Monday, June 30, 2014
Take Action
Hello Friends,
Crazy to think that I began my student missionary year to Pohnpei two years ago! While I am physically not in Pohnpei these days, my heart is. I'll go more into that in a bit.
I recently took a summer class called Cross-Cultural Communications. This class taught me that visiting other cultures and performing mission work takes more thought than we think. Meaning that, although people desire to help other countries in need, many times that "help" ends up having a negative impact. Imagine if you will a fruit tree. Naturally the tree will provide fruit, but as we all know every tree has roots. Here is the analogy. Many organizations will go to places to fix a fruit problem such as sickness or constructing new buildings, but what really needs to be fixed are the root problems such as access to education and finding ways to live sustainably.
While I was in Pohnpei, I noticed a root problem. Lack of health education. Disease, sickness, and death rates are increasing due to an unhealthy lifestyle choices. James 2:16 says, “If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” Here is my taking action plan to help eliminate the lack of health education on Pohnpei. (Let me note, this is an assignment for a class, but hopefully one day it takes action!)
With 30,000 USD given each year throughout the course of three years, I will establish a wellness center. The wellness center will bring awareness to the health issues and educate the locals on how to live a healthy life. Fitness and agricultural/gardening classes will be offered. 5k-runs and health expos will become a regular event.
The first year I am in Pohnpei I will focus on relationship building, gaining the trust of the locals, assessing their needs, and building and equipping the wellness center. Also, I will be looking for educated locals to teach and manage the center. The second year, the wellness center will kick off the opening of its doors with a 5k-run/ health expo. This will introduce the locals on what this new center is about and hopefully inspire them to become a member. The third year, I will evaluate how the wellness center is performing and see what changes could be made to
Saturday, March 2, 2013
God Gave Me Both
Has it really been 1 month since I have last written to you all? wow time sure does fly. I hope you all are happy and well. Lets get to this bloggin!
As of the lates, I have been feeling like I am never, ever going to get off this island. I am tired. I am an 80 year old trapped inside a 21 year old body. Dramatic much? Yeah, I guess. They work us hard over here. I had my first dream about going home last night. I even put away a few things in my suitcase. I get butterflies and spurts of excitement when I think about flying away. My naturally bubbly self has been overcome by tiredness. I am usually a positive person that focuses on pretty, happy things. Lately, it takes too much energy that I don't have to do that.
Luckily, I remember that I am tremendously blessed. I am in a beautiful place and I have made lifelong friends. I love my 17 headaches of children. I do. My friend here says I glow when I am with them. I like that because my heart glows too. So even with all the drama of administration and 20 college students that see each other every day, I live in a beautiful place with beautiful people. God has given me challenges and blessings at the same time. God gave me both.
I missed writing you guys in February. Being that Pohnpei doesn't get on the news often, I am guessing you missed hearing that we were in a drought for a week in February. Yep, the second rainiest place on earth was in a drought. Pohnpei relies heavily on the rainfall. We didn't get rain for one week which means no water pressure. No showers, no doing dishes, no flushing the toilet. I was roughin it up by taking bucket showers and letting my pile of dishes just build up. In the States, schools have snow days. In Pohnpei, schools have drought days. School on Valentines Day was cancelled due to the fact that we couldn't flush our toilets. What teacher wants to deal with kids who have to go but cannot? Not this one:)
I went camping on an outer island the other weekend. This island had nothing manmade on it. It was small, filled with palm trees and dropping coconuts. The water was crystal clear. We sang songs around the campfire and slept in the jungle. My friends and I snorkeled to a beachy island that was neighbors with our camp. I always seem to miss seeing the sharks and string rays, but other people saw them. I laid out under the sun, got burnt from the sun, and then laid under it some more. My favorite memory from this camping trip was paddle boarding. Sunday morning I woke up early to watch the sunrise while most everyone else slept in. The ocean was mysteriously calm, so my friend and I took out the boards. We paddled a ways away and laid out on the boards. The sun was still rising, the water was warm and clear, and the main island looked giant and beautiful from my board. It was one of those peaceful moments that you have with just you and the sea. Sometimes I feel far away from American life, but being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean definitely has a good life as well.
