Summary of the Dawson’s visit 1.

The wonderful kids and staff of AMCC

We arrived at AMCC on July 12 to a warm reception of hugs and shouts. The kids were doing great and in good spirits; they were really excited to have a new football (soccer ball)! July is cold season in Kenya, and we enjoyed the respite from summer in the southwest US.

There were four staff when we arrived, and when we left, there were five! They are a great team and committed to the well-being of the children. We are continually thankful for the devotion, perseverance and love shown by Rev. John and Teacher Nancy, who started AMCC and worked without pay for the first two years. We were also very happy to meet the new staff members:

– Ruth, who is writing most of the blog updates now and works at the chicken project. She is a long-time supporter of AMCC.

– Beth, who is the cook and does a great job. She appreciates the freedom to bring her two small children to work with her.

– David, who is a certified accountant and tutor and the newest team member. He has worked with children in the past, and we are confident he brings great talents and opportunities.

We got to witness some exciting community involvement through some planned and unplanned meetings! The 9-member board and newly developed “Friends of AMCC” organization are both seeking to raise funds locally through various pursuits. A fundraiser was held, about which there is a previous blog post. Members are organizing small business ventures, enabled by loans from a new program under the Kenyan government. Bidco Oil delivered some donations of cooking fat and laundry soap (about $140) and has committed to do so every month! Also, an individual maize-mill owner is donating maize flour for each month (about $150). We are really encouraged by the increase in local support for AMCC, and we pray that these donations will continue to come in and that God will bless the givers.