Multi-Tasking at its Peak
It’s not a good idea to do African construction projects while directing a preaching school, and we have done everything possible to avoid it. However, when a family came along whose influence would be needed on campus and who prayerfully could fill our shoes some day, we compromised and have been in overdrive for the past seven months.
Since we returned from furlough in July, Dale has been back in construction while traveling to interview students, painting and preparing everything for their arrival, and then starting a new school year with very few teachers at first. He makes the juggling act look easy although it takes its toll on him.
A Time and a Place for Everything
Being first-time directors of the men’s and women’s programs respectively, first-time teachers testing out the new curriculum, first-time hosts of guest teachers while we were also still teaching, and with every event (i.e. marriage class, puppet show, etc.) being created as we went along, there wasn’t time for setting up organizational systems. We just had to get a job done and move to the next one.
Only after the first class graduated and we began teaching repeat classes could the door open to take on some of the much-needed administrative jobs of sorting, filing, consolidating, and organizing. With the students on break for two weeks, Leann tackled the resource room.
This part of the room contains office supplies, notebooks and pens the students are provided at the beginning of each class. Some tubs contain spiral-bound books printed onsite which can now be given as supplementary materials to the curriculum Bear Valley has supplied for the men’s program. Each tub is labeled with the name of a class the school offers for ease of reference and use.
We will continue to outfit this room with everything needed for the women’s program as well. Smaller tubs will be purchased for each class so that the school will have a printed set of notes and handouts as well as any visual aids previously used to teach those classes.
Take a Deep Breath
Many things can happen when the students leave on break so much so that life here isn’t expected the next day. When Malawians pray, they often thank God for giving them that new day because they know there are others who have not lived to see it.
Even though sometimes we don’t even realize it, we are internally holding our breath that everyone will be able to return and continue with the program. Once the last student arrives, we feel the tension we were holding (if we had not already) as we release it and can finally take a deep breath. Thanks for your prayers as the students traveled, and we thank God for their safe return.
The women are studying “Make Me a Servant” for eight weeks. The men have a new class every week. Last month they dove into the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy as well as the New Testament books: Mark and I Corinthians.