliefs here. I am thankful to get to teach my students about Jesus.

One other special thing happened this month, one of my Cameroonian student’s brought me his family’s most favored West African dish, jollof rice with fried plantains and chicken. It was such an honor to receive such a special dish, prepared with love by his mother. It was as you can expect from the picture, DELICIOUS.

Personal Life: This month, I was able to celebrate my friend Florah’s birthday. We went to a bowling alley in town. It was so fun! I was also able to find a little Christmas tree that I set up and decorated. I love turning on the lights, making a cup of peppermint tea, and doing my devotions in the mornings next to it. This month, we also got a long weekend because of American’s Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have a much needed break. I got to explore some more of Kenya! I went to a city 3 hours away, called Nakuru. It is known for being home to over 400 species of birds, but namely, flamingoes! If you know me, my favourite past time is trying or exploring something new, so this was a wonderful break from work!

Ministry: Every Saturday this month was filled with some type of ministry. Two Saturdays this month, I was able to help with Rejesha (a ministry in downtown Nairobi that seeks to empower and dignify women in sex trafficking) again. This month, we were even able to serve the women a proper meal. We had so many women come to get food and talk. Please continue to lift up these women to the Lord. They have gone through some very difficult things in life and need to feel God’s unconditional love.

I also was able to visit Creation of Hope (the children’s home) again this month. This time, my teaching partner/friend and I came prepared. During our last visit, we had asked the founder for a list of the children’s names to have our third grade students make handmade, personalized cards for each child. It was so beautiful to see the children’s faces light up when they got a card with their name on it.

If you have me on social media, you may have noticed my post that I’m doing to fundraise to give these children their Christmas wish- pizza! I am selling t-shirts and/or accepting donations for the children. I’ve attached photos down below for your reference. If you would like to order a t-shirt, my parents can bring one back for you after their visit in January! If you would like to make a donation or order a t-shirt, you can e-transfer money to my email: joc.smart4@gmail.com

Thank you to all of you for your continued prayers and support! Wishing you a merry Christmas season! ❤ I’m excited to report back in a month to let you know how the pizza party went!

-j.