Special for Wrexham Prayer Week

Pictured are our School classrooms in Kilolo

Kevin's home town has timed its prayer week for when the Olympic torch goes through, and we are included. The following is what we sent to them:

St. Michael Secondary School

Many children of primary school age from the Kilolo district were being drawn away from the area to the large towns and cities where they would be given work as house-girls and house-boys. Unfortunately, people took advantage of them. This exposed them to a lifestyle that increased the risk of them being infected with HIV/AIDS.

St. Michael Secondary School was set up as a project of the Anglican Diocese of Ruaha, with the aim of providing young people with a high quality education in a supportive Christian environment. The intention is that they will be better prepared to face the challenges of the world.

Hudson Hudson Mvena was one of the first students at St. Michael Secondary School when it opened in 2005. He was very pleased to get a place at the School and it was there that he learned to read and write in English. Every day, he had to walk about 2 km to and from school. Then a hostel was opened next to the school where he and the other students could stay.

He passed his O Levels and went on to study A Levels at another school. He returned to St. Michael Secondary School in 2011 to teach science and mathematics. He hopes to study Computer Studies at university.

Computer Project Kevin manages a computer laboratory in which he has set up 20 computers. They were provided by Global Outreach, an organisation based in Iringa, who also carry out maintenance and repairs. Kevin started training the teachers in August, and a Tanzanian teacher of computer studies started teaching the students in September. (blog of 24 Sep, 2011)

Kevin's work includes strategic planning, writing proposals, setting budgets, tracking expenditure, producing reports, applying for funding, and meeting people. He is also updating software, upgrading hardware, installing additional resources and carrying out minor repairs. He assists the teachers as they make use of the computers to prepare exams and worksheets.

In April, 2012, he carried out a major development, changing over from Microsoft Windows to an open source operating system called Ubuntu, which is virus resistant and free.

Bible Knowledge Students Anne was asked to introduce Bible Knowledge to the School curriculum. So, working from the syllabus, she has had to prepare from scratch the materials and resources required. The students struggle with English; so she teaches in Swahili and they have to translate into English – which is also difficult. It was challenging at first to get the students to talk about some of the issues that they need to understand, but they have gradually gained in confidence, and now they really look forward to the lessons. She is currently preparing her Form 4 students for their mock O Level (similar to GCSE) exams in early June. (blog of 18th May, 2012)

Our House We live in a brick-built house, with a corrugated iron roof – so when it rains heavily, it is noisy! We collect our water from a rain-water tank and a stand pipe just outside our back gate. We were connected to the mains electricity in January this year (there’s a blog picture on 3rd Feb, 2012)! We cook on a wood-burner stove (blog of 14 June, 2011) and eat rice, beans, chicken, beef and tomatoes. We get fresh milk most days, separate out our own cream, bake bread, and have bananas, pineapple, melon, papaya, passion fruit, grapefruit, oranges, avocados, guavas and peaches. (blogs of 20th and 28th Jan, 2012)

Monkeys in Tanzania Way up on the side of the mountains in the rain forest beside a waterfall, live a species of monkey that is found nowhere else in the world. They are known as Sanje Crested Mangabey and were only discovered in 1979. You can climb up through the forest – with the help of the forest rangers – and see these monkeys as they swing through the trees or sit eating, watching you! (blog of 5th Jan, 2012)

Give thanks for:

 the computer laboratory, that it's up and running, and the encouragement it is to teachers and students;

 the enthusiasm of the Bible Knowledge students;

 the fulfilment and enjoyment that Kevin and Anne are experiencing;

 the commitment of the Headmaster and teachers to the School.

Pray for:

 Anne as she prepares her Bible Knowledge students for their mock O Level exams in June;

 Kevin as he plans a connection to the internet;

 Kevin and Anne in the difficulties they face living in a remote village;

 Hudson as he is hoping to gain a place at university.

Torch

Here he is. I spent the weekend in town with Kevin, locating places where we might be able to watch my Dad live on TV. It wasn't going to happen, so I have to be content with this great picture from the bbc website.

