Issue #87
March 30, 2001

Dear Friends and Family,
I sit in a quiet classroom right now.  Most of the kids are on their way home now to spend a couple of weeks vacation.  There are a few staff walking around enjoying the beginning of their freedom for a few weeks.  It has been a good trimester.  It was long and hard since we were making up the missed time from first trimester, but we made it! There was also very little sickness this trimester.

This last week was rather interesting.  On Saturday, both the electricity and water were off.  The electricity came back on, but the water was a problem most of the week.  I live upstairs so my roommate and I are always some of the first ones to know when the water goes out because there isn't enough pressure to get water to us.  Our main water line from town got shut off because the water company was working down the road from us.  They put us running of a small town line and our cistern and well.  The water in the cistern is not very clean, so they had to put bleach in it.  Was there ever bleach in it!  I asked Mike just how much bleach was put in.  He said he saw 36 bottles (liters).  All I know is that it was like drinking out of a swimming pool and smelled worse.  I guess though it is better than the alternative of getting little creepy crawlies in your system.  Thankfully, we are now back on town water!

I also acquired a new position this week.  The elementary vice-principal left to go on home assignment and to take a position at her mission's headquarters. I was asked to be the elementary vice-principal for the rest of year.

Please pray for all the traveling that will be happening the next couple of weeks.  Many parents and their children will be traveling home and going to favorite vacation spots during break.  Many of the ICA staff are going to a conference for those who work with missionary kids.  Also, pray that this will be a time of refreshing for staff and students.

This will probably be the last email newsletter for about month.  I will be gone for two weeks to the missionary kids conference.  Then I will be back at ICA for a week to get school started and then leave for the States to go to the conference in Atlanta.  (Praise item - I was able to find a substitute teacher for the time I gone to the States.)

Thanks so much for your prayers!

In Christ,
Traci Epps