There is no way to sum up our experience at the 2016 Graduation for Panua Cycle 2! These students are amazing – they are confident, polite, excited, well-spoken and doing great things in their communities already. To see their transformations from our earliest photos to today, is simply a work that only God can do. They are thankful and we are, too.
We even had about 20 of our previous 90 from the class of 2013 return to speak at the graduation about their successes and to encourage the latest graduates. What a joy to see them healthy, happy, successful and giving back to their communities and to Panua. Along with alumni and current graduates, we had a group of potential youth for the next cycle in attendance, so they were able to see where they can be in 3 years and in 6 years by looking at those who were in the classes before them. Helping the program “expand” – this is everything we hope for!
Saturday was safari day! We left before dawn to head out to Lake Nakuru National Park hoping to catch all the animals as they started their day. Our driver, Sammy, came through for us, taking us on little-traveled roads to catch some of the most beautiful of God’s creation in breath-taking settings. While the lions eluded us, we saw baboons, impalas, giraffes, zebras and even 3 rhinos, which are often well hidden. Seemed like all the other tourists we encountered were looking for the rhinos we had seen early in the day.
It was a busy Friday and a restorative Saturday, and the beauty of both days was not lost on us! We celebrated heartily on Friday with our Panua graduates, thanking God for His provision and their success. And on Saturday, we soaked in the beauty of the park while remembering the Creation Story, as we explored the place where it took place and saw how perfectly God made it. What a privilege to share this wonderful place with such a dedicated team!