3 more months to go on this big, gorgeous island. 3 more months with the kiddos. 3 more months of endless hugs and back rubs from them. 3 more months of spontaneous moments in the classroom. 3 more months of being a teacher, mom, and friend to classroom 16. 3 more months, but a lifetime to cherish them.
Thank you for your love and prayers. It means the world.
Island love.
As of the lates, I have been feeling like I am never, ever going to get off this island. I am tired. I am an 80 year old trapped inside a 21 year old body. Dramatic much? Yeah, I guess. They work us hard over here. I had my first dream about going home last night. I even put away a few things in my suitcase. I get butterflies and spurts of excitement when I think about flying away. My naturally bubbly self has been overcome by tiredness. I am usually a positive person that focuses on pretty, happy things. Lately, it takes too much energy that I don't have to do that.
Luckily, I remember that I am tremendously blessed. I am in a beautiful place and I have made lifelong friends. I love my 17 headaches of children. I do. My friend here says I glow when I am with them. I like that because my heart glows too. So even with all the drama of administration and 20 college students that see each other every day, I live in a beautiful place with beautiful people. God has given me challenges and blessings at the same time. God gave me both.
I missed writing you guys in February. Being that Pohnpei doesn't get on the news often, I am guessing you missed hearing that we were in a drought for a week in February. Yep, the second rainiest place on earth was in a drought. Pohnpei relies heavily on the rainfall. We didn't get rain for one week which means no water pressure. No showers, no doing dishes, no flushing the toilet. I was roughin it up by taking bucket showers and letting my pile of dishes just build up. In the States, schools have snow days. In Pohnpei, schools have drought days. School on Valentines Day was cancelled due to the fact that we couldn't flush our toilets. What teacher wants to deal with kids who have to go but cannot? Not this one:)
I went camping on an outer island the other weekend. This island had nothing manmade on it. It was small, filled with palm trees and dropping coconuts. The water was crystal clear. We sang songs around the campfire and slept in the jungle. My friends and I snorkeled to a beachy island that was neighbors with our camp. I always seem to miss seeing the sharks and string rays, but other people saw them. I laid out under the sun, got burnt from the sun, and then laid under it some more. My favorite memory from this camping trip was paddle boarding. Sunday morning I woke up early to watch the sunrise while most everyone else slept in. The ocean was mysteriously calm, so my friend and I took out the boards. We paddled a ways away and laid out on the boards. The sun was still rising, the water was warm and clear, and the main island looked giant and beautiful from my board. It was one of those peaceful moments that you have with just you and the sea. Sometimes I feel far away from American life, but being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean definitely has a good life as well.
3 more months to go on this big, gorgeous island. 3 more months with the kiddos. 3 more months of endless hugs and back rubs from them. 3 more months of spontaneous moments in the classroom. 3 more months of being a teacher, mom, and friend to classroom 16. 3 more months, but a lifetime to cherish them.
Thank you for your love and prayers. It means the world.
Island love.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Smiles for All
Hey Y'all! It's that time where I write to you again and tell you about my Pohnpei adventures. I hope all is going well for you guys wherever you may be. Please get comfy and enjoy!
January has been a great start to the year. I began teaching again, knowing that I am more than half way done. 4 more months people! This makes me think about going home and what that is going to be like. It also makes me think about leaving my kids. I feel a lot more confident this quarter in the classroom. I have my crazy, wacky, animated teaching style down. It is so much fun trying to explain what words like "compare" mean, but what is even more fun than that is hearing a child say, "oh I get it now!" The best.
This week I had a great "Jesus moment" at Bible time. I told them the parable of the lost sheep. I had them close their eyes and imagine 5 sheep, 30 sheep, 60 sheep, 100 SHEEP, and then I told them that God knows every person, loves every person. It was a special, quiet, focused moment(these moments are hard to get sometimes). Then after praying little, smiley Norman raises his hand and said, "teacher when we were praying I imagined 100 sheep." These kids are killing me with their cute faces and happy comments. I love them.
