The tradition at RVA is a nice one; the kindergarteners through sixth graders (the titchies) collect money all term, and we use the money to buy food hampers for the elderly around us. Right before Christmas, we deliver the food to over sixty people.

There is usually a hitch, and the one this year was that it has rained almost every day for the past two months. It has made the already problematic roads amazingly worse, and then there was one more problem: we had a local Kenyan who was going to go with us.

Kenyans are smarter than I ever will be; you have to be smart to survive here. But someone who has never driven doesn’t understand the limitations of a car, especially on roads as slick as ice.

The two cars started, and our guide had a suggestion for a short cut. We hadn’t gone five minutes, and we ran into a mudslide on a very narrow road that was above a very deep gorge.

We worked a long time to clear the road, but I was getting nervous. I’ve had two eye surgeries, and I’m just not the greatest of drivers. I starting slipping and sliding and I wasn’t sure I could continue.

Our friends in the other car had a friend from the states that worked for GM, lived in the north, and was eager to drive. I was never so happy to yield the car to someone in my life. It was an adventure, but because of Mario, we made it fine.

The level of poverty in our area is so sobering, and the people were so grateful that it was a humbling way to begin the holiday.

But when we got to the last house, the older man we were delivering food to was named Mario. I’ve been in Kenya since 1999, and I’ve never met anyone named Mario. On Christmas Eve, I meet two.

A few days later we went to a Kenyans friend’s house for lunch. The roads were very bad going to their house, and he led me down a road that I knew I shouldn’t go down, but he insisted that it would be fine. We got to the end of the dead end and I circled around in a nearby field.

We had a delightful lunch, and it began to rain. I knew I was in trouble, and when we tried to leave, I almost slid down a steep ravine. We walked back most of the way to RVA in the rain, and I knew what I had to do.

There is a strange, intense rivalry between Land Cruiser and Land Rover owners in our area. I don’t care about cars, so I haven’t been involved, but our friend with the Rover took a special delight in coming to help us out.

We went back to the car, and he almost slid down the hill. It took us several hours to get HIM out and we went back home. I really didn’t know what we would do.

His solution the next day was ingenious; for some reason, he had snow chains from the states. We put them on, and they worked like a charm. I only had one side light stolen, and we were very fortunate in that. Anyway, we have been moving slow because of the rain and bad roads.

We wondered if we could continue the food program. I had so many sleepless nights over it; how do you decide which children would continue to get the food and who wouldn’t?

And the Cavalry arrived.

Because of the kindness of so many of you, we can provide food for the next three months. We will feed over ten thousand children for $1.47 a month per child. I wish I could articulate how important this is and what a difference it means to the kids, but my thanks will have to do.

JT has been accepted to several schools so far, and he will hear about more schools in April. This is probably a good time to let you know that we will be back in the states for one term after his July 14th graduation. A term goes from July to December, and since the first term of college is the hardest adjustment for most RVA kids, we thought that it would be wise for us to be back. We hope to see you, and if there is a way for us to speak at your church or Sunday school, we would be so grateful.

Nancy is going to be taking classes to get certified in French, and it looks like she will take over as head of the foreign language department. Her degree was in linguistics, so this is a wonderful way for her to use her gifts.

Last piece of news is exciting: one of our students has been given an appointment to the Air Force Academy. It was so against the odds, but this kid is a bulldog and kept plugging and never gave up, and his dream came true.

It wouldn’t sound very military to say I cried on this one, so it is our secret, ok?

Your pal,