Mombasa
2011 Part 1
Our
theme for this trip turned out to be the first part ofProverbs 29:18 (King James Version)“Where there is no vision, the people perish:
”Part
1 of this trip takes place in Mombasa Kenya from 26 April 2011 until 7 May 2011. Report for Glorious Victory Academy
Great things
1 Kings 19:11-13 (New International Version, ©2011) 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass
by.” Then
a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came
a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his
face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God
has manifested Himself in our community. We see evidence in the children. The children
are growing and appear to be in generally good condition. We were able to witness the biggest smiles that
I have ever seen on our children.
Catherine. To see her is to see a miracle.
From the last time I saw her and didn’t even recognize her. To see her now is truly a God given miracle.
She is gaining weight, color, brightness in her eyes and face. She is outgoing and has a great attitude
and appears ready to live 100 years. She is attending church and a part of an HIV/AIDS support group that
meets weekly in each person’s home. She was hired to make lunch for the clinic, and came to the hotel
with the boys, cooked supper for us, and went on our picnic. She is a changed woman. We
will be forever grateful to God for this change.
Agnes has
become a real lady. Secondary school was great for her and we thank God we did not give up on her.
She is beautiful with a great start in her life. In her high school she became a religious leader
for the school. She has a great singing voice and loves to sing. She wants to become a computer engineer,
but for now she is looking for a job to get some money. She is very willing to be trained, so we are asking
Rose, Simon, and Peter to make a special effort in her development. We are looking for ways for her to
start to give back to the community. We took Agnes with us as we went to visit a girl’s secondary
school. I wanted to exposed her to adult things and give her a chance to be the one giving the encouragement
to the waiting class. In the first group she did not say much, just her name. By the
third class Agnes was giving scripture for the girls to use in order not to be discouraged. We gave Agnes
a graduation card and a small amount of money and expressed how proud we are of her. She was so happy I
thought she would jump out of her skin. I am so blessed to be there to see this.
Simon continues
to be just a very special person for our team. He brings such energy, faith, hope and love to this group.
He made all of the on the ground arrangements to hold our clinic. This was a very good day and we
saw 184 clients and filled 736 prescriptions. Simon has put together a team of four people for now, himself,
two doctors, and a nurse. They have a heart for the LORD and people. They have committed
to form this team to do what they can to bring health care to the local communities that lack attention. They
came and worked all day for the price of lunch. This is a great team ready and willing to make change for
God. Simon will be the leader of this group and I have asked him to look for ways to include Agnes with
this group. It will be a great help in her development. We want to always support this
team any way we can.Simon also introduced us to a new school the
UYOMBO Girls School near Malindi. This school was started by Madam Irene Makalo. a lady with a great vision.
This school was started because of the location and poverty. The girls were being sold into marriages so the families could
get some money. These girls would never have had the opportunity to go to high school. This
lady has the spirit and the will to make anything happen. The school is 3 years old and has 50 girls enrolled.
This is a government school that also gets support from the community. Simon will keep us informed
about this school.Simon also has a brand new wife. Her
name is Esther. She is a very nice girl and supports Simon’s work. We also had
the chance to have dinner with them and meet Simon’s father.
Pastor
Kadungo is doing a very good job with the religious training. He is holding classes at Rose’s
house when there is no school for the children. We had the chance to attend one of these sessions.
The children are very good. They seem to really be involved in the lessons. By
Pastor Kadungo being young I think the children relate to him. At this session all 13 children were there.
This was a great opening for our visit. Pastor Kadungo also holds three sessions at GVA.
We were able to visit two of these sessions. In the high school session, 9 children accepted Christ.
This is good support.
Rose
and Keith the backbone of this operation. Without them I don’t think we could survive. Again
they put aside their personal lives to cater to us. From picking us up at the airport to taking us back
again. They see to everything. Not only for us but they have taken on the task of helping
others. They decided that since Catherine was doing so well she needed her own house so they built her
one. Not taking much thought they stopped construction on their own house to get hers done.
The boys are doing just fine. Shaquille is doing very well at school and Christian is doing very
well. Christian has made great changes since the last time I saw him. Rose and Keith will keep him around
good people and he will continue to grow. They are having some problems with the goats. The
goats are only good for the crocodile farm. They are costing more than they are worth. I
told Keith to get rid of the goats and do something else with whatever money he could get from the sale of the goats.
Good things
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Peter the new headmaster will be an added value to this school.
I have talked to him about being added to the Simon’s team no matter where he should go. He
is a good young Christian man with a big vision and hope. He is married to Irene and has two children.
He is a P1 teacher and joined GVA at the beginning of the year. When I first went to talk to him
in his office he was very open and honest with me. He is an asset for us.
GVA School has completed the first term
and started the second term. It appears that the children are reporting as expected. The
enrollment is about half of what it was three years ago. When asked why the general consensus is the parents
have pulled their children out because of the low standard of the school. There are new and improved buildings
on the grounds of GVA. The secondary school had a second floor now and the church building has walls.
