"teacher, teacher!" - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Well, team Unveiled has made it through our first official week here in Kenya. We are located 20 minutes away from a bigger town called Bungoma. Our village is called Bukembe.
    This month we are staying with a pastor and his family in a mud hut. The family has so graciously given up their home for all 7 of us to sleep in. We all have a bed (2 girls are sharing one), with a bug net, and although it is mighty crowded, and we have limited space to move around in, we are all very grateful to have a house and beds.
    We do have electricity (one plug and 2 lights), but no running water. We bathe outside with buckets and use an outdoor squatty potty. We share the grounds with a few families and lots of children. The wife cooks us all of our meals over an open fire. They have all been very delicious!
    This past week, team Unveiled became teachers. We all had to teach different subjects in an elementary school. This school was started by the pastor we are living with, (Peter). He began this school for families that cannot afford school for their kids. They are also for children that have been orphaned. Peter has a heart for these children specifically because when children here are not educated, they often become very violent, hostile and end up living on the streets. He wants these children to get an education and make a life for themselves. If they don’t, they are risking being left in the world with nothing. Unfortunately the money that was providing for this school was compromised. They often do not have enough money to pay the teachers. They are also trying to help provide some of the children with meals, and even that is becoming a stretch for the schools’ finances.
    The first day we arrived, our ministry host, Peter, told us we were to teach. We had thought the day would consist of us watching and observing the regular teachers and allow us to get comfortable with the setting…….

Lets be real, this IS the World Race.

The headmaster of the school led us into an office, and began handing out grade level teaching books of all subjects. They told us we had 10 minutes and we needed to pick a subject and a class. Our jaws dropped, hearts were pounding, and looks of terror rolled over all of our faces. In the background all you could hear were the kids chanting “Mazungu! Mazungu!” (Means white person, you hear it everywhere you walk)
    We all looked at each other, faking reassurance, and picked a grade, then a subject. I usually like going with younger kids, so naturally I took the 2nd graders to begin with. The first day was a bit of a struggle, but we had a whole week to get better.
    The next few days we started to get into our grooves, and started building relationships with the children. I started to actually like teaching. There were times however that if they said “teacher, teacher!” one more time I wanted to walk off and quit. But when you really looked at these children, they were so eager to learn. They were in desperate need of joy, of love, and of learning. There is something about children when they are learning. It is almost as if you could look into their minds and actually watch the gears turning and the facts sticking.
    I’m not sure as to what we taught them that week, or what they will carry through their lives, but I sure hope its love and joy, ok and maybe some of the science I taught them!
We all did our best and loved them above all else. Even though this school, ministry, and community are in need of a lot of things, (mostly finances), our host, Peter is not praying for money. He constantly prays for teams such as ours to come and help. He asks many of us daily, “When you are done with your trip, when will you come back to Kenya?” So that will be my prayer as well. That this school will get more teams like us, to teach, and give love and joy.

Helping make dinner!