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A well earned break!
Well it has been a busy December, as it was bound to be. I'll try and fill in as much as possible!
The school production of Joseph's Amazing Technicoloured dreamcoat went exceptionally well. The whole school was involved in the production, and everyone who attended commented that it showed just how much work had gone into the production. High school students who weren't directly involved in the choir or on stage, were all involved in various dances, all music was live with an orchestra and band (I enjoyed playing guitar in the band); it was an amazing amount of effort by the whole school.It was a wonderful way to bring the whole school together, and something that everyone could be really proud of, but I don't think I'm the only one who was glad when it was finally finished! It has been quite an effort going to all of the rehearsals, as well as keeping on top of school work! Here are some photos from the production:
Band section. The colour of the T-Shirts was not optional unfortunately!
After Joseph was finished; we had one more week of school left, but I think most people had become so worn out, there wasn't too much school work done! I know many of my classes in the last week took on a much more relaxed feel. I was really glad to make it to the Christmas holidays, and three weeks break from school. First week was a trip to South Africa with a couple of friends from the school. Living in a landlocked country, it was wonderful to have the opportuity to go somewhere to see the ocean, and eat loads of seafood! We spent two days in Johannesburg to see the city, and then continued on down to Cape Town, which is the real highlight of South Africa. I've been to Cape Town before, but its such a beautiful city, it was wonderful to be able to see it again. Walking around the city, it would be very easy to forget you're in Africa. It feels so normal, just like a touristy city in the west. We hiked Table Mountain, visited Cape Point, and relaxed by the beach. Beautiful.
The view from the beach, with the iconic Table Mountain in the background.
Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain
Andrew and I starting the hike up!
Boating around the bay
I arrived back in Ethiopia and immediately got ready to leave Addis again to go down country, to the bi-annual SIM Spiritual Life Conference. All of the SIM Ethiopia missionaries attend the conference, which was held in an Ethiopian hotel/resort called Sodore. The hotel is about 40 years old, and hasn't undergone much in the way of renovations since then, so it is pretty run down, but it was a relaxing and encouraging week all the same. Bruce Dipple, a speaker from Australia, spoke to us from Philippians, and I was asked to help lead the worship. It is always great to see all of the people from SIM together, to get to hear encouraging news about how God is working in the different parts of Ethiopia, and to get to know the other missionaries who are working in the country.
After the conference, I stopped off at Langano for a few days camping with one of my good friends. Langano is such a beautiful spot, so peaceful and relaxing, it was a wonderful end to the week. School starts on Monday so now I'm busy thinking about what I'll be doing with my students for the next couple of months. The administration of the school have helped me out my taking one hour of my 4 hours bible class off me. So now I have just the 3 hours of bible class to teach. This will take a lot of pressure off. Please pray for me as I start into this new term, for God's help and guidance as to how best to interact with the students.
Stacks more photos here
Happy New Year!
Niall
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