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| Here is Chris in his new office - and with a little visitor (who is starting to ham it up for pictures lately) |
The school year is divided into 3 terms, with each term focusing on one major sport and then there are a few that go throughout the year (such as swimming). Term 1 is football (soccer), Term 2 is basketball and Term 3 is track. Here's what Chris has been working on so far in Term 1....
- Organizing coaches for all the different levels of football (8 teams, so he's been figuring out 8 head coaches and 8 assistant coaches)
- Getting familiar with the campus and specifically the athletic facilities, that are also used for a lot of other school activities and events. He's learning schedules and who needs access to what and at what times - he hasn't double booked anything yet!
- Meeting with students to answer questions on the sports sign-ups
- Developing game schedules for term 1 for HOPAC as well as other schools in Dar (as HOPAC hosts most events). HOPAC has 3 football "pitches" with one one pitch split into two fields for younger age groups. So an example of a typical Friday during football season is HOPAC hosting games for U13 boys and girls teams and U15 boys and girls teams. This includes HOPAC and maybe 4 - 6 other area schools depending on who is able to make it. So that's approx 12 different matches in one afternoon (they are shorter time-wise, so that helps)! Chris still can't believe it and we'll get to see how it goes starting next week (games start week of Sept 17th). Fortunately there are some great coaches and people Chris works with who have been around for a while, so there are at least some people who know how things should go :)
- Organizing intramural activities (not all sports-based, some include music or board games - just depends on the parent/staff member who is leading that activity)
- Preparing for a big athletic tournament at the end of November in Moshi (another city in Tanzania near Mt Kilimanjaro)
Where has Chris seen the Lord encourage him in this role?
Through HOPAC's strong focus on loving Jesus and spreading the Gospel to the kids/families at the school; other staff members who have helped him transition; lots of interest from the kids and families in the school's sports programs; the beautiful facilities at HOPAC where other schools around Dar come for games/events (another avenue of outreach to spread the name of Jesus!); and also it's always encouraging for us to look back over the last several months at how the Lord has provided for us to be here serving at HOPAC!
On a side note, Wesley and Laura are super excited that their dad works at their school. Might just be a wave as they head to their PE class or playground, or sometimes Chris will get to see them at lunch or snacktime.
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| Laura got a quick visit with dad on her morning snack & playground break |
And good night! Week 3 of school starts bright and early tomorrow morning! The coffee pot is already set-up :)
2 comments:
Thanks so much for this info and the pictures! I'm glad that Chris is "settling in," but it sounds like quite a challenge to coordinate all these athletic activities.
You "Lindstrom 5" are in my prayers every day!
In Christ,
Dad/David
We are praying for you as you adjust to life there.
My Dad always said that at about 3 months is when the reality of living in a new country sinks in and the homesick feelings pop up. That's still a few months off, but if it holds true for you all, at least you know it is a common part of adjusting to life overseas.
On a side note, I don't know how direct the sunlight is there but in Yemen, when we'd hang our clothes out to dry on the clothesline, we'd turn the clothing inside out. It would help the clothes not to fade as quickly under the intense sunlight. Too bad one can't add fabric softener to the air as our clothes always dried into a stiff cardboard like state.
~Nat Underhill.
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