Mukama Mulungi (God is good)

Hello family and friends,

It's hard to believe that my first school year at Amazima is coming to a close. I am 100% end-of-the-year-teacher-tired and thankful that break is just two weeks away. I'll be visiting the US so soon and I'm excited to visit many of you!

September 

*Towards the end of September, my roommates Aubrey and Ana started to feel it was time for them to transition back to living in the US (both for different reasons). We've really gotten along well and worked well together as a household, so I was sad when they both shared their plans. It was a bit of a sudden decision for both of them, so I was also surprised about all of the changes happening in the middle of the term. Thankfully, I have been offered several places to live in the meantime. I've decided to move in with my friends Heather and Betty. Heather and Betty run an organization called His Heart for Africa which partners with Amazima and serves children and elderly in our area. They also host a Bible study for single expat ladies in Jinja every Thursday night. Their friendship has been a blessing and I'm excited about living with them and their giant dog, Moose. I plan to live with them at least until June/July when my two year commitment with Amazima is over. I haven't decided yet what my future plans are, although I do not plan to return to the US until at least the end of next school year (December).

26 - My friend Debra gave birth to her daughter. She had told me for months that she wanted me to give her a name for her baby, or else she would name her Jaci.

Together, we named the baby Petrolina Kristine (Petrolina is a name from her family and Kristine is my middle name). We praise God that both mother and baby are healthy.

29 - I celebrated my 35th birthday at school with my students. My roommate Ana brought cake for my class. It was endearing to see my students savor tiny pieces of cake and make the sweet treat last as long as possible. It was also really sweet to read cards filled with kind messages made by my usually unexpressive students. 

October

*The goal of our accelerated program was to help our older students catch up
quickly. They had missed out on a lot of P4 & P5 due to COVID, and yet they were automatically promoted to P6 (automatic promotion happened nationwide
after the two year lockdown). We worked really hard, but still were not able to get all P4, P5, and P6 material covered. In October, we started teaching Saturday school. Although it's not ideal to work on Saturday mornings, these have been my favorite days with my students. I'm really tired from working with students six days a week, but I'm thankful God has made these precious days where we've really enjoyed being together at school.

7- We had a party at our house to celebrate the time that Ana and Aubrey spent in Uganda. It was a really sweet time with all our friends and co-workers. Even though their time as my roommates has turned out to be shorter than anticipated, it has been a gift to have these two ladies in my life. 

8- We had a garage sale where we were able to sell most of my roommates' things, which has made their transition back to the US much smoother. The big items that needed to be sold, Aubrey's dog and car, were thankfully figured out that weekend.

14- My dear sweet family sent me away as a birthday present to stay at a resort on the Nile called The Haven. My friend Amy and I went for the weekend to the all inclusive resort where we were able to read, relax, eat amazing food, and enjoy beautiful views. It's only a 30 minute drive from school, so I was able to go to Saturday school for a few hours, and then return to a very peaceful, relaxing place. 

*Instead of going to church, Amy and I watched a sermon from the Austin Stone about Nehemiah. This series has been so encouraging and has reminded me I can pray boldly because I know that God is "the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments". I really enjoyed and was challenged by this sermon on faithful prayer (as well as several other sermons in the series).

17 - We took Aubrey to my favorite restaurant The Black Lantern (a place she'd never been) to watch the sun set and monkeys play over the Nile. It was a sweet last night together before she left.

19 - Our head teacher (principal) decided that our AEP students were not ready to go directly to P7 next year. Instead, most of my students need to do a similar accelerated program to finish up P6 and cover P7. The AEP students will stay an extra hour at school every day and come in for school on Saturdays during Term 1 in 2023. I'm proud of my students for catching up on P4, P5, and part of P6 content, but a lot of them were discouraged that they weren't able to go directly to P7. Things have been challenging since the announcement of next year being a P6/P7 combo. My students are older and have a lot of fears related to having to stay in primary school any longer. We've had many challenging conversations, but I think they're starting to accept what the 2023 year will look like. 

29 - A new restaurant opened up at a gas station in town and my friends were really excited to try pizza. We went as a group and the Ugandans loved it so much. Amy and I, however, are looking forward to some really good American pizza when we visit the US. 

*The person sitting next to me is Godwin. He has been my TA and worked with AEP this year. He grew up sponsored as a Compassion International child. He is one of the most reliable and responsible  Amazima employees, volunteers on the weekend to coach our students in soccer (football), leads worship and occasionally preaches at his church. I'm so thankful for the ministry of Compassion International and the many people who have poured into his life.

November

6 - We had a Christmas cookie decorating party with all the staff ladies from

Amazima Primary. It was the last event we hosted in our house. I'm so thankful for the beautiful, spacious house I've been blessed with for the past year and a half where I've regularly been able to host many events. 

8 - Our graduating class at the primary school, P7, began the PLE testing (Primary Leaving Exam). These exams take multiple days and exam results will be very important to the students future education and careers. The PLE has probably been one of the most frustrating parts of teaching in Uganda. There is so much pressure on upper primary students to memorize hundreds of definitions so they can score well on the PLE. Critical thinking and application of knowledge are not really a part of the testing - the test mainly just checks that students have memorized facts over the past seven years. We spent time praying for and encouraging each of our P7 students, but ultimately we want them to know that whatever they score, they have value and God has a plan for their lives. They will know their exam results in January.

*Ana's last day in Uganda will be November 18th and I'll be moving into Heather and Betty's that night. They've offered to move my things over during the day, so I can just come home from school to their home and not my empty place that night. They're already blessing me right from the beginning and I'm so thankful for them.

*The end of the Term is November 24 for students and December 1 for teachers. We are all so tired. This job has been very challenging physically, mentally, and spiritually and everyone needs a break - which we'll get in two more weeks!

I'm so thankful for the prayers, encouragement, and support that have kept me going throughout the challenges of this past year. I'm looking forward to seeing so many of you soon!

💜Jaci

*Ebola has begun to spread throughout western Uganda. Plans and schedules have begun to change as the Ministry of Health looks at what would be wise to stop the spread. We've already cancelled a few large events for parents at our school. Please pray for our leaders to make wise decisions and help stop the spread of ebola.