Day at the Beach

Tristan and Emma enjoying a day at the beach as their

summer vacation draws to a close.

Along with regular classes in Eastleigh last week, we met again with our colleagues serving with the Garissa TB ministry. While the ministry faces many challenges, we are trying to go deeper together in improving this ministry to victims of TB. Among the changes being developed at the TB manyatta, our friend Mohammed is trying to get permission from the Hospital authority to use the unutilized land around the feeding project for a kitchen garden that can not only be used to help with feeding program, but could also serve as a teaching component to the ministry by introducing techniques in arid land farming.

This week in Eastleigh, the Women's ESL classes are writing their first revision tests covering the first ten units in their curriculum. The weekly quizzes have proven to be quite a challenge for the women, but they are persevering together.

On Friday, we will be hosting teachers from Rosslyn Academy who will be visiting the ministry at the Eastleigh Community Centre. We are so thankful for several of the teachers and parents from the Rosslyn community who have supported the pottery ministry and even helped with the children's program this past year.

White Rock STM

Hanging around at the ACC&S Garissa School

with the team from White Rock, BC.

Dianne Rowen delivering a medical aid package to the nurses at Garissa's Sister's Maternity Hospital (SiMaHo)

Today we reviewed a number of Somali Ministry projects with the White Rock volunteers and collegues from The Sharing Way. The team will be living in Dadaab for nearly three weeks as they help in the local schools and improve the Dadaab compound with a number of construction projects.

Erica, Tim, Debbie, Dave, Glenn, Yatani
Diane, Zahra, Romano, Aaron

Praxis Kenya

Back row: Gumer (TSW Bolivia), teacher from Garissa school, Malcolm, Joseph G., Joseph M., Heather, Kristen, Dawson, Samuel, Michael, Beth, Rose, Leona, Yatanni, Claudia, Christine.

Front row: Mary, Candice, Craig, Erica, Aaron, Carolyn, Rukiya (school head mistress) and students from the Garissa school project.

We have reached the half way mark in our time with the Kenya Praxis group. We returned to Nairobi from a dusty wind swept Garissa in Kenya's Northeast Province with this intrepid team of graduate students (8 selected from across Canada, 4 from the African Bortherhood Church and 4 from the African Christian Church and Schools). Together we have been learning about Intergal mission, first through a course taught by Prof. Rupen Das of Humber College, Toronto, and now through two weeks of practical experiences in CBM's three strategic areas of ministry within Kenya.

During our visit to NEP, the praxis students were introduced to Somali ministry. Our Somali friend Muhammad shared his own faith journey and helped orientate to "what it means to be a Muslim". The Praxis participants also taught morning classes at a local primary school which The Sharing Way has been partnering. The school cares for over 230 orphans and vulnerable children living within the town of Garissa. Rukiya founded the school with a group of fifteen Somali mothers and grandmothers who came together to find ways to protect and provide for the most vulnerable children in their community.

We will return to Somali ministry on Thursday as the group shares in a project at the Eastleigh Community Centre where we serve. Today, our African team leader, Malcolm Card, brought the group to Thika to meet with the Moderator of the ACC&S, Dr. Julius Karanja, and to introduce them to the work of the ACC&S Bible School.

Please keep this group in your prayers: while one of the Canadians has recovered well from illness, Erica has needed to take three of the Kenyan participants to clinics over the past few days due to malaria. We pray that the Lord will give them strength and that he will guard us all from illness.

TB Clinic

TB Manyatta, Garissa

Among the many ministries of Canadian Baptists in Kenya's Northeastern Province is a feeding program funded by the Sharing Way as part of the TB Manyatta, Garissa. Manyatta is the Kiswahili word for house, and that is exactly what this ministry is about -- providing a home for TB patients who can not care for themselves. Please pray for our friend Moxamed who spends each day ministering to the inpatients living at the TB Manyatta and depending on the food provided by The Sharing Way.

Aaron chatting with the youngest patient staying at the TB manyatta.