Spark Plugs, Ravioli and Bruce Lee

Two more days until term starts again and it's been a curious time since I last wrote....which was more recent for some as the email version sat in my outbox for a week before I realised there was a problem.

Without a doubt, the most difficult point recently was the very sudden death of the young son of our night guard. It all happened very quickly, but it seems likely that he was poisoned by a disgruntled/jealous neighbour. Tragic but apparently not uncommon in this part of the world. Very hard to understand.

On the following morning our guard, now a broken figure of a man, came round as he didn't have the money to buy a coffin (£12) to bury his son in. We were very happy to meet some of the funeral costs; but it is difficult when the only thing you can do is give money...though there is prayer too.

Caspar and Felicity both had a bout of tonsillitis which was an anxious time. Fortunately they both recovered before we had to hunt down some amoxicillin in one of the 'interesting' pharmacies in town.

I've been thinking more about my personal approach to the third term and I don't think it will surprise anyone that Bruce Lee provides relevant wisdom about how to run a Christian school in Central Africa.

He said:

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.

I'm a great ideas person, but sometimes the doing bit can seem like such an effort...particularly when the summer holidays are looming. We have a staff training day on Monday where I hope to encourage and remind the staff that we still have a third of our teaching year in which to make some fantastic changes.

A very proud moment for me last week was when our generator wouldn't start. Previously this had been caused by dodgy fuel, but a now expert rub of the fingers ruled that out. So I took out the spark plug, cleaned it and it worked. How alpha male is that!

Today we started house hunting and went to look at house. Not really right for us and the rent was $2,000! As Allie and I discussed this when we got home, the kids drew their ideal house (see photo below). Yet another area where we must trust God. We feel that we'll never find an affordable and suitable house. But Allie's been encouraging us to deny these feelings of doubt...they're not of God.

A treat tonight as we watch the new series of Foyles War which I've downloaded and crack open a tin of Everyday Ravioli I picked up at the 'expat' shop...yummy!

God Bless,

Jez