Donna's English Class

Every afternoon at 2:00PM our house becomes an English classroom. It has been raining every day, so the kids are enjoying spending time at our home. We have had family visits during the day averaging about 100 per day! That calls for alot of tea and bananas!! We love it, but hit the pillow every night around 8:00PM!

New English Class

Upon arriving in Samagama on Saturday, Donna immediately went into the teaching mode! A new class of three and four year olds sat at her feet eagerly listening to stories from the new books that were lugged half way around the world! She has truly found her calling as the next generation has found their way to our home. The eight new students have all been born since Samagama was started 4 years ago. The older students patiently waited on our front porch and I had an opportunity to spend time with them hearing all the accomplishments of the last five months. They are on summer break so we will have a steady stream in and out of our home for the next month.
I got my first view of Nawa Jeevana Vocational Traing Center today and all the renovation work has now been completed and all that's lacking now are the students! Hopefully the paperwork will go smoothly and the staff can be identified in the next few weeks with classes beginning before we leave! Hopefully pictures can be attached later in the week. Blessings, David & Donna

Arrival in Sri Lanka

We arrived after 35 hours of travel and immediately crashed at the Hotel for a few needed hours of sleep. Thank you all for your prayers as we were able to take advantage of an entire row and stretch out on our flight to Dubai. We are heading down to Samagama this morning and will give you an update over the weekend. Blessings, David & Donna

Departure Date

Donna & I are in the process of packing for our return trip to Sri Lanka on Monday, August 17, 2009. We have met with several of our prayer partners and hope that you will join them in covering us with your prayers for the next month. All who have traveled know the stresses and details that must be attended to before and during travel times. The main objective of this trip is to get the new vocational training center staffed and operational. Please pray for our wisdom and discernment to see and select those people that God has chosen for this project. Also pray for our time in Samagama that we might continue to encourage those families that we have come to love. We look forward to giving you updates and sharing with you God's victories!

Spring 2009 Repairs Complete-Nawa Jeevana

Two years ago we were searching for a site to begin a new project to train the people in the larger area surrounding Samagama. A Sri Lankan approached us and told of a family facility that was no longer in operation and was owned by his relative now living in Chicago. This facility had been used by his family as an orphan's home but was closed when they moved to America. We met with the owner and he became excited with our idea to help train the people in basic vocational skills, such as English, computers, sewing, and small machine repairs and maintenance. After repairs and a fresh coat of paint the facility is now ready for staffing. We hope to become operational in the 4th quarter of 2009.