On Saturdays we will occasionally do an outreach ministry. This month we went to the hospital to sing. It is easy to sing in a big group, split up and pray, then move on and not realize that you are a blessing these people. On this particular Sabbath we were singing and a lady came up to us and put lotion on each of us. This is very meaningful in Pohnpei. It is a way of humbling themselves and saying thank you. It reminded me that God uses us even when we are unaware of it sometimes. Yesterday, we went to a village to sing and color with children. I was singing "Father Abraham" with the children and they were cracking up. Big, hardy, joyful laughter! I have sang this song countless times since being here, but yesterday I could not be more happier singing it with kids who were having so much fun.
As of the lates, I have been cooking. No, not just macaroni & cheese. Actual, healthy cooking! (See mom, I told you there was hope for me one day) My friend and I have been making scrumptious meals such as eggplant, salads, homemade bread, and stirfry. It has been so much fun to turn the music on and loose myself in cooking and the occasional smoke. One challenging thing on this island has been eating healthy. The first couple of months my diet consisted of pop-tarts, mac & cheese and pancakes. Woo. Finally, after 5 months I have learned how to eat right here. Anyways, I can probably make you something special and delicious when I get back. Just ask;)
Well folks, not too much else has been happening. I think about you all often and I am so happy to have friends and family who support me. It means the world. I love you all!
Island love.
January has been a great start to the year. I began teaching again, knowing that I am more than half way done. 4 more months people! This makes me think about going home and what that is going to be like. It also makes me think about leaving my kids. I feel a lot more confident this quarter in the classroom. I have my crazy, wacky, animated teaching style down. It is so much fun trying to explain what words like "compare" mean, but what is even more fun than that is hearing a child say, "oh I get it now!" The best.
This week I had a great "Jesus moment" at Bible time. I told them the parable of the lost sheep. I had them close their eyes and imagine 5 sheep, 30 sheep, 60 sheep, 100 SHEEP, and then I told them that God knows every person, loves every person. It was a special, quiet, focused moment(these moments are hard to get sometimes). Then after praying little, smiley Norman raises his hand and said, "teacher when we were praying I imagined 100 sheep." These kids are killing me with their cute faces and happy comments. I love them.
On Saturdays we will occasionally do an outreach ministry. This month we went to the hospital to sing. It is easy to sing in a big group, split up and pray, then move on and not realize that you are a blessing these people. On this particular Sabbath we were singing and a lady came up to us and put lotion on each of us. This is very meaningful in Pohnpei. It is a way of humbling themselves and saying thank you. It reminded me that God uses us even when we are unaware of it sometimes. Yesterday, we went to a village to sing and color with children. I was singing "Father Abraham" with the children and they were cracking up. Big, hardy, joyful laughter! I have sang this song countless times since being here, but yesterday I could not be more happier singing it with kids who were having so much fun.
As of the lates, I have been cooking. No, not just macaroni & cheese. Actual, healthy cooking! (See mom, I told you there was hope for me one day) My friend and I have been making scrumptious meals such as eggplant, salads, homemade bread, and stirfry. It has been so much fun to turn the music on and loose myself in cooking and the occasional smoke. One challenging thing on this island has been eating healthy. The first couple of months my diet consisted of pop-tarts, mac & cheese and pancakes. Woo. Finally, after 5 months I have learned how to eat right here. Anyways, I can probably make you something special and delicious when I get back. Just ask;)
Well folks, not too much else has been happening. I think about you all often and I am so happy to have friends and family who support me. It means the world. I love you all!
Island love.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy 2013!
Hey to all of you! We are now living in 2013. CRAZY.
It has been a little while since I have caught you all up on life on the island. I hope you all are comfy cozy because I have some stories to share.
Lets start off with the last week of school before Christmas break. This week was full of adrenaline and sleeping pills for me. I had so many last minute things to do for the Charlie Brown Christmas play and I was pretty stressed out. Luckily, Mrs. Airens, my teaching aid, took charge of my class so that I could run around and do all my director duties. I was in and out of my classroom, decorating the gym, rehearsing with the actors, and figuring out lights and sound. WHEW. Just thinking about it makes me wonder how I managed to stay sane. I had lifesaver friends to help me out. Play rehearsal was rough. Getting the choir off and on the stage and telling my actors when to go on stage was quite the chore. The play day came and I tried my best to remain calm. Now I know all of you are wondering how it went right?!...everything went wrong!
