Getting back to work!

Hey all,
So we're having a planning meeting today with the field staff and volunteers here (the three pastors at the church) to see what has happened over the past year with the Foundation, and how we can keep improving it it the future. It's exciting to think that it's been almost 2 years since this small dream to send students to University got started in Katie Jenkins' heart and in mine, and it's amazing to think of the changes that have happened already in Kabala because of it! With any exciting work though, there's always hard work and lessons to be learned. What we are focusing on today is how to make the program run sustainably and effectively when the directors aren't here on location - although the mentoring programs certainly have been growing strong and attracting attention over the past 8 months, it's become clear that we need to find and interview one or two dedicated youth who could take ownership over these programs and not only run them, but also report to the staff back home in Canada about what's going on. Hopefully training youth to run these programs and then putting them in charge will not only foster a desire in their hearts to continue on, but it will also prepare them to receive scholarships in the future, as they are already offering a service to their community. Keep your prayers and hearts with me as I go into this meeting with the Pastors to talk about the Foundation's strengths and weaknesses. I think this is a great opportunity to learn from last year, to see what we did well and what we could do more effectively. Tomorrow, I will be travelling to Freetown to pick up our first volunteer, Haley Howe, from the airport. Hopefully this weekend we will also be starting a branch of the program in Freetown, as well as talking to our current student's university professors to see how they are doing academically in their schooling, to help determine if they qualify to renew their scholarship. Exciting things happening - so much to do and so little time! But as always, I remain inspired and encouraged by these wonderful youth that I have the opportunity to stand beside and work with. I'm excited to see what this year has in store for them! -Krissi