Football, Fun and Report Cards

Victory Celebrations

So what do these three things all have in common.  They were all part of our busy week. 

This past week was the last week of school and so after testing, there was marking, then there was final marks to be tabulated and finally report cards to write up.  Since the Grade Four teacher has been off for several weeks due to illness I assisted in the report card process.  Brian and I took over the entire dining room table to accomplish this task (the table will seat 8 comfortably).  I also took over the coffee table and one couch. We would clear a small space to eat when needed.

The football (soccer) was the real highlight.  Brian had set up three teams at the school for a small house league.  They had a short season where they played 3 games a week over the last term.  One team was ahead by three points the other two teams were tied.  On Thursday there was a playoff with the teams that were tied to see who would play in the final on Friday.  The school children were very excited and seemed to just naturally choose  which team they were supporting.  There were cheers and chants from the sidelines. Some of the children used their small stools as a drum.  Two of the classroom assistants became coaches.  When a team scored the children supporting that team all came running out on the field.  As there is not a trophy store nearby Brian cobbled together a couple of pieces of wood to create the school’s first football trophy which the winning team proudly hoisted.

With still having the three evening computer courses to run and being up until 11 pm or later to finish the report cards we were pretty tired by week’s end.  We are thankful to all those who pray for energy for us.

We are planning a road trip for part of the time that school is on break. The head teacher has offered to drive us and another missionary here to see some of this beautiful country.  We are looking forward to this time away.  We would appreciate your prayers for safety as the roads can be quite difficult to navigate if the rains are heavy.  We are in the rainy season.

It is hard for us to believe that Christmas is only a few weeks away.  As we are used to snow and cold and dark at this time of year our minds are easily tricked. It does not matter where we are, however, we can celebrate the birth of Christ in any country and in any language.  When I reflect on this past year and all that has happened and the opportunities we have been given I know that we serve an awesome God.