Liki School Project

Liki School Project

We awakened early on the morning December 8 – we were excited. We loaded up the truck with our stuff and headed over the mountains to Liki. Glenda, her husband Charles, and one of the other Liki teachers, and the two elders were waiting for us at the intersection of the Like Road and the main highway. Glenda, Charles, and the teacher climbed on the back of a motorcycle and lead the way; the elders piled in the truck with us and the stuff and we took off down the road to Liki. At first the road was paved, had nice bridges and seemed fine, but the farther we went, the narrower it became and the pavement soon changed to dirt and rocks. It was surprising to us how fast the motorcycle could go even carrying four adults. The truck went fine, but we were reluctant to go very fast since we didn’t know the road and there were occasional high rocks in the center of the road. We did ford one creek, but the water was low and slow, nothing like the first trip!
When we arrived at the school, the other teachers, some parents and all the students were waiting for us. They had decorated a little stage and planned a program of singing and dancing to welcome us. It was delightful. One of the highlights was an opening prayer that a group of children chanted with hand and arm actions. Every class had prepared a couple of songs or dances. They were wonderful. Then they asked me to say a few words – which I did. After the closing prayer, we set up the tables in an empty classroom and then unloaded all the supplies and books. The teachers were so thrilled. Then they lined up the children and walked them through to see. What a treat that was for us…to see their excitement and eagerness to learn. Things like a microscope, pliers, a level, magnifying glasses were totally new to them and one of the teachers walked with them to explain a little bit. We had taken four globes – one for each classroom – and they generated a lot of interest too.
After taking many pictures, visiting with all and thanking them for the delightful program, we headed out – very grateful for the opportunity to do such a project.