Third Week of Classes

Today we had several amazing lessons done by various groups. The teachers were asked to pick a topic from one of their units and show how the lesson could be taught using different multiple intelligences.

One group had us dancing, drumming, singing, and role playing.

Everyone was engaged in this lesson- so much fun!

Another group brought into class concrete objects like stones, petals of flowers, sticks, and leaves to demonstrate their math topic.

Several teachers have already handed in their 4-5 page "papers-- to read in their own words how the training has impacted them and their teaching perspectives  is so encouraging and inspiring to us. We can only give God all the praise and glory!!

Three SS teachers and the teacher in the plaid shirt is Ethiopian.

Jake snapped this picture on his walk home--a man sleeping at the side of the road.

Worship and a Feast

She loved sitting with us!

All of us travelled to a Lutheran church for our Sunday worship. We were welcomed and asked to come to the front to give greetings and sing a song. Our SS teachers sang one of their amazing songs and it brought goose bumps to my arms listening to their wonderful harmony. Jake made a few remarks which an interpreter translated. The rest of the service was very long-- a few hours-- we knew one hymn-- How Great Thou Art-- but most of it we didn't understand ( the translator quit after awhile cause he couldn't keep up with the young guest pastor).
We made a little friend during the service-- she sure didn't like my "spicy" gum which I gave her ( reminded me of some of my grandkids who also don't like my brand of gum:) She kept touching my skin and my hair:)
Michael invited all of our teachers to his house for a "feast"- later in the afternoon-- many many Ethiopian dishes were prepared-- lots of meat -- lamb, beef, chicken, totally raw chunks of meat, injera, salad, and of course the ever present sodas (pop). The teachers totally enjoyed the food except for the raw meat--no one touched that plate:)
We had a tour of the grounds, socialized a lot, and concluded with a few speeches of thanks. Everyone left with a full stomach and a happy spirit! By the time we helped the staff clean up, it was late ( for us:) and we headed straight for bed ( 9:30:)

Our teachers arriving at Michael's house for the feast. Also had the Waterloo family who volunteered to teach English.

Socializing

The injera is in the brightly coloured baskets. Not all the food is here yet--just to give an idea

Saturday's shoe shine

Saturday was a half day of class and then we had the afternoon to relax and make a trip into the city of Asella. Mitiko ( our Ethiopian CH co-ordinator) kindly obliged us by coming along as our guide. The 3 of us barely squeezed into a bajaj ( mini-taxi) for a lift into town. What a fun experience that was-- the taxi is steered exactly like a motorcycle-- and it was all decorated inside with religious artifacts, fake fur, plastic flowers.

the bajaj

Mohammed, the shoe shiner

 Our first stop was at a shop for batteries for Jake's camera, and then we both had our shoes polished by a "professional shoe shiner"-- a young man called Mohammed. Interestingly enough he was a Christian having converted from Islam 5 years ago. He told us how much he had changed after his conversion and he was so excited to learn that we were with CH Global. Everyone in town knows about CH Global -- they have made such an impact on this community.
We tried three "pharmacies" for more Benedryl and Tylenol cold tablets but those meds were not in stock. We're praying that what we have left will tide us through this next week:)
Of course I had to stop for kaffee-- so Mitiko took us to the largest hotel in Asella built by the Ethiopian marathon runner ( name escapes us but she won the world title 4 times in a row) We had a delicious macchiato there-- mocha expresso) and then it was time to return home. Instead of the baja, Jake and I walked back to Michael's house and made it just before it got dark.
Many of our male teachers decided to get haircuts at the local barber shop-- apparently many Africans go every two weeks for a shave and buzz cut---the shop is a one room "hut"--so minimal but very efficient:)
A final task was assigned to our teachers in which they have to write a 4-5 page "paper" on a topic of their choice from the training. We are so curious to see the results-- it will be peer assessed and we will read them as well to help us gauge the effectiveness of our teaching.

At the barbershop-- waiting their turn

Ponderings

Our teachers were tired today, partly from it being Friday and also from being out last night till after 7 pm from the Meskel ceremony. Although I must add that It seems as if we're starting class earlier and earlier each day:) Our Ethiopian host doesn't want us to say that things are starting late because of "African time" so he is very conscientious about getting the group to class at exactly the right hour! We had a good day of teaching and learning again despite all four of us suffering from different degrees of a cold.
 Jennie and I are still getting lots of some kind of insect bites-- we have no idea where we're getting them or why! For some strange reason, Ike and Jake have no bites at all!

