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PL804
8th September 2019
It's been a few weeks since we shared the ins and outs of life here on the mission. Last week we shared with you about Catherine and Roma's journey to their new lives in Hong Kong. The week before that we featured our Annual Report of the previous financial year. We were overjoyed with the number of people who responded and asked for printed copies to be sent to them. 43 copies are in the mail as we speak. It's not too late to get yours, just let us know.
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Clifton prepared 43 of the reports and sent them out to all corners of the globe.
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Wouldn't you like a copy for your coffee table?
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The girls are doing great in Hong Kong. There is a lot to learn in the big city but they are taking on every challenge with gigantic smiles on their faces. As this newsletter goes out they are sailing on a boat in Hong Kong harbor celebrating our friends Paige's birthday with an 80's themed birthday party.
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It has been a while since we gave you an update on the progress of our Staff Accommodation. Construction continues to go extremely well with all major brick work and now the majority of plastering work done on the walls. The painters have now started on the external walls of the building and it really looks fantastic!
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Kalu cutting off the columns on the roof.
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Pouring the final columns.
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Plaster for walls being mixed downstairs...
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...before being carried upstairs...
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...where it is used by skilled hands.
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This is how the building looked last week.
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And this is now. The first coat of paint makes such a huge difference!
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There have been a few general construction and maintenance things happening around the place that may be of interest to some. Our oldest ceiling fan got repaired. That's big news right? Sunny also finally finished off the gate at the entrance of the school. This week the painters should be coming in to complete the signage.
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Silvester repairing the old fan.
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This dinosaur has to be at least 4,000 years old.
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Sunny welding some fancy spikes on the top of the gate.
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This gate guards the main entrance into our school.
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Ready for the large sign that says "Welcome to Maxton Strong School, Banbasa".
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Priscilla added 50 new members to the family with the purchase of some new baby chicks. These fluffy little cuties have been an absolute delight for the younger kids who have loved helping Pris graze them in the warm morning sun.
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Priscilla with her fluffy and not-so-fluffy little ones.
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Hand feeding the new little chicks.
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We received a few wonderful gifts in the last couple of weeks too. The first came from a lovely lady named Luz from the USA. Luz collected, restored and sent some beautiful dolls to our younger children. They were received with a whole lot of love from these little hearts.
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Niyati immediately fell in love with her doll.
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Ruhani couldn't decide which one she wanted.
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Even Esther fell in love with the beautiful dolls.
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Thank you Luz for this lovely gift!
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The next gift came in a much tastier form. Some friends from the USA treated our kids to ice cream, not just once but every day of the week! It was a sweet tooth special. Strangely enough, Ice Cream Week was much more joyfully received than Broccoli Week and Cabbage Month. Who would have guessed?!
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Mango ice creams were the first treat.
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Important discussions going on about the flavor of the green ones.
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Can you tell Reena loves ice cream?
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They are not all for you, Shivam!
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Rohit was happy he was at the front of the line.
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Monisha appears ready to make an acceptance speech.
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Ruhani and Niyati: expert ice cream eaters.
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Can you spot the old one out?
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Next in the line up of exciting fun things we have been enjoying is a package of uniforms that arrived from Jordan River Learning Federation in Tasmania. This is the second package of uniforms that we have received from JRLF, the first batch is still going strong. Take a look back over our past PL's to see how often our kids wear these purple and black beauties.
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A huge package of uniforms!
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Purple is in.
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Thanks Jordan River! You guys are amazing!
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Continuing with the trend of handing out treats, Mr. Mahesh Chand, a local friend, came with a car load of apples, bananas and juice boxes as a special treat for our kids. Of course these were gratefully received by all.
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Priscilla is the Queen of Distribution.
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Apples for days.
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Yes Rohit, we believe you now... you can fit the whole apple in your mouth.
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September 5th was Teacher's Day and was marked with a special program in our school run completely by our students. Teachers were given the day off, allowed to put their feet up and enjoy dances, speeches, songs and snacks courtesy of their little pupils. It was a wondeful time and we are so proud of all the hard work our kids put into the day.
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Dhiraj and Nidhi share a special song for their teachers.
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Shane anchored the entire program. He did an amazing job.
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Next up were the dances, the kids did an amazing job.
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All 50 teachers were presented with a gift from the school.
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Students cheer for their teachers as they come on stage to receive their gift.
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The final major event that we want to make mention of is the celebration of Filly's 40th birthday. Filly was brought to the mission as an infant and fostered by Rick and Maxine. When they moved back to Australia she grew up here on the mission, married here on the mission and now works here in our school as our Kindergarten in-charge. Her husband is Eugene and for her big 40th birthday Eugene along with many other loving people threw an incredible party for Filly.
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Eugene leading his darling wife to the party.
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Filly surrounded by loved ones...
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...like really SURROUNDED! There were more than 70 people at the party!
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Filly with her teachers.
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There was of course plenty of dancing and fun.
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Priscilla cracking up over something (perhaps Dr Seema's hand on her butt).
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Games made for a lot of fun through the night.
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The food was fantastic!
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Eugene and Filly with their children and Eugene's mother.
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Of course there have been plenty of other things we have missed mentioning over the last three weeks... but this newsletter is getting a little long. There have been birthdays, visits from friends, swims in the jungle, trips to town, games, movie nights and so much more.
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Rampal was overjoyed to have his sponsor Sarah join him over Skype for his birthday celebrations. Thanks again Sarah!
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Niyati received a truckload of presents thanks to her sponsor too, but none more precious to her than her new Frozen umbrella. Just Let It Go kid, we get it, your cute as a button!
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Amos received a care package from his sponsors.
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Some new friends from the USA came for a short visit.
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And with that we will bring this newsletter to a close. Thanks for sticking with us through it all, what an incredible journey we are blessed to be on. It takes faith to do this work, faith in God and in the kindness of so many incredible supporters worldwide. For every letter, every present, every apple, every ice cream and every building we are eternally grateful.
Blessing on you,
Rick, Clifton, Eugene & Priscilla
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For Those Who Pray:
- Please continue to pray for our Mission: University students. Some are struggling to adjust into their new lives, learning to budget, learning to be more responsible for themselves and make new friends.
- Keep Catherine and Roma in your prayers as they learn how to navigate through life in Hong Kong. We are so thankful for how well it is going so far.
- Pray for the continued amazing construction progress of Staff Accommodation building, for safety for our workers and wisdom in the decision we make along the way.
- Pray for safety for Clifton who will be going to a Christian legal practice conference in Dehradun next week. He will be riding the 8-10 hour trip on his motorbike and back the next day.
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