Last night we had the great privilege of meeting Leadership Development students and graduates. These exceptional formerly sponsored children are supported through university and provided with leadership training.
Its so hard to know which of their stories to share with you. There's Jonathan Agunda now working as an auditor with Ernst & Young who has recently audited the Central Bank of Kenya.
Then there's Fred Ndegwa (pictured on the left) who works for the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for Kenya's interests in South East Asia. Fred told us, "God has a plan for this country and this continent. He's been waiting for a generation that is going to turn them around for His glory."
I must mention Jimmy Mbugua. He recalls the hopelessness he felt before he was registered but his project director told him, "Poverty is only in the mind." Jimmy testified,
"If it hadn't been for Compassion I would never have met the social worker who prayed for my salvation for 9 years. I probably wouldn't have become a Christian and would have ended up like my childhood friends. Many of them are in their graves or in prison... You never know the difference your letters make. Please pray for your children and write to them as often as you can. You never know you might be nurturing the next President of Kenya."
It's very difficult to imagine that these young people were just like the small kids we've seen in the projects. Janerose was one such child. She is actually from the rural community we visited on project day, where girls can be grandmothers by the age of 22. She told us,
"Compassion is everything to me. They enabled me to have dreams. They changed me from nothing into something. God is moulding me to be a leader in my community and in my church. This country is lacking leaders of integrity. The Kenyan Leadership students have such vision. We are going to mould and change this country."
Janerose never owned a pair of shoes until she was registered with Compassion. She was the first child ever in her family to go to school. Her mother gave her up and she was raised by her alcoholic grandparents. By the grace of God Janerose is now reunited with her mother and both her mother and grandparents have become Christians.
Compassion's Leadership programme started in 2001 with just 20 students. This year they expect to register 80. Just imagine what the future holds. After all, "Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?" (1 Corinthians 5:6) Give them 20 years and they will transform their nation. I doubt even that will satisfy them.
Clare (Compassion)
