Truth from a Child

Have I ever told you I love children? Well, I do. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this fact but deep down I love them a lot, especially second graders. You just never know what they will say and when they say it, you better listen beause it is profound. One of my reading groups is reading a book about the revolutionary war They had to write down supplies they would need for the war. One boy wrote "shoes, muskets, soup, meat, hardtack, weapons, knives, blue cloth, and God. These are the things for war." I was taken back by this statement especially to put God at the end to show without God there is no need for anything else and he is necessary for war. In fact, we go to war each day(my friend literally goes to War each day as that is the name of her town) with the enemy. I fight everyday to stay calm, patient, have kind thoughts, show joy, etc. Yes, I have to have many supplies to make my day function but without God, none of the day would be possible to fight against the one who wants to tear us down. Thank you Lord that you are willing to fight for us everyday even we put it on our supply list or not. Later on in the day, we were writing sentences with pronouns. Sometimes I show them pictures on my computer and then they write about those as they get really creative. I showed them a picture of my talking at halftime to the soccer team. One girl all on her own without being prodded by me wrote to the soccer players, "Miss Sopcisak is trying to teach you but you don't listen. It is hard to coach you beacuse you don't listen." I died when I wrote this because it is the truth and I could have never said it so clearly! I read this to the soccer players and they also were shocked. They insisted that I told her to write it or I did it myself. Alas, no I am not that clever. Like the title clearly states, the truth from a child and it doesn't get more truthful than that. Thank you Lord for blossoming minds who aren't afraid to speak the truth when they see it and help grown-ups take a step back to see the reality of situations.

Oh the JOYS of Life!

These are my kids being very productive and having a snowball fight. They had earned a party so if you are going to have a party, you might as well go all out! I promise we get work done but there is always room for fun! Also, when you live in a place with no snow, its good to feel a part of the rest of the world for once.

Did you know joys can come in all shapes and sizes? They can even be hidden and undetetable when are you looking for the ideal joyous occasion. Unfortunately, the joys of life are not always revealed in the manner in which I would like them to be but that is part of the joys of life. Even when they are definitely not joyous occassion, God can take such circumatances and prove to us continuosly that good can come from the bad if we are willing to see how God can work in such areas.

Compared to the rest of the mayhem in life like Japan, Libya, and people dieing of awful diseases, I have nothing to complain about. When you think of the scheme of things, situations are not that horrible, however in the midst of problems, it seems bigger. I even hate bringing this up since it is so miniscule compared to other difficulties in earth but it is part of my life and who I am here in Ghana. This past week, we had 4 soccer games which made me get behind on school work and drained more of me than I thought was possible. On Monday, the boys lost 6-0 to a team they tied in February. I am not sure what happened myself! However, after the game, we were waiting at the school with one of the players until 8 which created plenty of time for conversation. He seems like a tough high school boy but he is deep and has great thoughts. He started talking to Faith, the third grade teacher about creation and how beautiful nature is. Faith said it is amazing what God has created and he went on to say that he guessed he would go to heaven since he prayed once and awhile and went to church sometimes. Faith then took this open opportunity to explain the steps for salvation and that the only way to heaven is accepting Jesus into his heart and believing He died for his sins. It really was a powerful moment. I missed some of it because I was talking to one of our drivers who was sad since his mother is out of money and he doesn't have any to give her. My heart really goes out to the people who are trying to support themselves but also have the responsibility of supporting their entire family. Ghanaians work extremely hard and unfortunately they still do not make enough to survive off of let alone help others. Even as a missionary teacher, I am still blessed with an abundance as I am typing on my laptop in my room with the fan and light on where I have access to a refrigerator and indoor plumbing. In this country, it doesn't get much better.

Being able to talk to this high schooler and our driver helped us realize that their is spiritual and physical needs surrounding us that don't even require us to drive to the slums. God has called us to be loyal and to be ready to be used at any moment even if you just happen to be sitting on the steps of a school with a soccer boy.

On Wednedsay, the girls had their chance to play a really good team. This was the first time they played on a big field and we had to have some of their players on our team to make it even. At first, the girls were very leary about it but they learned a lot from each other and the players helping from the other team. That is what it is all about as we have plenty of room for improvement. It takes a whole group effort to make the AIS soccer teams function. Our girls' goalie just became a goalie a few weeks ago but she is improving each time. She had to punt the ball out since we were playing on a large field but we had never told her how to punt. Fortunately, I had one of my students with me who is obsessed with soccer so he warmed her up. At half-time, Faith heard him yelling, "your toes are your enemies!" since the girls were kicking the balls with their toes when they should be kicking with their laces. Like I said, a whole group effort.

