GO GO GO....

As you may notice from the above description this newsletter has a lot of ground to cover. Towards the end of last year, with the news that the Principal of the University would be leaving, Tim volunteered to help in the KBUC office a few mornings a week to help the new Principal settle into the role. Well, within the first few days of doing that, it was announced unexpectedly in a staff meeting that Tim was actually the new Kaniki Administration Manager! Of all the possible ramifications that could have crossed Tim’s mind at this point, his most pressing thought was actually “I wish I had worn trousers to this meeting!” While shorts are far more comfortable in the current climate, the fact is that an Administrator should wear trousers and so far Tim is doing well in at least that aspect of the role ;-) Seriously though there is a crazy amount of work to do with chasing up outstanding college fees from last year and this to co-ordinating budgets and programmes for maintenance, hospitality, staffing and the many other areas of college life heavily dependant on finances. Right now the books are balancing (which apparently didn't even happen once during 2014!) but the challenges are pretty huge. A couple of weeks ago, 5 trees and a telegraph pole all blew down in the heavy wind and rain causing damage to a couple of buildings and there are probably another 20-30 trees that pose similar risk around the college grounds. Fun times! We are so thankful, however, that everything with Arise and Kapumpe has been going so fantastically well, in fact it is a result of which that Tim is able to offer so much help to the college.

ARISE and Shine! Rosie and Ellie have been teaching almost half a term now and are taking everything in their stride. Their way of interacting with the children is excellent and even they have been delighted to see how even children from such poor backgrounds fit in and do well. NEW HEAD TEACHER Having spent over a year trying to jump through hoops for the Ministry of Education we decided to ask a friend to help us. Pastor Manfred Jere studied at Kaniki and has a good reputation with mutual friends of ours both in the UK and here in Zambia. He is taking on the ‘Headteacher’ role at Kapumpe in order to help ensure we meet any requirements of the Zambian government. He has already made several visits to the Ministry of Education and is also sharing each Tuesday in our school assembly. ENROLMENT With it being our second year, we weren’t sure how many people would want to enrol their children in Kapumpe. The reputation of the school has certainly grown and we were happy to be able to take in all the orphans of the right age in Arise and still have space for a few others. We have 19 pupils in the new grade 1 class and 18 who have moved up into grade 2. Included in the grade 1 class are Pastor Albert’s son, Saviour, as well as Mike (below), the son of a school groundsmen. It is great to be able to provide free education for people like that and to see how much pride and interest they take in what their children are learning each day. Electrics installed and many jobs done! Having Tim’s parents here was really helpful, Shelagh was a massive help in babysitting while Derek (plus Steven Moore and Kevin Collins) went about putting in the electrics for the new classrooms and kitchen. They were seriously one of the hardest working and most productive teams we have had, managing to fix several issues with plumbing, electrics, computers and carpentry around the Kaniki grounds. Through sheer ingenuity they replaced/repaired the whole kitchen in the AQ building which had been gutted by water damage, they funded and supervised the overhauling of the main college electrical supply, they fixed leaks in our personal bathroom so we don’t need to wring out a selection of towels everyday to keep the floor dry, and helped Tim set up a new financial computer system for the Kaniki Office. While we worked them hard for the few weeks they were here, the results are brilliant.

Uniforms and labels It is so nice to see the children looking so smart in their school uniforms. They now all have school fleeces as well as either polo shirts or dresses (names sewn in by Shelagh) and it really does help solidify the identity of the school and all the pupils that belong there. While some might think uniform is unimportant / an unnecessary cost, we love the fact that children who live in small mud brick houses can feel at ease with children who may be better off than them. Just to explain a bit more - while Kapumpe is a school built primarily to help orphans and vulnerable children in Arise, it is definitely to all the pupils benefit to have children from other walks of life in their classes. The mix of kids right now is working amazingly well and it is great that police, pastors, secretaries and managers are all happy for their children to be at Kapumpe as well. They are all learning to soar on wings like eagles! Turtles / wildlife We have had so many visitors recently, not only teams of volunteers coming to help us around Kaniki, the school and Arise but also creatures crawling out from all over the place to join us. Much more pleasant than the rats and cockroaches Kevin and Steven had to deal with and the snake Pastor Albert found hiding in Abigail’s play house, was a turtle (actually a tortoise) that was found at the college gate and given to us to look after. We have a small tortoise that belongs to the school and Noah, the gateman, thought we’d like a bigger one. Nice thought but no, this tortoise was too big and too fast (seriously!) for us to keep in the house. The wildlife around us is still something we enjoy and marvel at - we’ve also recently experienced a pregnant chameleon and a Friday Night Snake - so named because the symptoms of a bite are similar to a hangover! Prayer Points We are busy with probably too much on our plates but we have known God’s grace on our lives throughout our time in Zambia and try to see the challenges He brings our way as marks of His approval. The success we see with Kapumpe and Arise is simply down to God and we are encouraged to think that God now wants to accomplish something through us with Kaniki Bible University College itself. We really do need you to pray for us! - For our health, sleep and energy levels which we need more than ever with increased workload and 2 young children. - For God to provide someone to come and help us with the administration of Kapumpe and Arise. Our friend Anne, who covered for us while we in the UK to have Hannah, would love to come back to help but needs financial support - please pray that God will make a way for her. - For Ellie and Rosie as they learn how to best communicate and inspire the pupils in their classes. Pray also for their energy levels as they go the extra mile for us. - For wisdom in all the decisions we have to make each day that effect so many people’s lives. Thank you so much for taking time to read our latest news and for all you do to support us. We pray that you take joy in being part of it all