A miracle move

I set out for the Acholi quarters on Monday morning ready to face the kids and implement my new timetable. Mum and I had been there for a couple of hours on Saturday morning on CRED business so I saw many of my children who were extremely excited after not having seen me for a week. As expected, they all ran to my boda boda when I arrived and got my poor driver a little agitated as he navigated the rutted tracks and small energetic children. We walked to the hall where I met the loads in charge who said I couldn't use it that day. After sitting for a while and considering my options (putting off teaching the kids outside really because of past experience) I checked whether I'd have the hall the next day. 'No' was the answer, they were using the hall everyday until the 22nd! My heart fell. There was no way I could spilt the kids into classes outside because there was no way I could keep the other children out and focus on the ability groups one at a time.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were surprisingly very good days! The kids were very well behaved despite being outside, and I am slowly learning the better ways of engaging them and not. This week we tackled colours and shaped and they've done really well with them, especially the colours! Many knew most of them before this week, but they can all vaguely recognise the different colours and most can say their names unprompted. Recognising the names are proving to be more difficult, but the older ones are grasping that. The oldest boy I teach, Collin, is perhaps 10 (it's hard to tell because their size doesn't reflect their age due to the harsh environment they're brought up in). He stayed one break whilst the others all went for tea, and so I asked him to read a book we'd read before break. He said he couldn't read, but when encouraged, he could do the colours and some of the fruits I pointed out to him. His smile when he realised he could read some words was beautiful!

I turned up on Thursday and the two older girls in my class who have unofficially taken the role of translators and crowd control for me, told me they had a surprise and led me away from the place we learn outside and into the community. I was carried along by the majority of my class, at least thirty kids all trying to have a section of my arm! We eventually (due to the snails pace I had to take so I wouldn't stand on any small toes) turn up outside the church I went to at the end of my first week spent in the Quarters. 'This is our new classroom' they announce with huge smiles!!! Praise The Lord! 

I had mentioned to John about not having the hall on the Monday when I got home drenched by the storm we got caught in. He said he'd come in and talk to the ladies and that we'd work something out, because I wasn't at all enamoured with the prospect of having to teach outside every day for three weeks. As good as they were (thanks to extended break times in part), few would actually learn because I would have to pitch my teaching between all the abilities. In reality, I knew John wouldn't come until at least a week later. But it turns out he phoned one of the ladies and she sorted out the church for me to use. It was a complete miracle that it happened so quickly - things out here take forever to organise, especially in a place as chaotic as the Acholi Quarters where disorganisation is the norm. But God sees our needs and loves to provide for His children! So, tomorrow I am starting with the new timetable and we will see how it goes. I am expecting it to take a while to be accepted and understood, and I don't know how well it will really work. So many of the older children come with thief younger siblings, so I don't know how many will come if they are spilt up, or if I will still end up with all ages in the class. But I am trusting God in it all, and know that His will will be done.

Mum came back from Zambia on Thursday night, so we had a final couple of days together. Friday night consisted of a Stoneys (our favourite drink here) and watching Les Mis (our favourite film) and it was a very lovely night. We had to move part way through to under a mosquito net as they were eating mum alive - she hasn't been eating marmite! I promise you, I have actually seen a difference when I eat marmite for breakfast and when I don't. The week Rozzie and Dad were here I didn't have any marmite for various reasons (one being the delivery of hot cross buns I'd ordered!) and by the end of it I'd been bitten more times that week than in the whole month previous. I'm back to eating marmite most mornings and the number of bites are decreasing! Good times. 

Yesterday we went out for lunch and had a final shaking of ideas for my coming weeks, of general discussions and prayer before the drive to the airport. It was sad waving her goodbye and knowing that she won't be back again in a few days, nor will I see her until July when we meet in Kenya. But I have peace about being here, and with things more planned for the coming weeks, I am happier in why I am here too. That, and I got to lie in till almost 11am this morning, so my tiredness is slowly being reduced.

I hope you all have a blessed week and that it will hold all sorts of joy for you. Much love.