family

Rainbow School

• Kathryn half way through her second term and enjoying the job.
• Joel is off on a survival weekend soon - left to fend for himself with his group of 4 friends.
• Silas has taken time to feel part of the class but is friendly and enjoys his friends.
• Anya loves all aspects of school and has a great bunch of friends who hang out together often at the weekends.
• Steve is Chair of the parents/staff association, which plans a few events through the year

Our family and the IY family. 

• We have found that each time a new group of students  come there are always some who really relate well to our three children.
• Making time for being just a family is a constant challenge and we sometimes feel we need to be more creative in figuring out how to make more time for our children.

Jan - Mar 2014

It’s the 27th January and our 8th Investment Year is about to start, the students arrive to our location in Kampala. As they arrive I find I have a mixture of feelings from excitement to the year ahead, and all that the students will experience, to feelings of fear due to the responsibility I have to these young people. As I look at them arriving, I quietly whisper thanks to God that the year is dependent on Him and not me and help me to remember that this year.

There are 33 students this year with 11 of them form ‘Good Shepherd Fold’, an organisation near to Jinja. We are very excited to be partnering with them this year and look forward to further partnership in the future.

The first couple of weeks of the IY programme, we are all together to set a foundation for the year ahead, so there were over 40 of us squashed into our house, it certainly makes for cosy community. The benefits are that by all living together, we all get to know each and form an IY community, and I feel very happy with how the young people begin to mix and get to know each other.

The training over these 2 weeks ranges from note taking, world view, authority of Scripture and How to read the Bible, money matters, finding your mission & purpose in life, journalling ...so it is a busy couple of weeks.

By the time you read this the students are experiencing life in their internships and will be there until April 17. 

building

old garage

lounge/meeting room

 .when building, i think faith is needed...faith that amongst the mess and chaos, it will all turn out ok and be what you wanted.  Last Year we moved to kampala with the Investment Year to increase the opportunities and experiences for our students...The house we will be moving too is a long term home for Investment Year in Kampala and thoughthe house we have been in has served us well, this house will be so much better as it has more space for our family and the IY students...we are hoping to move 12th April weekend......have faith, that though the pictures don't suggest that's possible.....you never know.....

Dining room

 ..We have a guest room so visitors always welcome..

Kitchen

Longe

school fun

This term in school PE has been trampolining skills - a lot of fun if a bit hair raising with so much concrete around to avoid!  Anonze and Anenda practice their jumps and seat drops whilst Silas shamelessly aims to be awesome ...

what a cutie

We had visitors last week - the couple who oversee the New Hope baby home, and they came with the newest little guy there - Moses.  Anya was in heaven! - but pray for this little man ...his dad is not yet very interested in looking after him, his mum has recently died and he is just out of the incubator.

Investment Year 2013

 INVESTMENT YEAR 2013:

..Well we are off and running with our biggest Investment Year group ever! 38 students have started and I know will finish...
..we started in January and after our first month all the students have successfully survived the first weeks of training and living together as a group with our family in a very small space.

 ..The students are all on their first internships, including working in schools, garages, clinics, construction sites, working with babies and children with special needs, etc..
all are being stretched and challenged as well as developing and discovering skills and character..

    games and food, a big part of being an IY student

... and Joel ...

who is in training for the  ..umm.. running off a high board at top speed event?

Silas - having been inspired by the velodrome ...

...he is still working on his streamlined stance!...

How to carry a lot of things in one go ...

red, yellow, black - Ugandas answer to the Union Jack

We have recently celebrated 50 years Independence and a big football match against Zambia - so the city of Kampala came out all colours.  People decorated the roundabouts, their lorries, the lamp-posts and themselves ... it was all very colourful!

Julies birthday..

..a local take away and plenty of little gifts ... Julie is now 20.

Jaffa Cakes.

The legacy left by our friendly 14yr old, Jack Norridge - how to peel and stick jaffa cakes to your head!