First day of school and another milestone

Our children have advanced to the next grade in school – Yahoo!  The surreal part is that Cassidy is off to junior high, Titus is grade four, and Ella is in kindergarten.  Wow, all three children are in school!  Now we know that we are not the first parents to experience this but it is yet another milestone in our lives.  The house is quiet for much of the day as all of us are out doing our jobs for the school hours.  It is fun to see the giddiness of the new junior higher and the new kindergartener.

The best story was when Ella, at the first day of school, was told that the teacher would see them tomorrow.  She turned to Kylie and said, “I get to come back again tomorrow!” very excitedly.  It reminded us that we need to have that same enthusiasm for all of the things we do.  “We get to come back tomorrow” is our new theme.  Thanks Ella for the reminder.

We are so proud of our children and it is so good to join them on the journey of growing up.  Please pray that we will make the right decisions as parents to help guide them in this way.

Here are some pictures of the first day of school.

 

 

 

 

Twelve Tasks

Cassidy is in the midst of accomplishing “twelve tasks” since she turned twelve this year.  This is something that many parents have done with their children here at RVA.  These tasks are meant to be a “right of passage” to becoming a teenager and create a little bonding time with her mom and dad.  We sat down with Cassidy and talked about what she would like to do and what we would like to see her be able to do by the end of the time.

Cassidy’s twelve tasks are: learn how to ride a piki (motorbike), design and build something in the woodshop, climb Mt. Logonot, climb Mt. Kenya, host a dinner party, cook a meal with Mary at her house, learn how to make bread, learn how to do laundry, sew an outfit for a doll, get hair braided in many little braids, stay with a missionary family who lives outside of RVA, and memorize Psalm 1.  Currently we are working on riding a piki.  It is a lot of fun and she is doing great.  We will blog and include pictures about each one of these tasks to keep you up to date with her progress.  She needs to be done by March 30, 2013 which is her thirteenth birthday.

Another Milestone

It is hard to believe but Cassidy, our not so little girl anymore, is off to junior high.  Wow, what a sobering thought.  We are so blessed to have such an amazing girl though and we are very proud of her.  One of her teachers wrote,

“It has been such a pleasure having Cassidy in class this year.  I have enjoyed her gentle spirit, peace loving attitude, and bright smile.”

Here is a video of the “graduating ceremony”.

We also get to see a group of boys, whom we cover their dorm for once a week, go on to junior high.  It is fun to see how they are progressing as well growing fast and getting to the stage of finding who they are.  It is a neat phase of life to be able to be a part of.  They are all ready to move on to more freedoms and privileges which is maybe the scary part of parenting.

Ambassadors Reception

First off we want to be clear that we have not renounced our Canadian citizenship.  However, we recently had the privilege of attending a reception at the U.S. ambassadors residence in Nairobi.  This is certainly not an everyday event but we received an invitation to attend this event as Kylie is an alumni of RVA and thought that we should attend.  We did not want to offend our neighbours to the south.  It was a hard thing to do and we struggled though every minute but we managed to endure it.

Actually, kidding aside, we really enjoyed this event as there were alumni there from 1969 to 2011.  The ambassador, Scott Gration and his wife are also alumni from RVA, so they had organized this event as part of their reunion years and invited many others to their party.  We found ourselves mingling with so many people who have done amazing things with their lives.  It was awe inspiring.  It was hard to find an alumnus that was not doing some sort of humanitarian work or working for large corporation traveling the world.  We talked with people who are working in Sudan helping with the reconstruction of that country to people who worked for Nokia systems.  Many of the alumni also work at RVA.  Amazing to stand in a room filled with people who are living their lives for God.  We were honoured to be there.  Of course we looked like a bunch of tourists taking pictures so we thought we would share those with you as well.

 

Alumni Weekend

When it comes to RVA there are two things for certain.  Third term is rainy and alumni weekend marks the end of the school year.  This year was the “alumni year” for the class of 2010.  Many of those students make their way here to reunite with classmates and reminisce about the days they were in school and find out how much things have changed.  This year we had three former dorm girls stay with us.  We had a great time visiting with them and finding out what they have been up to for the past two years.  We have to admit that it is such a great thing to be able to relate with former dorm students in an adult way.  It also feels like we are talking to our “adult children” as they still ask those important questions and share the exciting things in their lives.  What a great relationship it is.

