Recreation

 

In the midst of the many things that we have kept us all very busy this last month at the Timothy Centre and in Kibaale, we have taken some time for recreation and recharging our batteries.  Term 2 (June – August) is always a very full term at school and this year has been no exception.  The girls here at Timothy Centre are doing two sets of mock exams to get ready for their finals, and the students in Kibaale are involved in outreach activities, sports, etc. as well as their regular studies.  Our hard working teachers are continually planning, teaching, counselling, coaching, etc. and several of them who are enrolled in our in-service teacher training course are also completing assignments (reflecting on the degree to which they and their colleagues have been successful in implementing a Christian philosophy of education).  This is also the height of ‘malaria season’
So a couple of weeks ago, it was great to take a break on a Saturday and have a staff retreat at Lake Nabugabo, about 45 minutes' drive from Timothy Centre.  It was a great time of community building and just plain fun...volleyball, netball, soccer, dancing and laughing contests, a gigantic tug of war, and races of all sorts.

               

Camping with the Wildlife

We are very fortunate to have a great camping get-away place not too far away from Timothy Centre.  Lake Mburo National Park is small in comparison to the better known parks in Uganda, but it is brimming with wildlife and has a very peaceful feel about it.  On the weekend we packed up our tents, sleeping bags and cooking gear and headed out for a break together with Ken and Carina and their girls.

The warthogs and baboons wander freely through the camping area but thankfully didn’t harass us at all.  It is also fun to fall asleep to the sound of the hippos grunting in the lake!

Driving through the park is always an adventure, and no two game drives are alike.  This time we had the best viewing we have had of the elusive eland, the largest antelope in the world.  Lake Mburo has large herds of eland, but they are very shy and often stay in the remote parts of the park.  We also were able to watch a great show put on by two male impalas who were involved in quite an aggressive fight right beside the road. 

Eland

Vervet monkey working part time on the road equipment!

Sitatunga

 

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We also enjoy the amazing variety of birdlife in Lake Mburo, truly a beautiful place to relax.

Strength in Unity

It has been encouraging in the last few months to meet many others in Uganda who have a similar vision for strengthening Christian education in this nation.  We have been particularly impressed by the leaders of Uganda Christian University and have talked with the Dean of Education about the possibility of our teacher training course receiving accreditation with them.  In August, he came to attend our Philosophy of Christian Education course module for 3 days, and on Friday he brought a team of three other faculty members to do an official assessment of our full two year in-service course.   They were able to look through our course overviews, inspect our facilities and teacher resource library, and speak with some of the teachers who are presently enrolled in the course (including some of our Kibaale Community Schools and Timothy Girls’ High School staff members).  As we sat and talked in my office, it was evident that God is instilling the same passion for education that integrates faith and academic study in many hearts in Uganda.  Thank you for praying for the way forward.  Transformation of a society is a big task—something that requires a unified front with each part of the body contributing what it can for the strengthening of the whole. 

“Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity…For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”  (Psalm 133)