Zambia Team
Andrew (TL), Toby, Jesse, and Jordan
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The Zambia team is assisting a local m-nistry
at an orphanage/school for HIV/AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children,
as well as doing manual labor.
Andrew writes…
“We’ve started
tutoring all the students from 5th, 6th, and 7th grades who can’t read.
There are 74 students in all from those grades. We are trying to meet with
the kids every day after school for awhile to go over letter sounds and
basic phonics. Once they’re ok with those we’ll start on reading. We are
also tutoring 8th and 9th grade students who can’t read. They let out an
hour after the younger grades so we have staggered tutoring times. There
are 24 kids from 8th and 9th grade. It’s been great to sit down with kids
one on one to evaluate their reading. There are so many kids that it’s
difficult to find time to get to know them one on one. When that time is
provided it’s always a great time of relationship building. They really
need people who take time for them as individuals.
One of our students
named Patrick is 15 years old. His parents live in a town outside of Kitwe;
he doesn’t stay with them because they can’t afford school fees in that
town. BG provides free education for people like him, so he moved to Kitwe.
He at one time stayed at the school itself with two other boys. He wasn’t
satisfied with the situation so he went to live on the streets on his own.
Finding that there wasn’t a future in living on the streets he came back
and asked to stay at the school again. The director forgave him of course.
After awhile, however, he left again and no one knew where he was. Then one
day in the middle of term one he showed up at school for lessons. Even
though he only came for the last few weeks of the term, he did better on
the term test then some of the students who had been present for the whole
term. At the moment he’s staying with his brother-in-law in one of the slum
areas about a 30 minute walk (4 kilometers) from the school. He’s one of
the students that I’ve gotten to know a bit more than the others. I ask
that you join me in pr-yer for: his future, his family situation, his
faith, and his education. He’s a passionate kind of person so if he decides
to follow J-sus he would be a great man of G-d. “
Pr-yer Requests for the Zambia team:
- Pr-y for the team as they
teach, that they would be able to be good examples and show G-d’s love to their students
- Pr-y for endurance and
strength as they mentor some of the students after school
- Pr-y for unity and continued perseverance
on the team
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Thailand Team
Richard, Nathanael, Danielle, Elisha (TL),
Jackie and Samantha
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The Thailand team is focusing on language study, building strategic
relationships, and is beginning to teach English in a Buddhist school. They
are also becoming involved with several local m-nistries.
Samantha shares…
“The guys have their new apartment now and one of them will
be moving to a host home fairly soon. The family continues to get closer to
Jack and Dani. I don't know how they will cope
with our leaving in two months. School has started back up again. The
children still haven't learned the meaning of quiet in class. It's a
difficult job for all of us, but a learning one. Sometimes I feel like I'm
the student, and I go away having learned more than them. We continue to
struggle with how to make an effective lesson and keep their attention,
it's an ongoing process.
Living here with my host family creates many funny stories.
There's always something happening in this family that makes me laugh and want
to tell the rest of my team. There was the time when I thought my host
sister was going to come at me with a pair of tongs and yank the unwanted
wart off my face. I really thought she just might do it and I was not about
to let her touch me no matter how hard she pleaded! Thankfully that had not
been her intention at all, and I didn't have to explain why she shouldn't! My
host sister is the greatest! I love being with her and going places with
her! She also loves to hang with me and my team as well, which was a
welcomed surprise. I think she thinks Americans are a lot of fun! She loves
making food and teaching me her trade and so she'll be like, ‘invite your
friends over here, and you can make Thai food for them.’ Of course no one
minds coming over for free food! J I think she might already have something new up her sleeve
she wants to make for them!”
Pr-yer Requests for the Thailand
Team:
- Pr-y against discouragement in teaching
- Pr-y that each team member could be a blessing to their
host family and other people around them
- Pr-y for focus and endurance during their last two
months
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