Tomorrow afternoon we will leave here on an MAF flight for Entebbe. We hope to book into the special lounge there, and have a comfortable wait, plus food included, and showers if we should feel inclined! And stable electric light and water!! We are at Entebbe from 4pm. Then we will be flying with British Airways from Entebbe soon after midnight Uganda time, and arriving at Heathrow around 6.30 am Saturday UK time. Our wonderful month of work, fellowship and fun is coming to an end! And by all accounts we may get a shock to the system re the current UK temperature, while we’ve been experiencing temperatures in the mid/late 20s and 30+...!!
Yesterday evening we were taken out for a meal at a Hotel Restaurant in Bunia.....it was a mystery tour getting there, because neither Nancy nor Philip knew where Mele was taking us for this ‘farewell and thank you’ meal by the College staff. In fact Nancy and Philip didn’t know of its existence in the ‘back of beyond’!! We enjoyed an excellent meal in very nice surroundings, and John and I wore our new Congolese garments!
All the Swahili Bibles [210] have now been delivered personally or labelled ready to be dispatched. The remaining 5 boxes are destined for IBAMBI for the Bible School students [ the school founded by C.T.Studd, and the town where he is buried]; and to NEBOBONGO Hospital where Dr. Sammi will be returning after his few months here at the Bunia Hospital CME. It has been great getting to know this delightful and VERY clever 29 year old Congolese Doctor as he has been staying with us at the house here.
Other money gifts that were given to us have been used in various ways as reported in our Blog news, and the final $200 is going to The School for the Deaf Children in Oicha to purchase vital primary school teaching material/books.
We will be attending the usual Friday morning Students Service before coming back for final packing, lunch, and the almost certain flood of folk calling in to say final goodbyes in true Congolese style!
See some of you soon,
Janice.
Today has been a good day at the college. The stable power supply for the internet is set up and working despite earlier problems. I hope that they just leave it alone end let it do its job! It should be left switched on 24/7 supplying power and being recharged continually.
The lending library database is being loaded with book data. I believe that, as the staff members are inputting the data, they will eventually be more inclined to use it than had it been given to them completely set up. I will follow this with interest.
Last year’s student records database does not appear to have been used! I am not really surprised as the member of staff who would have used it had to go to his home town as his daughter in law died in childbirth. He uses a spread sheet at present and has done for years so change would come hard and I was not there to guide him through it!
I said it had been a good day today. That is not because I have achieved much today but that the little I have done has been done with great difficulty with the staff busy on other things or just not there at all and the offices I needed to access being locked. I am now ready to leave and hope that what has been done will “prime the pump” so to speak. There is plenty that could be done and may be done in the future. The other day I was asked by a visitor to the office if I had any plans to return to which I said “No”. That doesn’t mean we will not return but that at the moment there are no plans. There is some work to be done in the UK, particularly in relation to the proposed new campus for the college.
Looking forward to meeting up with the Uxbridge folk on Sunday and others as opportunity arises. Once again thanks for your support both in giving and in prayer. It is difficult to convey to you the gratitude of the recipient of the proceeds of your gifts.
God’s blessing and His peace to you all.
John
See you soon. Can't believe how quickly the time has passed.
ReplyDeleteGeoff