Article submitted by Brad & Camie Matlack, Field Coordinators in Kenya
What is the best day of my life? If I were making that choice, I can think of a lot of possibilities, but I would not ever include my first day at a new school as an option! But this is different!
It was PURE JOY to get to walk with these girls as they exclaimed, laughed and smiled over their first day in a new school! We met first for a little snack and prayer time with some pastors from Nairobi Chapel/Jubilee Fund – the scholarship fund that will facilitate and mentor them through their education.
I gave each girl – (after all we’ve walked through together, they feel like my own daughters in a way!) a journal with a reminder of God’s love for them. I pray they never forget the God that PLUCKED them out of a horrible and hopeless situation.
As we toured the school, I GIGGLED with them as they responded to each “luxury” they encountered – water – actually available and a real shower! (The center they came from usually had NO water – not even for drinking most of the time!) They outright cheered when the matron mentioned the meal schedule – 3 meals a day and tea in the afternoon. (Compared to the one meal – or none – they had faced at the last place they had lived… a situation that had pushed one of them into prostitution just to find food to survive). A bed for each of them… no sharing with 2 or 3 others!
Before we left them, in their new school – ready for a fresh start, Maggie told us that she knew what she would be writing in her journal that night. “This is the best day of my life!”
And we are excited to watch how our GOOD GOD works in each of them – as they grasp this new chance in life, reach toward their dreams for the future, and experience GOD’S love in a very tangible way!
We have been overwhelmed by the response to our request for help with scholarship funds for these girls! Thank you to each of you that has contributed! Our goal is to raise all the funds necessary for each of them to finish high school now so that we can just have the money tucked away, ready to pay for each new term.