December 2014 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

As 2014 draws to a close I thought I’d send out one more newsletter this year about life at Sakeji. I was able to come home to Texas for Christmas, so I have been enjoying spending time with my family, both sets of grandparents, and as many friends as I could fit in. I will be heading back to Zambia on January 5th, and Lord willing I’ll be arriving back at Sakeji on the 8th. Prayers for safety in travel and a quick turn around before term would be appreciated!

This past term was a real challenge for everyone at Sakeji, but the Lord really gave us a lot of blessings as well. We were short two full time staff members, but the Lord provided two short termers who were a great help. In addition to all the usual madness that comes from finishing up a school year, writing the final report cards, cleaning up classrooms, rehearsing for the end of term show, and meeting with parents, we had the great privilege of baptizing eight of our older students at the end of term. Several of our students had been asking about taking this step of obedience, and after they received their parent’s permission we were able to schedule a time before all the meetings and programs when we could gather as a school down at the pool and watch these eight young people proclaim their faith publicly. God is so good to give us little glimpses of the fruit that is growing in these children’s lives; we pray that their example will encourage and challenge their school mates, and that they will continue to grow in the Lord over their last few years at Sakeji.

On the practical side of station life, our remodeling of the main sitting room is finally finished! Having that space back has made video nights and half-terms so much easier, and the staff have sure enjoyed the new furniture and ‘posh’ surroundings! The vaulted ceiling really opens the space up and cuts down on the dirt falling through. The new sidewalk at the front is still being put in, but that project can just about be ticked off our to-do list. The school is planning out our next big maintenance project; there is talk of renovating Lower School where the grades 1-3 classes are held as well as taking some time to knock out the multitude of little jobs that have been accumulating over the years.

As we go into 2015 there are lots of exciting opportunities for working with our students as well as some new challenges. As of now there are no short term helpers coming to Sakeji for first term, so there will be a bit of extra strain on the permanent staff. We will have several new students to train in school rules and expectations, and I’ll have a new class of sixth graders to ‘break in.’ With the death of the Zambian president Michael Sata in October, things are still rather up in the air as to who will be stepping in. We just celebrated 50 years of peaceful independence in Zambia; we pray that this transition of power will go smoothly and with a minimum of conflict. I know I ask for this often, but I will always need wisdom and patience from above as I teach my academic and music classes. These precious children are the future of Zambia, and how we pray that they will be well rooted and founded in the Lord during their time at Sakeji. May we seize the teachable moments and have the discernment to deal with the heart issues of our students.

Thank you so much for all your prayers, letters, e-mails, and gifts of all kinds over this last year. I am constantly amazed at your generosity and loving care of me. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and that 2015 will be a very blessed year.

May He find us faithful wherever He has called us to be!

Why Does Time Fly So Fast When You’re Having Fun?

I had the great privilege of spending Christmas at home in Texas this year, and while there was never enough sleep, so much shopping, cooking, and wrapping, wildly varying weather, it was the best Christmas ever. I spent somewhere around 58 hours in the air in just over a month, and was able to lease a vehicle from MTT which really helped out with all the errands. Some highlights:

* I got to go on a quick trip up to Ohio and then down to Atlanta to visit first a dear friend and then my Oma and Aunt. People are so important when you are home for such a short time, and I’m so thankful that the Lord worked things out for me to do that.

* All 8 of us kids were home for Christmas, and it was loud, crazy, full of people, and absolutely the best thing ever.

* My other grandparents came for a quick visit; unfortunately, they were rather violently ill with a killer cold/flue bug for the whole time so I didn’t get to see near as much of them as I would have liked!

* On my way to and from the States I had a layover in Dubai in which the airline put me up in a hotel room with complementary meals. While I didn’t end up going out into Dubai either time, I did enjoy the bits I got to experience while en route. So different from Africa and Europe!

* I got to go spend some time with a dear friend who lives in a nearby city, and call two others who lived too far away to visit this time.

Now that I’m back at Sakeji I have a few days to prepare for the start of our 2015 school year. Please pray for wisdom and help for the teachers as they plan and prepare their classrooms, pray for safety for the students traveling up by air and by road, and pray that we will glorify the Lord with what we accomplish over the next 10 weeks.

What a ride!

It has really been a wild few days in the bush—finishing up a school year is always a challenge! I’m in Lusaka waiting for the first big leg of my journey home for Christmas, so I thought I’d take the time to update y’all.

Monday: A very long, very rough rehearsal for the end of term show, a run into Ikelenge,

and leavers party. Have largish plumbing issue—of course this is because I had volunteered to put someone up over end of term! Also find out that my new sewing machine is having issues.

Tuesday: Two rehearsals—things finally started to come together! Ran around like crazy tying off loose ends. Bathroom operational again; mostly! Large mess to clean up though.

Wednesday: Stuff in the classroom for the first part of the morning, 8 students baptized later in the morning,

11 interviews with parents, playing piano for Prize Giving, gulping down some supper, playing for the end of term show, “Every Land Rejoice.”

The show goes well—we’re praying that someone’s heart was stirred by the music and the words. Visit with my guest and then CRASH.

