The happy hunter!
Students enjoying the new trampolines
Our very first sports day during the first week of the termSunday, August 10, 2008
Photos
The happy hunter! Students enjoying the new trampolines Our very first sports day during the first week of the term
The BIG hunt!
Well… It's been a while since we added to the blog. We apologize for this. We usually try to add something on a weekly basis.
Since last term the campus grounds has come a long way. We now have a school building, net ball and basketball courts, 2 trampolines, and the running track is nearly completed and there has been much progress on the football oval. There has also been a lot of staff housing completed which has given the teachers and their families a good place to live. We also now have internet in our homes which has been really good. Satellite TV and phones are yet to come. Its amazing to see a brand new community developing right before our eyes in the middle of the bush on a remote island.
The first 3 weeks of the term has been a bit wild and crazy here. We currently have 49 students enrolled which is great but along with that comes the care for 49 students!!! We currently have 12 boys in our house which is a handful!!. Overall we feel things are going well and we have not had any serious issues which we are thankful for. We have several new boys and we are bringing them through a similar process as we have with the original boys last term. It helps with our original boys knowing the routine in the house which helps the new boys understand what is expected. Most of the boys we are working with have serious trouble in school environments and have trouble sitting in class to learn. Needless to say the teachers have had their moments this term with 49 of them. At the end of the week we are all tired and ready to rest for the weekend.
I consider the most important time of the day in the house is the devotion time. This is the time when we talk about their creator and teach from His Word. We usually give a short teaching from the Bible show a contemporary Christian music video and enjoy a bowl of ice cream or a paddle pop as all of this is happening. Please pray for our boys that they see Gods love for them and come to receive everything Jesus has done for them on the cross. God is truly awesome and has a lot for these boys!
I learned one very interesting lesson this week as I took some of the boys for a walk. I first wanted to encourage the boys to take a walk so I did everything I could to make it sound exciting. I told them we were going to hunt on this walk and I was hoping to see some wildlife. Well… they literally took “hunt” seriously and hunt is exactly what they did! Shortly into our walk they spotted a large lizard called a Goanna. They picked up rocks and started firing at it with rapid fire. They chased it up a tree and the boys were able to knock it out of the tree to its death. I knew that I shouldn’t have used the word “hunt” being they took what I said very literally and I knew I had to let this take its course. I of course felt sorry for the Goanna. They in turn were proud of their kill and brought it back to the house to show off to the others. The Australian Aboriginal people are hunters and gathers so this is second nature to them.
The school is going on a 10 day excursion to Melbourne Australia leaving the 13th of August. Linda and I have the privilege to go on this trip to help supervise the students. It will be a lot of hard work but it should prove to be a lot of fun. It will be a good time of relationship building among the staff and students. We will be going to an AFL footy game, the zoo, shopping and all kinds of fun stuff. Many of these students have never been beyond the Darwin area so this will be an adventure for them. It will actually be an adventure for Linda and I as well. I’m looking forward to going to my first Australian Rules Football game and Linda of course is looking forward to the shopping experiences. I am told to be careful of this AFL football stuff. A lot of Aussie guys have come under the spell of this leather god in the shape of a football! Scary!!!!! How much different is this than the states… about the same I would say!
We so much appreciate your prayer as we serve the Tiwi youth here. We are awed at the opportunity we have to work with these Tiwi young people who will be the future leaders in their communities and nation! Love …Bill & Linda
Since last term the campus grounds has come a long way. We now have a school building, net ball and basketball courts, 2 trampolines, and the running track is nearly completed and there has been much progress on the football oval. There has also been a lot of staff housing completed which has given the teachers and their families a good place to live. We also now have internet in our homes which has been really good. Satellite TV and phones are yet to come. Its amazing to see a brand new community developing right before our eyes in the middle of the bush on a remote island.
The first 3 weeks of the term has been a bit wild and crazy here. We currently have 49 students enrolled which is great but along with that comes the care for 49 students!!! We currently have 12 boys in our house which is a handful!!. Overall we feel things are going well and we have not had any serious issues which we are thankful for. We have several new boys and we are bringing them through a similar process as we have with the original boys last term. It helps with our original boys knowing the routine in the house which helps the new boys understand what is expected. Most of the boys we are working with have serious trouble in school environments and have trouble sitting in class to learn. Needless to say the teachers have had their moments this term with 49 of them. At the end of the week we are all tired and ready to rest for the weekend.
I consider the most important time of the day in the house is the devotion time. This is the time when we talk about their creator and teach from His Word. We usually give a short teaching from the Bible show a contemporary Christian music video and enjoy a bowl of ice cream or a paddle pop as all of this is happening. Please pray for our boys that they see Gods love for them and come to receive everything Jesus has done for them on the cross. God is truly awesome and has a lot for these boys!
I learned one very interesting lesson this week as I took some of the boys for a walk. I first wanted to encourage the boys to take a walk so I did everything I could to make it sound exciting. I told them we were going to hunt on this walk and I was hoping to see some wildlife. Well… they literally took “hunt” seriously and hunt is exactly what they did! Shortly into our walk they spotted a large lizard called a Goanna. They picked up rocks and started firing at it with rapid fire. They chased it up a tree and the boys were able to knock it out of the tree to its death. I knew that I shouldn’t have used the word “hunt” being they took what I said very literally and I knew I had to let this take its course. I of course felt sorry for the Goanna. They in turn were proud of their kill and brought it back to the house to show off to the others. The Australian Aboriginal people are hunters and gathers so this is second nature to them.
The school is going on a 10 day excursion to Melbourne Australia leaving the 13th of August. Linda and I have the privilege to go on this trip to help supervise the students. It will be a lot of hard work but it should prove to be a lot of fun. It will be a good time of relationship building among the staff and students. We will be going to an AFL footy game, the zoo, shopping and all kinds of fun stuff. Many of these students have never been beyond the Darwin area so this will be an adventure for them. It will actually be an adventure for Linda and I as well. I’m looking forward to going to my first Australian Rules Football game and Linda of course is looking forward to the shopping experiences. I am told to be careful of this AFL football stuff. A lot of Aussie guys have come under the spell of this leather god in the shape of a football! Scary!!!!! How much different is this than the states… about the same I would say!
We so much appreciate your prayer as we serve the Tiwi youth here. We are awed at the opportunity we have to work with these Tiwi young people who will be the future leaders in their communities and nation! Love …Bill & Linda
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