Oct. 2023

Dear Friends,

For the first time, both the Kooyers Primary School (Ambunti) and the Kesu Primary (Oum village) have grade 8 classes. At the end of the year students will be required to pass 4 days of exams before they can be accepted to grades 9 and 10.  The educational system in PNG has these nationwide exams first at grade 8, then again at grades 10 and 12 and each time only those with the highest scores can continue on to higher education.

親愛的朋友們，

安布恩提的庫耶爾小學和歐烏姆村的可蘇小學首次開設 8 年級班級。 年底，學生們依規定要通過四天的考試，然後才能進入9 年級和10 年級。在新幾內亞的教育系統裡，首次會考是在8 年級，然後是在10 年級和12 年級。每次會考，只有那些得分在尖端的人才能繼續接受高等教育。

Anxious parents look to the future and desire that their children succeed and advance educationally, therefore each day they stop their normal activities to in some way support their sons and daughters. Also, while these exams take place, others in the community try not to schedule any events and even midweek church activities get canceled.

焦慮的父母寄望於未來，希望他們的孩子考試順利並在教育上更上層樓，因此他們在會考期間停止例行的活動，這算是他們支持兒女的方式。此外，在會考期間，社區中的其他人盡量不安排任何活動，甚至周間的教會活動也取消了。

The eight teachers who work at the Kooyers Primary school with 290+ students also want to see the students excel in the exams as through the years they have taught many of these students.  The early grades begin with the greatest student numbers and in grade 8 this year it started with 25 but 7 students transferred when their parents moved.

庫耶爾小學有兩百九十多名學生，八位老師們這幾年來也教過大多數這次的考生，他們也期待這些考生這次考試能取得優異成績。低年級的學生人數總是最多，今年的八年級班當初入學時班上有25名學生，至今已有7名學生隨著父母搬家而轉學。

PIM teachers have an important role in preparing, molding, and instructing these young people. A visitor starting from the earliest grade could hear the difference in depth and complexity when progressing from class by class to the higher grades.   At our PIM schools each of the lower grades use curriculum produced by the mission which is in Melanesian Tok Pisin. This bridges to English when the higher grades use the curriculum provided by the Department of Education as well as other literature published by the mission for Christian education. Not all students come from Christian homes, thus significantly the essential truths of God’s Word can be heard daily by every student.

PIM的教師們身負對莘莘學子傳道、授業、解惑之責。訪客從最低的年級，一班接一班往更高年級的班級去聽課的話，可以感受課程的深度及難度隨之增加。在我們PIM的學校，低年級使用宣教機構出版的美拉尼西亞皮欽語教材。到了高年級可以銜接教育部出版的英語教材及其他宣教機構出版的基督教教育用書。並非所有的孩子都來自基督教家庭，因此讓每個學生每日能聽到上的話語的基要真理極為重要。

It is well to note that two teachers in particular, Samuel Vitus and his wife Priscilla (Kasen) have made it possible for PIM’s sponsored school at Ambunti to have the grade 8 class. Priscilla came first to work as the principal when there were only 7 grades at the PIM school and then this year her husband joined the staff at Ambunti allowing grade 8 to be added.  Both met at the same teachers college in the highlands of PNG, then graduated and began working in schools of the highlands continuing there for almost twelve years. PIM rejoices that they now both can be with us in Ambunti.

特別是撒母耳‧維圖斯與他的妻子普希拉（卡森）兩位教師，他們是促成PIM在安布恩提開辦的學校產生八年級班級的主力。先是普希拉來擔任校長，那時只有七個年級。今年，她的夫婿加入我們在安布恩提的團隊，讓我們可以增加到八年級。兩人在新幾內亞高地的同一所師範院校就讀時結識，畢業之後在高地的學校服務將近十二年。很高興他們現在都和我們一起在安布恩提共事。

Apply your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
  Proverbs 23:12

你要留心領受訓誨，
側耳聽從知識的言語。---箴言23:12

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.

感謝您忠心的代禱與支持

Yours in Christ,

主內

Douglas Heidema

道格拉斯‧海德瑪