The News I've Been Waiting For...

I had a very exciting week in regards to updates about my assignment in Mbarara, Uganda. I was able to get in contact with Dale Hollenbeck (the unit leader of our team in Mbarara) this week, and he has provided me with a wealth of information that answers many of my questions!

• The language spoken in Mbarara is Runayankore. It is similar to Luganda which is a widely spoken language in Uganda. When I arrive, I will take a class on how to learn a language. It is a revised version of LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical) and will encourage me to spend a lot of time walking around the community practicing what I know. 
• I will do a home stay in the village (I don't know for how long...) which will help me learn how people spend their day and live as a family. What a wonderful opportunity to gain a deeper understand of where my students will be coming from!
• I will be joining the team that is serving in Mbarara. These people currently include: Kathy Hollenbeck who works with children in the neighborhood and home schools their 3 boys, a couple who work with university students, a man from Mississippi who works with the agriculture discipleship program, a couple who works with pastors and high school/college women, a woman from England who is helping the university set up its physiotherapy department, a man from England who works with high school students, and a man from Virginia who is an English and Literature teacher. I greatly look forward to meeting these people and joining them in serving the community in the name of Jesus.




These are the faces and classrooms of my future!


• I will be teaching at Ruharo Infants School! There are 9 other faculty members. The classes and their sizes are as follows: 4th Grade (or Primary grade 4, or simply P4)-10 students; P3 - 20; P2 - 23; P1 - 20; Top (which I think is Kindergarten)-36; Middle 30; Low; 26. The school day starts at 7:30 and finishes at 5pm. The staff is mostly Christian, but there is a lot of cultural Christianity there. Beth, the headmistress, is a strong Christian with a desire to see children come to Christ. What a joy and honor to be able to share my love for the Lord with my students!

• The Hollenbeck's goals for me are threefold: Disciple the children, encourage other teachers to disciple the children, and eventually help the team strategically plan a way forward in primary education.

Ruharo Infants School

Please pray that these details would continue to fall into place; for these children, my future students; for financial support to continue to come in; and for the team, my future family, that is already serving in Mbarara.