The second term of 2009 begins . . .

This last week marked the return to school for the staff and pupils at Amano, with a staff meeting on Monday and boarders returning in the afternoon and then the start of school proper on Tuesday. The reaction of students was certainly mixed; some had had a thoroughly enjoyable break and would have appreciated more, some were willing to admit that four weeks had been a long time and that returning to Amano was a welcome event.
We have much to thank the Lord for as term begins. All the staff and students returned safely, the plans and preparations for the new term have been seen to be well done and no great disasters have marred the work. It is easy when things follow the routine to forget that they only do so because of the Lord's guiding and protecting hand. He alone is our strength and stay at Amano when times are good and when they are not so good.
Special cause for rejoicing was the arrival of Andrew and Amanda Kirk from Suffolk, England who have joined the staff of the school. Amanda teaches Grade 1 and Andrew joins the Secondary staff as form teacher for Grade 9 and teaching Maths and other subjects to Grades 8, 9 and 10. The family have come to Amano for as long as the Lord calls them to be here, for which we praise his gracious name.
Our picture shows Andrew and Amanda with their children, Samuel and Joshua, who joined the student body, Joseph in Grade 1 and Samuel in Grade 3 under the tuition of Deborah Cole. The second picture shows Hope Chitonge who also joined the school at the start of this term as a student in Grade 10. Hope is an orphan and as such should have a place in the dormitory, but sadly that is not possible at the moment. She is boarding with a family in Chingola and comes in with the day students on the school bus. This highlights the great need for prayer at Amano at the present time, the provision of dormitory parents. Hope cannot be in the dormitory because it is full and in fact two other girls are also awaiting a dormitory place. In terms of buildings at Amano we have the provision to house more boarders as the new boys dorm is effectively complete and when occupied would allow the present dorm to accommodate more girls.
Almost every day, even during the holidays, we have parents coming to school or telephoning, asking if we can accept their children at Amano. We want to take them because it is our great aim to influence as many families as possible by giving their children the firm foundation of a biblically based Christian education, but the dormitory situation means we have to turn them away. Please pray with us for the provision of at least one and preferably two couples called to the work of dormitory parenting. It really is our most urgent need at this time. And don't just pray! Might you be someone the Lord is calling? Or do you know a couple who are seeking the Lord's will about serving overseas and to whom you could introduce this need? Your prayers, your help and your interest are really needed now.

School holidays are not always what they seem!

Amano has enjoyed four weeks of holiday - no sign of the students at all and at times very few signs of life on the campus itself! Two weeks of the period coincided with a break for most of the Zambian workers, so it would be true to say that it was in general very quiet. However, the Lord's work must go on and things must be prepared for the new term which starts on Tuesday 5th May.
Our pictures show the construction of the framework for the new general purpose hall. This part of the work was done by contractors who moved with amazing speed and dedication! They lived in a tent on the site and worked from early morning until the light faded in the evening, getting the steel supports in place and the sheet roof fitted in under three days! Our pictures show the steel supports being put in place, the roofing almost complete and finally a view of the structure as it now stands taken from the school Admin block. We give grateful thanks to the Lord for this work done and look forward to the completion of the project which includes a new kitchen and dining room and an indoor multipurpose sports/meeting hall.
Inside the Admin block there was work to do on the computer system. Again we praise the Lord, this time for generous gifts that have allowed us to add to new computers purchased at the end of last year. A new server has been received and commissioned and additional desktop computers will make the work of administration much more pleasant. All the computers in the school, including the server, are using Ubuntu Linux and delivering a wide range of educational tools for our students. All the setting up of these machines takes a great deal of time. Our picture shows Harold Shamanoh working on the set up process. Harold has worked hard to learn quickly and has been invaluable in getting the work done.
Amano's head teacher, Hilary Millard, has also been hard at work on timetables and other important matters, ready for the staff meeting on Monday.
'All work and no play' is rumoured to have made a certain 'Jack' very dull, so our final picture shows a scene at Mindolo Dam near Kitwe on a beautiful day during the holiday. The aptly-named Rod Boatman is a skilled sailor and captained the yacht shown, taking various people for a very pleasurable sail. Student Daniel Vedder is cautiously donning a life jacket prior to boarding, meanwhile Daniel's father Marco and a younger sister paddle a canoe.
Please remember Amano in your prayers as the new term starts. There is much to do this year and our longing is that the Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted as a result.