30 Oct Chasing Dreams and Reaching New Heights
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
Since the day we opened our doors to our Kikuyu and Kitalale homes, we made a promise to ourselves and to God that we would do everything we could to create a safe and nurturing space for our kids. A space that provides them with everything they need to grow into strong, independent and healthy members of society.
As we wrap up another school year, we can’t help but reflect and look back at how far our kids have come. Nothing brings us more joy than hearing our kids’ names being called onto the stage during their graduation ceremonies. In just a few days, we will celebrate Freddy’s and Mercy’s high school graduation and transition to their next chapters. With plenty of continued love and support from our family all the way through their post-secondary education, both Freddy and Mercy will continue chasing their dreams and reaching new heights.
Our Newest Graduates
By supporting and encouraging our kids from a young age, we are raising our next generation to be the dreamers and doers of the world. We acknowledge that all of our kids have unique talents and by exposing them to the best education and extracurricular activities available in our region, we’re providing them with the opportunity to discover these talents for themselves.
Freddy
We first crossed paths with Freddy in 2005 when he was just 5 years old. After a period of neglect, the children’s department in Kenya asked us to care for him. On admission to our Kikuyu home, Freddy was very quiet and insecure. Our aunties and uncles nurtured him and kept a close eye all throughout primary school. With time, Freddy started opening up and becoming more positive, self-driven and friendly with others.
With guidance from the Aunties and Uncles, Freddy was able to learn about the value of family, unconditional love, and self-discovery grounded in faith. Through counselling, he was able to open up to others more easily and address issues from the past with an open heart and confidence. Freddy’s history with his dad was a sensitive subject for a very long time until recently, when he decided to forgive him and have a friendship.
Freddy will be starting an internship with our videographer Ray before continuing his studies in film production and advertising.
In school, Freddy always enjoyed history, Christian religious education and English. Upon graduation, he wants to become a videographer and work in the film and advertising industry. This aspiration has been sparked by Ray, the videographer who has helped us film footage of our homes in the past. Every time Ray would visit our homes, Freddy would ask him countless questions and try to learn as much as he could while Ray was doing his job. We are forever grateful for Ray’s generous heart as he has agreed to set up an internship for Freddy. During this internship, he’ll be able to get a head start and learn about the technical aspects of videography before starting college.
Mercy
In May 2005, Mercy and her brother James came into our care after being abandoned by their caregivers. As soon as they stepped foot into our home, both were welcomed and showered with plenty of love from the Aunties, Uncles and older kids. Mercy, who was four at the time, immediately became everyone’s favorite because of her gentle smile and bright eyes.
In primary school, Mercy sometimes had a tough character with her peers. Thanks to the love and prayers from the Aunties and Uncles as well as the discipline from her teachers, she was able to flip her outlook in life and become a strong, ambitious and determined woman. Like many of our kids, Mercy went through an identity crisis. With the help of professional counselling, she was able to heal this space and take ownership of her life. Though this period of self-discovery, Mercy found that playing the guitar and singing was her way of healing and sharing her love with others. Her incredible voice and talent have led her to win numerous singing competitions in her school and represent her school in state competitions.
Mercy will be enrolling in the East African Air College upon graduation to follow her dream of becoming an air hostess for Emirates Airlines.
The first time that Mercy went to an airport, she saw a group of flight attendants walking out and she thought “I want to be one of those, they’re so pretty and carry themselves so well”. Shortly after, one of the flight attendants stopped, made eye contact with Mercy, and approached her with some impactful words “you can do this, I love what I do, and you can do this too”. Ever since that day, Mercy began practicing walking around the home with her arms back and an incredible poise. In our recent check-in with Mercy, she confirmed with us her dream of becoming an air hostess for Emirates Airlines and would like to enroll in the East African Air College upon graduation.
Hard Work Pays Off
Success is no accident and in order to keep your dreams alive, it requires faith, vision and hard work. Both Freddy and Mercy overcame difficulties and turned into the young adults they are today. We are incredibly proud of the two of them for working hard in school, listening to their teachers and for taking advantage of this opportunity they were given.
As our older kids wrap up this chapter in their lives, our little ones look up to them with aspiration and hope of where they’ll become in the near future. For now, Amos from our Kikuyu home wants to be a sports personality while Meshack from our Kitalale home wants to be a pilot. Thanks to your generous contributions to the Scholarship fund, we’ve been able to provide the best education and extracurricular activities in Kenya for our kids to grow in a nurturing environment and pursue their dreams.
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