Hannah's Nursery School & The Kilimanjaro Christian Academy 2008

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Hannah's Nursery School has been in the process of New growth all year.

Last year we reached a total of 87 students as the year came to a close in December and the Children took their final exams to see who would advance on up into the Standard 1 level of the Tanzanian Education system.

Timothy hired a professional teacher to take on this new Class, named Hilda Osoky.
Hilda comes from the Chagga tribe, and grew up in the Moshi area, but attended school in Arusha to receive her teaching certificate there. She is young and a recent graduate of the teaching school, so this is her first teaching position. But teamed together with Mary Massawe, still acting head teacher of the school with her age and experience with the children on a more personal level, they are doing great!

Over 50 of the children passed the written exam! And we were thrilled and so proud of all of our students!
19 of those who passed chose to stay and begin what Timothy has decided to name,

The KILIMANJARO CHRISTIAN ACADEMY. the extension of Hannah's Nursery school on into the standard one level education system here in Tanzania. Currently meeting in one of the 4 rooms in the rented building in Boma Ngombe', since we have not yet been able to build the classroom on the new land purchased last year!

The building process is slow in this country, there are so many things to get checked and approved before the actual building begins. We are checking into where on the property will be the best location to be able to mark off the Building Construction site, and getting plans drawn up for size and building materials. Once this process is complete we will nail down the stakes and string off the area to be built on. Then the rocks will have to be cleared and the foundation can begin to be dug up, and then built. This will be an exciting day for us all! We'll keep you posted as everything starts moving forward. We do have a group coming in March with Greg Neill from Marble Falls, TX who are wanting to work specifically with the Nursery school while they are here, and this is something we are all looking forward to as well, the teachers and the students!

This being the first class, and a new process there are always going to be kinks to be worked out, but they seem to be doing very well. Standard 1 is required to be taught in an English Medium, which means all the classes are to be taught in English and then explained in Swahili as needed. (by Tanzanian law)

Here is a list of those 19 children, who have passed their exams and are now enrolled in the STANDARD ONE Class. Most of which were in part sponsored by many of you in the states, who helped them with their school fees last year while they were in the Nursery School. They have all come so far and it's a blessing to watch them as they are growing and learning! Thank you for helping to make this possible! To God be the glory in all things!

THE STANDARD ONE CLASS:
Bensen Ndensari
Ruth Imanuel
Sebastian Edwin
Naid Juma
Jamilla Ally
Patrick Kundael
Amina Kassim
Fortunata Omari
Lyidia Richard
Issa Rajabu
Rebecca Peter
Agape Dixon
Anthony Joseph
Godfather (Godi) Peter
Anderson Cliff
Nancy Jofrey
Beatrice Johnson
Rosemary Stephens
Juliet Kiwetu


"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

Mary is getting together a new list of the nursery school students for this new year, there are 46 currently enrolled in the Nursery school right now along with the 19 in the new class and Mary is working with each individual family to see what they can do, for themselves in the way of school fees and said that she would be getting me a list of what was needed in the next few weeks.

Most of the students are returning from last year but we had 19 new children to enroll as well. The 46 children in the Nursery school are being broke up is into 3 different Classes. A little different than last year, to better prepare the children for advancing on into the new school. We have 9 of those 46 being taught in an English Medium Nursery school class and the other 37 being divided by age into two separate classes: the babies Class for the little ones, and the Pre-1 Class for those who are a little older, but not yet ready to move on to being taught in English just yet.

For the most part, the parents have been so grateful for the outpouring of love and support for their children in this school and allowing their children to have an education that they can actually afford and even taking in the students who could not have otherwise afforded to attend school that they are all trying to come up with what they can to give back to the school, for all that Hannah's Nursery school has done for them this past year! They are all so genuinely appreciative and wonderful to work with. The parents have decided to help with the construction work on the building where they can, so that they can feel like they are doing their part to build up the school which has taken in the children of Boma Ngombe with such openness and welcoming hearts! This was the original goal of the school to begin with, to provide an education for children in an area, where most could not afford to have otherwise, and for them to be taught the Bible along the way. Timothy's goal has never been to make money for himself, even to this day... He takes nothing of what has been given for himself personally, but provides for the school in all areas to see that the needs are met to keep it running and sacrifices personally where there is a need going unmet. Timothy is doing really well in his own schooling, and is working hard at obtaining his bachelors in Administration so that he can learn better how to run the school as it grows.

We had noticed that Timothy seemed a little down lately, not his perky cheerful self, so keep him in your prayers as this has been a difficult time for him with the death of his father while we were away and then being the only unmarried child there is the strain put on him, to tend to his mother's needs who lives quite a good distance from where we are here in Moshi, by way of local transport, and a long journey from where Timothy is attending school in Arusha. So there's that, added to the pressure of wanting to do his best in school, and seeing to the needs of the children at the Nursery school, starting up a new Class and The first year of the Kilimanjaro Christian Academy, and also helping out his Widowed Sister and her 5 little girls. So you can see where this young man is in need of our support, encouragement and our prayers! Timothy is truly one of our favorite friends and beloved brother in Christ here in Tanzania, the heart of this young man is golden in every aspect of his life. Brent asked him the other day about whether or not he would ever marry one day, and Timothy said he had so many to take care of already who needed his attention, and his focus was on what God had planned for his life and not his own will or desires. (yes, it pierces the heart to the core, and this is why we love him so much!) And under his breath he joked about also being scared that he might end up marry a woman who was smarter than him, and he smiled and laughed.

I will get back to you with an update on the needs of the school as they are given to me in the coming weeks. I know there are some of you who would like to continue to support the same child that you helped last year, and we caught last year during the tail end of their school year, this was my fault... Some of the children who moved on to other schools and that is beyond our control, and something we had expected to happen. I will get a list of all the children enrolled soon, as Mary gets back to me with those who will be in need of some assistance with their school fees this year. As we started out I was unaware of the school year ending in December.. So I do apologize for that oversight. We are learning as we go! The Tanzanian Schools begin their new school year in January.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support for this endeavor together, we are making a difference in the lives of these children and it shows! I wish you could all have a day to spend sitting and listening to them as they are learning to read, to speak in English, and growing in every way and then the added blessing of hear the sweet little voices as they sing songs about Jesus and play out in the school yard. In order to keep my routine, I am still spending each Tuesday there working with the school and it has continued to provide open doors for sharing the truth of God's word with the children, the parents and the community (village) of Boma Ngombe. And this makes it all worth while!

Thank you once Again! For Everything!
You are a constant encourgement to me as well as to these children, and their families!
Love in Christ,
Julie Richardson




2 Peter 1:2-10
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

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Photos

Susanna Smiles
(reminds me of that old movie "Savanah Smiles"

The School Building
We're still renting the same building in Boma

New Little Faces
I'm going to have to learn some new names...

Comments

[Cindy Dixon]

Thanks for the update
Oh Julie! How wonderful to hear of Hannah's Nursery School's progress. I am so excited to hear that a certified teacher is with the children. I hope this "project" continues to grow. It is encouraging to know that Brent is having so many Bible studies with the parents of the children and that the teachers are also studying and obeying the gospel. Keep up the good work and please let Timothy know that we are praying for him as he faces many, many responsibilities. Love, Cindy D