Alumni weekend is also about the alumni coming back to show the current varsity teams that they still have what it takes to play the games they played here.  Kylie and I host the field hockey and volleyball games.  We have been here long enough now that all of the players that come back have been on one of our teams.  It is really neat to see those players again.  This year both the field hockey and volleyball varsity teams were beat by the returning alumni.  We figure that we really do cheer for both teams though when they play.

The thing that we like the most about alumni weekend is learning how God is using former students from RVA for his glory.  Whenever we sing the line in the song Everything Glorious by the David Crowder Band that says, “my eyes are small but they have seen the beauty of enormous things” we think of the privilege it is to be a part of this amazing ministry.

Milestone

Ten years at RVA.  Can it really be?  Just the other day we were honoured and thanked by the school and the school board during a chapel service for serving here for ten years.  The chairman of the board thanked and commended us for our ten years of service to RVA and the Kijabe community.  We were reminded that we have done many things while here but we really do not think that it has been a lot.  We are so thankful to have been here during this time in our lives.  In some ways we can literally said that we have paid to be able to be a part of this ministry instead of taking a job that pays us.  It remains to be very fulfilling to see students leave this place and make a difference in the world around them.  We are coming up to alumni weekend as well here and we see many alumni come back after being gone for two years.  What a difference those years make as well as we see maturity develop.  Students now married and with families come back to show their spouse and children where they grew up.  We are a part of special ministry and we would not have given up the last ten years for anything else.  Thank you RVA.

 

Trusted with the Torch

As we read and follow events about the upcoming Olympic games we realize that not all of the drama takes place during the actual Olympics.  Some of it unfolds in the weeks and months leading up to the games as competitors vie for qualification.  A Canadian diver hit his head while training.  Will he be able to compete in the event during the Olympics?  The Olympic torch is something else that is symbolic of the games.  Traditionally the torch is carried over thousands of kilometers and only one can be lit at any given moment until the “pure flame” is finally carried into the opening ceremonies to light the official torch.  This year it is a journey of many kilometers but one person does not do it all.  It is passed from person to person to complete the distance.

While I was contemplating this I began to wonder about just how many athletes do compete in the Games.  I found that there were 2,566 athletes in the 2010 Winter Olympics (0.00000004% of the world’s population) and approx. 18,000 athletes will compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics (0.000003% of the world’s population).  Since the inception of the modern games in 1901 there have been just 26,513 medalists.  I do not know about you but this makes me realize just how hard it is to be an Olympian.

These are just a few fun and revealing facts but I also started to think about Paul as he makes several references to being an athlete and torch bearer.  As he writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:12 he says, “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”  Paul is getting to the point that he cannot carry the “torch” much further.  He turns to this dedicated young man and says, “It is in your hands now. Take good care of it.”  Paul also realizes that many torch bearers are going to be needed to keep the torch moving (2 Timothy 2:2).  He is saying get some more people ready to carry the torch of Jesus into more darkened lives.  It is a great privilege to be one of the people who is considered worthy to carry the Olympic torch.  It is a much greater privilege to be considered worthy to carry the torch of Jesus, and you have been.

We are not only torch bearers but also athletes.  Athletes at the Olympic games are considered ambassadors of their country.  God says in 2 Corinthians, “We are Christ’s ambassadors”.  This great message of what Jesus did on the cross for us has been carried this far by other people, some of whom paid in blood to make sure that torch never flickered.  Now it has come to us.  In our inner circle, in the area where we live and work, the carrying of the torch is up to us. Those who have carried the torch through almost 20 centuries would say to us, as Paul was saying to Timothy, “Guard the deposit, don’t drop this torch, don’t mess up morally or spiritually, don’t give up, even when it hurts to keep running.  ‘Hold it high!  Don’t be ashamed of the Name and the love of Jesus!  Tell the people on your leg of the journey about Jesus and the cross'”.  This is no time to let the light flicker.  Don’t just let the other believers around you be spectators, politely clapping for those whoa re running.  Encourage them; equip them to take the torch themselves.

The best part is that running for Jesus is not restricted to only the best as the Olympics are.  Everyone is eligible and everyone qualifies for this.  One day you can, as the Apostle Paul did, cross that finish line and collapse into the waiting arms of the Lord Jesus.  He put you on the field to carry His torch proudly and faithfully.  Will he say “Well done”?  Right now His torch can be in your hands.  Be diligent and run hard.

