A Day to Celebrate
Love Help Teach Posted on Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 05:26AM By Alicia Jones
September 1st was probably just the start of a new month and a regular Saturday for many, but here in this quaint town in Western Ukraine it was the first day of school and everyone was celebrating its inauguration. School girls dressed in their white and blue clothes blew horns and sung as they walked through the city center.
I had the joy of spending the morning on the edge of town at the local school for the Roma community. Many of the beautiful faces I came to know this summer were gathered in the school courtyard to celebrate the new school year. Everyone was clean and looking their best.
The ceremony began with the national anthems of both Ukraine and Hungary. Then their were speeches in Ukrainian and Hungarian by various people: the mayor of the town, the school principal, visitors, local pastors who work with the Roma people and there were even a few words from an American because I was given the opportunity to address parents and children on this special day.
I shared that we hope to start a kindergarten at the church nearby to help better prepare children for school. The few teachers I talked with individually before the ceremony were so excited for this and expressed how great the need is for a kindergarten. Lord willing, New Life Kindergarten hopes to have an inauguration celebration on Monday, September 17. It will certainly be something to celebrate after so many have prayed for and dreamed of the opening of a kindergarten in this Roma community.
Reader Comments (1)
I knew it a little bit before but was still surprised to know that there is no kindergarten there at all. It is challenging to start a new one. The first thing came to my mind is to learn the teaching theories and practices systematically and gradually through a college program or something. But this might not be the case in a real world. Somehow you are able to do it in a special way. I am pretty sure about it. From this blog, I sensed how God initiated the project and work through you. Will continue to pray for you.