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The Grace Journal is a place where Rev. Wambugu, and perhaps occasionally others of the Grace Ministries staff, will summarize the work of the day or week. We want you to feel that you are an active part of our work and our lives, and hope that this on-going journal of our activities – our joys, our sorrows, and our day-to-day work – will help to bring you more closely into our world.
God bless you for your interest and your support!
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Author: Samuel Wambugu
Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 3:59 P.M. (Limuru time)
WEEK ENDING SATURDAY 27TH JANUARY 2007:
Learning went on well at Grace School. New pupils continue to come seeking for admission. Four new pupils joined the school. We have a definite paradox that we have to deal with. We now have facilities to admit more children while on the other hand there is no money to feed them and take care of other requirements like books. We can only deal with this paradox by getting more people who are willing to partner with us and support the School financially. Our financial base has not grown proportionately with the demand.
I (Samuel) spent most of the week traveling with Cynthia White the Director of the committee on Self Development of People (SDOP) of Presbyterian Church USA. SDOP has Economic projects that aim at alleviating poverty that it supports in Kenya. I do the site evaluation before any project is considered for support. The SDOP office requested me to make arrangements for the Director to visit the projects as she was attending an International Social Forum in Nairobi. Another irony of our circumstances that I have to travel recommending people for Grants while we at Grace cannot get the grant because the funding criteria for SDOP is not to support School or Churches. Cynthia visited Grace and she was impressed by the learning skills of the children.
The need for uniforms and books is still there and ask you to pray with us on this issue.
God be with you.
Samuel.
| Author: Samuel Wambugu
Saturday, January 20, 2007 at 08:53 A.M. (Limuru time)
WEEK ENDING 20TH JANUARY 2007.
Pupils and teachers are settling after a long Christmas break. We have received many applications from teachers from other Schools wishing to come and teach at Grace. We have no teaching openings because Grace Teachers never leaves. There are School with 100% annual turnover of staff. Our old pupils have all turned up for the New Year with others coming to join us from other schools and some from other schools and some from home who were not going to school. This is a strong index that our teachers, pupils and parents are happy and that they do not want to change from Grace. You are part of keeping Grace Children and teachers happy through your prayers and support.
The social tradition which we also follow is for people to visit a colleague when she gives birth. We have two of our staff Miriam and Jennifer who are on maternity leave and they have delivered a boy and a girl respectively. The teachers visited Miriam on Friday and they will visit Jennifer at the end of the month. They contribute small amounts to buy gifts (mostly clothes) for the child. The School (office) supports this noble course by matching the teachers contribution. This enhances a family co-existence and support. This is major a strength of Grace School of living as a family.
We are currently in need of new uniforms and text books for the children. We thank God that we have continued to receive financial support from partners and friends of Grace School which we are using for the extremely needy children.
Have a blessed week
Samuel.
| Author: Samuel Wambugu
Monday, January 15, 2007 at 5:03 P.M. (Limuru time)
WEEK ENDING 13 January 2007.
This was the 1st week of the year as well as for term one 2007.
There was up grading of pupils from one class to another. Those in Nursery went to Standard one and the one who were in Standard Six which was the top class that we had went to Standard seven which is now the top class that we have. We still have another more class to go in order to finish Primary Education. This will be by next year when the present Standard even goes standard eight.
We are having new children mostly in Nursery School. We have others joining other classes. It has not been easy for parents who want to bring their children to Grace School. We require a child coming to join Grace to do an Interview. The interview which is given is like this. If a child wants to join Standard five, He/She will have to do the examination that our children did when they were in standard four third term. Most of the children are not meeting our standard. The only alternative is for that child to repeat the class. Most parents are seeing the logic when they see the performance of their children while some are refusing and goes back with their children. We sympathise with the children who are not qualifying to join the next class, but it is for their benefit that they meet the required level education level before they can go to the next class. This exercise kept Jane the Head Teacher very busy.
The week had financial blessing. Majority of the supporting Churches sent their January gift to UTFCU. This was very encouraging because we were getting concerned of whether the regular financial support we received in 2006 was going to continue. The financial need increases with increasing number of children. We are praying that the Lord will bring more partners. The current financial support is not able to meet our recurrent monthly support whose main components are Teachers support and feeding program.
We are very optimistic that this year will not be as hard as the year 2006. There is enough food in the market and there is no famine. We have enough potatoes in our store to feed the children this term. We however need to buy other food stuffs like Corn, beans, rice sugar and bread. We need your continued prayers.
Samuel.
| Author: Samuel Wambugu
Saturday, January 06, 2007 at 6:08 P.M. (Limuru time)
FORTNIGHT ENDING SATURDAY JANUARY 6TH.
Happy new year to all of you readers of the Grace Journal as well as taking time to pray for the work of Grace School. May the almighty God inspire you to continue doing the same in the year 2007.
Grace School started the year 2006 on a very discouraging note. We had no enough rooms for classrooms; there was prevalent hunger disaster in Kenya. We are beginning 2007 on a radically opposite note. We have adequate room for classrooms and offices. There is plenty of food in the country. Last year people were dying of hunger due to prolonged drought; this year people are dying in some parts of Kenya from floods. Isn't our God marvellous in his works? He alone is to be worshipped for time and seasons are in his hands.
This week has been very busy putting the final finish on the building and making sure that both children desks and teachers tables are set. We have been able to accomplish all this. Teachers came to School on Friday 5th to make sure that every detail is in its right place. Isnt it a show of great love and dedication by these teachers? The children will resume classes after a long break on Monday the 8th. They will definitely be shocked by the wonderful transformation the facility has undergone during their absence.
We have two teachers on maternity leave. Miriam and Jennifer and they have already given birth to a boy and a girl respectively. It will be tough for me (Samuel) and Jane (The Head teacher) filling for Miriam in her accounts office. We however do not have another option as we have no money to employ a reliever.
We have prayer request for text books for our Standard Seven class. We anticipate 25 pupils in this class and each requires text books and writing materials. A few can afford to buy for themselves, but the majority cannot. These children have only one more year to go before they sit for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education whose performance gives them space in High School. It is a period of serious work to both teachers and pupils. It costs $ 80 to buy acquire all the required stationary per child.
The Lord be with you and keep you. Grace Journal will now be posted weekly.
Samuel.
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Please know that your donation can help, not only to save the life of a child in Limuru, but to guide that life in such a way as to loosen the stranglehold of despair and death that threatens so much of Kenya's population. Thank you, in advance, for your compassionate support!
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