update!

Dear Friends,
This is just a quick note to catch you up on what has been going on for the last month and a half. It is so hard to believe how quickly time flies and how much has happened. Last time I wrote was right before Grandma and Grandpa arrived and I was helping Uncle Stirling and Aunty Donna get the house ready for them. They arrived August 19th with no problems and have been adjusting to life at the Ranch very well. (For those of you who would like more details about their trip and their life here I will include more in my official update, which will be coming in the next couple of weeks.) Since their arrival I have been back and forth from Lubango to the Ranch to help Aunty Donna with baking and cooking and taking Night Duty for her while they found a team of Angolans to help.
Apart from helping with the adjustments here at the Ranch as best I can, I have also been working to try and get the school going as soon as possible because I have some very anxious parents who would like their children in school now. The church leaders have been very supportive and been helping me as best they can get ready. They have mostly been away for the last month in meetings and conferences all over the country but they said that I can go ahead and make whatever arrangements I can while they have been away.
The exciting news is that the seminary where my mom works (ISTEL) has a classroom available and they said that it is no problem for us to rent it to use for the school for the time being. I took an official letter from the church to ISTEL a couple of weeks ago and the director told me last week that I can start whenever I would like to and they will work out the details when the Pastors are back from their meetings. They will need the classroom at the beginning of the next school year which begins in January, but it is at least a place to start.
I have had to help out at the Ranch this week so that Uncle Stirling and Aunty Donna and the family could go away for the week so I haven’t been in town to really get things going but my plan is to try and start school towards the end of next week. We won’t be doing much school work per say but we will be getting to know each other and figuring out how exactly it is going to work for the first few weeks.
I would really appreciate your prayers this week. I have a parent/teacher meeting with as many parents as can make it on Monday night. Then I will be setting up the classroom and finding materials and curriculum on Tuesday and Wednesday and I am hoping to be open on Thursday.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am that this dream is finally taking shape but there is still so much to do and I am feeling kind of overwhelmed by all the details. So if you would please pray for me to feel God’s peace and presence throughout these next few weeks that would be wonderful. I know that I cannot do it on my own and I am so thankful that the Lord is with me and will be helping me through it all. I am also so thankful that He has brought each one of you on my support team.
I will send pictures and a detailed letter and update in the next week or so.
Thank you once again for all your support. Once again please feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have. I love to hear from you.
In Him,
Helena Foster Fabiano