We are wrapping up our summer in Kenya ! We have just left Ilula, the village we started in, where we spent our last three days helping to record a song with the children’s home choir. JD was in heaven getting to record alongside our Kenyan friends, Titus playing his bass in the band, and Chloe choreographing for the incredibly talented kids choir. We are so grateful God allowed us to participate and capture the precious voices of the kids who we will miss! It was a dream come true. There will soon be a music video link on YouTube that Jd is working on that we will share.
Tuesday night we said “goodbye” to our friends in Kipkaren. It was emotional after a whole month (4 weeks) living and serving together. Bye bye services in Kenya are very special. Songs- speeches and intentional encouragements then gifts, prayers. Truly a sweet time! Our service was made up of the teaching staff of Brook of Faith- the school we partnered with, also the parents from ELi children’s homes, ElI staff and a few students.
We left with full hearts and many tears. Reflecting on this last week in Kipkaren here are some memories.
Visiting ACK Anglican Church- We were happy to join our ELI staff friend, Lynette at her church. We sang and enjoyed worshiping God with an energetic choir / dancers. Titus was given the privilege of preaching that morning alongside the Bishops and clergy. Such an honor!
Teacher workshops- Over and over we have seen God has aligned our paths with His way. I was thrilled when we were invited to dream with teachers about implementing the new CBE program and teaching strategies! Daniel and I, both passionate about teaching, put together some activities (including paper airplane building, incorporating songs with math concepts, differentiating for diverse learners and active vs passive learning). We loved seeing the teachers engage in fun activities and we came home with many ideas for our own classes!
Joshua’s ELI film projects- God opened doors for him to capture some incredible testimonies- one about a man who grew up in the Children’s homes as an orphan, now a successful business man, and another about an alcoholic in the slums whose life has been transformed by Jesus. Jd loved capturing these stories and adding his creative editing skills- we can’t wait to share!
Chloe and Titus’ teen small groups -They loved time with their “age mates” form the children’s home- and their great discussions: “why does God allow suffering? How do we know God is real?”, etc. They went on hikes and really bonded with these fellow teens learning much from their resilient faith!
Many home visits/meals with old friends- We have learned that to know a person’s family and visit their home creates a lasting bond. Some of our favorite moments were walking through corn fields and being welcomed into mud huts, sitting on couches, and listening to stories from our friends. (D and I met most of them 25 years ago- some are even grandparents now!). They are now the business men, pastors, teachers and medical professionals of the village!
God has done more than we could’ve ever asked for or imagined in giving us this experience. We are forever changed!
Thank you for being a part of this story!!
Daniel Gluck 
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