Teaching on the Land

What do you get when you add a shade tree, 20 children, and two teachers? A relaxing afternoon teaching underneath the trees on Auntie Jean's land of course! I hoped you guess that! The building project at Aunti Jeans is in full swing! The floor is being leveled out and some of the outside wall is being built for the pavilion. I can show you more through the pictures. God is definitely working hear to make sure progress happens. It takes a lot more work to do things here as they have to carry the sand in head pans from the creek down below. They must do the same thing with the water also. They then have to mix the cement right on the ground and make the blocks for the building. All of the steps that happen in a blink in America must be carefully thought out here, it just takes longer! While all of this was going on, my friend Kim and I happily sat underneath the tree with the kids who were thankful to take a break. Everyone sat on mats and we pulled out flashcards, dice, paper, pencils, and anything else we could get our hands on. The children were so good and they definitely learned a lot as I taught them how to use touch points instead of counting on their fingers or using tally marks. You can tell that unfortunately, most of these children have not been taught logical ways to do things, it is all through rote memorization which shows them no rhym or reason for anything! Teaching them math(maths as they call it) will be so beneficial for them so they can remember it in a way that will stay with them. I felt at such a peace as I sat in my outdoor classroom amongst nature and workers. I was teaching to the least of these, who don't need fancy technology in the classroom but someone who is willing to sit down under the shade tree and help them. For these children to learn, I am reallizing that I have to meet them at their element, in their own atmosphere, and not force on them the westernized ways of doing things. And think about it, a classroom under a tree is a lot less expensive than one in a building. I have always wanted to teach to the natives so it gives me great pleasure to do so as I still believe that the Lord has this calling for me later down the road. Please continue to pray for donations to come in to Auntie Jean so she can continue with the building. Please pray that the Ghanaians will be trustworthy with the money and that they will build the pavilion according to safety standards. Just yesterday, we were on the land and realized that some of the wall was broken. They wanted to just patch it up but Auntie Jean insisted that they tear the wall down and start again. None of the Ghanaians wanted to do this as it caused more work on everyone but Auntie Jean kept telling them that she has to think of the children first and if they are safe than it was worth the extra effort. Things just aren't done up to standards as in America and they try to cover up their shoddy work. Thank you for all your prayers and for reading my blog. Please keep in contact!