The First Week

Move-in day at Ruth House

Last Sunday was a very busy day, helping the girls get moved in to Ruth House (the name of our residence), and introducing ourselves and "Auntie" Biti, our Ugandan partner. Trunks filled with items from home, new school uniforms and casual attire, water bottles, new backpacks, and all sorts of snacks cluttered the girls' rooms. Sandra said it reminded her of changing rooms at the sorority.  

Walking to class

On Monday, the Ruth House girls began the first day of school, which kicked off a very busy daily routine. Their typical day is nearly 17 hours long:

5:30 a.m.: Lights on, daily chores (which include cleaning rooms, sweeping the veranda and sidewalks, cleaning the showers and dorm latrines, and cleaning the pit latrines next to the classrooms), shower and get dressed in school uniforms.

6:45 a.m.: Meet at the veranda in school uniforms with backpacks packed with needed school supplies for house devotions and prayers. Wednesday is Laundry Day so they do not have to meet until 7:25 a.m. for prayer.

7:30 a.m.: Leave for Breakfast

8:00 a.m. until 4:25 p.m.: School

4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.: After school activities, such as sports teams, or time to relax.

6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.: Dinner

7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.: Preps (study hall) or "Kamp" (mid-week "church night" events plus small groups) every other Wednesday.

8:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.: House meeting time to review the day, discuss tomorrow and generally have house "family" time.

9:30 p.m.: Get ready for bed 

10:00 p.m.: Lights out

Sandra and Denny were amazed that the hardest part of this schedule was keeping everyone in bed until after 5:30 a.m. They were all waking up and getting ready to go before 5:30. With the chores, all the girls knew what to do, how to do it, and how to get it done in a timely fashion. We have not heard one single complaint from anyone about doing any chore. The kids have no fear of hard work or discomfort. Two of the girls suffered from malaria this week, yet they still got out of bed in the morning and went to school. 

A school assembly

Our biggest concern right now is that the girls stay strong and healthy. Malaria has been a problem in the villages, which is where the two girls contracted the disease. We are taking precautions with mosquito nets and closing doors to keep the mosquitos from spreading the disease. We are also talking to them about eating well, drinking plenty of clean water, and getting lots of sleep. We are hearing too much coughing, seeing some red eyes, and being told of stuffy noses. The health of the girls is always on our minds and we welcome your prayers. We are so thankful that we have a very good healing bay with trained nurses to dispense necessary medicine.

The highlight of the week was a Tuesday night panel presentation by the S1 girls (one year ahead of our "transition year" students) of Esther and Hannah Houses. It was an amazing time centered around what God has done through the lives of the S1 students over the past year. The S1s opened their hearts and shared their personal experiences with Ruth House, which differs markedly from many Ugandan boarding schools where the higher level students haze and harass the new incoming students. They gave practical tips on the best ways to study, described their fears when they first came to campus last year, explained how Amazima is a Christ-centered school where the mentors can be trusted and truly care about the students, and offered extremely helpful advice on how to have a successful experience.

Already we are seeing results from the panel presentation. Ruth House girls are asking us about homework questions, Bible verses, and Sandra even had one student pull her aside for a private conversation. Ugandan villagers are very private people culturally. It is extremely unusual for new students to approach white adults with questions or be willing to engage in meaningful conversations so soon after first meeting them. We praise God for the awesome leadership and words given by the Esther and Hannah House girls. Without this panel, we believe the Ruth House girls would not be settling in as fast as they appear to be.

Sunday worship. Where's Denny?

Sandra has made two new videos, showing the girls having fun at a dance event on Wednesday night and singing a worship song on Sunday. You can view the videos here at our youtube channel.