School Begins!

“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” Anonymous

What an exciting Month!  Bruce and Simon have been very busy organizing and overseeing all the building projects at St. Paul’s. Three New classrooms were completed.   A new Pit Latrine was started and is almost finished.  A dilapidated building that was used for classrooms and was infested with jiggers (a bug that buries itself under your skin) got a facelift.  It was renovated and painted and can now be used as the school office and can also be used as a small classroom.   Funding for a fourth classroom came in from one of our hometown churches and is getting started this week. Thanks  to faithful donors, many hands and hard workers, the new school year started this month with many excited and happy children! 

 We have added a much needed helping hand to the Afayo team.  Her name is Kendall VandenBerg from Hudsonville, MI.  She came to Uganda last August, after graduating with her teaching degree, to homeschool the Fisher’s children.  When the Fisher’s left in December she was left with the decision to return to the states also, or find a project she felt God wanted her to work with.  After much prayer she felt God telling her to help us in the village and at the school.  She is finding her niche and helping the teachers learn some teaching methods and she is helping them to learn phonics and English. She will only be here until mid May, but we are so Thankful and Blessed to have her working beside us!

Some of you may ask who else is working with us?  We have our wonderful Ugandan friend, Simon!  What does he do? Almost everything!  He knows how things work here and has the biggest heart for Jesus.  His main roles are teaching Farming God’s Way in the village and leading the men of the village in Bible studies.  When you put Bruce and Simon together, two peas in a pod, it’s hard not to laugh and have some fun!

We are excited to share with you that there are two new classes being taught at St. Paul’s Primary Learning Centre.  Yes, this is how they spell Centre.  Simon started teaching the P7 students “ages 14 to 16” Farming God’s Way.  He is meeting with the students one day a week and is teaching them Biblical principles as well as practical application in the school garden.

Bruce started teaching the school Headmaster and the P7 students woodworking.  They meet one day a week also.  This was prompted by the school’s need for more benches and desks.  The class sizes have grown and we need more seating for the students.  Many students may never move on to a higher education so, Farming God’s Way and Woodworking will give them a skill to fall back on in the  future for sustainability.

We can’t begin to express the joy we feel being involved in the many transformations happening in the village of Naigobya; not only the obvious physical changes, but most importantly, the heart changes.  There have been hurdles and struggles to get past, (and almost on a daily basis I might add) but seeing how God works through things has been teaching us more and more about ourselves and God’s Amazing Power!

Preach the word of God.  Be PREPARED, whether the time is favorable or not.  PATIENTLY correct, REBUKE, and ENCOURAGE your people with good teaching. 2Timothy 4:2

Thank you for taking the time to pray for us!!  We would be powerless without the prayers of His people. 

Our PRAYER Needs

Death happens on a daily basis here, accident, sickness, or disease.  Many from the village have passed, mostly acquaintances, but this week it became Real Personal.  In our women’s sewing group we lost our 9mo little girl, Iesa to malaria.  Her mother didn’t have the money (about 2 dollars) to seek treatment.  She didn’t think to ask for help and didn’t think it was serious until it was to late.  

Our village family is hurting!

*Please pray for God to lessen the pain and help us with the grief

*Please pray for better understanding of malaria symptoms and the need for quick treatment 

* Please pray their Hearts would be open to hear & understand God’s message to them

*Pray we would be effective to communicate God’s love and truth with them better on all levels. Witchcraft, cultural influences, and a mix of many different religions has caused much confusion we need to continually chip away at

*Safety as we travel on the roads here.  Travel is dangerous and with the rainy season approaching travel becomes extremely difficult and dangerous.

beginnings of the new Pit Latrine

First Day of School

office before

Office renovated and painted

Even though they are in one of the old existing classrooms these happy children are
Ready to Learn and have some Fun!