Pictures

These pictures are from the last 3 weeks of school. We made many lasting memories.

We made gingerbread cookies in class and I pretended to kick the dough. This created a lot of laughter!

One of my students mixing the dough for gingerbread cookies. We made great memories that day.

The kids love to decorate especially with feathers and pipe cleaners.

The newest reindeer to join Rudolph and his friends. They are quite talented kids.

No, this little sheep doesn't like hay but he does like to perform! My second graders and the first graders stole the show with their song "While Shepherds Walk their Flocks by Night"

Two of my kiddos waiting for their turn during the Christmas Program. They looked beautiful and did such a great job sharing the Good News of Christ.

This is our beautiful dirt, rock, sand, and trash soccer field. Our boys were playing their last game which they did remarkable. Two of my boys doing the three legged race during Field Day at school. They look really intense!

After Thanksgiving, two of my friends and I visited a new Christian school in the Volta Region. They are just starting out but God is doing an amazing work to offer a good education for children in desparate need of love and knowledge.

At the school and ministry, called City of Refuge, we had a large Thanksgiving dinner. The Ghanaians had their usual dishes plus they enjoyed having turkey, grean bean casserole, and rolls.

It was a great time celebrating our thankfulness.

Giving of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating. No, Ghana does not celebrate Thanksgiving as this is an American Holiday but since we are an American school, we had the two days off as any typical American. I did teach this concept to my kids as you can see pictures up above. As we celebrated as a staff on Thursday amidst the bright sun and sweat pouring down my face, I thought more closely of the idea of Thanksgiving which I would rather term as giving of Thanks. We are suppose to thank God for the blessings He has given us but is just saying "thanks" enough? I believe that I can give thanks to the Lord through my praises to Him but also through my actions. The next time a kid calls my name at least a thousand times and I can calmly answer him or her back, I can give thanks to the Lord who constantly shows patience to me. When I have been wronged or hurt I can quickly forgive, giving thanks to the God who has forgiven my ultimate sins. When a friend or family member shows me grace and love no matter what, I can give thanks to the Lord who Loves me unconditionally. Giving of thanks must be constant and I must be aware of giving the Glory back to Christ instead of myself. Christ has shown me grace so many times, the least I can do is show grace to others, and ultimately giving the thanks back to God.

To celebrate Thanksgiving at school. I taught the kids about the Pilgrims and the helpful Native Americans such as Squanto through songs, short videos, and role playing. We did our annual making of Native American hats in which we wrote on the feathers ways to be thankful for God according to Psalms 103. This was followed by the third annual Thanksgiving celebration with the kindergarten students as we helped them make pilgrim hats. This was an extra special celebration as my current second grade students were the first class of kindergarten students to do this2 years ago. Most of them did not remember this party until I showed them a picture. At first they asked who the kids were and then I exclaimed, "you!" They were shocked as they were so tiny and cute, however they are still very cute!

On Wednesday, we had our annual Field Day where the PE teacher put together a day of activities for the entire school. I had the opportunity to hang out with team Burkina Faso for the day which insisted on a student from each grade. We started the day with making team chants which one of my soccer boys on my team informed me that having a second grade teacher while making up songs was a bad idea as I would just make up some cutesy, embarrasing song. I quite like my cutesy songs but I guess this isn't flattering to a ninth grade boy. The day went well and the PE teacher's hard work was definitely worth it. At the end of the day, the winning team got to shave the PE techer's head which was quite hilarious especially since they left the back of his hair long. On the way to practice that afternoon, the boys enjoyed telling all the passerbys about his ridiculous hair. The only bad part of the day was losing to the high school students in the faculty vs. teacher soccer game. Man, am I out of shape! I bet the boys that if we lost, they could run practice for the next two days. Unfortunately, their dream came true and we have spent many times doing push ups, for their sake!

On Friday, two of my friends and I traveled 2 1/2 hours on 4 trotros to make it to a children's home but thankfully the trip went smoothly. They rescue children from the Volta region who have been sold by their families to be used as slaves for the fishermen. These families do not have a lot of income so it is easier for them to sell some of their children. This couple is trying to stop that be putting in preventive measures like giving the families ways to sustain themselves so they do not sell their own children. They have rescued several already and they live with them in their own. This year, they have opened a school on land in which a chief gave them. They have 120 students with Ghanaian teachers and an American principal. The American is trying to instill proper teaching skills to the teachers instead of rote memorization. It has been a difficult task but they see much improvement which is great. I loved being at the school and just seeing how the Lord is providing the means to give these children a quality education and help these teachers learn better techniques. They said that one challenge is getting the teachers to use positive behavior enforcement instead of caning. In fact, at the last PTO meeting, the parents begged that they would cane their children at school which is the Ghanaian life and the parents said that they turned out well because of caning. However, this goes against the American way and thus they won't allow it. It is hard to change mindsets but you have to start somewhere. During the day, they had a Love Feast or their version of Thanksgiving. We helped cooked some but spent a lot of time hanging out with the kids before we all ate. Around 75 adults and 100 kids ate to their heart's content that day with still some left over. There were some American traditional Thanksgiving staples aside from the rice and fufu which the Ghanianas at least tried but not sure how much they enjoyed! Overall, the day was a successful and we are excited to partner with them in the future to help our own students see other ministries and a typical Ghanaian lifestyle. I am excited to find out more about how the lady does teacher training as I am still fact finding and in prayer over my whereabouts for next year. I am confident that the Lord will open the correct door at the right moment.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever

