Amidst all the plans and travel for Lemuel’s celebration of 20 years of God’s faithfulness in Lancaster, it has been a little difficult to keep up with the regular blogging. I hope to get back on track next week. In the meantime, here is a flashback look at God’s faithfulness as seen in the growth of our school over the years.
This picture was taken in 2005 when Lemuel’s school took place one-room-schoolhouse style in a small rented building up the road from the campus.
Flash forward to 2008: The school functioned on campus in makeshift classrooms created out of coconut thatch. (Do you recognize the man standing in front of the kids? It’s Almaïs! He actually came to work on the Plateau in the position of school director during the 2008-2009 school year!)
By 2009, the school had moved to the temporary church “building” (on the left, erected on the basket ball court). Some classes also functioned in what were then the future church offices (on the right). The rest of the church building didn’t have a roof yet!
This is the first grade classroom during the 2009-2010 school year. Mezou was a teacher!
And the number of children attending school was growing!
By the 2010-2011 school year, the church roof was on, and the school was able to use the yet unfinished sanctuary for classrooms during the week.
As a side note, in 2010, there were only 2 school kitchen cooks!
Williamso was teaching 6th grade…
…and Jinel began working for Lemuel as the 1st grade teacher!
In 2011, construction began on the new school building. The men in this picture are celebrating the completion of the footers for the foundation.
And in 2011, Thony came to teach third grade on the Plateau!
In this picture taken at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, you can see the temporary classrooms on the left, and the rising walls of the new school building on the right.
In 2013-2014, the kindergarten was still using the church building, and the rest of the classes were still in temporary, coconut thatch classrooms beside the basketball court.
English camp in 2014
And at the end of the 2014 school year, the roof finally went up on the new school building!
And step by step, year by year, the school continues to move forward. Of course, by this we do not only mean the building; the building is only a servant to our heart’s desire to invest in the children who attend there–and not only in the children who attend there, but in the staff who work there as well. Looking back over the old photos, we see children and staff who have grown and developed in so many ways through the years, some of them into budding young leaders in their community and church. That is what truly brings joy to our hearts. We thank God for all His faithfulness and for all He is doing and for allowing us to be a part of it!
Comentarios