The Dry Season Is Here At Pickertaramoor

The Dry Season is in full swing and so is the construction here at Tiwi College. The landing strip often has airplanes buzzing in and out with workers. The trucks are coming in from the barge landing with materials. The dirt roads out from the College are now in good condition and the luxury to travel around the island is available once again. This is an amazing project and enormous in proportion! The College campus will soon boast a 400 meter running track, a rugby oval, 6 large Family group homes for the students, many staff homes and buildings, several school buildings, a school for staff children among other things. This is only phase 1 of 4!! Truly an awesome project in a very remote area! What a privledge it is to serve here!
The week with the boys has been a tough one indeed. We had 9 boys at one point and finished up with 8 by the end of the week. Linda and I both broke up fights. 2 boys were suspended and we had one new arrival later in the week. There is not a school building completed yet so the boys school has been in our Family Group home’s common room. It’s been difficult especially for the teachers this week. The boys would often go into their rooms not wanting to come out for class. Some would change out of their school uniform and say they wanted to go home. This sort of structure here at the College is all new for these boys. At one point during the school day on Thursday, Linda advised me to come and help the teachers. As I walked out the back door, there was a teacher using a large piece of cardboard for a shield deflecting rocks that were being thrown at him by a student. At one point the student actually threw a circular stone saw blade he found in a pile of construction rubbish. It was quite an interesting scene especially being this is a very short 12 year old student! I walked up behind him and by the time I reached him he was sitting down on the ground. I then sat on the ground next to him and asked him "what was going on" to start a conversation. I was a bit nervous with this being he had an arsenal of weapons on his lap which included a wood saw with the handle broke off, a metal pipe and another circular stone saw blade. After we talked a few minutes he put his weapons off to the side, asked to wash his face because of the tears and rejoined the group. He will need to work some during his free time next week to pay for 4 chairs he broke during the rampage.
Believe it or not, the boys are coming along well compared to last term. Sure, this week was a little bit of a blip, but we see better things for the coming week. We are convinced that a positive learning culture will continue to develop here on campus as the staff here continue to work as a team to teach and train the students in every day living skills and education. We also know that real peace and true lasting change only comes from a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly". Please continue to pray for our boys as they continue on here at Tiwi College.