1 Chronicles 16:34


Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:13


Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise."
1 Chronicles 16:35


In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."~1 Thessalonians 5:18

Many Hats to be worn

I am a teacher by trade but is that all my students and soccer players need? Do they only need someone to teach them how to read and how to add or subtract to digit numbers? I hope teachers do not see their role as that at all as we become mentors, nurses, parents, listeners, and a many more jobs that would take me all day to list! Do I mind wearing all these hats and juggling all these jobs? To be honest, sometimes it can be overwhelming, but I love being there for the students and helping in anyway possible to bring JOY to their life!

For example, on Friday we had a soccer game right after school. I was reminiscing how last year I could get 30 girls and boys out the door in 10 minutes and onto the bus. This year, it takes 4 of us to get 15 boys to the front door to run to our field. I am not sure the problem, but we love them just the same. Anyways, we were all ready to run there, when all of a sudden we noticed a player missing. I ran to find him and huffed and puffed my way up to the fourth floor where he was just chilling on the steps. He just needed time to relax and think through things. I have always been taught to deal with the immediate issues first so there we sat for a few minutes. I cannot expect this kid to play a soccer game if his mind is elsewhere and he needs to know I am not just thinking about needing him as a strong defender, but I care about him as an individual with feelings. Finally, he decided to change and after what seemed like forever, we were on our way. However, that was easier said than done as he got into an argument with one of the girls out in the parking lot but we made our way to the field, and tried to get him ready to play. I am so thankful for extra coaches this year for emergencies such as this one. We are realizing the importance of just caring for these boys rather than pressuring them to perform good soccer skills. They need to know they are lovedand we must provide for that need first. At the same time, it is difficult as they need discipline and need hard worth ethics.
Last Monday, I had a really good conversation with one of the soccer boys. He has been going through a hard time and through watching you tube videos of Barcelona with him, I asked him some pretty personal questions in which he responded. We just talked about how what he is going through isn't an excuse for not doing well in school, for his attitude, but it can explain a lot of it. He was shocked by this revelation as he did not realize that how he was performing in school was effected by the happenings at home. This led into a great conversation of how the Lord has freed us from worrying and although it is hard to give it up, we don't have to be in control of the situation and He will ultimately guide our paths. I then prayed for him and sent him on his way to sports study hall which was probably why he was in my room so he could skip. The Lord was definietly putting our conversation in place as this boy frequently stopped by my room earlier in the day for no major reason which he hadn't done in awhile. However, by Wednesday he was mad at me for something that happened at practice and wouldn't speak to me for 2 days but you know you just rejoice with the good days! Please pray for these kids, even 11th and 12th graders who are going through so much change and are just trying to find themselves. Please pray that they put their trust in God and God alone and that we will support them unconditionally.

My class is doing well and we are as crazy as ever! This week we have been learning about verbs so we have been chanting, "A verb, a verb, you do it, do it, do it." This wouldn't be fitting unless we danced to it which is hilarious. We even progressed to having them dance on the table on at a time, thank goodness noone walked by! Sometimes you just have to go over the edge to get a point across. They are teaching me about joy each and everyday and I am so thankful for each one of them. I overheard one of the boys telling another student that he would never be a teacher, especially a second grade teacher. When he was asked why, he responded, "ah, just look at this place!" At that point I started laughing and asked him what was wrong with this place. He just laughed too as we all knew it is a crazy classroom with a lot of personalities to handle but I have to keep telling myself that it is all worth it!