Clinic was held on Saturday April 30, 2011. It
was a good clinic but not the best. The people from the community came but not as steady as in the past.
We had 184 clients, filled 736 prescriptions, with 10 on staff assisting. Lunch was provided by
Catherine. The nurse from Simon’s team came in after she got off from work. It
appeared to me that there were a lot of sick children. As I enquired I was told it was the rainy season.
I am not sure we can accept that as a reason for all of the sickness. I would like to see more effort
put into prevention instead of treatment. All of the drugs were purchased by BB&S. There
were some left over that Simon will store until the next clinic scheduled for August 2011. This clinic
will not be held at GVA but at one of the unattended locations. Simon will give us a list of what was left
so we can see where we need to start for the next clinic.
Picnic
with the children and a few parents was held on Sunday afternoon at the beach. All of the children came
and had what I will consider the best time ever. They were so happy and free. It was
a great time and a few of the parents also came to help out. It was a great time for all. We
walked on the beach, swam, played games, talked and sang lots of songs. Most of the activities were led
by Morris and Agnes. They are stepping up to be real leaders. This was great to see.
Majingo
Academy was visited by us. This is a very good school not far from GVA. It
is a Christian school with a great headmaster named Mr. Kalama. The school was started in 2003 and has
about 400 students in all. The school is from the KG’s to the 3rd year of high school.
The fees are in line with the other schools, and they have full paid school fees and complete textbook problems as
some of the other schools, but somehow they seem to manage their shortcomings. In the school rankings for
2010 they ranked 11 out of a total of 125 schools. The headmaster is on a mission to get the school ranked
higher next year. Because he has been with the school from the beginning he has a good rapport with the
teachers and the school owner.
Local
Chief Rose. We were able to meet the local chief and have a talk with her. Her
name is Chief Rose Kadenge. She was very cooperative with us and ready to come to the private school and
do what she could for the community through the school. Normally they don’t spend much time at private
schools unless they are called or there is a problem that affects the community. Rose told her that she
would be informed at the next parents meeting and asked to attend.
District
Education Officer. We had the chance to meet the man who is second in charge of all education
in Kenya’s coast providence. His name is Julius and he is a good friend of Rev. John.
He has promised to take a look a GVA. He is at a very high level with lots of responsibilities but
will do for us what he can. Like in most cases they tend not to worry about private schools unless they
become a problem.
Prestige
Apartments was a new place to stay in Mtwapa. It was a clean two bedroom apartment with a
full kitchen, dining area, and sitting room. The cost of the room was about $50.00 per night.
We made breakfast in the room most days.
Ok things
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Parents
are somewhat involved with their children. We held a parents meeting at the school most of
the parents attended and made the same promises as before. They seem to want to be a part of what’s
going on for their children but lack the skills and leadership to do so. We will keep on encouraging them
to attend the parents meetings and participate. We are also going to try to extend the parents meeting
to include all of the parents from the school. This meeting will also include the local Chief, and the
District Education Officer. Rose will continue to coordinate this meeting.
Not so good things
Then
a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The
Well is not operating. This caused a very bad problem that was corrected because we made a
big fuss about it. They had gone back to the open bucket with one cup for the children to drink from.
This was a potentially dangerous situation. The cup spent ½ of the time on the ground so
when a child needed a drink they would pick up the cup dip in into the barrel rinse it out and throw the water out and then
dip the cup back into the barrel to get water to drink. When I asked the headmaster if he would drink this
water he told me. “No this water is meant for the children”. When I asked if he would let his
child would drink for the barrel he said no. The next day new closed containers were purchased and all
of the children were told to have their own bottle or cup to fill and drink from. New
Teachers. There are too many new teachers at this school. Only a few teachers
remain from year to year. The new teachers coming in are a disruption to the children. There
are also poor relationships between the management and staff of teachers. When you talk to the staff or
parents the topic always goes back to pay.
The Number of students
attending this school has been greatly reduced. The pastor of the church on the school grounds has taken
his children out of this school. With the lack of students the income is low and this is the beginnings
of a problem. I was told the reason one parent took his children out of the school was the teachers were
not teaching and the school lacked progress.
Bad things
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing
here, Elijah?”
School
rating has dropped. Ratings
Year
Mean Score Rank
Total Schools
2010
230
35
52
2009
287
09
42
2008
268
21
32
2007
271
??
40
As shown this drop from 2009 to 2010 is 57 points.
This drop is unacceptable. The real question is how can this be turned around? At
this point no one seems to have the answer.
Textbooks
are still one of the main problems with the school ratings. The updated tally shows that only 20% of the
entire school has a complete set of required textbooks. A closer look at grade 8 brings up some real questions.
First let’s remember that it is a school requirement for all of the students to have a complete set of textbooks.
In 2009 BB&S purchased textbooks so that all of the students in grade 8 would have a full set of textbooks.
At the end of the year the school management was to collect the books and re-rent them the next years.
