March has already come and gone. I really enjoyed this month! Our Spring Break was this month and I enjoyed spending some time adventuring with friends. I went to my favourite place on earth – the coast – for a few days. Then, enjoyed some hiking and biking through Hell’s Gate National Park. It was a great mix of resting, exploring, and having fun. However, I also managed to catch a bad stomach bug that took me out for a few days, that I ended up having to go to the hospital for treatment. But, now I’m back to myself and grateful for insurance and skilled healthcare workers.
An update on Dorcas – Thank YOU! Thank you so much for your support. Together we have been able to pay for 3,000 dollars of her medical bills. She is SO grateful and says she truly feels held by the family of Christ during this time. Unfortunately, she misunderstood her bill to be 3,000 dollars, while it’s actually 11,000. Therefore, she continues to have a way to go, but from your support, we were able to we bring that total down. She plans to try her best to pay 300-500 dollars a month to work to pay off the outstanding medical bills. Thank you for your financial support and if you feel led to ever give more, please let me know as I will continue to financially support her monthly as well. I have the bank loan details, so whatever funds I receive from you, I can move right into that account. Thank you again!
This month at school, I had some wonderful opportunities to educate, inform, and advocate for children with disabilities. Firstly, World Down Syndrome Day was on the 21st, so I taught lessons in various classes on Down syndrome, what it is, why it happens, and how to be a better friend to a peer with Down syndrome. I also met with a group of parents who are interested in starting a Disability Awareness Club in the elementary department. It was great talking and brainstorming with other passionate advocates about how we can transfer both the passion and skills of inclusion and dignity to students. Lastly, I was asked to lead the middle school’s staff meeting last week on disability awareness. It was a great learning time to unpack different disabilities in depth and discuss how to support upcoming students (the current 5th graders that I support will be transitioning to middle school after May). I feel grateful to be in a position to talk openly about my passion for children with disabilities. I’ll include the devotional I wrote and read to open the staff meeting here:
As educators, we spend our days shaping the way children see themselves and the way they understand their place in the world. That’s a sacred responsibility.
In Genesis 1:27, we’re told that God created humankind in His image. Not some humankind. Not only the strongest, the fastest, the most academically gifted, or the most independent. All humankind. Every student who walks through our doors reflects the image of God, including our students with disabilities.
Sometimes, without meaning to, the world communicates that disability equals “less than.” Less capable. Less independent. Less valuable. But that is not a biblical narrative. That is a cultural one. Scripture consistently shows us a God who draws near to those on the margins, who dignifies people the world overlooks, and who calls His creation “very good.”
Psalm 139 reminds us that each person is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” That includes the student who communicates differently. The one whose body or brain works in ways we don’t always understand. Their differences are not mistakes to be fixed; they are part of the diverse creativity of a God who delights in variety.
And more than that, every child has purpose. 1 Corinthians 12 speaks about the body of Christ, reminding us that every part is necessary. Not optional. Necessary. The parts that seem weaker are indispensable. What if the students who require the most support are also the ones teaching us the most about patience, creativity, humility, and unconditional love?
God’s heart is not selective. His love is not tiered. He does not ration dignity. It is His desire to support and love all of His children, and as educators, we get to reflect that heart in our classrooms.
Inclusion is not just an educational practice. It is a theological statement. When we make room, when we plan for, when we adapt and advocate, we are declaring to every child: You belong. You bear God’s image. You have purpose here.
My deep hope is that our school would be one known for the kind of educators who don’t just teach content, but who actively reflect the wide, steady, inclusive love of God to every single child entrusted to us here.
To close, thank you for your prayers for Noah and I as we continue to prepare for our upcoming marriage. We are enjoying our premarital counseling sessions with our pastor and his wife! However, we continue to navigate the challenge of paperwork for both countries, but we have a date! July 18, 2026 will be our wedding date here in Nairobi. So the countdown begins! I genuinely wish you could all come, but know that we are hoping to do a small celebration in Swift Current in July 2027. 🙂 A few people have asked about contributing to our gift registry, and first of all, THANK YOU! That is so generous, and second, since there isn’t any type of physical gift registry here, we are only having a cash fund. So, if you’d like to send us a gift, you can send to my email at joc.smart4@gmail.com and I can transfer the money to our joint account here. Here is a link to our website, if you want to read our story and learn more info about our wedding day!
https://withjoy.com/jocelynandnoah/story?utm_campaign=find-a-couple&utm_medium=web&utm_source=marcom
Lastly, we are beginning to look at apartments for us to live in once we’re married. Please lift us in prayer as we begin the search of finding a place to call home that is close to where we both work and within our budget. Rent is more expensive than you might think here! We appreciate your prayers as we find a place, then begin to furnish it! It feels that there is endless things to do, but also endless reasons to be so grateful!
Happy Holy Week! I was reminded of Palm Sunday at church yesterday and the significance of Jesus’ arrival on a donkey in my devotional from John Piper. What an intentional, prophecy-fulfilling, mighty God we serve!
-j.
jocelyn's adventures in kenya. 