Teaching, teaching

I was given a new student who is too young for my class but there is no space in the class of his age. While my class is writing stories and complete sentences he is learning to form letters and learning their names. In Burundi there is only one full English school. This boy, comes from an English speaking country and home this makes the choice of education in Burundi difficult. Please pray for The King’s School as it continues to shine the light of Christ to those in Burundi who have no other option for education.

Students Leading

Days of hand holding are over, you are old boys and girls now it is time for you to lead your own morning worship time.

It has been a joy to see these students of mine, some only 4 years old leading worship for their class. It’s great to see the seeds that are being planted coming to life. Every morning we have a time of worship and bible stories. We are reading a children’s Bible cover to cover. It is great for them to see the Old Testament stories connect with the New Testament. In the Muslim faith the Old Testament stories are the same. This gives a great platform for trust and the gospel to be shared with those who have heard those stories at home. My students who are Muslim are asking questions and really taking it all to heart. In the afternoon or on the playground I hear them talking to other students about questions they have about the stories.

Please continue to pray for all my students that the word would not fall on deaf ears.

Market Fire

My beloved market was burned to the ground. All that is left is the exterior brick walls and the remains of the crumpled roof. It’s been hard to find what we are looking for these days. When I need something I used to go through a ritual of thinking, where must I go in the market to get that. Now I start the process and stop—slightly annoyed that my ease of shopping has been interrupted. But for others their lively hood, their whole business has been destroyed. Please continue to pray for the many Christians who lost everything in the market fire.

If I have to turn around during this church service for any reason, you’re busted!

While you were sleeping

Don’t worry mom our doors were locked and windows secure. Unfortunately all it took was a digging tool and patience for the thieves to dig through our mud mortar exterior wall. They came on a night where there was no power in our area. They came for food taking only a 50lb bag of flour (purchased the day before), a crate of glass soda bottles, a loaf of French bread, a small can of half used powdered milk, an electric hot water kettle, a 2 lb bag of raw peanuts and poured about a cup of sugar out of the dish. Fortunately they didn’t take any of our cooking supplies and utensils. Our kitchen and our main house are separated by a wall so we had no idea they were there, and are very safe.

December and January

Dad, Mom, Adam on their way to see my classroom

Welcome Home Mr & Mrs Mubezi (our new home)

My class presenting at the Christmas play rehearsal

Sweeping up coffee beans in village

Quick visit to the Nile River in Uganda

Daddy Daughter Shot

Who gives this woman?

Prayer during the service

Bridal Party

Mom made the wedding cake...good job mom!!!

Open up Sabo

Mr & Mrs Mubezi

On the way to the honeymoon...yes in village :)

American Flag Mini-bus

I saw this nicely decorated minibus a few months ago wishing to take a photo of it. Today was my lucky day...not only did I get to ride in it but I had my camera with me :) I was a happy girl

December First

This December 2012 is a December that will be remembered for many years to come. And it started well. December first was a Saturday which found me getting into the Christmas spirit the best way I know how is such a hot climate…baking with cinnamon. Yes, cinnamon rolls were on the menu for breakfast and Christmas music was in the air.

This is Muhawe Kevin David.

He likes to be called Muhawe. He is a student in my class. He is so polite, caring, and a very good student. When asked, his favorite subject is English. One day I know he will gently lead something wonderful. J This is his “mama” she is a women who works at the New Hope Orphanage here in Burundi as a mother for 6 “children”. The primary school aged children from New Hope started coming to The King’s School this year. I wanted to know about where Muhawe lived and how his “family” worked. So we took a trip. A few Saturdays ago a number of us teachers went to visit. Sitting in the shadow of a mosque being build the orphanage is nothing to write home about. Small apartment style rooms are lined up along each wall leaving a cement slab in the middle to play. On one end is the gate and the other is a wreck room of sorts with cooking facilities around the corner.

We sang, listened to speeches and drank soda and shared cinnamon rolls. It was great to see my students and get a sense of where they are from.

Yellow Rain Hat

Liz and I couldn’t hold it together. Who wears a bright yellow rain hat during the day…this guy. He just seems so out of place amongst all the brown shades.

Thanksgiving

This year I wanted to host thanksgiving at my place. It was great to be able to invite over friends and share in a feast! 

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, USA, and England were represented at the feast.

Babies, babies, babies!

Coworker Flora and her baby Chris

My week was filled with babies, Thursday went to Burundian baby shower for one of my co-workers at the King's School.
There were 20-25 women there and we literally played Pass the Baby. Around the room Chris went, spending about 2 minutes in each ladies arms. I got an extra minute since I asked for a photo.
  
 

Queen from the New Hope Orphanage

Saturday some of the teachers went to visit our students at one of the orphanages that feeds our school. It was great to see my students in their homes. And to meet their mothers who care for them. What was most interesting was finding out which children are "siblings" to one another. Nature vs Nurture...I think nurture is winning that battle.
This is Queen (on the right) who is in the pre school class. She took the opportunity to snuggle up into my arms for most of the time we were there. On Monday at school she came and gave me a big hug. It's nice to give and receive love.

Sunday I went to a friend's house and got to hold his 3 week old little girl, Sarah. She was so cute. I didn't want to give her away when we left. The father did tease me that I was getting married soon and the Burundian way is to have a baby within the first year of marriage. I just laughed.

Feeling Well

I realized that I haven’t updated you since my illness. Please forgive me. I’m still alive. Slowly moving around and adding activities back to my life, but alive and well. Thank you to all who prayed. Your prayers were answered.

I have what? It feels like death!

Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces^[1] with fever, abdominal pain,^[2] and rectal tenesmus (a feeling of incomplete defecation), caused by any kind of infection.
In extreme cases dysentery patients may pass over a litre of fluid an hour. More often, individuals will complain of nausea, abdominal pain, and frequent watery and usually foul-smelling diarrhea accompanied by mucus and blood, rectal pain, and fever.

Thank you Wikipedia for painting my symptoms so clearly. I could be considered a texbook case.