MKES (MISSIONARY KIDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL)

 

We arrived at the Kudjip Hospital station on a Thursday afternoon.  We were coming out of a 76 hour stretch with 5 hours sleep and little more that short naps during that remaining time span.  The next 8 to 10 days seemed like our heads were in a fog and we always wanted to sleep partially due to the 14 hour time difference from Michigan.  But I was in school Monday morning at 8:00 to shadow the parent who had been doing the teaching and had been eagerly looking forward to our arrival.

As Monday passed and then Tuesday, I was worked into more and more of the teaching and on my own from Wednesday on.  I’m sure there are still things I don’t remember or know from those couple days of orientation.  Yet, we still have all the students, and they are learning in spite of me.

Our day starts with all the students together for a half hour of devotions at 8:00.  We have a selection of songs on the computer that can be projected on the wall to sing along with.  Typically, we start with one of those songs.  Then we work on our memory verse.  That is followed by a devotion lesson that is connected to scripture.  Prayer praises and requests are next, followed by one or two of our students praying for the requests. God has answered many of their prayers. The most amazing to me was when one of the students requested prayer for a missionary family near the Sudan border.  The family was trapped in their house, with no food and no way to get out.  Two days after the kids started praying, we got word that the family had been evacuated to a place of temporary safety.   They still need a visa for the newborn so they can get to the States. We are continuing to pray along with many others, but how exciting for us to be part and to see God working!  If time allows, we might sing another song before heading off to our grade level rooms. 

Adults are Aunt or Uncle at school and around the station.  Aunt Jamie, a retiree from Montana, teaches the first-grade students in one room.  The fifth and sixth grade students are in another room with one of the parents.  I have third and fourth grade students in the third room.  I start with 45 minutes of 3^rd grade math, then those students have independent work while I teach 4^th grade math.  The kids usually have about 15 minutes to do the independent work before snack time and first recess at 10:00. That gives me a little time to check some of their assignments.  Then I monitor recess on an outdoor fenced basketball court and/or the adjacent grass playground. 

The fifth and sixth graders leave the playground a few minutes ahead of the other elementary students and walk a couple hundred yards to the high school for two class sessions and later return for lunch at the elementary school.  Aunt Jamie continues with her first graders, and I teach language arts to my kids followed by history that takes us up to 12:00 lunch and recess.  I eat with the kids and monitor recess until we head back into the school at 12:45. I may even play a little basketball or tag with them at times.

At that time Aunt Jamie and I switch/trade kids; I teach first grade math and she teaches science to the third and fourth grade. That is also when Aunt Gayle comes to school and teaches grammar to the fifth and sixth grade students.  She wasn’t expecting that, but she is doing a great job. 

 At 1:30 kids return to their own classroom and have about 15 minutes to get homework together and wrap up anything that needs their attention.  Everyone has a job to do at 1:45. They each are assigned a task to clean and set up the school for the next day. Then specials class will be at 2:00 if someone is teaching it.  Specials vary depending on what volunteers are serving at that time.  PE, music, Bible, gymnastics, technology, and art are a few that I know they have done.  I worked with the kids to do a skit for a couple of sessions.  I was thinking a couple kids would roll play Abraham and Isaac going up on the Mountain when God tested Abraham’s faith.  NOT.  These kids ran with the idea.  They made props, found costumes from prior Christmas plays, recruited other actors, and started practicing and spreading the word.  The little school was full of spectators the afternoon they performed “Abraham’s Sacrifice.”

The school year is winding down.  These kids are getting excited for summer break just like every kid in America.  They talk too much like almost every kid in America. They do not do or say mean things to other people. I saw one student get upset on the playground, he jogged away, stomped a little frustration off under a tree, sat down a few minutes, then came jogging back and rejoined the activity.  Nothing else was said.  They respect their parents and teachers.  They have been raised in homes where God is the head of the household, and their parents have expectations for their behavior.  How refreshing!  These parents are doing a commendable job.

This past week was Spirit Week.  The high school teacher, Aunt Rebecca, has been teaching children’s ministry to our three junior high and high school students.  She and they planned and facilitated the activities for Spirit Week.  We dressed with a nature theme Monday and picked up trash after school.  Tuesday was silly accessory day with kids wearing strange hats or using silly containers to carry their books to school.  Wednesday was switch day; dress like someone else day.  Thursday was clash day; wear colors and/or patterns that clash.  The high school students took on the fifth and sixth grade students in an “Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader,” contest at the end of the school day.  A fifth grader answered the last question to break a tie at the end of the game.  Friday was team day with kids from the three teams wearing Red, Blue, or Green and competing in a variety of relays at lunch recess.  It was an exciting week for the students and fun to watch.

Student numbers are down at this time.  Two families with elementary students are back in the states on home assignment. Another family will be leaving in one more week for their home assignment.  Most of the time I only have four students.  That’s about 28-30 less than I had most of my years in Lapeer.  It gets hot most afternoons, and I am not as young as I once was.  I feel tired every afternoon.  God provides health and enough energy to complete the day and the necessary responsibilities.  PTL!

We are convinced that God brought us here to teach and serve for this time.  We are planning to return home in early June to take care of some family and business.  We are processing upgrades to our paperwork in the event that God calls us back in the future.  However, at this time we have no idea what HIS plan is.  We just want to be willing and available to serve where and when He wants us to.  We would appreciate your continued prayers as we attempt to sort out what our plans will be.