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| Our family arriving at the Chicago's O'hare Airport on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 |
Dear Family and Friends,
It has now been 4 months since we left our home in Africa
following a call to return to the USA because of our hope that our ultimate
home is heaven. The transition has been overwhelming yet our
Lord continues His steadfast love and providence.
Our pace has been slower. In many ways this has been a season to
catch our breaths. This month we ask you to focus your
prayer upon children. In this transition kids occupy our
thoughts, prayers, and actions.
1.
First,
please pray for the children in our African Great Lakes region.
(In catching our breath Dave blogged about AIDS’ deaths and
children at http://jenkinsinrwanda.
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| Our kids all together in Chicago for the summer |
2. Second,
please pray for our own children. The
sociological term used to describe them is TCK (Third Culture Kids.)
Our kids are a blend of several different cultures. This
gives them great empathy and resiliency. It also means that
during some seasons of life they must make rapid adaptations to assimilate and
thrive. This is one of those seasons. They have
done well:
- Sophia is participating in Wheaton College’s “Chicago” program. Since her whole life has been overseas she chose not to do an “overseas study,” but to study for a semester with 11 other Wheaton students in Chicago’s Up Town neighborhood.
- Caleb
has shown remarkable resilience as he was uprooted from his home in Kigali
for his senior year of high school. He is taking
courses at the College of DuPage and preparing for entering a Christian
liberal arts university next fall (To read about the humor of American
education and bureaucracy that Caleb has masterfully navigated check out http://jenkinsinrwanda.
blogspot.com/2012/09/office- bouncing-in-usa.html)
- Ethan is playing JV2 Soccer for Wheaton North High School. Two weeks ago he was awarded, “Man of the Match” for his soccer play. He has enrolled in more difficult academic classes and is doing well.
- Ruth is in a local Ballet, enjoying Wheaton’s Franklin Middle School, and leading our family in making the most new friends. It has been delightful to watch her grace and beauty.
- Timothy is
playing soccer for the Kopion Junior Academy. All who
meet him are struck by his immense resiliency, rhythm, and outright
speed. God answered his prayer to be on the second
floor of Lowell Elementary School. (To read about Timothy’s
journey of blessed persistence check out http://jenkinsinrwanda.
blogspot.com/2012/09/give-me- these-stairs.html.)
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| Six of KICS graduates of 2011 are at USA universities. |
3. Please pray for the children
of our African neighbors in Chicago (Cyikago is how some of us with
Africa roots spell this American city.) We are amazed at how
many we are meeting from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Congo in Chicago.
Some have come as refugees. Some have come as working
immigrants. Some have come as students. The children
of our African neighbors are like our own children. They are
TCK’s. Please pray that they will also grow in their gifting,
empathy, education, and resiliency. Also, please pray that our
family will discover how God intends for us to serve our African friends in
Chicago.
Mungu
akubariki (God bless you),
Dave and
Jana
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