 

Volleyball season

Wow, another full and busy term of volleyball.  The challenge is to bring ten guys together to get them working together in two short weeks to be ready to play in our international school league.  I was so thankful for such a great group of players who worked really hard to be able to play at the high paced play at the varsity level.  Many goals were made.  Some were reached and others were still, with just a couple more weeks of playing, just out of our grasp.  There was only one returning varsity player and for us to get second in the international school league was a great accomplishment.

The second part of our season has us playing against local Kenyan schools.  We have developed a good relationship with one school that is close to us in distance.  Playing wise they are amazing.  In the years that I have been coaching they have consistently been first or second in Kenya nationals.  These guys can jump like crazy, hit the ball straight down inside of the attack line, and it is fun to play them.  As a coach I just hope that my players catch the vision of what playing can be like.

Next year I will definitely have a lot of returning experience as many of the players were juniors.  We still have a coaching position open for our junior varsity program and hope that a coach can step into that role so that the volleyball program continues to grow and get better here at RVA.  Here are a few pictures from our season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does the empty tomb mean to you?

Muhammad’s body lies buried in the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Confucius lies buried in a cemetery in his home town Qufu, China.  Budda’s remains were cremated and sent to several places as relics.  One place holds the “right tooth relic” of Buddha and is called the Temple of the Tooth or Dalada Maligawa located in Sri Lanka.  The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, lies buried at the Gurdwara Kartarpur in Punjab, Pakistan.  The founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.  Joseph Smith Jr., founder of Mormonism, is buried in Nauvoo, Illinios.  Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross and his body laid in a tomb.  But… he is unlike any of the previous leaders mentioned.  He rose from the grave and conquered death.  What religious leader or founder of a religion can claim to have done that? 

This Easter we were challenged by a doctor on our mission station to refocus on what we are actually celebrating.  We live during a time that Easter has been hijacked by bunnies, eggs, and chocolate.  Would Easter be the same for you without all of the candy and decorations that we have attributed to the event that is the most significant for mankind? 

Jesus’ death and resurrection was a completely new event for mankind.  He told his disciples that “in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” – John 16:16.  The disciples were confused.  Just what is he talking about?  The disciples had seen Jesus bring people back from being dead but they could not understand that Jesus was preparing them for when he had to die.  Jesus also talks about a time that they “will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.  You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy” – John 16:20.  Jesus knew what he had to be done and he knew that the disciples had no clue as to what was going to happen. 

There are many hypotheses that people use to dismiss the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to people several times after his death.  All of those hypotheses are mans’ way of trying to convince themselves that it really could not happen by explaining away something that we may not understand.  What, then, is the point of life?  If we are not living for Christ then what are we living for?  The empty promises of leaders whose mortal bodies still remain here on earth?  We are convinced that what we are doing is not in vain. 

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.  But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised , then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised , your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.             – 1 Corinthians 15: 12-17

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.                                                                  – 1 Corinthians 15:20-21

The gift of Jesus’ death and resurrection is not fully realized when we do not acknowledge that Christ died for our sin and rose again in order to pave the way for us to be saved.  We need to accept that we are sinners and that he died for our sins so that we may rise with him.  Otherwise we are condenmed to hell.

We were reminded of the Fed Ex Superbowl commercial that was the “conclusion” to the movie “Cast away”.  I have included the YouTube URL in this post in case you have not seen it.  If you remember, Tom Hanks has this package that he has kept for the whole five years that he is cast away on an island.  The commercial reveals what was actually in the package – a satellite phone, a GPS unit, a water purifier, a fishing rod, and seeds.  The package that he had protected and not opened the entire time he was on the island actually contained items that could have helped him.  It was within his grasp and yet he did not open it.  Fed Ex Castaway commerical

What do we do with the package that Christ offers us?  It is within our grasp.  Instead of a satellite phone he offers an open communication with him that does not run out of time and can be used anywhere on the planet.  Instead of a GPS unit he offers the Holy Spirit to help guide us and tell us where we are.  Instead of a water purifier and seeds he provides living water and bread of life that will give us the necessary nurishment for healthy relationships with others.  Instead of a fishing rod we are called to be fishers of men who desparately need to hear the good news of salvation provided only through Christ who died for our sins.

What does the empty tomb mean to you?  We encourage you to take time to reflect on this, see what God has done for you, and open the package that he freely offers you. 

“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”  – John 11:25-26