Dear friends,
 
Greetings from Rift Valley Academy, where we are about take part in the School’s annual ‘Multicultural Day’.  The students will dress up in the colours of the 30+ countries that they come from and take part in various fun activities.  The highlight of the day will be the evening parade, when one student from each country will carry their national flag onto the stage of the assembly hall and greet the school in their mother tongue.
 
Speaking of mother tongues, Bruce’s recent trip to the Indian Ocean (see photo above) went very well.  He visited two different locations and got to know the local translation teams.  He learnt a lot but also felt comfortable in the checking sessions that he took part in.  He has been asked to check the book of Acts in one of the languages.  Please pray for him as he embarks on this task in the next week or so – Acts is a very long book!  It’s also highly relevant to the small group of new Christians who live in this particular location, where hardship and persecution are as real as they were for the churches that we read about in Acts.
 
Back at RVA, Jan is adjusting to her new schedule and there have been lots of encouraging moments in the classroom.  The children are doing well too.
 
As a family, we would greatly appreciate your prayers as Bruce and Jan travel back to the UK this coming weekend.  Sadly, we are coming to attend two funerals – that of Bruce’s Uncle John and that of Jan’s Grandmother, Edith.  John’s funeral will take place on 24^th October and Edith’s on the 26^th.  We are grateful that the proximity of these events allows us to attend them together. 
 
We would value prayer for our travels and as we mourn the passing of two people who were very dear to us.  RVA colleagues have rallied round and provided homes for the children to stay in.  Please pray that all will be well with them while we are away.  We return to Kenya on Thursday 27^th.
 
With sincere thanks for all your support and encouragement,
 
Bruce, Jan, Zoe, Martha and Joe x