It is so interesting to see all the animals here in Ethiopia-- lots of donkeys, horses, cattle. In Sudan donkeys are only found in the northern part of the country. Here we hardly see bikes and motorbikes for transportation whereas in Sudan it was all bikes and noisy motorcycles.  In Ethiopia we see men and women carrying all sorts of things on their heads and also both genders doing a lot of physical manual labour, whereas in Sudan it was mostly the women who carried huge loads.

Meskel Holiday

What an experience to have seen this amazing holiday celebration! All 19 of us were escorted to the very front of the open air church service where we stood for about 3 hours listening to the prayers, chanting, and audience clapping. Jake estimated that there must have been around 25,000 people there! The women were covered in white shawls. Each of the churches represented had choirs in different bold colours making a wonderful tapestry to delight the eyes.
We were told to stay together as one group for safety and security reasons. I quickly realized why when I saw the thousands of worshippers! After 2 hours of standing, the huge bonfire was finally lit -- I think it was probably the largest outdoor fire I've ever seen. Individuals were also carrying lit branches. Sellers of necklaces, twig branches, and Saint brochures were working the crowds. Brightly colored umbrellas held upside down were used as collection plates and the young people holding them passed us at least a dozen times:) We were tired when we finally got back home but we were really glad that we went to see this cultural religious experience!

A wonderful Ethiopian grandmother ( had a cell phone under her shawl)

Just a small snapshot of the thousands of people!

Our group had to stay together!

Can you see the cross in the fire?

Thursday, Sept.26,2013

We had a surprise at breakfast this morning! Ethiopian donuts--or as they call them "bobolino"-- and even though they were deep fried, we ate them with relish:)
A humorous anecdote about break time in class-- the chosen class timekeeper would announce that it was coffee time and we would all get up to leave. Suddenly one of our Ugandan teachers would start to pray-- for a blessing on our coffee and for those who so

 prepared it! Now we are so used to praying before our coffee break that no one leaves the room until prayers are said:)
Today is the day before Ethiopia's big religious holiday called Meskel Holiday. Everything will be shut down--all government offices, stores, banks etc. Actually the festivities already begin the night before. We dismissed class early today so all of us could attend the church ceremony at 4 pm and afterwards there is to be a huge bonfire with burning sticks, dancing, singing etc.
Meskel means "cross" and the holiday is celebrated as a" Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross"---Tradition says that a part of the true cross had been brought to Ethiopia from Egypt and is said to be kept at Amba Geshen, which itself has a cross shape.

Working Hard

Wednesday's class

Jake teaching with his power point.

We did extensive work today on what it means to be a teacher. We listed many metaphors such as guide, nurse, coach, shepherd, artist, actor etc.Had a lively discussion in class--it's so good to have such great interaction amongst each other! We also covered several teaching strategies such as grouping --- one huge obstacle for our SS teachers is how to use groups with 100, or even in some cases 200 pupils in a class!! We are so amazed at how these teachers carry on  and still stay in the profession !
Jake is continuing with his True Story materials-- he's working his way through the Bible books and using the power point to help make the readings more visual. The teachers really like seeing  the key points on the screen.
One of our teachers told me at coffee break that she is benefitting so much from this training. It is helping her as a teacher in her school, as an evaluator of other teachers, and as a Bible teacher-- deepening her knowledge of the Scriptures. She laughingly told me that she probably knows

This is our "cafe" --love going down here for our coffee break.

more than her pastor does now:)

Coffee making. collaborating, and cooking

Had a great night's sleep which made me so thankful! I still covet your prayers for a full recovery!

Funto-- our coffee maker at class--so impressed that this fancy machine is here!

 We did a lot of group work again today and we're amazed at the improvements in our teachers as they summarize articles, do presentations and keep up with all the readings each night. They have been so diligent and conscientious. 

Two teachers have gone to the clinic for medications since they felt ill, so we continue to pray for good health for all of us.

the collaborative activity-- 

It was so interesting to see what our class came up when I did another collaborative activity with them. I gave them 12 min in groups of 4 to "design, invent, or build" something with a small packet that I had prepared beforehand.

