MCA Update
Since the end of March our home has been filled with sickness. For a couple of months it was all about the stomach...worms, H. Pylori, typhoid, amoeba, giardia...lots and lots of stomach issues. Two months in I guess that was too boring so we've added malaria, a flu type virus, and a broken arm along with the stomach issues that are still lingering in some kids. Since we've been so sick the updates here on the blog and even on Facebook have been few, BUT things are still happening! Progress is being made and we have many projects waiting to be funded and many more in the works. All of this sickness has cost us over $7,000 between medications, transportation, testing, and hospital stays. But we've found an amazing hospital to work with that we can trust to get to the bottom of things.
So many injections!
Our poor Masaai guys got so sick. They actually enjoyed laying outside while getting their medications.
We had IVs hanging off of several beds.
Aspen got to test out a new sonogram machine at our new favorite hospital. Thankfully everything looked good and later the were able to diagnose her with typhoid.
At the end of April the 2022 school year started and we officially opened our high school with 9th and 10th grade. The buildings are completely built, but not complete. However, they are usable so we are making due while waiting to finish things. While opening the high school we were able to move our 7th and 8th grade classes down to that campus as well. Now each grade level has its own classroom which means we do not have any more classes meeting under the pavilion. This is a huge improvement for our school.
This high school has been a labor of love. Karson oversaw the entire building project, he learned a lot and did a great job.
This building is for 9th and 10th grade, just opposite this building there is another identical building for 7th and 8th grade.
If you are new here or are newish our school opened in 2018 with Pre-K through 3rd grade, in 2020 Kenya closed all schools for 9 months over covid. At the end of April 2022 we open school with Pre-K through 10th grade. God has grown this school tremendously and while it is a lot of work we are so thankful. Mercy Christian Academy is a Gospel focused school and while we are not perfect and still have lots to learn and many areas to grow in, we are making progress and keeping God the focus.
Our classrooms are a work in progress, but learning is happening.
So what's done and not done at the high school campus? So far we have 4 classes built and roofed, but they aren't completely done yet. 3 of the 4 classrooms need cement floors, all classes need ramps outside of the doors, we have some toilets built and usable, but we need to add more to make things flow better (no pun intended). We do not have power at the school campus yet, but we have LOTS of windows in each classroom so there is plenty of light when the sun is out. We still need to build a dining hall and kitchen, right now our kitchen at the home campus is preparing food for both schools and the home. We need to add labs, offices, and furniture for all of those rooms. By January we need to add at least 1 more classroom so we can add 11th grade, but ideally we would add 2 classrooms because we build them in sets of 2. Honestly, the list of needs for the school alone is overwhelming to me. It often starts to feel impossible and way too big of a project for us. Thankfully God is bigger than my overwhelming thoughts and I know He will work things out according to His plan.
We started classes with open endcaps, but they were quickly completed.
Lots of little and big things need to be done and we will do them as the Lord provides.
One of our main needs for MCA are individual sponsorships. $25 a month helps cover the cost of a student attending MCA. This is generally an easy way to make a huge impact on a student's life. So many children in our village are not able to attend school because their family cannot afford to pay fees. If you'd like to write (or email) your student and form a more personal relationship we can make that happen and your student will write you back, but it is not mandatory. On Sunday at church we met 4 boys who were all missing school because their families lacked fees, these fees were less than $10, but it is just not doable for them. Our goal is to keep MCA 100% free for our students. Currently we are doing that mostly through general donations, but the constant price increases are forcing us to make menu changes and hold off on some school needs. At MCA we are "whole student focused" which means we care about the physical needs, spiritual needs, emotional needs, and educational needs of each student. Our students are fed 2 meals and a snack each school day, we provide shoes (when we have them, click here for more information on shoes), uniforms which are provided by McKinney Christian Academy in TX, all curriculum, all supplies, and we help out with medical needs as available.
And prices are still rising.
Aside from helping a specific student get an education, sponsorships also help us plan for school projects and needs as a ministry. When you are building a school from the ground up there are so many expenses, big and small. Some you can plan for and space out, some you can wait out, and some you don't even realize until you are mid project. Some needs we are able to meet easily, others like a sudden $2,000 need for lab equipment we have to put on pause and find a way around for a while. This process of building a school is exciting and frustrating, it is a blessing in so many ways and also very difficult at times, it can be the highlight of your day or what makes your day horrible. We are learning and growing lots, we are staying focused on God and trusting Him to make His path and plan clear. We are only seeking what we believe He would have us do because running a school is so difficult here.
Dirt floors are not ideal, but they work. We are learning to be flexible and lower our expectations.
Thanks for coming along with us and joining our team to help the people God has placed us among. It is a huge responsibility, one that we do not take lightly. Even on days where it feels like change is SO very slow, change is happening. Yesterday at church I saw gentleman get up and help a disabled young lady get a seat and tears filled my eyes because that is positive change. We do not always see the love and care we hope to see, but yesterday I caught a glimpse of it and it made my heart so happy. Thank you for investing your love, prayers, time, and money here. You are helping make a difference in a small area of Kenya that really needs help.
Chalkboards were added after school opened. When working on such a large project smaller details get pushed off until later sometimes.
You can click here to go to the school fundraiser page to learn more or to donate specifically to the high school campus.
You can click here to go to the school sponsorship page to see the available students. We are adding more classes soon, as we go up to 10th grade now.