No, I am totally kidding. It could not have gone more perfectly and smoothly. The actors did great and had fun on stage. The different choirs transitioned on and off stage quickly and sang loudly. There was one moment where we realized our charlie brown christmas tree was missing and we had to make another one real fast. I could not believe how perfectly the program went. I wish you all could have been there. You would have seen one proud director. Thank you for all you best wishes!!
Christmas break was a nice, long, slow, relaxing, boring, fun, adventurous break. My body went into shut down mode for the first couple of days. Going from insanely busy to nothing to do at all meant it was time to sleep. So I did. The first week I explored downtown Kolonia. You can probably do it in 30 minutes but somehow we dragged it out. Our surfers went surfing a lot. Campus was extra quiet. At times it was a bit lonely and other times it was exciting. On actual Christmas day I was a bit down. I skyped my folks and may have teared up on them. Luckily, they were there to encourage me and remind me on why I am here. Christmas dinner was a different story and I don't think I have ever eaten so much in one day. We went two dinners and it is extremely disrespectful to not load up your plate. Boy was I glad to be wearing a loose skirt;)
New years eve is where it is at over here! Nothing starts happening until midnight. At 12:00 we dropped our own created ball off the balcony. It was decked out in christmas lights. Who needs New Yorks when we can make our own? Then, we jumped into our trucks; drove around town throwing water balloons at people and banging on our metal drum. Yes, this is what everyone does for 2 hours. I came back drenched.
Today was my first day back teaching. I was beyond excited to see my children again and hear about their break. Although break was much needed, I didn't feel very needed without the kiddos. I am very happy to be back with them. 5 months down, 5 more to go.
I wish you all the happiest start to 2013. Leave a comment if you wish. I love you all!!
Love from Pohnpei.
P.S. Thank you for all the packages. I received Christmas cards that are now hanging on my fridge, supplies and goodies for the kids, and yummy food. Your unceasing thoughts and support will always warm my heart.
It has been a little while since I have caught you all up on life on the island. I hope you all are comfy cozy because I have some stories to share.
Lets start off with the last week of school before Christmas break. This week was full of adrenaline and sleeping pills for me. I had so many last minute things to do for the Charlie Brown Christmas play and I was pretty stressed out. Luckily, Mrs. Airens, my teaching aid, took charge of my class so that I could run around and do all my director duties. I was in and out of my classroom, decorating the gym, rehearsing with the actors, and figuring out lights and sound. WHEW. Just thinking about it makes me wonder how I managed to stay sane. I had lifesaver friends to help me out. Play rehearsal was rough. Getting the choir off and on the stage and telling my actors when to go on stage was quite the chore. The play day came and I tried my best to remain calm. Now I know all of you are wondering how it went right?!...everything went wrong!
No, I am totally kidding. It could not have gone more perfectly and smoothly. The actors did great and had fun on stage. The different choirs transitioned on and off stage quickly and sang loudly. There was one moment where we realized our charlie brown christmas tree was missing and we had to make another one real fast. I could not believe how perfectly the program went. I wish you all could have been there. You would have seen one proud director. Thank you for all you best wishes!!
Christmas break was a nice, long, slow, relaxing, boring, fun, adventurous break. My body went into shut down mode for the first couple of days. Going from insanely busy to nothing to do at all meant it was time to sleep. So I did. The first week I explored downtown Kolonia. You can probably do it in 30 minutes but somehow we dragged it out. Our surfers went surfing a lot. Campus was extra quiet. At times it was a bit lonely and other times it was exciting. On actual Christmas day I was a bit down. I skyped my folks and may have teared up on them. Luckily, they were there to encourage me and remind me on why I am here. Christmas dinner was a different story and I don't think I have ever eaten so much in one day. We went two dinners and it is extremely disrespectful to not load up your plate. Boy was I glad to be wearing a loose skirt;)
New years eve is where it is at over here! Nothing starts happening until midnight. At 12:00 we dropped our own created ball off the balcony. It was decked out in christmas lights. Who needs New Yorks when we can make our own? Then, we jumped into our trucks; drove around town throwing water balloons at people and banging on our metal drum. Yes, this is what everyone does for 2 hours. I came back drenched.
