Dear Friends,
We are so thankful that we were
able to open school again on March 8. We were one of only three schools
in town who were open at that point. Although many teachers were still
out of the country, we filled in with parents and others from the
community. Some were with a mission who told them to leave, and others
were simply out during the Carnival break and then couldn't get a flight
back in. But people have begun coming back, both teachers and students,
and we hope to be more or less back to normal within another week.
The first week back I only had six
students in my Kindergarten class, but during the past week we kept
adding one more until the class size reached nine. Two of the children
are already in school in the US and won't be back this school year. Two
others are still out of the country and hope to be back soon. Try to
imagine some of your best friends leaving without getting to say
goodbye. Many of our kids are dealing with this situation. They left
for the vacation with everyone here, and now some are gone and won't be
back. This is difficult for anyone, but it's very hard for young
children. There is also a lot of stress for the teachers, what with
comings and goings and trying to keep track of all the make-up work. We
appreciate your prayers as we try to have a good finish to this most
"interesting" school year!
--Jodie (for John and Jessica Ackerman)
21
Mar 2004 Update