Then Thursday came. One boy came to me tell me that the girls thought I showed too much attention to the boys and didn't like them the same, yada, yada, yada. First of all, there are more boys, and the girls' team is newer so it is taking me time to get more games. However, I can't please everyone. Then the boys came saying how great their coach was on Wednesday when I was at the girls' game and he has more discipline and better drills and better running and yada, yada, yada. It was difficult hearing all of this because I know I give my all to building this program and it isn't easy. They show no appreciation but just want more. However, I am not doing it for their satisfaction but fulfilling a calling from the Lord. I love it, but they started to push me over the edge. By practice time on Thursday, I was done with them all and told them that without me there wouldn't be a program so don't make me too mad! I am too easy on the boys but it is hard learning the lines between how far I can push them without getting them frustrated. It is a learning process for us all. We had two games on Saturday but I entered the weekend feeling discouraged that the boys were finished playing and their bad attitudes were here to stay.

Fortunately, Friday happened. When you think you are feeling down, go spend time with some kids, perferably second graders since they are quite amazing. They will brighten up any day. We start every Friday morning by reading our journals in the castle. On this particular day, all of them wrote the most hilarious journal entries. We were rolling on the carpet and just flooding the floor with tears of laughter. It doesn't get much better than enjoying beautiful moments with blossoming minds. God is so good to me to entrust me with 14 fragile humans. In the afternoon, we had another compliment part in which this one was themed as a cold party. Hence, we brought in cold treats and had a huge snowball fight with paper to make it a chilling good time! It was fun to let loose for awhile and enjoy unforgettable moments with my class. It is amazing how close we have gotten and I love that; I love letting them have that feeling that the classroom belongs to them and they have a saying, but at the same time I have to be able to reel them in. We only have one more quarter with these kids. I am going to miss them so much, I really hate thinking about it but it also mean I have one more quarter to make a lasting impression on these maliable minds. It has given me a charge to treat each day special and not to lose a moment with these precious lives so they can ultimately see Christ.

Saturday finally came with two games back to back. I really wasn't sure what or who would show up physically and mentally for the game. Fortunately, they all showed up and played tremendously well as a team. I felt more in charge as we had an actual locker room at the grass field where I could go in once they were decent of course and yell at them before the game. Such power I have! Anyways, we ended up drawing the first game 3-3 and losing the second game 5-4 even though we were winning at half time 3-1. Don't even get me started on this outcome. Anyways, it proved to be a fun day as the boys played as a team and scored a lot of goals! I even got a souvenir of a great rosy red sunburn after the game. We did learn that we can play with whoever we want to as long as we show up. These friendly tournaments will continue in the futue which is exciting. Also, I talked with the French school and we are planning a league for next year. Yes, an actual organized league with games alreaady scheduled ahead of time so I don't have to keep calling these coaches to give me a game. You have to love organization in Africa! I began the journey on Saturday dreading it but again God showed me to be faithful to him. Soccer seems to be difficult at the moment but I have to keep reminding myself that God has placed me in this position for a reason and He is glorified through it, than it is worth it all! It is sad that none of the parents ever come to a game. These kids need support from someone and if they can't get it from home then I have to provide it. However, I am realizing that I will never make them all happy so I just have to give it my best, that is all Christ ever expects from us.

On Sunday night(yes I am playing catch up from a week ago) we had fellowship with all the workers at church which was long but amazing to praise Jesus in at least seven different languages including Chinese, Afrikans, and Arabic. God is bigger than the universe and He loves each person no matter what nationality or language they belong to. I love seeing God's universal church in Ghana.

The past week proved to be trying again with soccer but pretty good with the kids. There is nothing too amazing to report on except for random things. Oh I washed the feet of the Children of the Light Kids. They were really amazing that I would be willing to do this, I heard a lot of Twi and a lot of laughter. It is very humbling to take on a servants job and a great reminder to myself that I need to be serving each person I meet.

I saw the Cote D'Ivoire national team getting money out of the ATM after me. They are training here since Cote D'Ivoire is a mess. One of the girls at school came in bawling saying her uncle was cut up into pieces in Cote D'Ivoire. We are not sure if it is true but I am sure horrible things are happening. Please also be in prayers for Libyia which is getting scarier each moment and there are a lot of Ghanaians still there. Also, Japan is still a wreck and devastated. The Japanese families at our school are making bracelets so we can remember Japan and raise money for the victims. Never keep praising our Lord who gets us through devastations and provides the next need for us.

