this may be my favorite post so far cause i get to brag about all my kiddoes with pictures rather than just words! hope you enjoy :)
this is nyambe, probably the most devious and hilarious child in all of VOH. i haven't asked him outright yet, but i'd bet that he'd say that his main mission when he gets up each morning is to wreak havoc for the teachers when he gets to school (he consistently succeeds with flying colors!). nyambe is in 1st grade and has been with the school for 2 years now.
wamulume is one of our all-star 3rd graders at VOH. it took about 3 weeks for me to remember and pronounce his name correctly, but his story was etched into me the first time i heard it. three years ago, wamulume's dad died, making him a double-orphan in a town where he had no other family to take care of him, no support network, no funds to eat or go to school, nothing. shortly after his dad passed away, he walked alone from the small village where he lived to mongu, where he knew his mom's family was from. it took him over 12 hours. by the time he got into town, he was found with broken flip flops, with swollen feet, and severely dehydrated. missionaries working with VOH picked him up, heard his story, and now makes it possible for him to grow up in a nurturing family, eat three healthy meals a day, and get an education that he otherwise never would have received.
oh, given! given is 6 years old and in our "tiny tots" morning class with teacher margaret. given was malnourished when he was very young, so his belly button sticks out about 3 inches (a physical repercussion of lack of nutrients during infancy), he's limited in how much he can run, climb, and play, and his learning capacity is permanently damaged. since given has been at VOH, he's shown dramatic improvement in how well and long he can exercise, learn, and retain knowledge. he's our tiny tots sweetheart!
this is panda, another one of my awesome 3rd graders. panda suffers from years of neglect and abuse, and his ability to learn has been substantially affected. for the last two years, however, panda has received nothing but love, good food, and a solid support system from VOH school and in one of the zambia project's orphan houses.
simenda is the 2nd grade, afternoon counterpart to nyambe. (i learned his name first at VOH because i had to call him out so often for misbehaving!) simenda's favorite things to do are to break rules, climb trees, jump on the trampoline when he's not supposed to, play rough soccer with the big 3rd graders, and get (and give) huge bear hugs.
nathan (age 4) is the younger of paul and marinette van coller's two sons and an absolute joy! (paul and marinette started the zambia project's work here in mongu 11 years ago.) he lives on the base with his older brother seth (age 6), mom, dad, and their new boxer puppy hilux. he and his brother are home-schooled in the mornings with naomi, the children's director for the zambia project, and they join their friends at VOH for sports, music, and more instruction in the afternoons.
mike is a character! he knows what he wants and how to get it - but he's so adorable that you'd almost do anything for him, just to see that smile and get a big mike hug. lori, mike's sponsor and a medium-term intern from last summer, will be visiting mike from the US in just a few weeks. he's so excited!
what a beauty! :) this is queen, a grade R sweetheart.
jemimah, given, medium-term intern zach, and i watch on the sidelines...
....as teacher stephen awards our awesome 3rd grade medalists john (middle), wamulume (right) and mikisi (left) their chocolate metals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in a foot race.
there's nothing like a staff foot race to round out the day! from left to right: stephen, VOH's headmaster and the teacher i work with the most. naomi, the children's director for the zambia project (kid's church, VOH, child sponsors, etc.). patricia, an afternoon teacher at VOH, the young ladies' adult small group leader, and an active volunteer at hope church. david, one of the main workers at mutoya. this is possibly my favorite picture of all time! :)
the whole community had a blast at sports day - but since term ends in less than 3 weeks and examinations are just around the corner, now it's back to work for both the teachers and the students. wish the kids luck in their studies and on their tests (and for us teachers in getting them prepared!)!
all my best and in His peace,
stephanie :)
No comments:
Post a Comment