Form Two Results Are Public

As many of you know, the Tanzanian Department of Education conducts national examinations for all registered secondary schools at the Form Two and Form Four levels. The results determine whether a student will be able to advance to the next level. The results are also used in ranking schools as to their effectiveness, and so influence future enrollment interests. This explains why Idigima Secondary School draws students from around the country.

The 2012 Form Two National Exam results were made public January 17, 2013, and Idigima Secondary School once again showed the nation that the “unchosen” village kids can succeed if given a chance. We are still waiting for the Form Four results, expected to be released in February.

Of the 411 private, government, and NGO secondary schools located in the western regions of Tanzania, five are registered schools built by villagers under the direction and assistance of Village Schools Tanzania (VST). You can find them on the map located on our blog or VSI’s website.

Christopher

Special note should be made of our Student Academic, Christopher Mwasenga, who scored 100% on the History National Exam. Christopher was featured in an earlier update, writing an article about good study and living habits, Effort is the Key to Success. Obviously, he puts into practice what he preaches to his fellow students.

Idigima was the fifth school built by VSI/VST. In the following list of the VST schools for which we’ve received National Exam results, we’ve included the school’s order in being built, the region where it is located, the number of students in the Form Two class, and their overall percentage rank as a school among the 411 tested.

#5  Idigima Secondary School, Mbeya Region, has 162 Form Two students, ranked 22

#6  Memya Secondary School, Rukwa Region, has 25 Form Two students, ranked 183

#7  Nankanga Secondary School, Rukwa Region, has 9 Form Two students, ranked 23

#15  Katunda Secondary School, Rukwa Region, has 53 Form Two students, ranked 73

#17  Kazovu Secondary School, Rukwa Region, has 42 Form Two students, ranked 51

We’d also like to share the Subject Ranking of our Idigima students among the 411 schools. This Form Two class was the third group to go through Joanne’s Pre-Form One English course and the subjects of many of our pictures and updates. Because all examinations are conducted in English, having a grasp of the language gives the students a great advantage. More importantly, they are constantly reminded to depend upon God for protection from spiritual attacks and worldly distractions and to give God the glory in their performance.

English – 9/411              Swahili – 10/411            Civics – 18/411                         

Geography – 21/411       History – 26/411            Mathematics – 26/411

Chemistry – 28/411        Biology – 42/411            Physics – 44/411

We believe this demonstrates the value of having your prayer support for our students.

All of God’s best in 2013, 

Gary and Joanne Grenell

In Memory

Bryce Grenell

Bryce was a better brother to me than I was to him. I’m really, really going to miss him. As boys 15 months apart, Bryce and I were the best of friends and once and awhile the worst of enemies, but Bryce was the governor of our recklessness and the catalyst of peace during times of war. He always pulled his punches. Bryce was really the perfect big brother, even though we terrorized our older sister at times. For his younger brothers, he was always there. When I would rather leave the three little squirts behind, pick on them, or go off on my own, Bryce was the big brother to include, protect and support.

Bryce on right and behind

When we were preparing to join the military, he in the Army and I in the Air Force, my girlfriend gave me a religious medallion. Bryce asked “why,” knowing I didn’t have time for God’s involvement in my life-pursuits. It was a planting of a seed, although Bryce would not have been considered a sower of the gospel at that time. Years later, after I’d made a commitment to Christ, Bryce acknowledged that it was perhaps the only commitment I’d stuck with in my life. I’d hoped that his acknowledgement of my change was a seed growing in his own heart of faith.

Gary, left, and Bryce, right

It wasn’t long after, however, that he decided to follow his life dream of living in the great northwest, pursuing hunting and fishing. He hitched his bass boat to the back of his Ford pickup truck, loaded his bags and Brittany spaniel, and drove off. I thought we’d lost him, being so far away both physically and spiritually from any possible Christian influence, or so we thought. “Oh, ye of little faith.” The Lord guided him to Margy in the most unimaginable way, as only God can do. What a union of spiritual strength and good works that turned out to be.