We did also have a wonderful time camping together with lots of friends beside the Little Ruaha River, which meant I had a (cold!) swim both mornings. The mist was rising over the water as it thundered over the rapids. Beautiful.

Form IV

The syllabus is finished!

We've read up to Acts 21 and left Paul in Jerusalem facing a crowd. On Monday the students brought in flowers and gave me some. They wanted me to put one in my hair and then asked for a picture - I phoned Kevin and asked him to come and take one. Here is the result! We have been doing four double periods a week, and it has paid off now. There is still a long way to go before I am confident that they will be able to answer the 'O' level questions in English, but that will be in the form of revision after the mock exams in June. Irene, sitting second from the right carried my books back to the office after a lesson and told me she wants to be a Bible Knowledge teacher! That makes it so worthwhile.

The form three students are also doing well, and we may even finish the Old Testament part of the syllabus before June when we have a break.

Kevin has been getting his drainage sorted out! Outside the computer laboratory the heavy rain sometimes used to flood the veranda, so a step has been put on the end and a beautiful looking wide 'v' shaped drain constructed by a friendly workman. Inside the lab, there have been a few technical difficulties, but identifying these and sorting them out is all part of the job.

student demo

Here in Iringa we are not immune to demonstrations. Last Friday as we drove in to town we were stuck behind a great big truck which was not moving. After peering round the edge of it I realised the reason - a line of students blocking the road next to the Post Office. I took the car into the precinct of the PO for safety, and almost immediately a pick-up arrived in the road with helmeted police so the students moved quickly on. It was not at all dangerous, but of course we felt we'd experienced a bit of drama and excitement.

At the school in Kilolo, Kevin is continuing to work on updating the computers, and also now some of the school publications. He is busy and happy. The computer teacher, Denis is also doing the job of managing the boys hostel, so please pray for him as he juggles these and other commitments.

Recently the Bible Knowledge students have been enjoying their discussions of the text - in Form III we have just looked at the call of Moses and how he went to Egypt as an adult, the first passover, Exodus, and receiving the ten commandments. We are about to enter the promised land! With form four, in Acts 13 - 16 Paul has reached Phillipi, bean beaten up and put in prison, singing away with Silas, and the doors opened through an earthquake. I love teaching these stories, and feel that this is where God wants me/us to be.

Friends

This weekend we spent time in a cottage on the nearby farm owned by our friends, where we go each week to play volleyball. We had some visitors (pictured) who became even more friendly when we offered them some milk.

Since the last post we've been back to our favourite camping spot to spend a weekend for the usual reason; dentist! I developed a crack in a filling, which was sensitive to hot drinks (it was painful drinking tea!) so we decided to do the nine hour drive and weekend at the seaside to get it fixed. It was the best ever, and a bank holiday made it even better.

Last Monday we drove all the way back from Bagamoyo to Kilolo in one day, and my middle didn't like it. I felt as if I had an inflated balloon inside, though fortunately it went down after a couple of days. The strange thing is that I am feeling a lot better on the whole, and even joining in games of touch rugby and volleyball occasionally. Kevin does his exercises daily, and is looking and feeling fit on that. The flexibility in his fingers which was bad when we left Wales seems to have improved. Is that the weather, or diet or what? Interesting question.

Thanks for your prayers for the Bible Knowledge students. On a Bank holiday they have an option of not attending lessons and the teachers have the option of not teaching. On 26th April it was 'Union Day', celebrating the joining of mainland Tanganyika with the island Zanzibar to form the Republic of Tanzania in 1962. On that day (2012!) I asked my form IV students to come as usual at 8am for a lesson, and got a full house. Also, all the form III's came except one for the second lesson. I was very encouraged, and not only that, but in the last week I have noticed that they are developing their discussion skills to the point where I feel confident they might even be able to argue a point in an essay in an exam. Pray that their English language skills are up to this demanding task!