Today was my first day back teaching. I was beyond excited to see my children again and hear about their break. Although break was much needed, I didn't feel very needed without the kiddos. I am very happy to be back with them. 5 months down, 5 more to go.
I wish you all the happiest start to 2013. Leave a comment if you wish. I love you all!!
Love from Pohnpei.
P.S. Thank you for all the packages. I received Christmas cards that are now hanging on my fridge, supplies and goodies for the kids, and yummy food. Your unceasing thoughts and support will always warm my heart.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Diagnosed with a Case of Island Fever
I haven't been able to write lately because I am burnt out. We all know the feeling of having so many things on our plates that when we finally get some free time all we want to do is sit. Sit and stare. That's how it has been for me.
Directing the Charlie Brown Christmas play has added a lot to my plate. I have never done anything like this before so it is a learning adventure. There is a line in this play where Charlie says, "I don't know anything about directing a christmas play." Oh Charlie, I know exactly how you feel. It scares me to think that this play depends on 7 through 14 year olds. Sure, I can tell them where to stand, never turn their backs to the audience, and use big expressions, but it is up to them to memorize their lines. Yeah, it has been stressful, but they are starting to pull it together and I am very pleased with our lead roles.
My days lately consist of the littles jumping on me and clinging to me for seven hours. If I had a personal bubble before here, it is FAR gone. At 3:00p.m I leave a dirty classroom to head straight over to play practice where those kids talk over me and mean Ms. Williams says, "Really? I have been with 2nd graders all day and they listen better than you" yes, my patience is on the verge of breaking. Right after play practice I work on props until about 8:00p.m. There is not once a sit down break for even 5 minutes in this day. This day is long. On Thursday my body finally had had enough and after practice I could barely talk to anyone. I went in my room and locked myself in there for about 4 hours. I needed peace. I needed quiet. I needed God.
Luckily, I have one more week and then it is break time. I am really excited for the Christmas play too! I will be sure to film it on more than one camera( just in case) because I would love for you all to see it someday.
I have been needing to look for the positives here lately. Routine has definitely set in and I think I have a small case of island fever. The kids are ready for a break and teachers are ready for a break. I can't imagine being off this island right now, even if I want to be. Sometimes it is very hard to be here. Most days are days that test my patience. Sometimes I have thoughts that I shouldn't be dealing with kids not listening and parents getting upset. They are selfish to think they can walk all over a person who doesn't have to be here. Really, I am the selfish one. God calls us to places for a reason. We must have faith in Him.
One of my students said to me this week, "Ms. I am going to miss you over break." A simple saying by a little girl, yet it warmed my heart. This was God's touch of encouragement. My little boy Alex calls me mommy and I have stopped saying I am teacher. He is a lovey dovey, always wanting my arms around him. Sometimes I will stop what I am doing, especially if I am busy, and just give him a long hug. This is God's touch of encouragement.
I have the awesome opportunity to explain what faith is to my children and tell them stories about my childhood and family. It brings me comfort and makes me feel that I am not too far away from home. Through all the stress I deal with here, I receive so much love. I am blessed.
I hope you are all wonderful. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. They mean so much to me. I love you all.
Sending over some island love.
"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
Directing the Charlie Brown Christmas play has added a lot to my plate. I have never done anything like this before so it is a learning adventure. There is a line in this play where Charlie says, "I don't know anything about directing a christmas play." Oh Charlie, I know exactly how you feel. It scares me to think that this play depends on 7 through 14 year olds. Sure, I can tell them where to stand, never turn their backs to the audience, and use big expressions, but it is up to them to memorize their lines. Yeah, it has been stressful, but they are starting to pull it together and I am very pleased with our lead roles.