In 2010 January we sent money for our sponsored children and told the school to purchase textbooks and rent them to
students that did not have a full set of books. As they collected the rent money they would be able to
take out their school fees for our children. They would now have these books and the ability to rent these
books in the coming years. This did not work. We sent the money and still only 20% of
the school students have a complete set of textbooks. Then
a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” What
are you doing here Bibles Books and Shovels? This must be the question we need to answer. We
started with this school in 2004 and have worked very diligently with them ever since. We have all agreed
that we felt the call of God to bring us to this school. God already knew what we would face but He brought
us here anyway. If we feel that God is leading us away we should go at once. If our
work for the LORD is not complete, we need to stay until we hear God say well done thy good and faithful servant.
In spite of all of the above the children of this community have benefitted from our presence. The
community is better off because we are there. The joy brought to the people with each free clinic has made
a difference. As we pray and ask God for directions we need to hear His voice. We need
to be ready to respond to Him in the most positive way. As difficult as it may be we must resist the temptation
to act out of our own emotion. My concern is not just for the eight students we have at GVA.
We could move them in no time, but who will stand up for the rest of the 200 students that no one seems to be willing
to fight for at that school? We know the situation, can we just walk away? Is this what
Jesus would do? Pray Pray Pray and we believe
Proverbs 3:5-6 (New King James Version)5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And
lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
Report for the rest of our stay
in Mombasa.We had a two bedroom apartment at the Prestige Apartments
in Mtwapa, Kenya. This was not far from the road and was very nice and had a pool. Rev.
John has a friend that manages a radio station so the
first Sunday in Kenya Rev. John preached on the radio and I was interviewed. We also met with the District
Educational Officer and had a chance to discuss GVA’s condition. We also met with the local chief
and her assistant. One day we visited Majingo Academy and Mtwapa Elite. Both schools
are doing very well. We had a medical / educational clinic at the school. One day we
took all children and a few parents on a picnic at the beach. Everyone had a great time. The
highlight was having 26 people in a matatu. Mombasa 2011
Part 2
Part 2 of this trip takes place in Nairobi and Meru Kenya from 7 May 2011 until 16 May 2011. On Saturday May 7, 2011 Rev. John
and I left Mombasa for Nairobi. Our plan had us in Nairobi until Tuesday. On our stay
in Nairobi we met with friends of Rev. John. We stayed at the Anglian Church of Kenya’s guest house. This
is a bed and breakfast place where you could buy all meals. On our second Sunday we went to a very large
Pentecostal church that had 10,000 members. The pastor’s sermon was in English and he preached on
the church must get involved as the conscience of the government. We also had the chance to visit with Pastor Bwala and his
wife Lidia. They both look very good and send their love to all.On Tuesday we went to Meru, Rev. John’s hometown. Rev. John was able to get us a car and
driver from the presiding Bishop. Our driver was Habel Kirage. He is a Christian from
Kenya’s coast but is now working in Nairobi as a driver for the Methodist Church. At this point I need to say that everywhere we went Rev. John was treated like a rock
star. People would hear that he was in town and they came from far and near. Everyone was so happy to see
us that I cannot come up with words to describe what I saw. I finally had to ask people why they felt this
way about Rev. John. The general consensus is that he is a living testimony of what God can do.
He came from nothing to what he is today. What is, not just a preacher of the Word but a person
that came up from the bottom and has not forgotten two main things. First he remembers how he got up from
nothing, by the grace of God, and second he had not forgotten where he came from, his very poverty stricken village with very
poor people trying to make it each and every day. He is their role model in living color. When
they see him they all see hope. When he helps them they all see the hand of God, and he helps a lot.
We visited with two groups of widows that could very easily
be the highlight of the trip except there were many such times. We also met with some very high government
officials. We met with Rev. John’s family, friends, classmates, school mates, students he taught,
and new people who for some reason had heard about Rev. John and also treated him with rock star status.AfricaHere
is just a list of the things I saw growing in the few days we spent in Meru. Corn, bananas, oranges, avocados,
lemons, mangos, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, arrow fruit, cabtgrba, (something like a very large sweet potato), sweet potatoes,
beans, peas, tea, coffee, and rice. The thing that amazed me most was miles and miles of rice paddies.
As everyone knows you need water to grow rice. Miles and miles of rice fields. There is also a plant
called Miraa. This plant grows on a small tree and is sold for a stimulant by the truckload.
This is a very lucrative business. It is not illegal in Kenya, but is at the root of some very serious
conditions. We had the chance to visit a small farm of about 100 of these trees. The
owner told us that if this leaf is picked in two days it will be back again. Needless to say he was well
off. If you want more on this item check the internet. Look for Miraa or Khat.
The airplane ride home was the best ride I have ever had even with a 7 hour layover in Amsterdam. As
God would have it I sat next to an eye doctor that gave me a contact that might generate eye doctor help for our clinical
team. I will contact them and introduce us. Overall it was a great trip. I am looking forward to all of your comments. I need to hear what you hear God saying
to us about our next move. We must hear from God together. Mike MinorPresident /CEOBibles Books and Shovels, Inc.PO
Box 1176New Castle , De. 19720
