may 2023.

I feel incredibly blessed to be writing this blog post from my home in Canada!! I arrived June 2 and am thankful for this time of rest and reflection. Here are the highlights from the month of May!

May was our tenth and final month of the school year. It was filled with many events. My class hosted a Mother’s Day celebration, we completed building projects, went on a bowling field trip, and had a learning showcase. As we reflected on the year, it was special to see all of the ways my kiddos have grown this year. We praise God for all that he’s brought us through – from the unpredictable days of protests, flus that went around, mastering our multiplication facts, growing in confidence, deepening our understanding of God and the Bible, and the importance of choosing life-giving words. God has been so good to us. I really loved this sweet group of littles and I am continually in awe of how God blesses me with such fulfillment in this ministry.

My class invited the moms to come into our class for our Muffins with Mom event. We celebrated the moms by thanking them for the many ways they care and love for us. It was sweet to see how the students lit up when their moms came, how they practices being good hosts, and took the time to practice gratitude with their precious mommas.

This month, I was able to take the students on a field trip to a bowling alley. This was SUCH a special experience as roughly half of the class had never bowled before! It was so fun to give the students such a special and memorable experience. It was so fun to see their joy and hear the encouragement they gave each other. I thank God for this opportunity.

A tradition I started in my first year here was to invite the girls in my class to my home for an end of the year party. These parties have always been so life-giving and an opportunity for the girls to process their emotions about the upcoming change to their routines. We baked cookies, painted our nails, played games, and prayed to thank God for an awesome year and for trust to see all that He has in store for us over the summer and next year!

This month marks the completion of my fifth year of teaching and three years of living and teaching in Kenya! I thank God for his faithfulness in providing for me here. While there have also definitely been challenges and hardships, I continue to love my life and work in Kenya. As I continue to trust and submit to God’s plan for my life, I am excited to see what is in store for year four! As I was driving home one night, I saw this lovely rainbow in the sky. A reminder that God’s promises never fail!

This month also included fun times with friends! I was able to spend quality time with my wonderful neighbour and friend. I am just continually thankful to have scored the best neighbour ever! We continue to have our weekly soup club nights and this friendship has shown to be more wonderful than I could have anticipated. I also made a new friend this month and she invited me to a pottery class. It was my first one and it was so much fun! It was a great activity to do together. The start of some new friendships here have been such confirmation that God will continue to provide for me here as I submit to Him.

Thank you for continuing to come alongside me in this journey! I am grateful to all of you who read my monthly updates. I plan to take the summer off to rest and rejuvenate, but you’ll hear from me again after that. I am thankful for all of you! May God be with you.

-j.