My days lately consist of the littles jumping on me and clinging to me for seven hours. If I had a personal bubble before here, it is FAR gone. At 3:00p.m I leave a dirty classroom to head straight over to play practice where those kids talk over me and mean Ms. Williams says, "Really? I have been with 2nd graders all day and they listen better than you" yes, my patience is on the verge of breaking. Right after play practice I work on props until about 8:00p.m. There is not once a sit down break for even 5 minutes in this day. This day is long. On Thursday my body finally had had enough and after practice I could barely talk to anyone. I went in my room and locked myself in there for about 4 hours. I needed peace. I needed quiet. I needed God.
Luckily, I have one more week and then it is break time. I am really excited for the Christmas play too! I will be sure to film it on more than one camera( just in case) because I would love for you all to see it someday.
I have been needing to look for the positives here lately. Routine has definitely set in and I think I have a small case of island fever. The kids are ready for a break and teachers are ready for a break. I can't imagine being off this island right now, even if I want to be. Sometimes it is very hard to be here. Most days are days that test my patience. Sometimes I have thoughts that I shouldn't be dealing with kids not listening and parents getting upset. They are selfish to think they can walk all over a person who doesn't have to be here. Really, I am the selfish one. God calls us to places for a reason. We must have faith in Him.
One of my students said to me this week, "Ms. I am going to miss you over break." A simple saying by a little girl, yet it warmed my heart. This was God's touch of encouragement. My little boy Alex calls me mommy and I have stopped saying I am teacher. He is a lovey dovey, always wanting my arms around him. Sometimes I will stop what I am doing, especially if I am busy, and just give him a long hug. This is God's touch of encouragement.
I have the awesome opportunity to explain what faith is to my children and tell them stories about my childhood and family. It brings me comfort and makes me feel that I am not too far away from home. Through all the stress I deal with here, I receive so much love. I am blessed.
I hope you are all wonderful. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers. They mean so much to me. I love you all.
Sending over some island love.
"We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving family and friends! I love this beautiful holiday filled with loved ones and scrumptious food. Although, I am far away from many loved ones, I feel so blessed to have another family here.
I told you all last time that I decided to stay home for the weekend instead of going to Ant island. That weekend I ran a 5k that promoted health and wellness. I woke up bright and early and ran the race with my friend Kenny. Kenny and I ended up getting first place for boys and girls. I got 4th over all(I was pretty proud of myself) and I ran 3 miles under 30 minutes. Woohoo. We had no idea that our first place prize would be so great. We got a fan. A fan people! Any person on a island of heat and humidity would be stoked and on top of that we got a gift card to our grocery store. That was a good day.
The next week of school was down right rough. These kids need to be introduced to the RESPECT song. Seriously. I am still learning patience and reliance on God. There are some days that I feel mean and unfit to be a teacher. Then I remember that God did call me here and I choose to trust in His plan. A lot of times people say to one another that God won't give people more than they can handle. I have come to disagree with this reassurance. I am 20 years old and responsible for 17 kids that like to run around like monkeys. This is too much for me handle. The only way I can do this is through God. I believe God gives humans things that are too much to handle so that we must rely on Him. All things are possible through Christ who gives us strength.
This last weekend was quite eventful. Saturday we went to church further away in our big van. On the way back home the van decided to give up on the hills and we all had to get out and walk. This is what you get in Pohnpei. I enjoyed my nice Sabbath walk picking Plumerias. My apartment got a little puppy that day too. My teacher aids dog had some puppies and we wanted one for ourselves. We need him Paliker and he is the cutest one month old pup. Later in the afternoon we visited the hospital to sing and pray over the sick. I always feel so close to Jesus when I pray for the new friends I make in the hospital.
On Sunday the girls decided to have a girls day. We took off in the big yellow truck without a destination in mind. We just wanted to get off campus and experience the island. We ended up at the docks were all the big ships live. We wanted to take a look at the Hawaiian science research ship that was here for the weekend. The security guards gave us badges that said we were allowed to be on dock and we felt pretty important. Lets just say this puppy did us good(we brought him on our adventure) two men from the research ship offered a tour on board. We were stoked! This crew had been on sea for 30 days doing some "research" in the Mariana Trench. After a nice tour we said our thanks and left. Later we went to the Village for dinner. Now let me pause here and say rumor was that James Cameron the director of Titanic and Avatar was on Pohnpei to film a documentary on giant squids. Well, turns out James Cameron likes to eat at the Village too. We decided that there was no way we could not ask for a picture. Kate and myself went up to where he was sitting and asked. I got a picture with James Cameron with his arm around me. By the way, we later realized that the ship we just toured was the one James was on filming squids in the Mariana Trench. Its a long story that I would love to tell so ask me when I get back if you would like to hear it.
