Alright, to be honest with you I must admit that nothing too exciting happend this weekend which I guess is good and bad! The week went pretty well at school considering the kids and teachers just got back from spring break. I was afraid I would have a hard time adjusting from teaching the village children to my own but it wasn't bad at all. I did miss the kids and I think they missed me. It is funny at this age as the girls all adore their teachers and want to make me their mom(which is sad since their own moms aren't around) and the boys make it clear that they could care less(well on the outside at least!) I have one boy who can't wait for third grade so he can play first at lunch instead of eat first. I guess whatever makes you happy! Anyway, the kids constantly remind of Faith like a child and the truths they bring up always hit me in a powerful way. On Monday, I was telling them about how the kids in the village were so excited to receive pencils as they don't have any. My kids can buy pencils but they lose them every second. Makes for one happy teacher for sure! Anyways, one of my girls raised her head and said they understand responsibility better because when they don't have anything and then get something nice, they want to take good care of it. Amen sister, preach it! What a powerful thing for an eight year old to say as I know that took me a lot longer to figure out. The kids at school don't take care of things because everything is disposable like in America, however the kids in the village don't have much so they hold tight to whatever they are given. Later on in the week, we were talking about the word blindness and one girl brought up that some people are blinded towards the truth of Jesus Christ and they are stuck in the dark. This girl doesn't even come from a Christian family! On Friday, we were talking about wants and needs which the differences are somewhat hazy for all of us but my kids said that we all need Jesus' love and we all need to share Christ with other. The first kind of needs they listed were about Christ instead of, "we need an XBOX, a sports car, etc." Okay, those did come but the important ones, like following Jesus did come first. Again, these are eight years who are crazy about God and speaking His truth every chance they get. My faith in Christ is definitely being strengthened through their example.
Wednesday, my class led chapel which we started planning for on Monday. Plenty of time right? I taught them the Agnus Day drama skit which you can watch below(hopefully). I performed this in Ethiopia three years ago and it took us awhile to get the timing down. My kids learned it in two days and did a great job! It is such a powerful message and I would have my girls crying everytime it was performed. I must brag and say my kids are truly amazing and it is good to write it down so I can remember that(as there are moments when I forget!) The first picture above is of the kids making three dimensional shapes with marshmallows. I love combining math and food and so do the kids!
Yeah, sorry, this is a boring blog but one more thing. This week for soccer we only had five eligible players as the rest did not have passing grades to play. Not good! Some of the high schoolers just sit around after school instead of doing their work so I got on them about it. They told me they would do it at home which we all know what that means. One boy was trying to give me all these excuses why he couldn't turn in his 90 notecards for a research paper. Obviously, I wasn't let him get off the hook and ended up giving him the notecards and letting him use the internet on my computer. He kept telling me that I was only doing this so we could win games and get a cup. What cup? You think we are doing this for the money? What money? No, we do this for them, so they have an outlet from school but they have to understand that school comes first. I think he knows we care but you know they are high school age, they don't want to express that, especially to a girl teacher! Out of God's grace, the boy turned in almost 90 notecards which I was amazed and thrilled. I told him how proud I was of him but he hated that. Oops, okay I don't know all the rules of communicating with high school boys, after all I spend my time with eight year olds but I am praying this will come. I love being a part of these children's lives, almost like moms since they don't have anyone at home to harp on them about homework or ask about their days. Now, this isn't always the case but their parents are gone a lot. Who knew having extra notecards in my room could be such a help to someone else? Please pray for the high schoolers as they are all going through a rough time trying to find themselves and their place in life.
Thanks for reading this random blog and being great friends. I can't wait to see everyone in less than two months. If you can't tell, I am really looking forward to this but I need to remember to stay in the moment here which is hard. Please pray that I will focus here and pour into everyone I come in contact with instead of looking forward to the future which will come fast enough. Although I can't wait to see everyone in the states, I must admit that I am a little afraid since I have been gone for 10 months and it will be a hard adjustment back into the American culture. God will be my strength though! Anyways, enjoy the Sabbath and keep in touch!
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