I saw two different people on two different days wear UC bearcat shirts. I guess they didn't know they lost. It is funny to see shirts from home as used shirts make their way to Africa as Obrunei Wawu(white dead man's clothing as someone would have had to be dead to give up clothes.) It just shows the different mind sets between Africa(use everything you can get) and America( don't want it anymore, get rid of it.)

On Wednesday, I had the soccer girls in my room during their lunch time. I want to start a small devotional time with them so I can get to know them better as they feel left out amongst the boys. I shared my testimony and kind of my background with soccer and how it has played an impact in my life. It definitely has strengthened my walk with Christ as by college I realize my purpose for playing soccer isn't for all the stats but it is a way to praise my God for the abilities He has given me and pass on this game to others along with the work ethics. Please pray that the girls will come each week and we will be able to share with one another. I believe that most of them believe in God but I am not sure how strong their relationships are. The one I really want to come, did not come, so it would be a blessing for her to be a part of this time.

Thank you for those who are reading this and supportive. I miss you all and will be home in two months! It is going by so fast! Please pray for my parents and Cathy who will be traveling here before I go home. Especially pray that mom gets her passport. A long story but life wouldn't be any fun unless it was complicated!

Christy

Christ's Servanthood Example

It is hard to tell, but this is me in the midst of children waiting to get their feet washed! Look at the nice use to be clean water! They really were shocked that I was willing to wash their feet!
I love these children in my neighborhood.

Alright, what I am about to tell you will shock and amaze most of you who have known me for awhile. I promise what will be written next is the truth and I didn't even have to change names to protect the innocent! On Tuesday, we had our usual Tuesday kid's club and as usual, we were scrambling last minute to think of a bible story to tell the kids. The other teacher suggest Christ being a servant by washing the disciples' feet. I agreed and then being the hands on, I mean hands on teacher that I am, I suggest we actually washed them. I didn't just suggest the idea, I volunteered to wash them! I warned you it was shocking information but you can pick you jaw off the floor now. Yes, I Christy Sopcisak washed 24 pairs of feet that have been in gutters, on the sand, and in places I don't want to think about. The kids loved sticking their feet in the bucket of water as I wiped them with a towel. It doesn't take much to entertain them. They were really quite fascinated as a white girl was willing to wash all of their dusty feet with any fuss. I was quite amazed at my self since before this would bother me but it truly was remarkable to be able to share Christ's example of serving others with these kids. It was a great reminder for me as well. Yes, I am here for Christ but am I serving him with all my heart all the time? Am I willing to stoop down and wash the dirtiest feet on the street for my Jesus? Afterall, Jesus died on the cross for my sins, the least I could do is serve others in any capacity to show the Love of Christ. Noone pays attention to these kids but they are special and they need to know that.

A concept I have been trying to wrap my head around is how expats treat the Ghanaian population. We don't mean to but in a sense we talk down to them to help them understand or when they ask us to marry them and we tell them we are already engaged. I am not lying as I am engaged to Jesus. Anyways, it is hard because we understand things in a diffrent way than they do and it makes them seem not as superior but at the same time they are just as important than the rest of us. In the market, I go with an other teacher to get supplies for school. It is too much for us to carry so there are ladies with bowls looking to carry people's purchases. We hate using these ladies as it seems like they are a servant carrying our things but at the same time we are giving them some income. We tip them when we start and then when they drop us to the destination. It is also our tradition to get cut up pineapples on our way to the trotro station so we always buy one for the lady carrying our things. You should see how their eyes light up when they receive this free gift, it is a pineapple for crying aloud but for someone to think about them personally, it is something more than that. So again, I am not sure how I feel about this place, where there is wealth and poverty galore. Yes, it is in America, but the lines are very distinct here. I do know, I am called to love and show love to all and treat them as an equal. Those who are called by the Lord are called to serve.

Psalm 40:2He lifted me out of the pit of despair,out of the mud and the mire.He set my feet on solid groundand steadied me as I walked along.

Psalm 56:13For you have rescued me from death;you have kept my feet from slipping.So now I can walk in your presence, O God,in your life-giving light.