Saturday was a beautiful day as Josiah and I decided to take our street kids to the soccer field to just allow them to play. They were all elated by this and to my surprise, 16 kids showed up at my house before the meeting time of 9:30. Sometimes, the kids say they will do something but then never show up but they did this time. We then walked a good 10 minutes down a kind of busy street to our field. I am sure we were a sight with 16 Ghanaian children walking with one Obrunei! I was afraid we would cause an accident but we all made it there safely. We then played boys against girls at the field which although the girls were not in the play too often, I am pretty sure everyone had a good time. Half way through our game, about 14 more kids showed up, making it 30 kids. That is almost all of our street kids. Luckily they were mostly girls which helped us out! After playing for an hour, we picked up all of our water sachets, and tredged home with all of them, this time taking the back roads which was a little safer. It was pretty quiet as they were all exhausted. I hoped that they would be able to rest when getting home but some of them probably had to go back to working for their parents. It is quite funny how parents would allow strange obruneis to take them down the street and trust to bring them back. I guess they know me now and trust me, but at the same time, it is just a different mindset than in the states. As we were almost home, Josiah suggested singing songs so as we climbed over freshly cemented gutters we sang Jesus Loves Me Rock and Roll style and other kids club favorites while shopkeepers stared. We were having fun and that is all that mattered. We are hoping to do this again as it was a success. I have been thanful for this year as I really have had the opportunity to get to know these children and just allow them to hold my hand while walking down the street or give them hugs whenever needed. They are family and they know it.
My Saturday continued with a chance to meet with two men from the home office of FIM(Fellowship International Mission). They were visiting a missionary couple in their mission whichvI think had talked about last week. I had a really good time hearing about the mission and learning about possibilities where I could become a member of this mission organization. During this time, they interviewed me since I am not able to go to their home office. The missionary couple sat in during this time which I didn't mind as I already feel like they are family only after interacting with them twice before. I was asked some pretty personal questions but I felt very honest with them all, as if they were family. It was such a joyful occassion and I appreciated the interaction with them. I now need a location in which to start my ministry. I feel like my idea is pretty vague and crazy at times, but the Lord keeps putting it on my heart, and I can't overlook his perfect plan. I don't know all the details, but I do know that in the Lord's timing He will open the right doors. Please pray for my decision as I need to decide by after Christmas if I will stay at the school or pursue going with FIM. The scariest part is raising the money as I will not be able to come back to Ghana and begin my work until I raise 100% of the funds. Even now writing this, it is scary thinking I will never have make my own salary for the rest of my life, or I am leaving the comfort of a stable job, but the Lord does not always call us to be comfortable. I know that if He wants me to pursue teacher training for local schools, He will be there each step at a time.

May God richly bless your Sunday!

Climb Higher

I find myself in my room past midnight after eating a large Lebanese meal from a family at school. My parents and sister know this family well as they were also blessed to enjoy the ladies excellent Lebanese cooking. We are blessed by these generous families in our school but eating at 10:30 at night does become exhausting! Anyways, I am still awake and ready to process the week that the Lord graciously gave us! The week started with a day off on Monday. Usually days off should be taken to relax but we take it as an opportunity to travel somewhere! Kim, Josiah, and I took a trip to Boti Falls. Since our trip to Togo worked out so well last time, we figured we were all good traveling partners, ha! Anyways, a teacher at our school had her husband take us half of the way to his village where we boarded a trotro for the rest of the journey. While standing there waiting for the trotro, a man asked me to go into his chambers(stand next to him.) I refused but he got Kim to go over and then was asked to marry him. I told him that the bride price was too high! Anyways, during this excitement, a little Ghanaian boy was screaming because of the sight of white people which can be pretty blinding! He began to scream again when we got on the trotro so they sat him on Kim's lap to calm him down. we thought this would be for a second but alas he stayed there for the entire 1 1/2 ride! He did become quite content and even fell alseep. Only in Ghana would you put a kid on a complete stranger's lap. We finally arrived at the falls and began our journey to the top of the hill, there really aren't any mountains here, to "mushroom rock." While we were climinb, I kept looking back at the spectacular view. Every step I took up, the view became better and better. I couldn't help but think of our relationship with Christ. We are enjoying life and thinking the view is great. However, the more we begin to trust on God and allow him to control every step, the view or life becomes more spectacular. The close we become to Him, the more we realize how much life is better when we are relying on Him and Him alone. I feel like this is so true in my life right now. I know nothing about tomorrow but Christ holds it in his hands and that is sufficient. God is enough! After viewing the surrounding countryside and the powerful waterfall, we decided to start walking back until a trotro passed. Trotros passed but they were all full so we walked for and 1 and 15 minutes wondering if we had missed the turn. I kept praying that the Lord would give us clarity if we had gone too far and sure enough he did when guys stopped us and told us we were lost and went too far! God is good though and got us back on track even allowing us to cool off during our walk with some large drops of rain! We made it back that evening and it was just around 8 oclock which was good considering school was in the morning!

