We awoke Sunday to find Jen with a mild sore throat despite efforts back at the Monastery to keep the Africa-traveling team separated from those with colds. We decided to go the acceptance route and send her back to bed to rest for the morning.
Theresa arrived at 13 hours (1 o’clock) to ferry us over to St. Joseph’s to see if they now had rooms for us. She brought Yeta, the oldest child in the Living Compassion house, with her, and it was great fun to see how happy and healthy she looks. She is in twelfth grade, and we hear reports that she is studying diligently to prepare for the exams she will have to take at the end of the school year (next November) to qualify for university. She understands what a privilege it is to possess both the intelligence (not all that common anywhere in the world) as well as the opportunity for financial support (almost unheard of in Zambia) to attend university. She seems determined to make it.
Yeta and Theresa
To our delight we found there were rooms for us at St. Joseph’s. Seeing Agness and Mathilda, two of the staff at the guesthouse, again made it feel like we were coming home.
Agness and Mathilda
Showing great restraint, Jen stayed behind to rest while Dave, Yeta and Theresa went back to the house to greet the rest of the children. Dave reports that the house shows many improvements since the last time we were here, having benefited under its new incarnation with Theresa as the head of the household. Since Theresa moved in, in November, the children seem happier and healthier largely due to the increased time and care Theresa gives them.
The children in the garden behind the house.
Ken, Stippo, Kaleshi
Annie, Memory, Yeta
Theresa shared the children’s most recent report cards with us. Although they are all performing below the Zambian national standards (keep in mind that they arrived from the rural area two years ago, spoke a different language, and have had a lot of catching up to do), they are all in the top 1/3 of their respective classes—indicating that their entire school is operating well below what the Zambian education codes deems acceptable. Theresa has suggested private school, and we are looking into it.
Dave returned in time to cook a delicious dinner and we were lulled to sleep by another melodic rainstorm.