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Newsletter to the Friends of Sakeji

August 1998

YEAR 2000 SAKEJI ANNIVERSARY

We are planning to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the school between the 19th and the 22nd of July 2000. All Friends of Sakeji, former students and staff members are most warmly invited. Please write to us if you are seriously considering attending this event, and please let us know the addresses of others who may be interested.

Praise God for...

  • God's continued provision for all our needs...
  • children who have made a Christian commitment...
  • the wisdom of our Board of Advisors...
  • protection and provision during the heavy rains earlier this year...
  • a good spirit of cooperation from our locally employed workers...
  • progress with repairs to roads and bridges...

FORMER PUPILS' NOSTALGIA

If you enjoyed any of the following twenty or thirty years ago you will be interested to know that they are still woven tightly into the fabric of Sakeji tradition!

FLOODS

We had extremely heavy rainfall earlier this year, with accompanying floods in February. During one overnight deluge five wooden bridges on the Sakeji, the Lwinga and the Zambezi Rivers were all washed away, cutting us off completely for quite some time. Our river playground was completely flooded, as was our water-wheel generator. By the end of the rains the roads were in an appalling state and deviations had to be made on the Mwinilunga road where some sections of the road had been washed away altogether. Our own airstrip became waterlogged and unusable. Needless to say, travel arrangements for the end of the term ended up being a nightmare for the staff and an adventure for the children!

Sakeji Staff - Term 3

Miss Hilary Millard (UK): Grade 1
Miss Alison Brooks (UK): Grade 2
Mrs Alison Raymond (NZ): Grades 3 - 4
Mrs Chris Terry (UK): Grade 5
Miss Joyce Deacon (UK): Grades 6 - 7
Miss Hazel Andrews (UK): Special Needs/Library
Miss Janet White (UK): Secretarial
Miss Delwyn Houghton (NZ): Accounts/Catering
Miss Shena McCall (UK): Medical/Boys' Dorm
Mrs Valerie Jury (UK): Girls' Dorm
Mr Mick Terry (UK): Maintenance
Mr Lawson Jury (UK): General Assistance
Mr Matthew Raymond (NZ): Principal/Music/Computers
Mr Dennis Brubacher (Can): Station Manager (on leave)
Mrs Miriam Brubacher (Can): Girls' Dorm (on leave)

But the coming of the dry season in April assisted us greatly in getting damaged roads and bridges repaired, most of which has been organised and financed by members of the community, including ourselves. We were relieved when the Roads Department rebuilt the bridge over the Lwinga River giving us easier access to Kalene Hospital once again. Since then the German Government has accepted a proposal to fund the replacement of all bridges between here and Mwinilunga with concrete bridges. We are encouraged to see that the contractor has now started on the first of these bridges. Our airstrip has dried out and air transport is now a reliable alternative once more. Of course we now wonder what the next rainy season will bring!

CHILDREN

Our roll has been lower this year, which has been to our advantage as we carry out development projects. However we anticipate having between 80 and 90 students again in January. Twelve different nationalities are represented, the majority of whom are resident in Zambia. In earlier years of the school's history many children came across the borders from both Angola and Congo. But sadly, because of prolonged civil war in Angola no children have been enrolled from there for many years. Continued instability in Congo has reduced the number from there and this year we have only two. We continue to revise our curriculum to meet changing needs. It is much easier to obtain resources and books these days, thanks to efficient containerised services from the UK and Canada.

STAFF

Staffing Needs for January 1999

  • Primary Teachers: teaching qualifications and previous teaching experience essential. Will need to be willing to teach at any level.
  • Catering Supervisor: experience with children essential. Will need to be willing to take on additional non-catering responsibilities.
  • Dorm Parents: for boys ages 6-13, preferably a married couple with previous experience either in teaching or in the care of children. Husband would take on additional responsibilities.
  • Maintenance Assistant: preferably with building, plumbing, mechanical or electrical experience, to work in cooperation with the Station Manager.

