september 2026.

After six years living in Nairobi, I think this year is one where I am truly missing the season of Fall! Typically, I love the warmth all throughout the year (with the exception of grey & cloudy rainy season), but this year I miss the crisp autumn air, the changing and falling of leaves, and the smell of spiced baked goods and coffees. Maybe one year, I will get to experience the changing of the seasons in Canada again, but for now, I am grateful for an almighty God who designed this great, big, beautiful world to include different regions with varying seasons to be enjoyed!

This month at school was one of solidifying routines and establishing rhythms of support for students. I continue to feel blessed to teach such sweet children! This year, I am supporting a student with Down syndrome, a student with autism and ADHD, as well as other students with undiagnosed neurodivergence as needs and diagnoses are yet to be identified. I enjoy planning their individualized lessons and supporting them in their classes. I’m really enjoying teaching in the younger grades!

I’ve decided to give the rest of this month’s update through photos, captions, and prayer items at the end. Enjoy! 🙂

Prayer items:

-For us newlyweds to continue to learn and grow as we navigate this new chapter of living and sharing a life together! May we remember to put God first and prioritize a life of prayer as we put routines in place.

-We are trying to furnish our new home and it has been a challenge! Coordinating with fundis (carpenters) has been trickier than we anticipated. Many of the items we’ve ordered have arrived looking not like we anticipated 😉 We are learning not to sweat the small stuff and lean in to our quirky items as we remember how blessed we truly are. I’ll be honest this is something that I need to work on – keeping the big picture at the forefront of my mind instead of allowing the inconveniences or unfortunate situations to take over.

-Dorcas is doing well. She continues to need medication each month to manage her continued cancer treatments. Unfortunately, the medication dose that she needs each month has gone up to $350. This continues to be a huge burden on her and her family. Thankfully, she has a strong community around her who has been supporting her and lifting her up in prayer. A HUGE thank you to all of you for continuing to support financially. My prayer is that we can continue to help her cover these costs until the end of the year (she will have another intensive check up in January to see what the next steps are).

-The students who are yet to know Christ. Some of the students I teach and tutor do not come from Christian homes. My prayer is they would see the light of Jesus in me and seeds would be planted.

-Tomorrow, I have been asked to give a presentation at the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) on A Biblical Perspective on Inclusive Education. I am excited, honoured, and a bit nervous to teach other teachers around Nairobi about how to support students with disabilities at school through the lens of the Bible. I pray that I can communicate with ease and provide the teachers and administrators with tools to equip them in their roles of teaching students with disabilities.

Thank you for your continued support. I thank God for you!

-j.