Liz took her secondary school national exams in November 2010, but she didn't do very well because of circumstances in her home. She was going to a local day school but it was a long walk to and from school each day. Since her family doesn't have any consistent income, she was not able to go beyond secondary school. She has been hoping and praying that God will open the door for her to continue. I even asked her recently why she hasn't gotten married or pregnant like most girls do at her age in this area. She replied, "There is a time for everything and the time to get married will come later, but now I want to continue my education."
One funny part of the story was when she joined the club in December we talked with her and told her she was welcome to be a part of us, but we wouldn't be able to help her at all financially or be able to do anything for her in the future as far as education. She said that was ok and just faithfully trained with our players and served in various ways.
Her father’s home is in Seme which is located in Kisumu West District, in a rural area. Her father is one of five brothers. All of them are polygamists with many wives and many children. Each of them is now elderly and they have all retired or been retrenched from their previous jobs. In Liz’s family there are three wives and a total of fifteen children. Liz’s mother had three children, but one passed away so it is only Liz and her older brother who are remaining. Her older brother did some training in electrical engineering and is working in Nairobi currently. Their mother never finished secondary school because of a lack of fees, but works as a volunteer community health worker at times. The father used to work for Kenya Ports Authority in Mombasa as a baggage handler. Unfortunately, many years ago he was forced to retire and was given no pension. He now has a farm and uses it to provide food for his family though it doesn’t generate much income. Liz and her brother are the first in their extended family (over 50 children) to finish secondary school. She is a very pleasant, happy girl who has been faithful in her responsibilities and has resisted pressure to get married because she desires to go further in her education.
This week we began visiting different colleges, universities and polytechnics to find out the different options that she has and what area she might be interested in. I was also able to visit their home and see the situation for myself and discuss things with her parents. They were so grateful and so happy about the opportunity.
God is good. I love how he orchestrates events in our lives and all around us when we have no idea what is going on. When we reach certain points we are able to look back and see some of what he was doing all along. We are thankful for God providing this opportunity for Liz. It is a great reward for her faithfulness.
Spending time with "Uncle Joe" and the girls was awesome. We met with them at the school on Friday afternoon and walked up the hill to the "pitch". We watched them practice and even kicked a few balls ourselves. These young women are learning so much more than a sport from the opportunity to be on this team. They are learning committment, determination, self-confidence. They are learning that hard work is good on and off the field. Uncle Joe makes sure that they are keeping their grades up and that they are setting a good example in their communities. They are great girls who love to have fun also. We were able to spend the night with them and had a great time. We had time together at night to do some crafts. We had a time of encouragement and story telling. It was wonderful! Please pray for the girls and pray for Joe. He has truly answered God's call and is impacting the lives of young people through this team while also being very involved with the children at CGA.
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