Today at MITS

Greetings!   MITS has gotten big enough that no one of us has the ability to know everything that is going on -- that means we must trust one another to do what is best for the ministry - so it's good. Here are a few of the things going on right now.....

1. Francis Mbuvi and I are working on the budget for 2013.  We need to get it to the Board ASAP.  We have to increase the budget -- food costs have risen this year, and costs of transport.  Plus we want our Team members to have an increase in compensation of 10% -- since all their costs are up also! 
2. John Wambu is building new computer rooms for MITS.  We had two break-ins this year and lost 10 laptop computers.  These rooms will be secure -- concrete roof, reinforced steel windows and doors, high quality locks -- and we are making it very difficult to get inside the courtyard of the Learning Center.  
3. We are signing our 16 year olds up for skills training to begin in January.  20 of the Literacy Students are ready for skills.  This year we open up hairdressing (8), auto mechanics (6) and woodworking (6). The other skills - sewing, computers and catering - will begin their second year of studies.  
4. Victor Otieno and I are working on a new plan for skills training in 2013.  For the most part our students study one skill, and then we have all our students do some afternoon work on the farm.  In 2013 we will have the NEW skills students ALSO study agriculture.  They will have regular skills training in the morning 9 to 1 at their respective places.  In the afternoon 2 to 4 they will all be with Victor doing agricultural projects and having classes.  
5. We are also revising our educational schedule with a few tweaks.  Phillip will organize the Literacy Students into 3 home rooms - Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced - each group will have its own classroom.  Teachers will rotate through the home rooms, but each home room will have its "Home Room Teacher."  In addition to the home room teachers, the students will also have a computer teacher, a librarian, a Bible teacher, an English teacher and a math teacher.  
6. Irene Akinyi is finishing up her degree in Counseling and will become the official counselor for MITS as of January.  She will be a counselor in the morning hours and have some teaching duties in the afternoon.  
7. We have visitors from California who are in graduate programs in social entrepreneurship -- that's business with a bent toward doing good in the world.  They are great!  Today they are in Eastleigh with the young boys who come to the Center on Tuesdays.  They are also having a meeting with "masters" of several bases.  
8. God is truly good to us, and we are especially grateful to those in the USA who support this ministry. The generosity and prayers and words of kindness do wonders for our spirits.  

by Charles Coulston

PS:  We took a field trip to Art Caffe in the Village Market Shopping Center.  One of our former students, Mary Waithera, is a cook there, and we wanted our catering students to see her there and experience being waited on and seeing what an upscale restaurant does.  We were not disappointed, with Mary or the food!!

See the pizza!  He ate it!

 The second picture is Mary with Laurent Mogambi, a former student at MITS who has worked the past 8 years at the cafeteria at the University of Nairobi.  He does a great deal of their catering.  He is married to one or our girls (Eliza, who now works at MITS and runs our shops on the highway), and they have Raymond and Trinity.  On Mary's right is Magdalene Wairimu, our catering instructor.

We are grateful to a visitor from Pepperdine University and the Malibu Church of Christ, Hung Le, who graciously paid for our lunch!