Donnie Brake Makes Yearly Trip to Southern Sudan

CDA Athletic Director, Donnie Brake, is spending 12 jam-packed days in the Southern Sudan this Spring Break. As the son of missionaries, Coach Brake has roots in Africa and always uses his spring break to help spread Christian education there. This trip's main objective is to break ground for a second school location in Biong, South Sudan. So far Brake and other members of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance Partners have raised $85,000 to begin building. The first school funded by SEA Partners began in Boma with 90 and now has 260 students.

Coach Brake will also be meeting with the second in command of the Sudan Council of Churches and the Minister of Education. Brake says that most schools in the South were founded and are run by Christian organizations and so are registered with the council of churches; and the South Sudan Ministry of Education has very little funding. He hopes that working in conjunction with these organizations SEA Partners can ensure that Christian education will thrive in South Sudan. "The ultimate goal is to align all these schools together under one organization so that we can provide teacher training, curriculum support and financial aid to assist in the building and repairing of schools."

Kayla North Heads to Kenya

Kayla North, Flower Mound 3^rd Grade Teacher, will be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage aptly named Naomi's Village. Founders of the orphanage, Bob and Julie Mendosa were a CDA family who often traveled to Kenya on mission trips until they moved there permanently. Kayla taught their children while they were at CDA and they have asked her to help build curriculum for a school at Naomi's Village.

For 10 days, Mrs. North will also be working with them on building projects and in her words, "loving on some kids."  Having always had a heart for children and orphans in particular (she has already adopted two children of her own), Kayla is more than excited to spend time with orphaned children in Kenya.