One of the items was a pencil along with paper clips, toothpicks, and pieces of paper. All of the groups said that the pencil was for writing on the pieces of paper-- no one thought of any other use for this pencil. We're encouraging creativity and trying to think outside the box.

We met a lovely couple with 3 kids who are staying at CH on a 3 month volunteer teaching English assigment. We saw them in action in a Primary 6 classroom--the pupils recited some of their English vocabulary and even performed a dance set to a familiar Canadian tune.

Our wonderful cook--Emmebet!

Jennie continues to be very busy with all of our administrative details, as well as being a housemother, medical consultant, and social convenor. At coffee break today I saw her doling out a pain ointment to three of our male teachers--she gave them the cream and they rubbed it on each other's backs:) 

Hives and Prayers

Monday was a rather low key day for me as I wasn't feeling well-- started to have major allergy problems and am breaking out in hives. Fortunately I have lots of Benedryl with me so I've been popping them like candy:) 
I did manage to do a spider web activity with our teachers which they really enjoyed! We had a ball of yarn which was rolled from participant  to participant. When you received the yarn you had to tell about a good or great teaching moment within the last year.
Jake and Ike have been moving through a lot of material with the class-- I think our teachers will need extra luggage to bring all their course materials back home:)
Went to bed very early with prayers for a better day tomorrow.

Market Day and Resort Trip

Saturday started early for Jake and 11 of our teachers who left at 6 am for a mountain hike near our CH training centre. They had an awesome time--the teachers were so impressed with the fields of crops, the farming methods, the amazing view at the top and the camaraderie along the way! They wore the same suits they did all week complete with dress shoes-- Jake had a good laugh:) Because of the rains, the trail was very muddy at spots so their shoes became filthy. But by market time at 10:30, all the shoes were spotless again!

Our host had arranged for 4 "security " men to accompany us on our market tour-- not only do we "whites" stick out but also the very dark SSudanese! Our teachers loved it-- many bought shoes for their families, articles of clothing and one young male teacher bought a glowing pink backpack -- for himself---- we thought it was for his wife or daughter:)
After lunch 2 vans drove us to Sodere ( an hour's drive away)- a beautiful resort area with hot springs, Olympic sized pool, lots of monkeys roaming around, and a nice place to have supper together. Many of our group swam, some were petrified of drowning so didn't go, and others just relaxed on the grounds. It was so hot--like Juba!! Sodere is in the Rift Valley -- what a difference from Asella where we are in much higher altitudes!
None of our teachers ordered Ethiopian food-- they stuck with roasted chicken and rice-- I ordered Doro Wat-- a spicy chicken dish with traditional injera--not bad at all altho I couldn't finish it.
As we were driving home so many of our teachers commented on the "smooth" roads-- they wondered where all the potholes and bumps were? They also noticed all the electricity available to so many homes-- and the number of machines that are never seen in many parts of SS.

A wonderful day--again we are so thankful for all that was made possible for this special training to occur!

Week One Finished

Ike's suitcase finally arrived early Friday morning. All week he had been joking in class that the donkey travelling from Addis had been walking too slow and that was why his luggage hadn't arrived yet:) Coincidentally a donkey appeared at our front doors just as class started, so we all went down, took pictures and had a good laugh!

Ike and his donkey with the suitcase

Our topic on Friday was the nature of the learner/student and the teachers were divided into 4 groups to deal with one aspect of the theme. During their presentations we were so humbled and thankful to learn that the previous training ( which also generally touched on this topic) was so appreciated and had benefitted them so much! They reported on how their relationships with their students had improved so much and how that in turn increased the learning of their classes and schools with wonderful results!
Jake is continuing his teaching of the True Story of the Whole World by Mike Goheen and the teachers are loving the deeper understanding of Scripure--- at times we have comic relief "questions" from the class like "What fruit was it exactly that Adam and Eve ate" or "How many kids did Adam and Eve really have?"Lots of spirited discussion:)

Lemi doing a presentation for his group

The Trees of the Fields

We taught our teachers a new song today, "The trees of the fields will clap their hands"--from Isaiah 55:8. The song had a lot of actions that went with it and of course the teachers got right into it! We did a model lesson on trees for primary level and the song fit in so well. We had a full day with lots of readings, discussions, and journal writing. All of us can feel it is almost the end of the week-- and a few of our teachers aren't feeling well- so I think everyone will be ready for a weekend break.

