School thrives as Alberni's Kokura ponders retirement
Port Alberni missionary Patricia Kokura, is in Mbarara, Uganda, where she oversees a school for boys. In her latest update, Kokura talks about the efforts from her church family at Jericho Road Church to help the boys’ school, and also of her impending retirement.
The new year has begun.
All 29 boys are in school. Five others are studying outside.
One boy has completed secondary school with very good marks and is teaching Grade 6-7 until university begins in September. His sponsors in Port Alberni are willing to help him attend university.
Four boys who left to go back to the streets have come back.
One boy, I am not sure whether he is going to stay; he is very street wise at 13. He has never had a home so he is not used to living by rules.
We will be looking to hire a director as I have reached the age of stepping down.
I will make sure the new person hired understands the vision and hopefully the project will grow and blossom.
We have hired a new lawyer. She is a woman, to help us with legal issues surrounding land we bought to build another school.
She has been very good so far. I have some running to do to the land office and she will have all she needs to go to court.
Our building fund at Into All the World (IATW) has grown to more than $10,000.
When it reaches $20,000 there is a fund in IATW that will match our total.
We have a piece of land here to sell that will help bring us closer to our total.
We have the architect’s plan and builders lined up. I am hopeful building may start in 2014.
Lately my church family collected all sorts of goodies for us as Malcolm Murphy of Port Alberni traveled here for a visit. The kids were so excited by the wonderful things people of Jericho Road were willing to contribute.
Malcolm is helping with repairs and painting that are needed around here. He also plans to be a tourist and visit Queen Elizabeth National Park and see all the animals.
We also had a visit from a pastor from London, who brought us a whole kit of uniforms. It will be kept here so students can field a soccer team. They are good quality new uniforms.
The church supplied the boys with soccer boots so most of the players have good boots to use.
If you have any interest in helping a child, we have four unsupported. It takes anywhere from $25 to $35 a month to feed, clothe, educate and all those things.
If you are interested in a one-time donation to help us build, you can send a cheque to Into All the World, 336 Speedvale Ave., Unit K, Guelph Ont. N1H7M7. They will provide you with an income tax receipt in the new year.
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