april 2024.

I began reading a new book this month titled Seated with Christ: Living Freely in a Culture of Comparison by Heather Holleman and I’ve really been enjoying unpacking the position of being seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. In the book, the author highlights and unpacks the significance of being ‘seated’ by analyzing the historical meaning of being seated within Jewish law. In the Tabernacle, there were no seats as “the priests stood because there was work to do, but the Lord sits down because there is no more work to do; atonement is complete. He finished the task.” So as believers, we have been seated both in and with Christ. We can have confidence in our position in the heavenly realms – accepted, secured, and seen by God. I’m halfway through the book now and have been gleaning a lot of great truths from it already.

This month at school, the students put on their end-of-the-year music concert. They did wonderfully. It is always a joy to watch them perform after months of their hard work learning new songs and pieces. This month, the students have been learning about acting and performing in dramas. The kids have loved learning about roles, scripts, narration, sets, and costume design. Next month, we are going to host the parents for a production of Goldilocks.

Additionally, the news of my leaving was announced to the students and that was very hard for them. Transition can be difficult for everyone, but several students have known me for the past four years, and not seeing a familiar face on campus anymore is sad for them, while others were looking forward to being in my class next year. In a transient community such as this one, it has been a great opportunity to talk about mixed emotions and how to process change. I am praying that I will leave a legacy of Christ-like love for them. My deepest desire is for each child who’s been in my class to know that they were created with and for a purpose and that they are loved beyond measure, holding so much value to the King of Kings.

A highlight of this month was escaping the cold and rainy weather in Nairobi and enjoying some sunshine on the coast of Kenya. Some friends of mine live there and it was wonderful to spend time with them and their children. Kenya’s beauty never ceases to amaze me. God has created such a beautiful world. I enjoyed some time to rest in the beauty of God’s creation before what I anticipate to be a very busy month. May is my last month of work at my current school, so it holds a lot of intentional goodbyes/see-you-laters, packing, moving, report cards, meetings, and all of the rest of life’s usual to-dos! When you think of me, please pray for peace amidst a stressful transition period as I close a chapter of my life and move by belongings across town before visiting Canada for the summer.

Lastly, if you’ve read any of the world news recently, you’ll know that Kenya is in a crisis of flooding due to incredibly heavy rains. The amount of rain was been record-breaking this year. In my neighborhood, I have not been affected by the flooding so much, but those who have been near me. Many people have lost their homes and loved ones to the floods. Please pray for Kenya this month.

Thank you for your steadfast support.

-j.