Steeves' Summary #21:  Eleven Extra Daughters



We'd like you to meet Anna, Stephanie, Faban, Kaeun, Bethany, Abi, Mary, Faith, Heri, Ee Young, and Lisa!  These wonderful girls have been entrusted to us for a few months.   I planned on writing shortly after the girls arrived, but it didn't take long to discover that dorm parenting is pretty time consuming and emotionally draining. 

It was a rough start.  One of the girls arrived without any luggage, one had a vehicle broken into and a backpack stolen on her way here.  One had a brother killed in a motorcycle accident three weeks before she came to school.  Yet another had her grandparents coming to Africa for the first time to visit before school started.  Shortly  before they landed, they hit turbulence and she broke her leg.  She spent her week in Africa in the hospital.

The girls are from the Korea, USA, Canada, South Africa and Kenya.  They are currently living in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Yemen.  Five of them were here last year.  Seventh grade is a new experience for all of them.  Dorm parenting is a new experience for us.  We all have lots to learn!

We are finding new roles and adapting as things come up.  Bernadine has become the dorm inspector, the organizer, the shoulder to cry on, the resident nurse and the surrogate mother.  I'm the study hall monitor, the dorm meeting leader and the fix it man.  Bernadine is also facing new challenges as she helps out in Student Health Services. I'm learning my role as email administrator for the school.   There is a lot of decision making that requires both of us.  There are a lot of rules at RVA, and the more we see, the more we are glad that rules exist and we don't have to make judgment calls on everything.

The RVA campus is small, often referred to as "the fishbowl".  We live across campus from the elementary school, and it takes the kids five minutes to walk to school.  The computer office is one minute's walk away.  It is difficult to get away due to our responsibilities and our lack of transportation.  We have had a few nice hikes in the area and a few less-than-relaxing trips to Nairobi.  Kenya has many beautiful places, and we hope to get away to see some of them during the mid-term break and December vacation.  For now, we will enjoy Kijabe and the girls that God has entrusted to our care.

Praises:

Our family is not homesick for Canada.  Despite a few inconveniences here, all of us agree that we would prefer to be here for now.

It was a blessing to be able to meet the families of most of the girls when they arrived. 

We are enjoying the community of missionaries and local Kenyans.

Prayer requests:

Please pray for us and the girls as we all adjust.  There is spiritual warfare present at RVA. Missions throughout Africa and the Middle East are dependant on this school to support them in their ministry.  Pray for the girls in times of homesickness and fear, that God will be their constant companion.

Pray for the girls' parents as they are separated from their daughters.  Sometimes the separation is harder on the parents.

Pray for Evan and Julianne as they adjust to a new school and a different living situation.  In spite of their enjoyment, there is stress from the changes.

Pray for us as we have to make many decisions that affect multiple people.  Pray for wisdom, direction and strength to keep up with the busy schedules.



Michael and Bernadine Steeves


You can see our previous newsletters on our website at www.kijabe.org/mission2005.

	Michael and Bernadine Steeves P.O. Box 80 Kijabe, Kenya 00220 phone: 011-254-20-32046-101 cell phone: 011-254-735-317094 steeves@kijabe.org  www.kijabe.org
	Africa Inland Mission 1641 Victoria Park Ave. Scarborough, ON M1R 1P8 (877) 407-6077 (Toll Free) www.aimcanada.org
	Canadian Baptist Ministries 7185 Millcreek Dr. Mississauga, ON L5N 5R4 (905) 821-3533 www.cbmin.org