Thanks for praying for Agnes, saw her yesterday and she seemed fine, she giggled when I poked her in the belly so I think that means she’s fine!
So art club…art is making something outside yourself to show what is inside yourself, it’s a way to figure things out, think about things, question things, challenge things or tell a story. It takes creativity and courage and therefore anyone can do it. It can mean nothing or it can show all sorts of deep things that are hard to communicate, both types are good. Next Friday I’m hoping to start an art club with the older girls at Turning Point. Don’t know if anyone will come or will get what I’m on about. Im hoping it will be a fun time to make a mess with paint and glue and colours but I hope more than that we will be able to use the stuff we are doing to communicate beyond the ever present language barrier.
Whenever I have done art with the kids before they just want to copy what I have done exactly and some have been too scared even to try that in case they get it wrong. Whenever I chat with kids its hard to get beyond the usual conversation because I don’t know enough swahili and they don’t know enough English. Its still good to chat as its usually pretty funny but I don’t feel Im understanding them any better or really able to say anything of worth to them.
I would really appreciate your prayers that the art club will overcome some of this stuff, that it will encourage the kids to not be scared to share what they think or feel about things or to ask questions and not be scared to try things and make a mess. I’m praying God will help me to show them what art is meant to be about rather than teaching them to draw nicely or colour inside the lines. If it works as I plan, I’m hoping it will help me to understand the kids and the slum a bit better and that it might be a way for them to ask questions and explore stuff a bit more deeply. I’m super excited but also super scared that it will just be lame and not work at all so would really appreciate your prayers. God is good and if these ideas are from Him He will be faithful to make it happen.
Tuesday 20 January 2009
Wednesday 14 January 2009
High School Musical
…is rubbish don’t watch it. Anyway it’s the start of the school year and time to move some kids up from primary to secondary school. Eight kids finished primary this year, only two got the marks for TP to send them to secondary. That is Hussein who lives up at the farm - UK team should know him for his immense drama skills. The second is Benedictor who I’ve been hanging out with since before Christmas when the KCPE exams were over.
Jo and Jon have some friends called Jason and Jenny who are starting their own secondary school up near Mount Kenya this year. They want the school to be for kids like ours at Turning Point who would otherwise struggle to get a secondary education so they have come down to the project a couple of times over the last couple of weeks to meet some of the girls who could maybe go to their school.
Today I heard that Beni, Lelina and Siombua (who currently lives up at the farm) have been accepted to their school (it’s a girls school) even though they didn’t all get the required marks. This is awesome news, they will all go off to boarding school together, escape the risks of the slum and be a part of an exciting new school. I think they will have so much fun as Lelina and Benedictor are joined at the hip anyway its cool they will be together and the school is starting with around 20 or 30 kids so they will all know each other, I think they will be a great little community as they start the school together and figure out how to do things and such. Benedictor by the way is a legend. She told me that she wants to be a doctor so that she can set an example to other kids in Kibera, to make them think ‘If she can do it so can I’. She also does a great impression of this rapper called Jua Kali, she taught all the little 4 year olds one of his songs the other day while swinging them on the see-saw. Good times. I’ll miss her when she goes.
Please pray for these three as they get excited about high school and for Jason and Jenny in the final preparations for starting the school.
Also please could you pray for Agnes, she is the sister of the infamous Angry peanut and daughter of veronica who is part of the loan scheme. Bumped into Veronica yesterday and she said Agnes was in the hospital the day before, possibly has malaria.
Jo and Jon have some friends called Jason and Jenny who are starting their own secondary school up near Mount Kenya this year. They want the school to be for kids like ours at Turning Point who would otherwise struggle to get a secondary education so they have come down to the project a couple of times over the last couple of weeks to meet some of the girls who could maybe go to their school.