Suitably qualified professionals who wish to respond to God's call to Sakeji are invited to write to The Principal, P. O. Box 20, Ikelenge, North Western Province, ZAMBIA, Fax: 260-2-711032

Sakeji is a multi-racial mission (CMML) primary boarding school situated in a remote, rural location. All staff members are commended missionaries who trust the Lord for their needs. No salaries are paid, but housing is provided at a nominal rent.

Mr and Mrs Jim Knowles reached the end of their five-year commitment to Sakeji at the end of 1997. Jim and Jean came in 1992 as dorm parents, and Jim had taken responsibility for the accounts for most of that time. Miss Lilian Cokeley also left at the end of last year, having ably taught in the classroom for two years. Lilian had taken early retirement in the UK before joining us. Our thanks go to these three people for their willingness and commitment here at Sakeji.

We have also been grateful for the short-term assistance over the past year of Miss Claire Gordon (UK), Mrs Debbie Wolford (USA) and Miss Caroline Taylor (USA). Caroline, a recent graduate of Emmaus Bible College in Iowa, has just left us, having spent a year assisting both in the dorms and the classrooms. We will miss her.

Mr and Mrs Dennis Brubacher will be on leave in Canada at least until January, and we will be pleased to welcome Lawson and Valerie Jury (UK) next month. The Jurys will be resident dorm parents next term. Lawson is a retired banker and Valerie a teacher. Please pray with us that all our staffing needs will be met in January.

PROJECTS

The electrical rewiring project was completed last month by a Brass Tacks team, with assistance from two Australian team members, and we are glad to have the benefits of a 220 volt AC mains system. The new donated 25KVA diesel generator has now arrived in Zambia and will be installed next month. We envisage that the third stage of the electrical project will be the installation of a new cross-flow turbine to eventually replace the old water-wheel and 110 volt DC system installed by Lyndon Hess in the early 1950s.

The school library has been completely refurbished this year and the result is very pleasing. It is now a more comfortable and inviting centre, especially for younger children. Mobile Mission Maintenance is now organising a team for the building of the new administration block. The site is being cleared for the foundations, which will be laid in term 3, before the rains begin. The building itself will go ahead next May.

GIVING GLORY IN THE BUILDING

As we have taken on project after project over the past few years, I have often thought of Nehemiah in his divinely appointed task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Negotiating, inspecting, assessing, planning, appointing and organising have all been a part of our process, not to mention plain hard work, just as they were a part of Nehemiah's.

Then there was opposition to the rebuilding, which taxed the Jews to their limits. Half had to stand guard while the other half continued with the work. That kind of opposition has been almost non-existent here at Sakeji, nevertheless I am convinced that the Devil has used other means to disrupt our efforts and spoil our work.

It is significant in Nehemiah's story is that the rebuilding of the wall and gates was carried out as a team effort. All the people were involved, each family or tribal group taking on a different assignment. So it is at Sakeji - staff, visiting volunteers, supporting churches, locally employed workers, parents, family members and former pupils, each according his or her ability, and according to God's leading. And we are excited to see the results. Much of the work is practical, but like Nehemiah's wall, it is a necessary part of God's plan to see His Kingdom established in people's hearts and lives.

Matters for Prayer...

  • for Christian grace and unity of purpose as we work together...
  • for wisdom as we plan ahead...
  • for the children's spiritual and academic progress...
  • for the physical and emotional health of staff and children...
  • that suitably qualified people will answer God's call to join our staff...
  • for Mobile Mission Maintenance and Brass Tacks as they assist us with projects...
  • that Zambia will address its economic problems and deal with them realistically...

After Jerusalem's walls were rebuilt Ezra the scribe read from the Law of Moses. The people stood. Ezra praised God. The people lifted their hands and responded "Amen". Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord.

Our tasks are by no means finished, but we know that just as God was with Nehemiah and the Jews, so He is with us. May we all be faithful to His calling and give Him the glory in all of it.

OUR THANKS AGAIN to you all for your interest, prayers, and support.
May God bless you.

Sincerely

Matthew F. Raymond
PRINCIPAL

Sakeji School
P.O. Box 20, Ikelenge
North Western Province
ZAMBIA

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