First come, first serve

On Thursday November 1, we began receiving applications for the next school year.  In Zambia, the school year begins in January and goes until the first of December.  The months of April, August, and December are the vacation months.  Last year we opened the school to the community and the word is out that we are offering quality Christian education.

During Thursday and Friday we had over 30 applications turned in.  Our procedure is first come, first served for openings in the classrooms.  We have 4 first graders who will be repeating grade one.  So that means we have 21 openings for Grade 1.  By the end of Friday, we had 23 applications already turned in for the 21 openings. 

Teacher Rachel Chanda kept saying, “and it isn’t even January when we will have a lot more show up.”  There won’t be any openings by then.

We plan to assess the applicants later this month to make sure that we are placing the students in the grade that will be best for them.  When children come from some of the surrounding schools, they are not up to the level we have for a particular grade.  Parents know that if their child comes to our school, they may have to repeat or even go back a grade.  Here in Zambia, children are usually in a grade based on their prior knowledge rather than their age. 

One father came from Wangwa Farms where many of our students come from.  He was filled with gratitude and appreciation for our school and what he sees as the results in children who are attending our School of Hope.

What God has been doing is “exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ask or think.”