This Thanksgiving week has been better. The kids really do pick random days to behave and misbehave. You just never know what you're going to get that day. Today we made Indian hats and had a feast with the 3rd graders. There was an abundance of food. Fruit, rice, chicken, and plenty of desserts. The day was over before I knew it. Tonight we are having a feast with everyone. We(and when I say we I mean everyone else in my apartment) has spent the day baking and cooking. I spent it rearranging my room and sleeping. Tomorrow the sm's decided to have our own small Thanksgiving dinner since our famalies were so thoughtful to send us packages full of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin mix.
I am thankful for my family, new friends and old friends, and most of all that Jesus has placed me on this beautiful island.
Thank you to everyone who has sent me packages! I got an abundance of school supplies from my church's bible study group and some lovely treats from my grandparents, and goodies from my parents. THANK YOU! I love you all.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I told you all last time that I decided to stay home for the weekend instead of going to Ant island. That weekend I ran a 5k that promoted health and wellness. I woke up bright and early and ran the race with my friend Kenny. Kenny and I ended up getting first place for boys and girls. I got 4th over all(I was pretty proud of myself) and I ran 3 miles under 30 minutes. Woohoo. We had no idea that our first place prize would be so great. We got a fan. A fan people! Any person on a island of heat and humidity would be stoked and on top of that we got a gift card to our grocery store. That was a good day.
The next week of school was down right rough. These kids need to be introduced to the RESPECT song. Seriously. I am still learning patience and reliance on God. There are some days that I feel mean and unfit to be a teacher. Then I remember that God did call me here and I choose to trust in His plan. A lot of times people say to one another that God won't give people more than they can handle. I have come to disagree with this reassurance. I am 20 years old and responsible for 17 kids that like to run around like monkeys. This is too much for me handle. The only way I can do this is through God. I believe God gives humans things that are too much to handle so that we must rely on Him. All things are possible through Christ who gives us strength.
This last weekend was quite eventful. Saturday we went to church further away in our big van. On the way back home the van decided to give up on the hills and we all had to get out and walk. This is what you get in Pohnpei. I enjoyed my nice Sabbath walk picking Plumerias. My apartment got a little puppy that day too. My teacher aids dog had some puppies and we wanted one for ourselves. We need him Paliker and he is the cutest one month old pup. Later in the afternoon we visited the hospital to sing and pray over the sick. I always feel so close to Jesus when I pray for the new friends I make in the hospital.
On Sunday the girls decided to have a girls day. We took off in the big yellow truck without a destination in mind. We just wanted to get off campus and experience the island. We ended up at the docks were all the big ships live. We wanted to take a look at the Hawaiian science research ship that was here for the weekend. The security guards gave us badges that said we were allowed to be on dock and we felt pretty important. Lets just say this puppy did us good(we brought him on our adventure) two men from the research ship offered a tour on board. We were stoked! This crew had been on sea for 30 days doing some "research" in the Mariana Trench. After a nice tour we said our thanks and left. Later we went to the Village for dinner. Now let me pause here and say rumor was that James Cameron the director of Titanic and Avatar was on Pohnpei to film a documentary on giant squids. Well, turns out James Cameron likes to eat at the Village too. We decided that there was no way we could not ask for a picture. Kate and myself went up to where he was sitting and asked. I got a picture with James Cameron with his arm around me. By the way, we later realized that the ship we just toured was the one James was on filming squids in the Mariana Trench. Its a long story that I would love to tell so ask me when I get back if you would like to hear it.
