Matt Evans, Kalacha, Kenya

Matt was involved in teaching at local schools in Kalacha, Kenya and helping with youth work at the church.

Watch Video interview with Matt

There was rarely a moment when the sun was up when we did not have people hanging around our veranda. Since there really is nothing to do in Kalacha and since we had sports equipment, we were the ones people came to after school and at the weekend. So life was intense and we were always in the spotlight. But this opened up some great opportunities for sharing the love of Christ and God opened some awesome windows for the gospel to go out. The highlight for me was an evangelistic table tennis tournament that we organised one Saturday. We had no idea how it would turn out but so many people came and had a great time and had chance to hear a talk from the Bible. That was awesome. We would even have people just turning up at our house to ask questions about the Bible. We built up some great relationships with the kids there.

The teaching went really well. I taught two classes of Christian Religious Education (CRE) and two classes of PE (believe it or not). The CRE syllabus in Kenya is a Christian course so there were some great opportunities through that class to open up the Bible and teach the gospel.

I taught in two schools: a nomadic girls' school and a mixed primary school. In both cases the classes comprised mixed ages and, although I was teaching at a primary school, in one class I even had a student who was older than me (23)! It takes some kids many years to start school because they may be required by their family to look after the herds. Keeping goats and sheep are the only real form of wealth that the people in northern Kenya have.

Elaine Getty, RVA, Kenya

Elaine was a teacher at RVA, a school for missionaries’ children.

so let’s take Thursday… I wake generally between 6 and 7am. I start the day with 2 ‘French 1’ classes in a row. In my first class, Sak addresses me, his Northern Irish French teacher, as ‘Frau Getty,’ because he learnt German at his last school. That’s pretty confusing at 7.45am! At 8.35 14 students of 10 different nationalities stream in for period 2. At 9.25 I go next door and teach maths. Then it’s time for chapel (ie assembly) and chai, when we staff drink tea, share announcements and pray together. I’m free period 4, so I mark papers, prepare lessons, do my photocopying, check email, socialise(!) etc, and then have lunch (I’m busy at lunchtime Mon-Wed, so this is nice!). After lunch I teach ‘French 2’ periods 5 and 7. After school students might come for extra help or to catch up a test they have missed. I get home for about half an hour and then head down the hill to Moffat College of Bible, to study Galatians with the wives. After that I might visit some friends in the dorm at Moffat, stay for supper, or jog briskly (ahem!) back up the hill to do a pile of marking. Every second Thursday I dorm-sit, so I grab something to eat after Bible Study, and head on over to hang out with my 10th Grade girls until ‘lights out’ at 10pm. If they’re lucky I bring cake… and if they’re really lucky I didn’t bake it!

Thursdays are pretty busy, but every weekday has its own activities – outreach, staff meetings, class sponsoring, teaching violin, meeting to prepare Sunday School, and class prep and marking in between. At weekends there are other events, but usually some free time too.

Find out more about RVA, visit their website.

Dan Northover, Mukaa, Kenya

Dan was teaching in a local school in Mukaa, Kenya

The amount of teaching seems to be increasing daily, at the moment I have 22 lessons on my timetable and up to 10 extra lessons after school and at night. Can you imagine English teenagers clapping with delight because you have agreed to come at 8 in the evening to give them a double Maths lesson? Also can you imagine a class asking you to start the lesson with a prayer for sick classmates? It is slightly surreal but I am making sure I make the most of it whilst I can.