‘Tis the season for new year’s resolutions. Our college students in Kenya used this as an opportunity in a meeting this week to kick off the new year with a time to reflect on past performance and to set some goals for the year to come to help them achieve their academic dreams and career aspirations.

They looked at strengths and weaknesses along with barriers and opportunities that may be in their path for the coming year with our director Veronica Lemuya and with alumni in the program who came to encourage the students.

It’s encouraging to see what they wrote out as their 2023 resolutions:

• Attend all classes and lectures and commit to their studies.
• Choose a positive and supportive peer group.
• Be disciplined and mindful with spending money.
• Pursue a closer walk with God.
• Support families and the community during the school holidays.​

What are your goals this year? Take a moment to take stock of your own journey and of what’s really important to you, and consider writing your student to encourage them in the new year with a fresh start.  We look forward to updating you on your students' progress towards their respective goals in the new year. Happy 2023! ​

​First Coming
by Madeleine L’Engle
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine.
He did not wait till hearts were pure.
In joy he came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Over the summer, we crossed the line of having supported over 500 students in Kenya with school fees through the years through the ministry of Children of the Kingdom. (We just added our 509th student to our list!) 

Celebrate with us over the lives that have been impacted through this work since our humble beginnings in 1994. Below are a few success stories of some of our students who are making their way in the world using the gifts of education to be servants in God's kingdom. 

As I am going back through old pictures to find my son's kindergarten picture to contrast to his senior year picture for his first day back to school, it's amazing to see how much he has grown and how far he has come. 

In light of that, I wanted to share these photos of some of our students in India to let you have a glimpse at how far they've come! 

On Malcom Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast, there is a recent episode called "I Was A Stranger and You Welcomed Me." As I listened in, I could not help thinking about the sponsors and partners in this ministry who have made a difference over the years through their kindness and generosity.

Gladwell tells the story found in the archives of the US Holocaust Museum of Cheil Rajchman who escaped the Treblinka concentration camp in 1943.  By his count, he survived the war because of eleven acts of kindness. And the lesson here is this: “lots of people, doing little things, can very quickly add up to a lot.” After telling more stories, he concludes, “Once you start looking for this pattern- of many small acts of kindness, adding up to a lot- you start to see it in all kinds of places.”

A recent example came to mind as I was listening to the podcast: a sponsor sent in a very generous gift because they had a sense of abundance in this past year and felt led to give to Children of the Kingdom. Little did they know that I had just been told of a need for one of our first students who entered the program in 1995. She now has two children of her own with no family to support her. She needed help with housing, and we were able to use these funds to build a house for her and for her children. ​

​Others have sent funds for distributions this summer, and many children and families have been fed. Students on our waiting list have been given the opportunity to go to school through sponsorship who would not have been able to attend without support. 

​Listen in to the podcast for some inspiration, and keep your heart open to how the Spirit might be nudging you to live out Matthew 25:35 today with an act of multiplying kindness. 

There is so much need in the world with the continued Covid crisis, the needless war and devastation in Ukraine, global political unrest- just to name a few things that come to mind.
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In Kenya, the severe ongoing drought has brought devastating loss to livestock and has brought the threat of starvation too close to home for many.   

Amidst all these bigger events that threaten to overwhelm us, we believe we must still turn to those local and individual relationships where we have connections. 

To that end, one of our sponsors donated relief funds for a recent distribution to a neighboring village to Lodwar, and our Kenyan director Veronica Lemuya organized this effort to provide much needed support. 

Below is a testimony shared by one of our current college students who is getting her degree in hospitality management. We celebrate her success and give thanks to God for her journey! 

"My name is Caren and I am now 21 years old. I was brought up in a Christian family by my auntie, and I am the third born in my family. God has been faithful to us, and He has been our provider, our sustainer, and our hope always.
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I was privileged to get sponsorship from the Children of the Kingdom in 2016 when I started secondary school. Among the five children in our family, I’m the only one who got a chance to attend high school and college. I never take this precious opportunity for granted, and I always appreciate my sponsors Patrick and Angie.  They have shown their love, care, moral support, prayers, and financial support, and they have ensured that my school fees have always been paid and that my academic life could be a success.  

Being in Children of the Kingdom has allowed me to pursue my academic dreams without having to struggle to find school fees. It has given me an opportunity to grow socially, academically, and spiritually, and the program really has encouraged me to work hard in my studies and to serve God. For this, I am filled with joy and gratitude.
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I completed my primary education at Benam Primary in Kitale and at Kanamkemer Primary in Turkana County.  In 2016 I joined Salvation Army Nawoitorong Secondary School in Lodwar, and in 2021 I joined Amboseli Institute of Hospitality in Thika. I will complete a foundation diploma course in hospitality management this summer which will allow me to work in any institution, and then I will continue my studies for another 9 months before I graduate. 

​I have learned a lot of things in my courses, I have interacted with different people, and I have so experienced so many things. (See below for some of my creations!) 

"I am so grateful for the encouragement of the Children of the Kingdom staff. In particular, Veronica has been my number one teacher in life. She has really inspired me and has shown me the essence of working hard in life. She is a role model to many young ladies in Children of the Kingdom. 

​My great appreciation goes to Children of the Kingdom for the incredible support through the years and for giving me an opportunity to pursue my dreams. May God bless you all."

​At the end of fall quarter at my university, I was in a meeting with another professor, and she was telling me that she was actually enjoying the time she was spending grading finals.  As we were masked in this meeting, she may not have seen my look of surprise as that was not how I was experiencing the days of long hours staring at the computer trying to get through four classes of grading that quarter. Grading is not why most people go into teaching as it can be tedious and time-consuming, but it’s part of the job in working with students.  She explained to me that she had just read an article called “Grading as Spiritual Discipline” by Marybeth Baggett that offered a compelling invitation to view grading through another lens. Rather than just cranking through the tasks for the end of the quarter, I could recognize that I did not need to compartmentalize my life but could see this too as a formational growth opportunity and a chance to connect with students by praying for them as I grade and give feedback. 

She writes, “Every paper I receive, I now intentionally remind myself, is another opportunity for me to put my faith into practice… With each paper I turn to, I have the choice either to affirm the humanity and vocation of the student at the receiving end of my feedback or to fall back into my old mechanistic practice.” 
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I read this at the same time that I was also compiling the year-end reports and letters for Children of the Kingdom. It was easy to make the connection with my grading to the administrative work I do for Children of the Kingdom.  This could also be a space for me to pray for God to reveal Himself and His love to the sponsors and to the students. While I still can fall back into the mechanistic practice of updating spreadsheets and receipts and managing student lists with the end goal of checking things off my list of things to do, I am grateful for this reminder that there is another way to get the job done.

May you know that as I send out the annual reports and the year-end receipts that I am thanking God every time I remember you and am praying for His blessing on you, and I am asking for God’s grace to continue to transform me through the work.
 
And perhaps this will help you with the next tedious task that is before you in your day whether that be dishes or grading or laundry…. May God meet you in that place and draw you near. 

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas today!