Light and Power held its annual community Christmas Party last week. Sponsored students and Light and Power employees came out for the event, as well as youth from L+P cook Beatrice's Bible and literacy classes. In addition nearly fifty children from the surrounding neighborhood showed up and enjoyed games, music, dancing, and a Christmas feast.

L+P recently moved to a new home. They now have a stone house in the heart of the Gatina slum. Their new rental facility is a vast improvement from the hole-ridden, swamp dwelling, sanitation nightmare, tin huts they had been working in. The boys now have water and electricity, as well as a kitchen and full bathroom. The house has a workroom, office, storage room, and even an extra bedroom where four boys now live. The guys are excited about the new house and are hoping it can be a center for education, employment, and outreach to the surrounding community.

Elishadai Computer College recently held a graduation ceremony for several of its students. Eight of them had completed studies in basic computer skills, keyboarding, Microsoft Office, accounting, or graphic design software. The ceremony featured snacks and sodas along with presentations by students and teachers, members of St. Luke's Church, and the school's Board of Directors. Here's a photo of Esther, a tutor at the school, as she shares her reflections on the term and her hopes for the future. Esther lives in a neighboring slum and was one of the first students at the school. She is excited and eager to help the school’s impact on youth in the slums continue to grow.

The team has sent out a Newsletter
straight from the heart of Nairobi.
Click on the image, or here, to view it,
download it, and see for yourself!














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The Falls Church is currently looking for 5 new sponsors to help send children to Akiba School. Several of these children finished Class 8 last year and have been waiting for funds to go to high school. A few of them have been working dilligently at Light and Power for the past year and are eager to return to school. The children have already interviewed with the staff and teachers at Akiba and been accepted for admission. School begins on January 7th and we are hoping to find sponsors before the end of December. The full cost of sponsorship is $400 per student per year. If anyone is interested please send an e-mail to the Akiba Team Chairman, Philip Brasher at: philipbrasher@yahoo.com.

Henry runs a shamba in Ithanga. He's the most productive farmer in his village and has a gift for helping things grow. Recently, Anne and I visited Henry and his farm with our friend Horace Tipton. Horace is part of Planting Faith ministries (www.plantingfaith.com) and currently helps over 100 subsistence farmers in the Thika Diocese. Many of the farmers are women, and each of them works a five-acre plot, usually producing just enough food to feed the family. Horace has been introducing these farmers to drought resistant crops, developing loan programs, and helping local leaders coordinate community farm groups. He also leads Christian discipleship ministries. . .The Planting Faith farmers are currently harvesting passion fruit, which is normally not grown at such an elevation. They tend to produce a sweeter variety, and the fruit is so good they're now exporting to Europe. This is bringing much needed capital to the impoverished community.

Congratulations to Philip and Regina Gitao! Philip recently accepted a position as the Executive Director of Eastern African Fine Coffees Association. Regina, on the other hand, has been busy starring in Project Fame, a Kenyan reality television program similar to American Idol. Philip and Regina are members of the Light and Power and Akiba School Boards and have been a huge help to these ministries. The couple will move to Kampala in the next few months and will be heavily involved in the marketing of Kenyan coffee.

John Kinyanjui grew up in Gatina. His parents left him on the streets in the mid 90's and he was forced to live by his wits in the slum for several years. As he moved around with other street boys, John eventually became involved at Light and Power. He attended classes and Bible studies and used the Centre's athletic and recreational facilities. John was invited to make a new home at Light and Power and after a few years received a sponsorship to attend Akiba School. He started in Class 8 and was the first student ever to board at Akiba. At first he lived by himself on the campus, but now resides with nearly ten others. He's been a strong presence at Akiba during the last five years and helps mentor many of the younger boys. John just finished his exams and graduated from Akiba this past month. He hopes to study law and computer engineering. In the meantime he's helping out again at Light and Power. . . L+P is in the process of developing a one-year program for high school graduates offering life skills, Christian mentorship, leadership training, and job and post-secondary school placement. John will be one of the first from Gatina to be involved. . .UPDATE ON JOHN: With the help of friends at Akiba, John was recently accepted to join a veterinary training school in Nairobi. He will be starting classes soon and is excited about this new development.

Another year has passed and remarkable things have happened at Akiba School. Edith Gitao, School Manager, shared her reflections on the year during our recent closing ceremony. I'll post some of her thoughts soon. . .During the ceremony students also performed skits and sang songs. Here's a photo of primary students performing a skit about long-winded, elderly storytellers.

Last Wednesday, I had dinner with my Kenya Connection teammates; Allison, a friend working in Uganda; and G------w, an Ethiopian living in Northern Kenya. G------w is a pastor with the Anglican Church and has a heart for reaching the Somali peoples with the gospel. The areas he works in practice strict Sharia law and tend to be very hostile to Christianity. G------w builds friendships with Somalis and helps out in Somali communities. In the process he addresses negative stereotypes, helps with reconciliation, and shares the love of Christ. Because of his work, he has been expelled from certain regions of Kenya and has been threatened with death. The tensions between Islam and Christianity have heightened during the past few years in Somalia, and the rise of militant Islam and Islamic fundamentalism has made it difficult for many missionaries and aid workers. If anyone is interested in learning more about G------w and compassionate Christian outreach and service to Somalis in Kenya, please let us know at kenyaconnection@gmail.com.