In early July Amy Norton, the Co-Founder and Vice President of  Strategic Partnerships  at Orphan Outreach, visited Patmos School with  a Mission Team comprising teachers  and other members from the USA.  The group conducted Vocational Bible Study Classes  as well as engaging with the children in outdoor games.   They also ran craft lessons where the children were given a plain cloth bag and encouraged to personalise it as well as making hats and other fun items. 

 

During their time at Patmos school the team also carried out some home visits where they were able to speak with the families of some of the children at Patmos School.

 

The visit also provided an opportunity for Amy to check on the progress of the new school build project. 

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Below is a report of the Mission Trip  written by Headmaster Richard Wanjala Manya                  MISSION TEAM AT PATMOS  SCHOOL

 

This year on 1st ,2nd and 5th   July, 2019 Patmos School hosted a team of nine people from Orphan outreach USA. The team was led by Amy Norton, Co-Founder and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships  and Tom Wambulwa of Yatima Outreach (Orphan Outreach) Kenya.

Others who accompanied the visitors were four Kenyan volunteers who came along to volunteer in the activities.

 

At the school the team was hosted by the school headmaster Richard Wanjala and the school working staff among others. Also, the two social workers Corazon and Christabel were present to program for the activities and ensured that they run smoothly.

 

The aim of the mission team was to conduct various learning activities at school which included; Vocational Bible study, Games and Crafts .Although objectives for the activities varied from each other, the main objective was to give children a chance to learn new things and concepts different from the normal curriculum they have at the school.Before visitors set up for the various activities in different groups and grades, lower grade children had a colorful presentation of dancing and poetry to them.They felt entertained.

Vocational Bible study was aimed at bringing children to acquire the following;

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Understanding   the presence of God in our lives

 Understand that God is the protector of all human beings

• Educate children about Jesus and what he did while on earth, His death and resurrection.

• Motivate pre-school and lower grade children on drawing and coloring activities.Engaging them in Bible stories with the key person as Jesus.

• Engaging children in singing gospel songs and learning new ones.

• Among the program visitors had was visiting few children’s homes and giving them a shopping of food staffs and praying for their needs.Four families were visited on the second day.

On Crafts children were to be taught on;

• Drawing, coloring, painting and singing

• They were also engaged in singing and dancing.

• There were also put on outdoor activities which included, games such as playing foot ball,target throwing ,skipping and others.

• There was also a lot of fun games and photo taking activities that kept children and teachers entertained throughout the period 

 

-Learners were exposed to different activities which aroused their much interest in co-curriculum activities.

- Visitors found out that learners had interest in Biblical verses as they were able to recite the verses given to them.

- The learners had much interest in games as they participated well and actively.

- Learners also had great interest in craft activities as they did much coloring and decoration onthe back bags that were finally distributed out to them.

- Visitors found out that most pre-school children were able to recite and tell the story of Jesus in the temple, how he died and resurrected.

- Visitors also found out that learners were good listeners and following up with what they were being taught.

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• Pre-school teachers and visitors concluded that pre-school children should be put on more regular and practical work such as crafts which will improve their writing and make them competent especially with the new competence based curriculum that has been rolled out the country.

• Children should also be put to more practical outdoor activities to help them improve their talents by providing materials such as balls, skipping ropes and others for practical learning.

• They also found out that teachers should engage children on a regular Bible storytelling to enhance their listening skills. Children should also be exposed to pictorial bible study to improve their observation skill.

• For the lower and primary children they found out that they had interest in outdoor activities and should therefore be holding them regularly to identify their talents.

 

In conclusion, the three day activities, the presence of visitors and interaction with teachers made all of us feel we are one family although visitors broke for two days as they left for Bungoma and came back on Friday to complete their program with us.

Prayers were finally made from both sides for each other and the visitors completed their mission at Patmos school on Friday evening at 4.00 pm.

We felt accepted and belonging to a wider community such as the mission group that traveled all the way from the US to be with us and educate us.Thank you all.

Richard Wanjala,

Headmaster,

Patmos school

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