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Returning to Langano, and Ireland!!
I'm writing this blog update from Belfast, Northern Ireland, having taken the opportunity for a quick break from life in Ethiopia before work starts properly at Bingham at the start of August. It's great to be able to leave the rainy streets of Addis and return to the rainy streets of Belfast for a few weeks, and catch up with family and friends for a while. I've been feeling fairly tired back in Addis these last few weeks, trying to juggle continued language school as well as starting to work half days at Bingham, attempting to get things ready for the new school year. So it's nice to relax a bit before the real fun starts!
I have finished up my time at Language school! It is a great feeling to be done with full time language learning for the moment, while I really enjoyed it, and am continually grateful for the opportunity, I am ready to be out in the city practising and trying to use it in conversation. I have so many words that are in my head somewhere, but don't quite come to me when I'm speaking to someone, so plenty of practise is needed!!
I've found out what I'll be teaching next year officially. I'll be teaching grade 9 and 10 IT (the GCSE years) as well as grade 11 bible. So I'm really excited about the challenge of this, and the opportunities that will bring. A lot of the rest of my time will be taken up as the IT coordinator at the school, maintaining and troubleshooting the network and all the computers there. We have been really encouraged at Bingham to hear that there is a staff member coming to teach science to the middle school classes. This is a big answer to prayer. Please continue to pray for the needs of Maths and higher level physics teachers.
A week ago, I took the chance to drop down to Langano for a few days and see one of the kids camps that was taking place down there. For 8 weeks in a row over the summer in Langano, there are week-long camps taking place for children from all over Ethiopia. Each week sees 80+ campers arrive and take part in games, crafts, bible stories and other amazing activities that Brian and the other staff down there have concocted. This week in particular was a boys only camp, the following week would be a girls only camp. Its really great to see all the kids loving all of the activities, especially the zip line and giant swing, the like of which they likely have never dreamt of let alone seen in Ethiopia before. 
Swim time!
Favourite activity of all the boys; football. 
The camp leaders explaining one of their activities. These are the Ethiopian Christian staff who get along side the kids during the week, sharing their faith and the gospel with the campers. 
Zip line
Giant swing
The kids come with "coaches", older church members from Addis whose responsibility it is to mentor, encourage and grow the kids once they return back to Addis after a week of camp, and follow up those who have made the commitment to follow Christ during the week. It's amazing to see the whole program run, very encouraging work! Pray for these coaches as the return back to Addis with the kids, and disciple and mentor those who they were at camp with. Pray also for the camp staff as they have a long and tiring summer, for their witness to the kids who come to camp.
By the way, I have a postable copy of the video which I made for Brian some months back about the school. Check it out here!
By the way, here is a photo of my house mates, in case anyone was wondering who I'm living with at the moment..
Cara and Yohannes with their young daughter, Hadassa, and then myself and Demeke on the right. Demeke is leaving soon to go to the US to study for a year. We're all hoping he comes back!!
Loads more photos of camp if anyone's interested.
Niall
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