Dear friends,

Greetings from a somewhat quieter than usual Rift Valley Academy, 400 of the students having dispersed to the four corners of Africa just over a week ago.  Jan’s term finished on a gastronomic note as her French students enjoyed the now customary snails & cheese party.  Only two students refused a snail – their loss was the gain of the head chef (Bruce).
 
On a more serious note, thank you for praying for our trip to the UK in November.  We are so thankful that we were able to attend those two funerals.  It was of course a sad time, but we are grateful that we were able to experience those emotions alongside our families.  Despite what we packed into five days, everything went very smoothly, both in England and with the kids back in Kenya. 
 
A few weeks after our return to RVA, the five of us here were attending another family occasion – Zoe’s baptism.  Zoe became a Christian a number of years ago and felt that now was the time to make a public profession of her faith in front of the student body and teaching staff (about 600 people in all).  Along with seven other students, she gave a clear testimony of accepting Jesus as Saviour and Lord and was then baptised outside – by her father – against the backdrop of the Rift Valley.  Please pray for Zoe as she grows in her faith and prepares to return to the UK for college in 2018.

Jan is currently enjoying a slightly calmer pace of life, preparing for next term and meeting up with colleagues to review the School’s World Languages programme.
 
It’s business as usual for Bruce – for the last couple of weeks he’s been checking the book of Acts for the small Christian community in an Indian Ocean location.  The team seem to be encouraged by his work so far and there has been a lot of dialogue between them via the Internet.  This particular team is facing a challenging situation with their local authorities, just as the first disciples did two thousand years ago.  Please pray that they would have the freedom to read/hear what God has to say to them in their current struggles.
 
In a week’s time, Bruce and Zoe will take the bus down to Northern Tanzania.  Bruce will be visiting a team of expats and Tanzanians who are translating the Gospel of Luke into the language of another unreached people group.  Zoe will be visiting a school friend who lives nearby.  Please pray for safe travels and for a positive time for them both.
 
Thank you so much for all your support, prayers and encouragement during 2016.  We send you warm wishes for a restful and joyous Christmas – an opportunity for all of us to be refreshed and reminded of why we do what we do.
 
With love in Christ,
 
Bruce, Jan, Zoe, Martha and Joe x