august 2022.

August has already come and gone, but I must admit it has felt longer than a month! I’ll be honest and say that I found it much harder leaving Canada this time around. I think when I left two years ago, there was, of course, the sadness of leaving, but it was overshadowed by all of the excitement to come. There was so much to learn and it kept me all busy. Leaving family and friends this time was extremely hard. I felt like I was just getting used to being back close to family, having dinner with my parents, and spending time with my sweet nephews. Don’ get me wrong, I love Kenya and it is my home too, but it was a lot harder to leave Canada this time around. It is a challenge to live so far from family!

The first week of August was teacher meetings, planning, and organizing my classroom again. We had our meet the teacher day on August 8th, since voting day for the elections was August 9th. The results kept delaying, so the new president did not end up being announced until August 16th, which delayed our start date as we had to have a few days to let the new results settle in. We also were advised to stay home in case of any unrest, but Kenya stayed very peaceful throughout it all- praise God! We finally had our first day of school on August 18th! A long awaited start date. I was very ready to have students back on campus. Teaching is so life-giving to me, so the first day back flew by and my heart was quickly filled.

I already love my sweet kiddos so much! I am continually thankful for small class sizes. I have 11 kids so far and they are all precious! Some from China, Kenya, America, and other parts of Africa. This class is easily intrigued and excited to learn. A dream class for their teacher! I have a couple students with some unique learning needs, so I am excited to put some of my Masters learning to use!

Now it is time for some of the best news from this month, on August 25, it was announced that we no longer had to wear masks inside the classroom!! Woohoo!! I am so grateful for the opportunity to see my sweet students’ faces smiling back at me. This is HUGE, since my entire two years in Kenya have consisted on mask mandates. I am so glad to begin this new chapter.

Don’t be fooled by the pictures, it has been warm a total of 5 days this month! It is cold in Nairobi these days! I know you might think that sounds crazy, but 14 degrees with 80% humidity is bone-chilling due to the dampness. I have been sleeping with extra blankets and a hot water bottle every night. Not what you might have expected for an African country on the equator, hey? I am looking forward to warmer days to come in December!

I am thankful to be back with friends, especially mu teaching partner and closest friend here, Rachel. On our first weekend back, we went to the National Park near our house to enjoy being back in Kenya together again. We were amazed by God’s gift to us- seeing 5 rhinos plus a baby! Rhinos are so rare to see. Rhinos are also our school’s mascot, so it felt like a blessing from God as we began this new school year (year 5 of teaching for me already!).

I also had the privilege to attend a local church service nearby. One of my colleagues was being recognized at his church as the children’s church coordinator and he invited some staff to come for the service. I enjoyed seeing the children worship, recite Scripture, and perform a skit (all mostly in Swahili!).

I have also begun attending a different church here in Nairobi. I have found one that a coworker of mine attends and I have been really enjoying it. It is local, so there is a mix of English and Swahili worship. I absolutely love the worship with the full dance/choir team. It is beautiful to watch other cultures worship the same God!

Thank you for continuing on the journey with me as I begin my third year here. Lately, I have had so many moments where I catch myself thinking, “Wow, I really live here! I am so thankful.” While there are a lot of unique challenges here, I am continually glad to live out this dream of mine.

Prayer Items:

-Continued prayer for the government here as the election results have resulted in a lawsuit/court case.

-I am in the last stretch of my Masters program and I am feeling the weight of it all as I am in an intensive 7 week research course.

-Praise God for placing these specific kiddos in my class this year for me to love and teach!

-Praise God for time with family this summer, but prayer for a heart that longs to be closer.

-Prayer for me to continue to strive to know the heart of God more intimately and personally.

Be blessed!

-j.