Just a year ago, September, I enrolled the first 3 sponsored students at Legacy Schools. Two of them were True Orphans (having lost both parents.) One sits just to my right in the photo above. His name is Otieno. He wants to be a pilot someday. I told him that someday he’s going to fly me from Eldoret to Nairobi. He smiled really big when I told him that.

 

         TODAY --- on Thanksgiving ---- I had a lot for which to be thankful.

 

 

Doris       Ranked #2 in her class

Edipo       Served as teacher’s assistant for the whole year

Sammy    Most Improved Student in the 7th grade

Mercy N.  Most Improved Student in the 3rd grade

Tait          Cleanest Student in the 6th grade

 

 

       I was so thankful to see them get their awards. Sammy, for example, lost both of his parents to AIDS when he was around 11 years old. When we transferred him into the Adopt a Legacy program in January of this year as a 16 year old 7th grader, he was making F’s. We considered dropping him down a level but we decided not to do so and to see how he finished the year. He finished strong, actually --- not only getting the MOST Improved Student Award but finishing with a B average. I praise God for reaching down and rescuing these children from a life of true hopelessness. He has a plan for each of them. And today I was thankful that I get to be a part of their lives and that plan. How fortunate am I!?!

 

 

 

       After the 5-hour ceremony, I went to check on the 2nd Turkana church which was finished this past week. I was able to give my thanks to the people who worked to make this church a reality (the carpenters, the painters, the masons and others.) They were each given a significant bonus for their efficient work and we closed our time with a word of thanksgiving and a prayer of thanksgiving inside the church asking God to use the church as His tool for reaching others in His name. I’m thankful for them and also for Francisco & Margarita who gave the funds to make this church a reality.

 

 

 

            My “official” day ended today around 5:30. Then we, as a family, celebrated around a dinner of traditional Thanksgiving food that Brian and Tayte had spent half the day preparing. I’m thankful for my family, too. I love my husband. I think he’s hot. He’s definitely intelligent and determined and I respect him. We’ve been together 19 years but we still have “it” for each other. And I love my kids, too. I can’t say how proud I am of my daughter, Bry, who is in America studying in college because words can’t express how proud I am of her. She is amazing, confident, smart, beautiful and kind ~ AND never been kissed (go, Bry---save it for the dude w/the ring&all-that-the-ring-means.) I’m also so proud of Tayte & Jordan who have a different time-of-things growing up in Africa without the social outlets most teens have. Yep, it can be boring here for a kid but they find creative things to entertain themselves with and keep a good attitude about it.

 

As we prayed around the table before dinner, I especially smiled at little 6-year-old Katty’s prayer,

 

          “Dear God, Thank you for this food and also for both of my arms. Thank you that you decided to make eyes for me because I can see with them. Thank you that you made a mouth for me too so that I don’t have to be quiet. Amen.”

 

                    We have so much for which to be thankful. My heart overflows with

                       gratitude to God. My heart also overflows with gratitude to the countless

                        number of people who have stood with us in this work here in Kenya. I get to witness the fruit upfront and close by. But so many people partner with us in this work and they don’t get to witness that. I hope these photos help somehow to show the beauty of the work here. Lives are being impacted and changed. No doubt about it. For God’s glory. For His plans.

 

See ya’ll later.

                         Hope you have/had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!