Today I heard that Beni, Lelina and Siombua (who currently lives up at the farm) have been accepted to their school (it’s a girls school) even though they didn’t all get the required marks. This is awesome news, they will all go off to boarding school together, escape the risks of the slum and be a part of an exciting new school. I think they will have so much fun as Lelina and Benedictor are joined at the hip anyway its cool they will be together and the school is starting with around 20 or 30 kids so they will all know each other, I think they will be a great little community as they start the school together and figure out how to do things and such. Benedictor by the way is a legend. She told me that she wants to be a doctor so that she can set an example to other kids in Kibera, to make them think ‘If she can do it so can I’. She also does a great impression of this rapper called Jua Kali, she taught all the little 4 year olds one of his songs the other day while swinging them on the see-saw. Good times. I’ll miss her when she goes.
Please pray for these three as they get excited about high school and for Jason and Jenny in the final preparations for starting the school.
Also please could you pray for Agnes, she is the sister of the infamous Angry peanut and daughter of veronica who is part of the loan scheme. Bumped into Veronica yesterday and she said Agnes was in the hospital the day before, possibly has malaria.
Saturday 10 January 2009
Tony Hart is a hero
Happy new year everyone!
This week was back to work which was ace. January is the start of a new school year in Kenya so the project has all changed round with all the kids moving up. All of prep class and most of transition class has started primary school, transition class have moved up to prep so there are spaces in wadogo and wakubwa for new kids so Pastor and Eunice have been bombarded by mamas wanting to enrol their kids at TP. Transition class is close to empty for now as this is basically for street kids who tend to emerge from somewhere gradually through the year.
We had a long management meeting this week to chat about the year ahead which was mostly boring but also quite exciting at the same time. I came out having all sorts of new jobs to do. The thing I’m most excited about is starting an after school art club for the standard 6-8 girls. I’ll be starting it next week with Margaret, one of the teachers. No idea what we’ll do but it should be fun and a good way to get to know the school kids better and encourage them a bit. We want to restart the football team for the boys too so we are praying for a new coach to come along, preferably someone who can disciple the boys a bit too.
So prayer would be greatly appreciated for Margeret and I as we start the art club this coming week and for a football coach to come along somehow.
An update on Aggrey. Firstly his name is spelt Aggrey not Agri. I won’t lie to you, I was wrong. He has started making and selling soap for washing floors etc. He came to church all excited last Sunday that he had a great week getting out of the house and all his stock was sold, he seemed to have loads more energy and be really upbeat which was really ace to see. His customers have said they prefer green soap to blue so he’s going to make the next batch green. He said he will bring a sample for me this Sunday so I’m looking forward to cleaning my floor.
This week was back to work which was ace. January is the start of a new school year in Kenya so the project has all changed round with all the kids moving up. All of prep class and most of transition class has started primary school, transition class have moved up to prep so there are spaces in wadogo and wakubwa for new kids so Pastor and Eunice have been bombarded by mamas wanting to enrol their kids at TP. Transition class is close to empty for now as this is basically for street kids who tend to emerge from somewhere gradually through the year.
We had a long management meeting this week to chat about the year ahead which was mostly boring but also quite exciting at the same time. I came out having all sorts of new jobs to do. The thing I’m most excited about is starting an after school art club for the standard 6-8 girls. I’ll be starting it next week with Margaret, one of the teachers. No idea what we’ll do but it should be fun and a good way to get to know the school kids better and encourage them a bit. We want to restart the football team for the boys too so we are praying for a new coach to come along, preferably someone who can disciple the boys a bit too.
So prayer would be greatly appreciated for Margeret and I as we start the art club this coming week and for a football coach to come along somehow.
An update on Aggrey. Firstly his name is spelt Aggrey not Agri. I won’t lie to you, I was wrong. He has started making and selling soap for washing floors etc. He came to church all excited last Sunday that he had a great week getting out of the house and all his stock was sold, he seemed to have loads more energy and be really upbeat which was really ace to see. His customers have said they prefer green soap to blue so he’s going to make the next batch green. He said he will bring a sample for me this Sunday so I’m looking forward to cleaning my floor.
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