Bible School Graduation!

Three months later... This is the first group I have taught since getting back to Tanzania, and it's not even meant to be an official course! There's no Principal of St Michael's Bible School in Kilolo, so we are just stumbling along until someone can be appointed. The students made an amazing effort in their studies, and wrote high quality answers. I know this especially for the Old Testament, which I have been teaching one day a week. Even the graduation felt like a full-blown college ceremony. In January next year Bishop Joseph is planning to appoint a Principal and move the six month course from Amani Christian Training Centre (in Iringa) to Kilolo. Amani CTC will continue with the one year and three year training in Bible, as well as life skills.

There is a development in the Secondary School computer laboratory: a new teacher has been appointed just a few weeks before the students were scheduled to begin lessons. This will make a big difference to Kevin as the Computer lab manager because it would have been difficult for him to teach as well, so Praise God.

stone-age

Near Iringa, on a rock face are these amazing paintings which appear to be from the stone age. Kevin and I went to have a look at them together with a new friend, Roland, who has just arrived from the UK to study language and then go to work in St John's university in Dodoma. The paintings were discovered recently and are difficult to find; this was our second attempt!

Last weekend was a sad one because the new-born son of Philip and Happiness Magawa, (our second master) died suddenly only three days after his birth. We went to the funeral on Friday, and visited again over the weekend to share in their sorrow. The teachers and students were very involved in carrying the family through this time, so as well as praying for them, give thanks for the supportive community we belong to.

After two weeks in Kilolo we are having a break in Iringa, getting over a throat bug which made it difficult to teach; Thankfully it's on the way out, but it left us both feeling quite tired. Last Saturday Kevin baked his first bread in the wood burner stove, and now he's got himself a job! I made some breakfast cereal out of maize flour - 'stone-age cornrocks' would be a good name for it. If you leave it to soak overnight, it's (just) edible by morning.

fan club

Here's our latest fan. He spends a lot of time trying to spot us through the windows - whether of our house or car. We drove up close to our house yesterday, turned off the engine and watched him pacing the joint. Up and down our garden, and then he shewed us why he likes us - we have some wood off-cuts lying there, left over from the tree-cutting, and he started pecking at them. Not sure if there was anything worth chewing, or maybe the smell of cut eucalyptus was good! mmmmmmmm

a scary moment

We had some trees chopped down beside our house because they were threatening to fall on it, and then one of them did! But it was only on the corner of the outside loo, and though the metal roof was torn, there was less damage than if it had happened at night and onto our bedroom!

The man with the chainsaw was a bit 'trigger happy' so I'm glad the whole experience is over and we have some firewood for our cooker. Some of the gum trees were long and straight, so they were cut up into 2 x 6" beams for buildings or furniture. Now the front 'lawn' is covered in sawdust. Someone else was interested: Since the trees have been down, we've had regular visits from a Ground Hornbill. He's about 3 feet tall, black with white wing-tips (wingspan around 4ft) and has a red throat! His call is like a drum-beat!