what happened in the middle of the relays...

So yeah, we're for sure in Africa and I was reminded again during relays at retreat (see below post). A gardener man who works at the hotel we stayed at walked up to me, interrupting my directing the kids on the next relay stage... and whispered... "Wanna see a cobra we caught?"... 
WHAT?!! 
Never to pass up a cultural moment, I asked him to keep it (they'd killed it) and I'd be over in a little. They had seen it go into a hole in the ground BETWEEN 2 of the girl's rooms the night before. SO GLAD the girls didn't know that fact! Anyway, they poured petrol (gasoline) down the hole and of course the snake came out. Then they knocked it on the head. That is the term here. To me, I'd term it as "committing harry carry on it" with all the adrenaline that would be going through my system had I been the "hitter and no the hittee". 
It was at least 8 ft. long, a "black forest cobra". UGH. The only good cobra... 

...is a dead cobra in my opinion... *shiver*

And no, I never did tell the girls that the cobra was found between their rooms. I believe when they read this blog post, I will probably hear their shrieks across the hills of Kampala. Grin. 

October Senior High Retreat!

 

Ahh the standard group shot. I love this one (above) and the background. We once again stayed at Kingfisher in Jinja (at the source of the Nile overlooking Lake Victoria and the Nile's beginning). 

Nearly 40 of us traveled 2 hours out of Kampala and had 3 days playing (above and below)... 

... worshiping, studying God's Word, hearing what He had to say through Josh (our new school chaplain), through small groups and individual times.. 

... and hanging out with friends. Praise the Lord for a blessed time with wonderful memories! 

Heritage Youth Groups and Bible Studies

 Youth activities based from HIS are every Friday. We either have youth group or Bible study. Both are going really well. Some of the adults who help are pictured below (Kris, Francis, Jackie, Josh).

Above: Francis and me doing a silly pose. 

Below, playing the "pass the lifesaver" game. It always entertains. 

... especially if we model it for the kids at first... 

Below: The grade 6 girls (there are more than this) love to get their photo taken. And they're so photogenic, I don't mind. :) These girls also like to try to sneak into youth group activities. I wish we had time for a middle school youth group. Pray for it- it'd be an awesome experience and ministry! 

Above: some of our senior high girls. Below, Prayer walk around the school with faculty and students at the end of our Spiritual Emphasis Week. It was a wonderful blessing and I know the Lord is honoring our efforts.

Oh Peter!

Peter is my day guard. I've written about him before. When I came home from shopping for games ideas before the Youth Bash (mentioned below in next post), I was explaining some of the games to him. He wanted to see the one game of "dress up relay" items, and promptly put them on. Yep, this is my crazy, kind guard. 
FYI pray for him please. His daughter is seriously ill. It seems he only ever has 1-2 months of breathing room before he gets hit with more serious issues. This has been his life since I've known the man. A house fire. A flood. Theft of cattle. Death of daughter. Theft of all school/boarding items and cash for school fees for his 3 oldest on their way back to school in July. Cancer and recovery (PTL) for his wife. Etc. Seriously, you think spiritual attacks are not so common (if you've grown up in the USA at least). And then you arrive to a place like this and spiritual warfare is EVERYWHERE. Peter's life is only one of countless who suffer. Why? Because they are trying to be faithful to the Lord and the enemy doesn't like it. 
So when I find him still having a sense of humor enough to voluntarily try on silly get-ups like this, I'm just thankful for his witness and humbled by his faith. 

Heritage's New School Year, 2011!!

Well it has taken a long time to put updates, so strap yourself in for a ride with all the updates coming out in the next days/weeks. Lots of photos and stories to share (thus the grouping of many photos; it takes less time and uploading if I group them). Thanks for your patience as I've been "under the radar" for a while. 

Above, we had a 7 hour Youth Bash with games, water activities, tons of food, a devotional, and capture the flag. The students had a great time playing, laughing and learning of a wholesome and loving life as we seek to follow and model Jesus. With more than 70 kids in the 7-12, it is the most in our secondary ever. We're happy to have kids from MANY places around the globe. Pray for us as we seek to minister, evangelize and disciple these young lives. 

Below, we had a week of orientation for teachers at HIS, including a BBQ dinner at our board director's home. There are more than 270 students enrolled in HIS this year, and we've got a ton of new teachers, especially in the elementary. Thank the Lord, quality has come with the quantity of returning/new faculty and staff. 

Times of worship and devotionals are just as important and influential during our training. I praise the Lord we can work in a Christian school. :)