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them John 13:12-17

For chapel on Wednesday, the speaker was a friend of mine who my roommate and I had met in the story last year for two consecutive weeks. He is here with a baptist mission and his job is to befriend the Songhai people from Niger. They are the poorest people group in Niger so the young men are moving down to Accra to sell onions. When I say young men, I should actually tell you they are boys as the majority of them are around 14 years old. These boys move to Accra without knowing the language to sell a crop that is cooked with a lot but not highly looked upon. They come illiterate as they have never had the chance to go to school. I am so glad that this man came to share with our kids as the kids at school have it so good to compare to others. They don't even realize there are kids out there who can't go to school, never had electricity, and must work for a living. Their eyes need to be open to the world around them so we can reach out to our brothers and sisters. There are so many people groups out there that I haven't even heard of that need to know the Lord and need to be shown love. Our friend is the only one who actually takes the time to get to know these boys and they are so shocked by his friendship. Please pray for the Shonghai people and all the people groups who have not yet used the good news.

Soccer, Soccer, and more Soccer!

This upcoming week will prove to be busy as the boys' team plays on Monday, girls' on Wednesday and both of them on Saturday. It has been a full month but exciting as this is more games in a month than we have had ever in the history of AIS. I just want to win one of them now! I am really proud of them though and we are starting to be a real team! I am even getting tougher and making them work harder We are a work in progress but if we are going to be successful we have to pick up the level. I made practice on Saturday at 9 a.m. Of course, there was a lot of unhappy players but it was the only time I had and next week we have a game at 9:00 a.m. they have to get use to it. The big shocker was I actually had 20 players show up! Most of them were only couple of minutes late which i amazing considering we are in Africa and noone ever shows up on time. That many players showing up proved to me that they are actually serious about playing and want to do their best! Even better, someone bought me a whistle so I cold actually get their attention better! You know what? It actually works! I was practicing using it, and they came! Who knew? Anyways, pray for them all to play their best this week.

With being in an international school and having 30 countries represented, you hear a lot about the world news. A couple of weeks ago, there was an earthquake in New Zealand where one of my kids and Auntie Jean is from. Now, there was an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I tutora Japanese family and we have two other families in our school from Japan. We even have two teachers from last year who are teaching in Japan. Everyone who has family there is okay but still we need to be in prayer for all the destruction and lives lost. The world is getting worst and good thing Jesus is coming back but that means we need to share the GOOD NEWS without hesitation so all can party with Jesus someday soon.

Every week in church, I am blown away by God's goodness in all of our lives. What a blessing it is to worship with Christ's internatonal church, all praising God together. I miss my church back home, there is no doubt about it, but I do love worshipping with people of all color and natonalities, there are no bounadaries!

Enjoy this week as God reveals himself more and more to us! God is good all the time!

Unexpected JOY

The girls team against Galaxy. They played so well and made good passes.

These are the girls celebrating after they scored a goal. You will notice on the left side a little boy in a read shirt. This is one of my students. What can I say, he is relly enthusiastic about football!

Aren't they beautiful! They all hve beautiful smiles along with glittering personalities. They were happy with the tie and were proud of themselves.

I am actually writing this part on a Tuesday before my usual weekend deadline. Blogging sounds a lot better than school work right? Anyways, I wanted to share a joy spot about one of my students. He is very quiet as he is still developing some of his English skills but very intelligent. I feel like he is turned off to the bible and does not like to participate much which is easy for him to hide from it since he doesn't talk much. However, on Monday, we were creating the wordless bible and looking up references to go with each color. He wanted to look a verse up and then read it aloud without much hesitatuin which is such a huge breakthrough with him! Usually it takes me 10 minutes to persuade him to read aloud. He read Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death but the gift of eternal life is through Christ Jesus our Lord." How powerful of a verse to read and realize we are all sinners but Christ still loves us. Anyways, I was talking to hims mother after school and telling her how proud I have been of his willingness to read aloud. She told me that he came home yesterday telling her bible stories that were taught in class. She told me she is not familiar with the bible or the stories but she was happy he was interested and showing more effort. He then asked her later at home if she had a favorite verse. Of course the mother wasnm't familiar with the bible so she told him she doesn't read the bible and doesn't know verses from it. However, this boy is excited about no an ordinary book but the innerent word of God. Praise the Lord. I had no idea he even listened during Bible let alone take it to his heart. This just proves that it is vital for me to who him constant love and the truth so his can meet Jesus where he is at and accept him openly into his heart.

Games!
Today started a two day festivity of soccer games! We had the girls' game against another international school Galaxy(Wedneday.) We rushed on the bus after school to travel right down the street to this school to play 7 vs. 7. The girls were so nervous to play but they seriously outplayed the other team as they made great passes. Unfortunately, the other team packed in the box so it was hard for my girls to shoot but we finished the game with a tie which isn't too bad. It was such a fun atmosphere having the girls play their hearts out while they were supported by students and the boys' team. Having sports to watch is a first for students at AIS so it gives us all pride to rally behind our athletes and show a little school spirit! After the game, the kids were telling me how thankful they were for AIS as this other school was playing "ghetto music", in their words, and didn't seem to have much class. It was funny hearing them say that as usually they are talking about how lame our school is. Now they are starting to realize that our school isn't that bad afterall. I guess the saying is true, the grass isn't always greener on the other side, well except they have grass on their field and we don't! Anyways, soccer has been good for our students to teach discipline and confidence but it also is beneficial for the entire school.

