With the love of God we greet you from Idigima Secondary School. Very little time for this, so hang on. We’ve been here two weeks and already I have preached with an interpreter at a local (one hour walk) Moravian church when 6 congregations came together for an end-of-month service. Joanne got to teach at SS. Next week I am to preach at a Baptist church in Ihowa…one hour bicycle ride away; pray for Joanne, who will be sitting side-saddle on the back of my bike in her long skirt. The roads are dirt with rocks “growing out of the surface,” so it is often like Extreme BMX sports when you go down the steep hills.
I have been assigned to the upper Form II classes, teaching three Bible Knowledge classes several times per week, while Joanne has her own Pre-Form Class, which are brand new students who know very little English; she teaches English and math for five 80 minute classes. We have also been assigned to supervise the weekly chapel service with one of the national teachers; the chapel is supposed to be student-run, but due to recent exams, prep time will not allow this. Joanne has been asked to bring a devotion tomorrow, as Gary lost his voice after preaching Sunday and “enthusiasm” in the classroom. It is almost restored, but don’t want to push it.
We live in a four bedroom brick home, just like the buildings you see in the Idigima pictures. There is a long room where we eat and socialize, small kitchen in the back, and someday will have indoor bath and toilet facilities. Two of the bedrooms are shared by the five female teachers, while the fourth serves as a pantry and prep room for the fried bread sold with hot tea at the school concession shack. There is another house shared by 10 or 11 men teachers, and two more homes under construction. When the next one is completed, the girls will move out and we’ll have this house to ourselves; we don’t know what we’ll do with all the room, although the girls assure us they will be over here to cook and socialize. (Gary)
We are doing very well, mixing in with the culture and learning how to live with people. We are learning some language skills (Swahili), how to eat with our fingers, and do our laundry with a bar of soap in a dishpan down at the river. I can go 3 days without washing my hair and I’m wearing the same outer clothes more than once (it cuts down on the amount of laundry.) We all do it here, so it is culturally acceptable. Good thing, huh? There are churches all over the place, so you just pick which kind of service you like. The drums are incredible and to watch the children praise the Lord and dance is really something!! The people are so friendly, it seems like we are really special people everywhere we go. They have a market every Thursday in our near by town of Idiwili. It is only a 20 minute walk and full of open air booths and all sorts of things to buy. Bananas and avocados are in season right now. There is also Roma tomatoes, onions, rice, beans, flour, cornmeal (for ugali), dried fish for sale. We have an assortment of chickens running around our teachers houses, which end up in the “pot” for our dinners. There is a teacher who owns a small herd of goats and Brahma cows here, so it feels like a real farm. I love it!! The community garden is down the hill by the river. We raise some of our own veggies. We are teaching the students how to garden, so they help water and transplant. I’ve planted some seeds left over from last year’s garden planting time: summer squash, pea pods, spinach and beets. Some are up, as this is early summer here.
I have taught a whole week of Intensive English, now, and have 16 students so far. It is so fun to see their eyes light up when they understand what is going on. And yes, I have a favorite one or two (boys) that are doing very well and are easy to connect with. (teacher’s pets) haha. It is fun to walk back and forth in front of the class, writing on the blackboard (which is the whole front wall). A sure sign of a good teacher is that she has chalk all over her hands and even some of the clothes!!
We start the days with short sleeves on, covered with long sleeves. We shed the long sleeves by noon or before and put them back on by 5-6pm. Our air is dry, so we have beautiful blue skies most of the time right now. The wind picks up sometimes in early afternoon, to help dry the clothes on the lines, you know.
We feel your prayers, as we have much peace and feel like we are meant to be here!!
We love you all very much and are so thankful for all you have done for us and are doing for us.
We are keeping you in our prayers.
Gary and Joanne Grenell