The smile is so precious!

Jake and I walk home every afternoon. We never know what we will see or whom we will meet--large and small animals, people of every age, various "forms" of transportation, and rough terrain. It keeps life interesting to say the least!
No suitcase yet for Ike! He's started to wear Jake's shirts and that is so funny to me since in class I keep thinking there are 2 Jake's around:) Pray that it will come tomorrow.

Women doing manual labour--carrying huge rocks on a pallet

Our training centre--Christian Horizons 

Go Away Mosquitoes

This little guy just went through the squishiest puddle ever!

We have noticed one big difference being here in Sept. as opposed to being here in Jan. The rainy season is still on so there are definitely more mosquitoes!! We don't have to worry about a high malaria risk cause we're in a higher altitude but nevertheless they are still pesky! We've tried several options with our window and a partial makeshift mosquito net ( thanks to Jennie who brought netting and some screening material). The flip side of the mosquitoes is that it is so green and verdant now--the rain just makes the landscape so lush, and of course the kids have lots of puddles to splash in-- no different than any other kid in the world:)
Great day of teaching -- the different groups did drama, story telling, and some physical movement to help us stay engaged. Singing is still such a highlight for me-- the teachers' voices blend so wonderfully and their rhythmic motions are so graceful compared to my awkward attempts:)

One of our groups doing drama.

Schedule Changes

Our South Sudanese teachers found out yesterday that their visas were only extended to Oct. 9 instead of  Oct. 12 when the training was supposed to be completed. Re-scheduling of our classes occurred with us teaching on a Sat. and on the Ethiopian Meskel holiday of Sept. 27. The teachers were willing to oblige to help make up for the shortened training, which was so encouraging to us ( that they didn't mind giving up their free time)

Donated knitted slippers

Four different groups presented today and they did a great job-- in the afternoon we had an extremely lively discussion about what teachers should do if they didn't know how to answer a question from a student. Not a problem for us in the West but here in an African context the situation plays out very differently.
Tough assignments on what is knowledge (and its basic principles) is on for tomorrow. We're anxious to see how they handle the readings and in which way they will present their appointed sections.
Pray for Ike's suitcase to arrive soon! He needs some clean ( and warm) clothes:)

Our teachers are so dressed up!

Three colours-- 3 organizations

We breakfasted this morning with Paul Richardson and his Board of Directors from the Bible League in Oakville, ON.  Day one started with two inspiring devotionals from Dr. John Loge and Ike our senior instructor. Our teachers loved the "visual aids" John used to illustrate the passage of 1Cor 12 which dealt with the different parts of the body and how we are all part of the one body and need each other to bring transformation through the Word. Ike then concluded with a passage from Isaiah 6 with the statement-"Here I am, send me"-- and the response that elicited from some of our teachers was amazing. Many said that the call to come to Ethiopia for this training was so unexpected and when made was so full of obstacles that initially they thought it would be impossible to be there. They really felt however that it was God's call and they managed to make it!
We all wore a Bible League t-shirt  (white) or an Edu-Deo t-shirt ( brown) or a CH Global t-shirt ( grey) for a group photo before we got down to work on our materials.
On our walk home we spotted the little "blue taxis" and their taxi depot:)-- we're going to have a ride in one of them hopefully this Sat.
Electricity has been sporadic-- something we didn't think would be much of a problem here. It could be due to the rainy season--or who knows:)

the little "taxis"

the depot

We are wearing the 3 colors of t-shirts to represent the 3 sponsoring organizations for our project

NTT in Ethiopia

On Monday, Sept.16, we will be meeting with teachers from South Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia for a 4 week training session to enable our S.Sudanese teachers to train their colleagues on a national level.

We are so excited to see all our Sudanese teachers again and look forward to having a great time of professional learning and teaching.

The training will take place in Assella, Ethiopia where we will be hosted by Christian Horizons Global in their wonderful facilities.

Jake and I and Ike and Jennie have been very busy preparing, planning, and photocopying materials! We are praying for our teaching to be a blessing for the teachers, students, and country of South Sudan!

 Where Jake has been spending most of his time!