Unexpected JOY in grass!

On Thursday, the boys team had their turn for a match against Galaxy. I was looking forward to this one for a specific reason. New this year, a former soccer player for the French team and Chelsea created a complex down the road from us for soccer. The fields are grass, not really nice American grass, but still pretty thick, green grass. Since Galaxy and us did not have a field big enough to play on, I rented this field for 100 Ghana Cedis which the going rate started at 800. My boys were very excited to play on a real field but I think their coach was the most thrilled. When we first got there, I sat in the grass for a long time, in my happy little zone. One of my boys said, "Miss Sop you are acting like a village person who has never seen grass before. However, I did not care. My boys did not play as well as they did the other day but I still saw some good passing. We unfortunately lost 3-1 but through the process we are learning and become a better team. First thing, we are not use to playing on grass which is slower than the sand. My boys would be dribbling and then all of a sudden lose the ball because they were faster than the ball on grass. Also, we play on a small field at school so there a large picture problems that we cannot see unless we have a large field. Please pray that they finish our soccer field. During the game, I feel like I have plenty of assistant coaches as all of our fans are on the same side as the bench. This causes some difficulties as I have the opinions of parents, players, students, and teachers being thrown at me during the game. Even after the game I had a random parent that doesn't have a son on the team, tell me the negative points. I would rather focuse on the positive! I know I am not the best coach but I am doing my best as it is only me with 30 students. I love the kids and wouldn't trade it in for the world but it is hard to get criticism and not help. Forunately, I coach for these kids which will hopefully see Christ in me and follow good values and make wise decisions. These kids need to feel involved in an activitiy that encourages them to work hard and succeed. We will get there.

Friday was a day off as Sunday is Independence Day for Ghana! This is a huge deal for Ghana as it declared independence from Britian before any other country in Africa. It has been 54 years! Ghana also prides themselves on this fact as it is a peaceful nation as we thank GOD for this considering all the unrest in other countries right now. So on our day off, we traveled to the beach! The beach is not too far away but yet we don't go that often. I don't understand why because I love the calming effect of the ocean and the might power of the waves which reminds me of Christ Jesus. The beach we picked, Bojo Beach is very secluded and you have to take a small canoe ride to get to the actual beach as a littlle bay separates it from the main road. This made it feel like a true remote area with just as, the Lord, and th water. I always feel closer to the Lod at the ocean as I stare at one of his most beautiful creations in my opinion. The waves crash in and then dissipate in moments reminding me of God's presence in my life. He is there, waiting for us to call out to Him, a constant in our lives. We enjoyed the beach by jumping in the waves, laying out a reading a book, and even conversing with Ghanaians who were fascinated with us! We even took home souvenirs of sand, shells, and redness all over my body! Yippee! Overall, it was a beautiful day to soak in rays from the Son and be in fellowship with good friends. It is also fun to think that most people are still freezing and I am at the beach getting burnt. Sorry, not to rub it in but you can always come to visit.

Saturday brought the usual; tutoring and Auntie Jean's. I finally took the girls from the street again to the library. They were so happy even though it is a long trip for them to make. They are good troopers about it. They love picking out new books and sitting down to read them. Auntie Jean has moved houses but just down the way. This house looks out onto the "mountain" which the girls liked seeing. It made a great place for a breeze and for teaching maths(as they call it here and in England.) It was so fun to have the tables placed on the grass and the kids rotating groups to learn different math skills. I used The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle to teach time. It is such a classic and the kids loved the book. It doesn't take much with these children as they do not get to play with manipulatives at school or learn concepts in a creative way. These children soak in anything they can get! By the end, my girls were tired and we headed home, fortunately not taking forever to find transportation! The girls are now happy with their new books. I love these chilren on the street! They always come running up and asking to carry my things home. One night Kim had my bookbag as I went somewhere and for a second they thought it was me! Please pray for these children as they do not live in real homes and obviously do not receive the same resources as I have. They are so precious to the Lord and understand His goodness even when it seems like they are lacking

Praise God almighty for His goodness and for showing us JOY in ways we would have never expected!