Home for the Holidays

No, it is not Christmas time yet…but the students at Timothy Girls’ High School are heading home today for a month of holidays after finishing Term 2.  They have been working hard this term, particularly the Senior 6 girls, who have been doing mock examinations in preparation for their government exams next term.

                   

So, on this misty morning we said good-bye to them as they left for their well-deserved break.  Some live very close by, in the Masaka area, and hopped on a boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) while others have to travel quite a distance to their homes in other parts of the country.  Our school van transported them into Masaka to catch taxis and buses.  Three of our students, however, are from Tanzania and will stay here in the dorm for the their holiday break, as travel home is quite expensive.

Holidays for girls here does not mean sleeping in late every morning and hanging out at the mall with friends.  They will be helping their families with chores, gardening, caring for younger siblings….and studying to prepare for next term.   We wish them God’s blessing and some time of refreshment. 

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)

Creative Blessings

Thanks to some generous and creative ladies in Canada, a whole school here in Uganda was blessed with dresses for the girls.

Grace Learning Centre is a nursery and primary school near the Timothy Centre.  It was founded by Judith, one of our former teachers from Kibaale Community School and has grown from a very small school of 5 students to a thriving school bursting at the seams.  The facilities are very basic and it is built on a small plot of land that Judith’s grandmother left her when she passed on.  In spite of the humble conditions, parents are happy to bring their children to the school because of the quality of care and teaching the students receive. 

When we received a donation of ‘pillowcase dresses’ from ladies in Canada we decided that these students should benefit from their generosity.  The ladies from Living Waters Church in Fort Langley and Broadway Church in Vancouver made dozens of simple dresses from cast off pillow cases—a very creative way to recycle!  They are lovely gifts for little girls here who sometimes have only one good set of clothes (their school uniform). 

Thank you, ladies, for your work and your gift of love to these children!

 

Young Leaders with Integrity

At present we have two young teachers completing their practice teaching at Timothy Girls’ High School.  Both of these young men, Joseph and Julius, are products of Kibaale Community School, so we have known them for many years.  They were young orphaned boys who struggled to succeed with the help of sponsors from Canada and the mentorship of their teachers in Kibaale.  Both stood out as diligent students who were willing to work hard in their studies and also work with their hands in the gardens and school farm, doing whatever they could to provide for themselves and younger siblings. They know the value of honest work and faith in God… and now are growing into fine teachers.  They have a real heart to teach with biblical integrity and make a difference in the upcoming generation. Julius also had the distinction of being chosen as a Ugandan representative to attend the 3-day East African National Youth Gathering in Nairobi.  This was organised by the Africa Youth Leadership Forum, and organisation that works with young leaders in various universities.  Julius was the coordinator of their activities in Kyambogo University where he has been doing his studies.

The supervisor from their university has made two visits to the school to observe and evaluate them and has given them very good reports, encouragement and helpful feedback on their lessons.

He also has expressed that he would like to come back soon to Timothy Centre as an unofficial visitor to learn more about our high school and teacher training program.  He left with a handful of school brochures so hopefully this might result in a few more girls registering with us!
When I was down in Kibaale last week facilitating a workshop for our nursery teachers, I also visited some of the classes that had received donations of Bibles last year.  We try to make it a point to provide a Luganda Bible to our Primary 3 students when they have learned to read fluently enough to read them for themselves. 

I thought of Joseph and Julius and the impact the Word of God has had in their lives as they have embraced its truth and applied it in their lives.  They have been transformed from fatherless boys with little hope and direction in life into strong servant-leaders leaders with godly vision for their country.  That is our prayer for all of these young students in Kibaale.

Farewell to the Friesens

Today we said good-bye to Mark and Sue and their children, Ben and April, who have been our next door neighbours for the past year and half here at the Timothy Centre.  Sadly, their time commitment here is finished and they will be missed as friends and colleagues…and we wish them well as they settle back into life and ministry and studies in Canada.

Mark has done a marvelous job of getting the finances and accounting in order for both of our projects in Kibaale and Masasa—no small task for a growing organisation that has so many departments and staff members! He leaves behind a trained team (Ugandan and American) that will be able to carry on and keep us afloat!  Sue has worn many hats – science teacher mentor, library coordinator, school outreach program leader, guest house administrator, home school mom, chief cook and bottle washer…to name a few!  Well done to both of them!

Ben and April have brightened the place with their creative play, sharp wits and ready smiles.  Life is always interesting with 6 year olds around and we never quite knew what to expect when we heard their voices outside our window…

Good-bye…thank you…God bless!