Issue #91

June 18, 2001

Dear Friends and Family,
Another weekend has flown past. This one was a busy one. There was at least one activity everyday. This is just the beginning for the next two weeks.

Friday night was the Sports Dessert Banquet. Everyone got dressed up, and the different sports teams were given their awards. Afterwards we had lots of yummy desserts.

Saturday was the All School Sale. This is one big garage sale! This is a chance for all those who are leaving to clear out their stuff. There was lots of stuff for sale. The gym was packed with booths. I didn't have a booth to sell stuff. I might regret it later if I realize I have more stuff to get rid of than I think I do.

Sunday was a full day. It was the last day of Sunday School classes so I had special things planned for my class. I gave them "ring pops" as a small surprise. You would have thought I gave them something really big. They were so excited. The middle school and high school choirs sang in church. It was Father's Day so the fathers were recognized. Sunday afternoon was the music recital. There were around 30 kids playing piano pieces. Sunday night was the Christian Character Awards and a Retirement Celebration for an elementary teacher that has been here for 32 years. The elementary choir sang a song for this. I changed to words to a song on appreciation to make it appropriate for Miss Marlene. I have always heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I decided last night that the way to a kid's mind is through their stomach as well. When the kids mentioned what they remembered about Miss Marlene the most, it was her doughnuts and waffles. After church, there was a reception for Miss Marlene. Of course, we had to have doughnuts. It was a good night.

Things are moving quickly and closing down. We had a family leave this morning. They needed to return early to take care of some certifications that were going to expire and to try to find jobs. I will be having some of my last music classes this week. I'm sure the parents and dorm parents will like me a lot better after tomorrow when I take the recorders back from the 4th and 5th graders. I hear them playing them all the time, like at 7:00 a.m. when I am walking to school. This week will be filled with choir concerts, more awards assemblies, and kids leaving early for various reasons. Please pray for the last eight days of school.

Please pray for Eric Debrah, a sixth grader at ICA, left school Friday to go to the States for further testing. His mom was called to come to the school to take care of Eric. He has been sick for a few weeks. He needed to be out of the dorm so he didn't catch anything from the other kids since his white blood counts were very low. They decided Friday in consultation with the school doctor and a doctor in the States that he should go to the States for more testing. I taught Eric in third grade and had him in Sunday School in 4th and 5th grade. His sisters are still at ICA. He oldest sister graduates in two weeks, so her mom will miss the graduation. Their dad is working in a nearby African country. Pray that they will find out what the problem is and that it won't be anything serious. Also, pray for his sisters while they are here to finish out school. One praise item is that the Debrah's medical insurance said they would pay for the trip to the States because the doctor in the States said he needed to come there.

Please pray for the seniors and others who will be departing as they begin saying goodbye and packing up. Also, pray for the departing staff who need to find jobs and places to live when they return home. Thankfully, I have a job when I return to the States. Please pray that I will be able to find a place to live. It has to be somewhere where I can have my puppy. (OK, he isn't really a puppy. He's and 80 lb. German Shepherd, but he's still a puppy to me.)

Pray for staff for next year. We have many positions still open. In case you or someone you know is interested, here is a list of the openings.

Bookkeeper
Special Education
Maintenance Assistant
Middle School X 2
HS Science/Math
HS Math
HS English
HS English/Social Studies
French
PE

If you know of someone who is interested, feel free to send me an email. This is a great place to be!!

In Christ,
Traci Epps