Sudanese Youth Opportunity Update 12/2/09
Carol Pecora (St Stephens in-the-Field), Joy Austin-Lane and Sandie Mueller (ECA) thought you would like an update on what is going on with Peter’s orphans in Kenya.
There are in all 63 children, all refugees from the mayhem in Southern Sudan. Six are in Nairobi (in central Kenya,) and twenty-two are in Nakuru (western Kenya) and thirty-four are up in Kapenguria (a northern part of Kenya.)
As of Thanksgiving, we have 16 sponsors. Every week we gain one or two more sponsors. This steadiness of new sponsors is very encouraging and we give thanks to God who heartens people to sign on to help these children.
In addition, SYO supports 2 university scholars. In San Jose, Peter’s Sudanese cousin, Mamer Mayen attends De Anza College as a first year student studying business. In Nairobi, Jacob Nhial Guut, our SYO program director living in Nairobi, is in his first year of seminary.
Peter Nyok always reminds us he is praying every day for the work needed to be done for these children and for those helping. The Reverend Jacob Nhial, our Man On the Ground in Nairobi, is also a great pray-er. He not only works to connect us with the children and their schools, but he studies at seminary, and opens his home and ministers to many Sudanese in his area.
We feel blessed to be involved with these children, the poorest of the poor, who have already survived very difficult times, who live clear across the globe from us, and who truly know what trusting in the Lord means. In Kenya, the students all walk to school – for those in Nakuru it’s a brisk 35 minute walk. But they do it eagerly because Peter has instilled in them huge hope, and great dreams. He believes that a good education is key for them to participate and succeed in life.
On Dec. 30, Peter will make his yearly flight to Kenya. He will visit his wife, Yar, and toddler girl, Athieng now 14 months old.
submitted by Sandie Mueller, SYO Scholarship Director
