Spic and Span

Today was clean up time in Eastleigh, as the Eastleigh Community Centre prepared for the re-opening of the kindergarten, primary school, and community programs for 2009. Unlike the North American education system which straddles two calendar years, the Kenyan school year beginnings in January and is completed in November. Rather than a summer vacation, the Kenyan system has a month long break over every fourth month (Schools are closed for April, August and December).



Having closed down our ESL program nearly a month ago, we returned to find our classroom under a thick brown coat of dust and grime.

Emma and Tristan were a great help as we cleaned every inch of the class right down to each book on the shelves!

Zahra and Erica a little tired after a big day of cleaning.

We are very excited to welcome back the women of Iftin tomorrow! There is much in store for this ministry as we begin 2009. We will be sure to keep you all posted.

Please keep Somali Ministry in your prayers.

* We pray for the return of the refugee women who have been a part of the English language program and for the new families that God will bring into the centre this year. We pray especially for a spirit of peace and cooperation to grow and develop among this community of women.

* We lift these women up before the Lord that they will grow in confidence and hope for their future and the future of their children. We pray especially for women of integrity to emerge as leadership among this community.

* We pray for the health and wellness of the people of Eastleigh. Just this morning, as we snaked through traffic, we caught a glimpse of a young mother staggering along the road with a glue bottle in her hand and a baby slung on her back. Addiction to solvents is a common way for people to deal with physical hunger and emotional pain. We pray for this woman, her child and others like her suffering in despair.

* We thank God for our team mate Yattani Gollo and his wife Salomi, they were just recently married. They leave Nairobi tomorrow morning to establish their first home together in Garissa. Yattani and Salomi will be responsible for much of the Somali Ministry in Garissa for CBM.