This Thanksgiving week has been better. The kids really do pick random days to behave and misbehave. You just never know what you're going to get that day. Today we made Indian hats and had a feast with the 3rd graders. There was an abundance of food. Fruit, rice, chicken, and plenty of desserts. The day was over before I knew it. Tonight we are having a feast with everyone. We(and when I say we I mean everyone else in my apartment) has spent the day baking and cooking. I spent it rearranging my room and sleeping. Tomorrow the sm's decided to have our own small Thanksgiving dinner since our famalies were so thoughtful to send us packages full of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin mix.
I am thankful for my family, new friends and old friends, and most of all that Jesus has placed me on this beautiful island.
Thank you to everyone who has sent me packages! I got an abundance of school supplies from my church's bible study group and some lovely treats from my grandparents, and goodies from my parents. THANK YOU! I love you all.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Love to Love
Hello friends and family!
There is a little girl named Zamara here that loves to hug, jump, and hang on you. She is a smart girl but has trouble staying focused and still. Sometimes in P.E she'll come sit on my lap and I'll hold her for a long time. I love the long, cozy, meaningful hugs with someone you care about. This last week she gave me a big bear hug and as I was holding her she looked up at me with the most worried eyes and said "I am going to miss you when you leave."I reminded her that I am not leaving anytime soon but she persisted that when the next teacher comes she is going to miss me. This tugged at the strings of my heart. I have such a great opportunity to love these children and I am so happy to do that.
Sometimes people like to skip over the ugly things in this world and pretend they don't happen. I know I say a lot of wonderful, happy things on this blog because there is a lot of wonderful, happy things here. But there is also the ugly side. The side where it is okay for parents to beat their children. Nothing can be said or done if we find out. This breaks my heart. Many of my kids come from broken homes, but you'll find that everywhere and anywhere you go. I feel so blessed to love these kids and I do with my whole heart. Sometimes it scares me how much they pay attention to what I say or how I react to a situation. I can get frustrated in the classroom and that's a natural, normal feeling, but it is how I choose to respond to it that matters.
My happiest moments in my class is our Jesus talks. I never plan for our morning worship, but they turn out to be the best conversations. One day I was telling them how I like to picture myself kneeling before God when I pray. I said this just as a passing thought. The next day after morning prayer Caitlin excitingly raised her hand and said, "Ms. I pictured God in front of me when we prayed!" Jesus speaks through me to talk to these children. I love that I am His tool for classroom 16.
We had a three day school week this last week. It was lovely. My students were their typical ball of energy selves and there were head on the desk moments. I can't forget the moments of Mekyva cleaning my entire classroom at recess. I get such a comfort out of people cleaning my classroom. The best thing I can relate it to is the feeling of someone playing with your hair. There was the moment of telling my kids that we were going to chapel and they jumped on me with joy. Literally, they tackled me with excitement. If you could peek into our class you guys would probably either be horrified at the sight or laugh your heads off. On this campus, kids can get wild and teachers can get crazy. At first it shocked me how different things run here compared to the typical American schools. I embrace it now.
On Thursday was our first school fair. I set up a bowling booth. It was fun for the first hour but it was pretty exhausting setting up the pins every minute. Eventually, I had some kind-hearted boys help run the booth. There was a sponge toss booth that all the teachers took a turn at allowing kids to through wet sponges at their face. I took some pretty hard-core throws. Most of all, there was a lot of candy. I may have got hungry and filled up with that instead of real food. Oops. After the fair we were all wiped out.
This weekend most of the student missionaries are on the outter island of Ant. Ant is a beautiful island with sand. Sand! We don't have sand on the main island. I decided to stay back. Although, I really want to experience Ant I needed some alone time. Since I have started this journey with the 20 others we have been together pretty much non-stop. I am just one of those people that need to recharge with some quiet, alone time. Bryanna and Cierra are sick so I stayed with the infected. Yesterday was exactly what I needed and I feel much better! I slept in, watched some movies, cleaned the house, and ate curry at Johnson's house. He is Indian and makes the best curry! My mouth may have been on fire. (It also stormed last night and I was quite happy with my decision to stay indoors;)
Today is Sabbath on this side of the world so I'll be going to church soon and having a potluck afterwards. I hope you all have a beautiful day. Thanks for stopping by and as always feel free to comment. I miss you all!
p.s. I will update you all with pictures from the waterfall we went to soon!
Love from Pohnpei.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)