Greetings from Luanshya!
First big news of the week. We found out on Saturday that Colin has chicken pox-for the third time! It has been our understanding, according to medical experts, that you can only get chicken pox once. Colin is apparently not understanding this so he is now suffering from his third case. On Monday I went to his school and saw him. The pox are already drying up and the school nurse said that he would be quarantined for a few more days and would be back in class shortly thereafter. He was in good spirits and was reading his third novel in as many days. Please pray for Colin as he deals with this illness.
We were very pleased to learn on Sunday morning that one of the youngsters from the Lighthouse Children's Home, Dickson, has been named a prefect at his school. For those in the America's, a "prefect" is like a teachers helper in the classroom and school property. He helps students with assignments and leads the lines in and out of class and helps to maintain order on the playground. We are very pleased with his development remembering that Dickson was one of the troubled youngsters from the streets of Ndola.
We have asked in the past that you pray for John, one of our early wards. John has been promised a position teaching deaf children in a local government school but the paperwork has not come through from the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, John is finding it difficult to make ends meet so he is substitute teaching at one of the small private primary schools in town. He is making K3,500 per day which comes to about US$0.73. That does not even cover the price of lunch. Please pray for this situation including John's ability to survive and the government's seriousness about taking care of the teachers they have promised to hire.
Another issue concerning education is the fact that teachers in our province have gone on strike. This morning I had sixteen ninth grade students in the Resource Centre during what would normally be school hours reading books. I asked them why they were not in school and they said, "Teachers did not show up." These students, along with the grade 7 and 12 students are all supposed to begin taking exams in the next six to eight weeks. If the grade 9 students do not pass the exam, they are not allowed to go on to grade 10. These students were all very discouraged because none of them are prepared to take the exams as the curriculum has yet to be completed even from last school term. When I asked them about what they would do about the exam they shrugged their shoulders and said, "The best we can." Please join with us in prayer for the youngsters in our community as they struggle with the political and academic confusion in their schools. We are fortunate to have found places for all our children at the Lighthouse Children's Home in private schools which are not affected by the strikes. The cost of tuition is substantially higher, but the quality of education is commensurate with the tuition.
The students in the Bible Institute are really taking hold of their studies. Most of them are coming in through the week to complete their lessons in preparation for class discussion. By the end of this week we will have completed our study of the book of 1 Samuel. Our lessons regularly run 30 to 45 minutes overtime because the students really do not want to quit until they have finished discussing and asking questions about the topic of the day. Thank you for your prayers on their behalf as they further their studies to prepare for ministry.
We sincerely appreciate your partnership in His work.
In His Service,
Patrick and Sherry
Dr. Patrick and
Sherry Coleman
Luanshya, Zambia Africa