No Regrets!

These are my kids after our Fairy Tale plays that they created! They are so cute and creative!

As the week drew on and I realized my patience with the kids drew thinner(a tad more yelling than is required), a rather astounding thought came to mind. Is it really necessary to lose patience or raise my voice with these precious little ones? Well, I guess sometimes yes but I believe that there are better ways to handle situations than getting upset although I have not mastered remaining calm in every situation. However, I only have 5 weeks left with my children. Yes, only 5 weeks and I have loved each one of them. Before I know it, the year will be over and I will no longer be able to call them mine as alas, they will be third graders. Instead of getting bent out of shape over children fighting over a marker or making shadow puppets infront of the projector when they should be working, I should take advantage of each fleeting moment to love on them and enjoy the moment no matter how crazy it may seem. I know this is easier said than done, but it is my prayer that I take ahold of each day and look at the JOYFUL part of it instead of the negative, out of control elements. My kids deserve my best and I want them to leave impacted from my class. I only have 5 more weeks to accomplish that goal so I cannot lose sight. I encourage you to take a hold of each day and embrace it with JOY as you have the opportunity to share Christ's love and message with all sorts of people.

In class, my kids have been learning the elements of a fairy tale and fracturing a well known fairy tale into their on skit. We finlly presented these yesterday to the kindergarten class which you can see pictues and video above. I love to watch my kids take hold of a an idea and have the freedom to run with it through any random materials I have. In a country where you can't get a lot, we get good at being creative. The groups worked well together and ultimately produced interesting but creative fracture fairy tale skits.

Also at school, we had the second annual Poetry Slam where the whole school could participate in reciting a poem to peers, teachers, and parents. I had the privilege of putting together the schedule with a result of 101 poems from prekindergarten to teachers. The program ran 45 minutes over the scheduled time, but remember we live in Ghana! Overall, the event was a success and we are already looking towards improvements for next year. What is amazing about this event, is the opportunity for students of all ages to come together to encourage one another in the recitation of poetry. The younger kids look up to the older ones who don't think it is too cool to say poetry and the younger ones are just adorable. I must say that mine did extraordinary or maybe I am biased. They had feeling into it and great motions. Unfortunately, we do not have the best sound system but it worked! One of the most amazing moments is when one of mine recited a poem by himself who struggles with reading and told me an hour earlier that he would not participate. He is very self conscious and does not speak infront of his peers but God gave him the courage to say it with a clear, distinct voice. His mother was thrilled and everyone erupted in applause as they realized what a great accomplishment this was. We have a unique school environment where older kids get to interact with younger ones on a daily basis. The older ones really help out the younger ones and don't feel it odd to play a soccer match with them and hang them upside down after school. Of course, the younger ones are just mesmerized by the older ones and love the attention. These dynamics make for a great school setting.

In other random news, an 82 year old lady who was the first director here 4 years ago came back to help Mr Crosby get the school accredited. We had her over for dinner Monday night since she use to live in our house and knows the guard. She is so cute and nice. She is not replacing my grandmother but it is nice to have a grandmother figure around. Last night, she took us out for dinner and made sure she took good care of us. She is precious. As we were going to the restaurant, we stopped at the ATM and there was a man behind us who realized we were from America. He was from Lexinton, Kentucky so we had things to talk about since Cincinnati isnt too far. He has been here for 2 months and was looking for some good English conversations. He just talked our ears off, it was so funny as I guess he hasn't worked with a lot of Americans lately. He told us he would take us out to dinner but he wasn't hitting on us since he has a fiance and she will be here in June. This man was desperate so we didn't mind the conversation, it was just random and funny. Welcome to Ghana. Then last night at the school during movie night, the guard told me I shouldn't never wear my shirt again. I asked why wondering if I was inappropriate in some way. He said because it made me look like an old lady. Ha, never got that comment before! Usually it is the other way around so it didn't bother me so much. I love how honest they are here, as I can't think of many other places where someone would actually say that. God to love Ghana!

Profound thoughts for the week! We have been studying Ruth in bible study and it has been a fresh breath from God to dig into his word and hear again how he is our ultimate kinsman redeemer. This week, we read how Ruth went from widow, to maid, maiden, wife, and ultimately mother to the line of David and then line of Jesus. Talk about a 360! This as believers should give us great hope and encouragement to know that the process from grieving to redeeming may take a couple steps and a process but it is so worth it as it will be accomplished through God's timing. What a blessing from God! We need to be patient and see God's hand in each step of the way so we can ultimately be redeemed and serve our mighty God for His glory. Hang in there if you are tired and feeling inadequate, God will use us and mold us into His servant in his timing.