Jan.
1, 2012
Two
Tough Goodbyes
Andrew and Stephanie Onguka, OneLife
Africa missionaries in Kenya, are adjusting in many ways as they make their new
home in Nairobi. They did not expect
grief to be one of those changes.
On December 29, the couple received
news that Stephanie’s grandfather passed away suddenly in Maryland. His funeral will be held January
7. Pray
for Stephanie, who writes, “I am struggling with the first of
many events in the family that I will miss living so far away.”
The Ongukas
had been “upcountry”, visiting Andrew’s grandmother and extended family in
Kisumu, western Kenya. They accompanied
her to Nairobi, where she was admitted to the hospital Dec. 30 with chest
pains. The next morning they were
shocked to learn that Andrew’s grandmother had passed away as well.
Burial customs
in Andrew’s tribe are quite involved, and will take most of their time for the
first two weeks of the new year. Pray
for Andrew as he grieves for the woman who raised him.
In the midst
of these losses, Andrew reflects, “As we cross onto the new year, Stephanie and
I are reminded about the gift of life and look forward to a new year of service
to God.”
New OLA Freshman Class Being Chosen
Now; Please Pray!
The Kenyan
school year begins in January. For
secondary students, this month climaxes a stressful journey. In November, all prospective high school
students take an entrance exam. This
score determines not only whether a student can attend secondary school, but to
which school he will be offered admission.
Students have just received these scores.
The most
challenging hurdle awaits students in January.
Once they receive admission, they have roughly a month to come up with
the tuition and fees required to attend high school (there are no public high
schools in Kenya). For children of the
slums, who are orphans or supported often by a single parent who can barely
provide food for them, such an obstacle closes the door to education and a
brighter future for them.
OLA is
currently reviewing applicants and will decide which freshman students will be
offered scholarships. Criteria include
personal faith in Jesus Christ; need (with particular attention given to
orphans); and leadership potential. We
strongly feel that this program is helping train the future Christian leaders
of Kenya and Africa, equipping these young followers of Jesus to serve Him with
their God-given gifts and abilities.
And that’s
where you come in! You will soon have
the opportunity to encourage, pray for, and support one of these young people
financially. We will post the
biographies of the freshman accepted into the program as soon as we receive
them. You can choose to support a
student monthly or with a one-time gift.
Click on “Donate” to find out more.
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