Anica Pederson November 2023

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
– Aristotle

Greetings and love in the name of Jesus. We are halfway through our second RICE Post Graduate Studies (PGS) term with our preschool teachers. Our teachers have been taking a literature course and we had a few tell us that they felt convicted about reading to their children. One commented that she and her husband have taken away screentime; now their children read!

Something else we have implemented is celebrating work well done. The students were supposed to write a short descriptive essay. One of our teachers wrote about her undying love for cake! She was given the opportunity to read it in front of the rest of the cohort. Afterwards, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity. Oftentimes, the only attention that is given in government schools here is negative. I am grateful for being able to give these teachers positive experiences to associate with their own learning.

I am still teaching music to our PGS students, and that is another area where I have seen marked improvement. Please join me in thanking God for excitement our teachers are displaying towards learning this term and that they will keep it up!

Earlier this year some of our preschool teachers were new to the music curriculum, and thus very unsure of how to use it properly. I was able to observe a music class recently and was amazed by the confidence and joy that was expressed by the teacher, and by extension, her students! She was using tips that we had discussed in class and was able to communicate the curriculum with ease to her students. Please pray that our teachers will continue to strive for excellence in every area of their teaching .

Make a joyful noise!

A definite bright spot in my day is reading aloud to our RICE students. I read a chapter from Charlotte’s Web at the beginning of our day. One of our students made a connection between Fern saving Wilbur to Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. While not a perfect analogy, it is such a joy to hear our students digging deeply into rich literature. I was asked at the beginning of this school year to teach French to grades one through four. It is always amazing to me how God does not waste anything. Who knew high school French and a love of the language would come in so handy! Please pray that I will impart French to my students well, and that I can inspire wonder as we learn together .

French class

We now have a widows group from the Anglican church in Accra. They are in the midst of completing an order of batik products. They were able to hire an expert to help them learn how to make batik with excellence. Please join me in thanksgiving for these women who strive for excellence, and for all our widows to use the Rafiki Bible Study with zeal .

As we move into the end of the year and the Christmas season, I pray that you are encouraged by Psalm 24:7,10. “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in…Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!”Our Lord is here, and He reigns.

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P.S. From the Home Office: Anica presently has less than 50% of her funding needed for 2023.