It's okay to dream big, right? Man, I dream about being able to teach some of these kids all day everyday...
My heart hurts when I think about academics here. We just got term 1 results back for a lot of our sponsored kids and man...most of them are struggling. The sad thing? It doesn't seem to affect teachers. In some ways I don't blame them because they don't know any other way...but when a kid gets 40% in a subject and the teacher writes that they're doing fairly well, my heart hurts.
Then I look in some of their notebooks to see the exams that they took and they're having to label parts of a computer or a beaker. Seriously? Some of these kids have probably never even seen a computer and they definitely don't use a beaker in science class, they just take notes and listen to the teacher talk.
I dream about what it would be like to pull them out of the local school and teach them everyday. I dream about what it would be like to get kindergarten and first grade curriculum and start with the basics. I dream about what it would be like to teach in English all day everyday and immerse these kids. I dream about what it would be like to give these kids a good education where they can do hands on things, learn in ways other than taking notes, and have fun doing it.
Pray with me about this. What do we do? How do we best support these kids academically? Our sponsored kids are required to come to tutoring every Saturday morning, but that's only 1 hour/week. Sometimes I wonder...how do we make a difference in 1 hour/week. Then I see it; a kid is starting to read, a kid who can solve a multiplication problem on their own, a kid who is now able to write a complete sentence. If only we could spend more time with these kids. If only, if only, if only....the thoughts go on and on.
Help us dream and brainstorm how we can do this better. Help us push and challenge our kids to grow academically every single day. Pray for these kids. Pray for these teachers.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Village Girls
When you read this can you please just stop and pray for our village girls?
Life seems so hard for them, so unfair in some cases.
Just the other day I was standing and talking with one girl; she is probably about 16 years old. I'm thinking she is now pregnant, although she didn't come out and tell me that it's true. She is only in 7th grade, and she's pregnant. Now, from what I've have heard this girl does sleep around a lot, but it just makes me wonder, who has she been learning from? Do her parents love her? Do they try and teach her what is right? Do they discipline her in a way that won't make her rebellious?
As I was talking to her I asked her if she wants to get married someday. She said yes. I asked her if she wants to have kids someday. She said, "Yes, but not now, because if a girl doesn't get an education she doesn't have a good life."
In many cases I agree with what she has said. It does seem that girls here who aren't in school and trying to get an education do end up pregnant and then all hopes and aspirations seem to vanish. Or, in some cases, a girl will be in school, but she will still end up pregnant causing her to drop-out and that's the end of her schooling.
Pray for these young people. It's not just the girls. It's the boys too. Pray that the Lord would intervene in their lives and would reveal what a good marriage is supposed to look like. It seems that there are so many single parents in the village. Even the handful of couples have almost all had previous relationships and kids with other spouses. Pray that they would see what a marriage of a couple following whole-heartedly after Jesus is supposed to look like and they would desire it for themselves. Pray for a revival to happen here; that young men and women would begin to seek this for themselves. Pray that we would be able to model this; to model what a Christ-centered marriage is supposed to look like.
Back to the 16 year old girl, pray that if she is pregnant that she wouldn't have an abortion. Abortions are legal here in Zambia. Pray that God would use this time in her life to draw her closer to Himself and that she wouldn't dwell in shame and regret.
Life seems so hard for them, so unfair in some cases.
Just the other day I was standing and talking with one girl; she is probably about 16 years old. I'm thinking she is now pregnant, although she didn't come out and tell me that it's true. She is only in 7th grade, and she's pregnant. Now, from what I've have heard this girl does sleep around a lot, but it just makes me wonder, who has she been learning from? Do her parents love her? Do they try and teach her what is right? Do they discipline her in a way that won't make her rebellious?
As I was talking to her I asked her if she wants to get married someday. She said yes. I asked her if she wants to have kids someday. She said, "Yes, but not now, because if a girl doesn't get an education she doesn't have a good life."
In many cases I agree with what she has said. It does seem that girls here who aren't in school and trying to get an education do end up pregnant and then all hopes and aspirations seem to vanish. Or, in some cases, a girl will be in school, but she will still end up pregnant causing her to drop-out and that's the end of her schooling.
Pray for these young people. It's not just the girls. It's the boys too. Pray that the Lord would intervene in their lives and would reveal what a good marriage is supposed to look like. It seems that there are so many single parents in the village. Even the handful of couples have almost all had previous relationships and kids with other spouses. Pray that they would see what a marriage of a couple following whole-heartedly after Jesus is supposed to look like and they would desire it for themselves. Pray for a revival to happen here; that young men and women would begin to seek this for themselves. Pray that we would be able to model this; to model what a Christ-centered marriage is supposed to look like.
Back to the 16 year old girl, pray that if she is pregnant that she wouldn't have an abortion. Abortions are legal here in Zambia. Pray that God would use this time in her life to draw her closer to Himself and that she wouldn't dwell in shame and regret.
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