Thursday: Run around tying off loose ends in the morning, take a much needed nap, work on packing, have supper and gift exchange with Jill. Up too late once again—so many things to think through!

Friday: Today! Waiting at the Sakeij 'airport' for the plane...

Then a 3 hour flight in the small plane to Lusaka; it’s HOT down here! Not queasy during the flight; thank You Lord!

Subway for lunch—what a treat! Go with Tanis to the airport to watch her girls while she drops off some bags, then laze around all afternoon.

Tomorrow I fly to Dubai, have a 19 hour layover, and then finally on to Dallas. It’s so good to be going home even though the travel looks daunting and exhausting right now. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, and that your holiday season is blessed.

Parting shot: My 3rd and 4th grade handwork class made the decorations for the hall Christmas tree this year--they looked so nice!

Life is a polka...come on and dance, dance, dance!

So, it’s been a rather hairy few days! Here, in brief, is some of the madness in the bush.

* During my senior recorder students ‘play for a grade’ last week, they killed a bat and tried to give me a dead kingfisher to deal with.

* I had a very busy weekend on in which I again made the 66 cup pancake recipe, did a whole lot of dishes, helped with the tea for prayer meeting, and got to hear some lovely music and a great presentation from the Hungarian doctor and his family who are currently serving at Kalene.

* A very quick (about 5 minutes), very scary lighting storm on Saturday took out our big photocopier, the internet, and various other electrical things. Thankfully I made it up from the river with all the kids before the lighting started, and (obviously) our internet is back up and running. The photocopier is in Lusaka, and we’re making do as best we can for exam week without it.

* I finally got my travel down to Lusaka sorted out, and I’ve got a trip within the States booked, but I’m still working through getting back from Lusaka in January.

* I looked at my work permit the other day to find that I was again shorted—I only got a year and four months instead of the two years I was supposed to! So, I’m working on getting my paperwork together for yet another extension. This means I will have to leave my country without my permit, AGAIN, while it’s in Lusaka, and also that we have to track down the elusive local emigration guy to certify some copies for me. Oh the joys!

Well, I need to get back to work—there is so much to do this week! May I find my strength in Him, and bring Him honor and glory with my thoughts, words, and actions this week.

Getting close...

Whew--this week has taken it out of me! I'm so thankful for a weekend off to sleep, get caught up on projects, and to take care of some niggling issues. I spent so much time this week thinking about my trip down to Lusaka and how it would all work out and still have people speaking to me that I dreamed about it one night! Thankfully the decision has simplified a lot in the last few days, so I think I'll be flying out of Lusaka as originally planned, but hopefully making a flying (quite literally!) trip to see a dear friend and some family. I continue to pray that the Lord will work out the details and get me where He wants me when He wants me to be there.

Monday and Tuesday this week was half-term; I was too busy doing things like making Christmas ornaments with the senior girls, enjoying river supervision with knitting, and marking to take many pictures, but here are a few of the kids down at the pool.

This week is our last regular week of school, then it's exam week, and then the odd three days in which we frantically rehearse the program and try and get thing set to rights for the end of the school year. Prayers for strength, wisdom, and endurance for all of the Sakeji staff are greatly appreciated!

2 Things

First of all I forgot to mention that Zambia's president, Michael Sata passed away last Tuesday, so the country is working through what to do next since the vice president doesn't qualify to finish out the term under the constitution. Please pray for Zambia that this will be a peaceful transition, and that we will get an honest, Godly man in office.

Secondly, it's become a real headache trying to get my flights down to Lusaka at the end of term figured out, and I could use some wisdom and patience. Right now it would be ideal if I could get my Emirates ticket changed for departing Lusaka two days earlier, but the cost is pretty staggering. I'm going to call them again next Saturday to see if the price has gone down any before I make my final arrangements. Two days isn't much, but it would allow me my only chance to see a dear friend. Some times living in such a remote spot is a big challenge!

Last month

How is it November already? How can I have 25 more days to finish off this term, get a program off the ground, and get my Sakeji year squared away? How am I going to be able to wait for the 30 days till I get to see my beloved family and East Texas again?

This week was wild with its own particular challenges, but God is and was good. Our little first grader got his cast off (much to EVERYONE’S relief)!

We had a HUGE rainstory yesterday—2.5 inches according to our rain gauge. I was down at the river with the kids while it was brewing; we just made it up in time! It was the strangest thing; the front had been slowly rumbling in for quite awhile, and then all of a sudden it was sunny to the west and BLACK to the east. Let that teach me to leave my raincoat behind…

My new sewing machine arrived! I’ve been without one for about a year, and I finally used it for the first time today to alter a blouse (something I’m doing a lot of it seems). I. Love. It. I was so sad to lose my faithful old White, but I think Janome and I are going to get along just fine. Of course I do realize that now this means that they will discontinue that brand as well…since my mom and I like it!

This Monday and Tuesday are our second half-term; while it will be kind of nice to have a break from classes, I’m also sorry for yet another interruption. Lord, give me wisdom to know what Your goals for this term are, and to not get stuck on what I wanted instead.