Volleyball uniforms serve double as soccer, so they outfitted two teams for the scrimmage.
Dear friends,
As many of you know, we sold our house and greatly down-sized while in the States last summer. One of the things we were able to do with some of the equity was to buy new uniforms for the school’s sports teams (soccer, volleyball, and netball). They had a scrimmage tonight to “test” the new uniforms. A good time was had by all.
Netball has the shorts and jersey with an overlay with the "position" abrv. Netball is something like girls' basketball...
The students are very excited about the new school year. Both Form II and Form IV will have National Exams, so they are very serious about their private study time. Some of the boys we hired for work have told us that they can’t continue, as they must study more. The National Exams aren’t until October and November, but they act as if they are next week. Part of the determination may be caused by the new schedule of having weekly tests on Monday. During the opening periods each week, there is a rotation of two of the ten subjects, so that each subject is tested every five weeks. Joanne had incorporated a weekly test in Pre-Form last year to help the students in their confidence and not feel intimidated by having to take a test. We don’t know if this influenced the leadership in making it a school-wide practice, but it seems to be having the desired effect of keeping the students focused. Most of the students have personal schedules for daily study, and they stick to the schedules like Olympic trainers. They will graciously excuse themselves from most any activity if they see their study time threatened. We’ve had kids at the house with a meal and games planned, only to have them leave after eating with promises to come at another time to play games . . . and that is saying something, because they love to play games. When we visit their ghettos, they will play UNO for hours.
I’d better close this and get focused on helping Joanne; she’s under some self-imposed pressure to complete uniforms for the students. Pray for her to work accurately and efficiently and for the students to be patient. A cultural difference we’ve come to realize is that it is not the patient customer that gets served first, but the one most persistent. Joanne is trying to work on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the students who come two or three times a day to check on the progress of their uniform can’t understand why they are still at the bottom of the list.
A typical day in Joanne's sewing room...they'll come before 7:30 a.m. class and during the break times to check on their uniforms, or accompany a friend who is shy about using English to ask, "Is my shirt ready?"
A couple of other quick prayer/praise items: a student, Anna, came with what appeared to be a spider bite. We are happy to report that after a couple of days of treatment, it is healing nicely. During the second treatment there was a discharge that looked too much like dead baby spiders . . . The other case to lift in prayer is for a lady teacher, Odelia, with a swollen finger. We haven’t a clue as to what is going on, as there is no sign of infectious entry or rash. We’ve recommended that she go to the village dispensary. She teaches three Forms of Civics, writing a lot on the chalkboard, which is causing much discomfort.
Some are more confident around a camera than others, but all love to see themselves on the screen.
God bless all of you for your support of this ministry.
Love,
Gary and Joanne Grenell