Bryce, right

Through the years we’ve not connected as much as we should have, seeing each other almost exclusively at family weddings and our mother’s funeral. Still, the adjectives that come to mind when I think of Bryce are meek, humble, steady, dependable, resourceful, God-honoring, practical, serving, compassionate, humorous, and generous in every way. He was an orchard of the fruits of the spirit.

Bryce, right

I saw Bryce last summer, when he flew me to Washington for a weekend visit during our annual trip to the States from our mission work in Tanzania, Africa. It was a special time, as Bryce and Margy were so naturally capable of creating. We laughed and cried and shared dreams and plans, but we knew, as we know better today, that God’s ways are above ours and his thoughts higher than ours.

Bryce, left

Death is certain; it comes to us all. The important thing is to not waste the gift of life. Bryce’s was a life not wasted. He invested heavily and without worry of risk in the lives of many. He would agree with the apostle Paul in saying, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Those of us who share his faith in Jesus will have the great joy of seeing him again. So I say, “See ya later, Bro.”

Gary Grenell

Gary’s brother, Bryce Grenell, of suburban Seattle, WA (USA), was called home by the Lord at age 62 on May 2, 2013.  Services were held on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

Where's Waldo?

Can you find Cameal?

It’s raining nearly everyday, so our garden looks like a jungle. We get out there a time or two each week and get sun burned cleaning it up. We’re eating lettuce, greens, summer squash and green beans. The carrot beds (4) are coming along nicely. Joanne was working out there today and called me to bring the camera.

Look closer!  There he is!

There was a chameleon keeping her company. A real chameleon, not the little lizards they sell in the pet shops and call chameleons, complete with split toes, curled tail and bugged eyes that look in two directions at once. It’s only the second one I’ve seen here that wasn’t dead on the road.

Cameal sees you!

I took some video and pics and got to thinking that some of our supporters may be Waldo fans. This may not be a challenge for most, but can you find Cameal? The next day, it was nowhere to be found . . . but then, maybe it was right under my nose.

Cameal is waving!

God never fails to show us the miraculous, if we only take the time to look.

The Lord’s blessings to all,

Gary and Joanne Grenell

Holiday Parties

Christmas Dinner

What started out as a joke turned into quite a wonderful Christmas celebration.

A couple of the staff here at Idigima Secondary School have chosen to raise goats to augment their income. As the goats are allowed to free range, they eat almost everything on campus. I started telling one of the owners that we will have to eat his goats for Christmas. He may have taken the hint, because he hired a village boy to keep the goats away from certain parts of campus where we are trying to grow decorative and shade trees, and watch that they don’t get into the farm crops.

As Christmas approached, however, teachers started talking about the dinner we were going to have. So, since nobody wanted to eat goat, we bought some chickens and delegated the cooking of rice and beans to the other teachers. In addition to the big pot of chicken pieces, Joanne made three banana cakes.

Not wanting to disturb the good celebration, Jacob kept quiet until the next day about his accident in bringing soda to the party from the village of Idiwili. The breaks were bad on the bicycle he was using and he tumbled. It is amazing the soda bottles survived.



He is mending well now after Joanne’s diligent attention and the First-Aid supplies sent with us by our faithful partners.

Starting three hours later than originally planned . . . or maybe everyone else thought that was the time to start preparing the dinner...we had a dozen teachers show up for the activities. We read the Christmas story, had a time of prayer, and enjoyed a hearty meal.

Afterwards, we cleared the tables and had an assortment of table games available.

Christmas Party games

Some students showed up in the evening. We rounded up some left-overs, played games, and watched a movie.

The teachers started talking about “the night of no sleep” and celebration of New Year’s Day. The generator was on until after midnight, with a lot of music and chatter going on in the houses, but we did not participate. We took advantage of the electricity for charging computer batteries and watching Lord of the Rings.

Students came on New Year’s Day to greet us and bring gifts of fresh-dug peanuts, mangoes, bananas and avocadoes. We received phone calls and text messages from some of our former students, wishing us a good New Year and continued friendship with the people of Tanzania - the very thing we are happy to do.

Living in the freedom of Christ,

Gary and Joanne Grenell