The Donald Update

The last time we posted an update on here was around Christmas time.  Obviously, much has happened since then.  We would like to apologize for the hiatus, it is something we will work on improving.  As mentioned in our newsletter last month, Kelly and I are going to be posting separate blog updates to catch you up on everything that is going on.  This second semester has been quite eventful for me at the ABC Academy.  After arriving back from our Christmas break, I was given another science class, Physical Science, because one of the upper school teachers did not return.  This means I am teaching all sciences from 8th - 12th grade, which has demanded a lot of my time.  That being said, I am really enjoying teaching and love it when you can see the kids start to understand topics.  One of the highlights of their year in science, so I am told, was when we made homemade ice cream in Ziploc bags.

  

During March, the Malawian National Swim Gala (Tournament) was held at the Academy, which was awesome.  Kids from all over Malawi came to race, and the Vice President made an appearance.  It was quite a stressful time for Kelly and I due to the amount of hours I had to put into preparing everything for the sound system to run properly. Below is a picture of our setup next to the pool, as well as our ABC swim team!

The latest event we did with the school was Writing Week, where we split the upper school into three groups and took them out to different missionary projects in the village to help them see how God is working in these people's lives.  It was great to hear from some of the students regarding how eye-opening these experiences were and how their passion for the Lord was revitalized.  The photo below is of some of the kids we visited in one of the villages - we are teaching them how to play Heads-Up Seven-Up!

There are two upcoming events with the school that are very demanding, but very exciting as well.  The ABC Ballet is an annual event that is highly regarded here in Lilongwe, and I will be running the lighting and sound for the event (yikes!).  Also, the first Science Fair is coming up.  As you can imagine, I was not the most popular teacher when I told all the students from 7th grade up that they would have to do a big project, including a report.  I have kind of shot myself in the foot here due to the amount of reading I am having to do for these projects!  I am really looking forward to seeing what the students have come up with, and I would like to see the Science Fair become an annual event the kids look forward to.

Everything is going very well here, and it is awesome how God is using the teachers at ABC.  My schedule has been pretty crazy this year, but I am loving it.  Please keep the students in your prayers that they can finish the school year strong and that I can do so as well!