Third Term Update

Greetings from Kenya!  Winter has come and the air is getting cooler. Thank you for praying for rain.  It has been wetter this past month and we have enjoyed a fire to help keep our home warm.

Reading by the fire

This has been a busy term!  In May, on the second weekend of the term, the school hosted Titchie weekend.  John worked at the Elementary School's carnival and Becky directed the actors in the musical, "Joseph, This is Your Life".  Our twins loved all the games at the carnival.  Gracie especially loved climbing the rope and Ruthie loved having her face painted. The 5th/6th grade students shined as they sang and danced to retell the story of Joseph and his journey from the pit to the palace.

During the last weekend of May, Becky attended AIM's Women's Retreat at a conference center about 40 minutes from campus.  The conference was lead by a team of 12 women who came from a church in Iowa.  They planned mini sessions, crafts, special American snacks, and brought all the supplies needed from America.  They were such a blessing to the Missionary Women!  This year's guest speaker is a missionary in Western Kenya and has a child attending RVA.  She is an incredible speaker and Becky was moved by many of her examples as she spoke about Hope and focused on Romans 15:30 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Becky and her roommates at the Women's Conference

The girls are growing and love attending preschool three days a week!  In June we took the preschoolers on a walking field trip.  We toured the kitchen in the cafeteria and saw where the boarding school students' laundry is washed.  The girls' favorite part was stepping into the large refrigerator and riding in the large laundry carts while touring the laundry room.  We ended our field trip with an ice cream treat from RVA's Arcade, the school's store.

The walk in fridge in the cafeteria.

The preschoolers loved riding in the cart to look at the large washers and dryers.

Here are more pictures from third term:

Becky helped our inside worker, Momma Mary, make her first bundt cake.  

The twins having chai with Momma Mary, Joel (our outside worker), and one of their preschool friends.  Momma Mary takes a chai break at 10 am and 3 pm each day she works for us.

John serving pancakes to our guests, his 6th grade students.

The twins have loved help us to host 6th grade pancake dinners. The 6th graders can eat a lot of pancakes!! 

We attended the Sophomore Restaurant.  The Sophomores provided child care and a delicious dinner.

Praise God we were able to sell our car and 6th Grade Safari was a success.  Thank you for praying for both of those prayer requests.  Please join us in prayer for the follow requests:

1.  Leaving:  Pray for the sixth graders as they transition to junior high, Pray for the seniors as they prepare to graduate and transition to the next chapter of their lives.  Pray for our family as we prepare to go on furlough in Missouri.  

2.  Resettling:  Pray for the seniors as they settle into University or their first jobs post graduation.  Pray that they stay strong in their faith as they find their place in the world.  Pray for our family as we move into a home in Lee's Summit, MO for a year.   We will be arriving on July 29 and will prepare for the girls to start Kindergarten on August 14.  Pray our furlough will be restful and productive.

3.  Safe Travels:  The seniors will be going on Senior Safari at the end of this week.  Please pray for their safety as they travel to and from the beach.  Pray for all of the students and staff who will be traveling at the end of the term.  Pray for our family as we travel on July 18 to Europe.  Pray for Becky's dad as he travels to Europe to spend time with our family. 

As we reflect on the past two years, we are thankful for our time at RVA and are grateful for all that God has done. Thank you for walking along side us, praying with us, and helping us to serve our mighty God.   We look forward to meeting with our supporters this next year and sharing all that God is doing in Kenya.

In the love of the Savior we serve,

John, Becky, Ruthie, and Gracie