I love my beautiful students and I am thankful for their love! Some days we are crazy and loud but we love to have a good time! We listen to music while working, take off our shoes for tests, and say everything extremely loud. Pretty much, what could be better? One of my little girls prays the most elegant prayers. One of them went at the end, "Lord, as for me and my family and my friends' house, we will serve you, as it says in your holy word." She is definitely listening tot he sermons and picking out the important parts! She prayed for those that didn't know Christ that they would know that he died on the cross for their sins and that we would tell others about Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than a little child on fire for God! A random comment said by a student went like this: one boy, "my aunt is expecting a baby." another boy: how many?" the first boy," I think one or two." Oh man they are hilarious!

This week proved to be a struggle in some ways as I am trying to figure out next year. Last year I was at peace with not knowing but this week wasn't as simple. I have a lot of emotions about everything but I am confident that the Lord will guide my steps! Today I went with a missionary family to their children's home. The children all have some life threatening disease and some thankfully are being adopted from families in the states. I was able to meet a mother who is bringing a beautiful girl back to the states with her tomorrow. The 2 year old is HIV positive but such a joy to all. There are mostly babies at the children's home except for a 9 year old girl with sickle cell anemia. She has hardly had any schooling because all of the kids made fun of her for her bloated stomach or the fact that with a diseased liver, being pushed could kill her. She was living in Kumasi(5 hour drive from Accra) with an uncle until he decided he could no longer take care of her. He set her in a taxi all by herself and sent her back to Accra, giving the taxi driver only the address of where the mother should have been. Needless to say, the sick girl was dropped off with noone around and was sent to the hospital. Luckily, this missionary family is friends with the social worker and quickly rescued her. There are so many stories like this of how neglected children just need love. I met with the house parents who have a ministry to refugee children from Northern Ghana in the Yam market. I will be going with them tomorrow to see how the Lord can use me in this capacity. I am excited to meet these beautiful children.

One last thing that has changed quickly in the last 48 hours. Due to my grandfather's health, I have decided to go back to America for Christmas. I don't have a plane ticket yet and praying for a miracle in an awesome price but the Lord will provide! I like staying in Ghana for Christmas and had committments to help with but I know this is the right decision. I am excited to see family and friends but at the same time I have skipped the last two Christmas's in the states and I am a bit nervous. I have forgotten about Christmas decorations, or every store decked out, or lights or well there are still other things I have forgotten about! Oh yeah, not to mention the freezing cold! I don't even have a long pair of pants here nor a sweater! I am practically going to freeze to death and that is no joke! I do have some reservations as it will definitely be a culture shock but the Lord will get me through this. I will only be staying for around 2 weeks as I need to go to Togo to assist our principal with teacher training workshops. I am excited for this opportunity as this is a passion of mine and I am praying that it will give me more insight on what the Lord has in store for me next. Please continue to pray that the Lord will make His will clear to me in His timing and not my own.

I pray that you can all have a restful Sunday soaking in God's goodness.

Love is....

My awesome boys during character dress up day at the bouncy castle to celebrate reading month. We had a blast jumping up and down. What learning? Who needs that when you are having pure fun!

What happens when you give a student a camera during an ice cream party? This is proof! During our ice cream party, my kids posed with the gym teacher who was dressed as Huck Finn. Josiah had fun chewing on grass all day!

Do you think the ice cream is good? It has to be eaten fast as it melts so fast!

Boys just want to have fun!

The cutest version of Amelia Badelia that I have ever seen!

This week I was challenged to read 1 Corinthians 13. Yes, I am familiar with this chapter as the "love chapter" but it was such a great reminder of what love really looks like. After reading this chapter, I realized the depth of love that God shows me and I must show others constantly. I am so thankful that God's love is unconditional!

Friday was a crazy day as the kids could dress up as their favorite book character. I dressed up as the kid in "If you take a mouse to school" and carried around a mouse with a lunch box. One in first grade was pinochio with a hand made cardboard nose that culd extend and detract. The kids had a blast dressing up and sharing their books with the class. We also celebratred the close of reading month with our annual bouncy castel extravaganza. Once we jumped all the sillies out, we filled up with ice cream. My kids were put in charge of helping the other grades but they had the most fun taking pictures with my camera. They were posing and on the run way during some of the time but they were having fun and taking artistic licensing to the next level. I promise we learn something at school! Well sometimes, we learn something at school but just not on crazy fun Fridays!

Saturday was spent visiting our friend Gomer and his buddies who sell onions. They have nothing but are affectionate as they sit all together drinking nescafe and trying to read. Josiah and I will try to go more frequently to teach reading to the guys who are intelligent but just need someone to spend time with them. We are learning a lot from these guys like the importance of just being and showing your availability. It is hard for me to just be instead of doing but the Lord calls us to love all and meet their needs. Their need might just be a listening ear and thus I will do just that! Please pray that we have more opportunities to get to know these guys and share God's love with them through our reading.

This past week I was challenged to