Last Week of School

The 2013 school year in Kenya is officially over!  Over 800,000 Eighth Graders and 400,000 Twelfth Graders took their National Exams and are waiting patiently for their results.  The closing week of the school year at CGA was filled with all kinds of activities! 

Monday 

Giving Back: Service Day

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…”  -Mark 10:45

CGA students and staff invaded the community for a day of service.  Recognizing that they are blessed by God, they wanted to also go out and bless others.  The older classes did several service projects.  Daneen went with 4th Grade to the hospital where they were able to pray for sick patients, pass out Bibles and help clean the hospital grounds by picking up trash.  The 5^th Graders walked to town and helped clean up the trash around the Mbita sports field. Since the field is near a lot of houses, much trash gets thrown there, including what the students called flying toilets; plastic bags that some people use as toilets at night and then throw out their window. (Gross!)

Joe helped the 6^th graders in cleaning up a local fishing beach which is similar to a mini slum.  Finally, the 7^th Graders served at a local church which needed heavy stones moved from a storage place into the church compound for building their new sanctuary. 

The students spent the whole day serving, with the teachers and staff alongside of them.  It was tiring work in the hot African sun; but a great opportunity to teach students (and also the staff) about serving.  The students were urged that they should be serving on a regular basis; not just when we do it as a school, but even at home, in their churches and in the community.

  

Tuesday

Mashindano Day: Class Competition and Games

On Tuesday, the staff and students enjoyed a day of competition (Mashindano in Kiswahili).   The students were put into two teams and they competed in football, volleyball, netball, running relays, sack race, balancing a tomato on a spoon in their mouth as they run, and pouring water into their mouth, running and then spitting it out into a cup. 

The Tie-Breaking contest between the two teams was a relay where they had to run down the basketball court, get dressed with a t-shirt, skirt, big shoes and a crown.  After dressing, they had to run down and back, take off those clothes and return to the starting line to tag the next person.  It was a dramatic finish which ended with the winning team dancing, shouting, running and the biggest smiles ever seen!   Check out this 30 sec video of the students celebrating: 

Everyone had a blast on Mashindano Day, but they also learned about teamwork and unity; whether winning or losing.  We even saw talents in some of them that we didn’t know they had! 

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Closing Day: Awards and Chapel

The final day of the 2013 school year concluded with a joint Chapel.  Joe led the whole CGA family in praise and worship, and then in the teaching time.  They were reminded about the theme for CGA this year: Jesus is the Way, Truth, and the Life.  The focus for this chapel was that we are blessed to be a blessing to others.  In Genesis 12:1-3, God is making a covenant with Abraham and promises to bless him and that he, in turn, will be a blessing to others. 

Students shared the different ways they are blessed; such as having a family, a school to learn in, food to eat, clothes to wear, shelter at night, medical treatment when they are sick and eternal life.  Those who appreciate what they have, are always ready to return those blessings to others around them.  The students also shared practical ways of how they can be a blessing to others; such as saying a kind word, sharing their things, teaching others what they already know and serving others. 

Joe urged them that during their 6-weeks of school vacation they should strive to be a blessing to their family at home, members in their church and people in the community.  The chapel concluded with each student receiving a Bible to take home with them courtesy of the Gideon’s.

Upcoming School Break

December CGA events include food distribution to the families caring for orphans and the annual Christmas party.  However, the students are on vacation until the 2014 school year which begins on January 8^th.   

Though the school year is over, Team Pete will be very busy in the coming weeks.  The last week of November will be consumed with the CGA Secondary Reunion with all our secondary school students.  A team from Nairobi will be coming to share during the week-long conference.  In December our focus will be on the Suba Lakers.  There are numerous tournaments when school is not in session.  We will have football training and academic training with our primary and secondary girls, and we hope to participate in several of those tournaments.  We look forward to having extra time with our girls!