Today was the first day of school at Faith Academy International, the school Andrew attends, and where Dan teaches. I’m still not used to school starting in early August, and the first day of school always gets me in the mood for Fall. Crunchy red and orange leaves on the ground, pumpkin desserts, and frosty mornings. However, as most of you know, the first day of school here looks very similar to the last day before Christmas vacation, and the first day of Spring Break. Hot.

As Andrew enters 10th Grade, Dan will start another round of Wood Shop/Construction classes. In addition, he will be teaching an Introduction to Woodwind Instruments class to the middle school two afternoons a week for the first term. This year will start off with the students choosing a “medium” sized project such as a desk, surfboard, etc. No cutting boards, but no houses either, which was last year’s project. Not yet anyways. 🙂
Last year, Dan’s class of 6-9 high school kids tackled a project that very few high school kids can claim they have been involved in. With materials donated by a local church, they built two simple houses for families who lost theirs in Typhoon Pablo the year before. The panels and supports were all constructed in the school work area, and then when it was time to raise the walls, the pieces were loaded on a truck belonging to Biosand Filters Philippines, and assembled on site. Close to 20 students joined on two different trips, the second was incorporated as part of an Easter outreach in Baganga.

The bottom line is, two families were blessed with housing through this project. But, a handful of students were blessed as well, with an opportunity to serve and an opportunity to bless others, all while learning new skills. While the class is starting “small” this year, who knows how it will end!