Contrasts

We’re back home in Uganda now… reconnecting with friends and workers, unpacking, planning for workshops, trying to get rid of unwanted rodents who have been making themselves at home in our stove during our absence,

and enjoying the sunshine and all the lush vegetation that has grown with the abundant rains in the few months we have been away.

When we were in Canada, spring weather was very slow in coming at the coast, and we looked forward to warmer temperatures and bright sunshine.  As you can see from these photos of our camping trip in late April, we had very different weather from what we are experiencing now!

Canadian Beauty

Coming back to Canada and traveling the route between Vancouver and Edmonton (Arleen’s family home) has given us a chance to drink in the beauty of our home country.  On a recent trip to Edmonton to say good-bye to family, we were able to see many wild animals through the mountains, including four black bears that had come out of a long winter’s hibernation and were sniffing the air hungrily. 

 

 

We also came across a large female elk and lots of mountain sheep, so it really was like a Canadian safari in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

 

A great end to our break here…and in just a few days we’ll be at the airport on our way back to Uganda.

Teamwork

Since we have been home in Canada on our break, we have a fresh appreciation for all the hard work and dedication of the PAOS staff and the Pacific Academy community as a whole.  So many people give of themselves in supporting the work of Kibaale Community Centre and Timothy Centre. 
Jenny Nel (left) and Anne Chow (right) take care of so many administrative duties in the PAOS office, and work hard to get the word out about the students in Kibaale Community Schools that need sponsorship.  (For more information on sponsoring a child see www.kibaale.net)

They also ensure that sponsors receive regular communication from their sponsored children.  This is a huge task, and one that we were able to help with in the last couple of months.  It was very interesting to be on this end…proof-reading and mailing out letters from our students in Kibaale!

Every Step Counts

The Pacific Academy annual 5 km Kibaale Walk took place this afternoon, in a window of dry weather in the middle of a very rainy week.  Many were praying for a break in the weather and we were thankful for dry conditions that allowed the walk to go ahead as planned.  As the last of the runners and walkers finished, the first drops of rain started to fall!
 

The entire student body (over 1400) and staff participated in this annual fund raising event that supports the programs of Kibaale Community Centre in Uganda.  For the past two weeks students have been approaching friends, family and neighbours – telling them about the project in Kibaale and soliciting donations.  At the post walk assembly in the primary school, it was announced that the primary students alone had raised over $37,000!  It will be exciting to see what the intermediate, middle and high schools have also been able to raise. 

 

Thanks to the organising team at PA, headed by Jenny Nel and Anne Chow, things went off very smoothly. All of the funds raised will be channelled directly to Kibaale to provide the educational and medical care needed by the over 800 students in Kibaale Community Schools.  Thank you to all who participated!!

 

Kibaale Walk

It's been really good to touch base with the Pacific Academy community since being home on our break.  In the last two weeks we have made close to 30 classroom presentations on the work that PA does in Uganda, both at Kibaale Community Centre and at the Timothy Centre.  The support from students and teachers has been overwhelming.

Each year the school hosts a 5 km walk to help raise awareness and financial support for the work in Uganda.  To get more information on the walk or learn how you can contribute to the work in Uganda, please follow this link:  Kibaale Walk

http://www.paoutreach.net/kibaale-walk

The Rest of the Team

As we work in the various ministries at the Timothy Centre and in Kibaale Community Centre, we depend on the prayers and support of the “rest of the ministry team” – the student, teacher and parent community of Pacific Academy.  This week we began doing some classroom presentations in the primary school, sharing about the great things we see God doing in our work.  We really enjoy reconnecting with the students and seeing their enthusiasm for learning about the children’s lives in Uganda.  They are some of our most faithful prayer partners!


    
We were also able to encourage students in their participation in the annual Kibaale Walk, the fund-raising event that Pacific Academy holds each spring.  The funds that students and staff members raise at this 5 km walk around the community are used to support the programs in Kibaale Community Centre.  This year it is being held on Wednesday, April 27th.  (For more information contact the PAOS office: jnel@pacificacademy.net)

Next week we will be spending lots of time in the intermediate and middle schools at PA.

“Homework”

Time has been passing very quickly since we returned to Canada in February on our break.  Our main concern in coming home was Karl’s father’s health and we are thankful that he has stabilized and is doing quite well now.  It has been good to have time with him and and rest of the family, as well as to help out with some of the care.

We have also been able to do some research and gather resources for our work at the Timothy Centre.  Karl has made good progress on developing a beekeeping training manual for the Timothy Bee Centre and we will be purchasing some equipment to bring back as well.  Arleen continues to work on developing teacher training curriculum materials for the Timothy Centre teacher training programs.

It has been good to have some time to also work on some home repairs and small renovations.  Karl has been kept busy inside and out!

We have also enjoyed the chance to spend some time in the great outdoors exploring the local parks and taking in some of the cultural events in the community.

We even have some interesting wildlife in our backyard…not quite like a Ugandan safari, but wildlife nonetheless….

We have followed the blogs of our coworkers in Uganda with great interest as the Timothy Girls’ College opened its doors for the first time on Feb. 21 and the official opening took place with much celebration this last weekend.  We look forward to seeing everything in action when we return in May.