FAREWELL TO A HEADMISTRESS!

IN SERIOUS MODE, Esther as Headmistress judiciously views the proceedings at a Meeting of the student body in Testimony Primary School this year. Once Head Teacher in the Nursery Section of the School, she was promoted to Head of Primary in 2004. She found the School wavering a little in public popularity, but with prayer and determination she took over with firmness of conviction that she could build it up. And this she has done, so that the Primary School today is filled to capacity and high in the esteem of aspiring parents.

She has done this with discipline in administration, and with wisdom from God. She is an excellent counsellor and skilled in PR. In this photo there is little sign of -compromise! But behind that no-nonsense face has always been a heart of deep compassion and understanding. She has, over the six years of her unpaid labour, earned the respect and affection of both students and parents alike, as well as the admiration of her Staff of more than 20 teachers. The Official Announcement of her Retirement was given yesterday on the last School Assembly of the year. But a previous statement was given on the 12th November at the Farewell Party of the Graduating Standard V111 Class of 2009. She will be greatly missed,, but on the other hand time moves on and none of us can go on for ever in these finite bodies of ours. She will of course still be on the compound living in Green Cottage as before. She will not be idle, and will still be very much available for many new calls upon her life both in respect of the School AND the Homes. WE, as husband and wife, might also find ourselves able to do a few more things TOGETHER!! I am already 'retired' in one sense - at least from being a Houseparent - but still have quite a load of odds and ends to take care of most days. BUT I have had more spare time than Esther these past years, and it will now hopefully be a joy to be able to share more good times with each other. Well we are both SAYING this, but knowing Esther I am waiting for the New Year to see how it actually works out. Retirement is not something either of us are really cut out for !! But she WILL relax and be less stressed.

NOW a long serving member of her staff has been Appointed Headmaster; an excellent man of faith in God, and an excellent teacher. The School will continue well! Primary School has closed for the Top Class whose students now await the Result of the National Examinations - The Kenya Primary Certificate of Education which should be out in the New Year. The SEVEN lower Classes will continue to attend school for a further week or two whilst the internal Termly exams are given and marked.
NEXT week, on Thursday the Graduating 4th Form of the High will have own their Leaving Party, having themselves completed the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. Their Headmaster, Mr. Zacaria Mbatia will also retire this year and his replacement Mrs. Angela Omobe will be Appointed. She also has served the School for many years. SO changes all round.
HUNDREDS of children have gone through the School since it opened in 1981. Almost 200 are still in touch with us, and we hope next year to form a Testimony School Old Student's Association and arrange to have periodic Reunions. We hope the first of these will take place in December 2010. Altogether we have a total School Population of 800 - Nursery through to Form 1V.

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AS REPORTED LAST WEEK, Catherine Senge and Micah YEGO received their first born son named Steven Erot Yego amidst great rejoicing all round, especially in their own Family at Tyndale Cottage. Regretfully complications followed on, and by Sunday little Steven was having a fever, and Catherine was feeling anxious and afraid. Her condition was not helped by the fact that THREE other babies with her in the same Ward all passed away at that time.

Little Steven Erot had an infection of his umbilical cord - careless and neglectful nurses in the Delivery room! This has progressed to a problem with his blood, and there is talk today of a Blood-transfusion. This has alarmed Catherine the more, though of course she has many with her praying for them both, and seeking to give strength and counsel. A first pregnancy is always full of possible alarms and excursions - for Catherine they seem to have all come at once; aggravated by the fact that she gave birth in a NEW hospital that is very well equipped and clean, but not quite 'run in' as it were, with untried nursing staff, and more patients than had been expected. Anyway baby is eating well, and we feel the Lord has it all well in hand for them all. But I know your prayers will be welcome at this time.

On the 9th we received John and Gwynneth COOPER from Whitby in Yorkshire, England. But they did not actually arrive from Whitby direct. They had come from Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Ocean, perhaps the most far away place on earth from other humankind - a little dot of an island, with a community of about 200 souls. Previous to their visit there they were both working in Thailand......Both have a professional history in education.........HOW did WE come to know of them? Well their daughter Anna, then about 16, came to spend some time with us here in Testimony House in 1991. She had won a competition with TEAR FUND - UK which took her visiting some of their Projects world wide. She was so attracted by us that she asked to come back to spend more time with us. Ever since her parents, John and Gwynneth have kept in touch and prayed for us. It is just wonderful to have the both with us after all these years. We are of similar age, and get on really well. They will be with us for a month, and have already toured the School, visited and become 'family' with each of the four Homes, and John will also be speaking at our Fellowship this coming Sunday.

Tomorrow we shall be visiting Joshua and Miriam. Joshua had his expected operation a week or more ago; they found nothing. He has continued to suffer with his back, and right leg, and many more exploratory tests have been done in the intervening days. Today we hear that all tests are negative and that no 'cause' for his distress can be found so far - many telling him to his face that it is all in his 'mind'!! But he and Miriam are holding on to the LORD in all of this, and are trusting Him to justify AND to heal in the days ahead. This is now a 'trial' of more than a year's duration. We do commend them both to you all, and ask you to remember them also in your prayers.

We have not seen any rain now for some three weeks. Things are drying out again as the temperature slowly rises. Other areas are reeling from torrential rain storms and flooding. No one can predict what will happen now. But the prospect of further food and water shortages loom large. Nevertheless we live for the Day, and our Thanksgiving is day by day as He walks with us.

God be with you all as days go by.

John and Esther