Signed and at Peace

Afterward the game against Kinder Paradise, we had a lunch together. Although the meal was an hour late, got to love Ghana, we had a great time fellowshipping together.

Can you tell I am not happy? I am burnt just on the places on my face where I wrinkled it. Kind of funny but I have proof that I was not happy! Oh the joys of the coach.

Here is one of the chances we had of scoring but it never happened. We did play hard in the first half.

The girls got to play a game as well on the smaller field. If you notice closely at the other team(in yellow) soe of the girls are not wearing shoes. They are Ghanaian and tough, what more do you need to know?

These are the girls before the match in my old high school uniforms. They are all beautiful girls in the inside and out. They were excited to play as this was their first game as just a girl's team ever! We are making progress.

Yesterday we had our second soccer game of the season. We played Kinder Paradise which is the children's home we go to in Pram Pram. After a year of trying to set up a game, we finally hosted them at our field. Although the game was at 11 which of course is the heat of the day, noone was injured, just my players pride. We lost 6-0 which I didn't mind losing since they were better, but my kids didn't try at all second half. This did not make me happy as everyone should play the entire game no matter the score. Granite it was hot but that is still no excuse for not trying at all. Tomorrow before practice, I am going to show them all the pictures of them standing, maybe this will get the point across. I love coaching these kids although they need more discipline and need to learn how to work hard. It is hard being a coach as everyone wants to tell you how to play the game and do your job but I guess that is part of the job title. We have a lot to work on but we will keep working hard hopefully and I know make better improvements.

After the game, we all went back to the school for lunch. I had the cleaning ladies cook for me and I told them to have it ready by 12:30. We all came back to the school at 1:30 to find that it was not ready yet. They said it would be finished soon but I told them I needed it now since I had a lot of hungry kids. I became very American on them as I expected them to meet the deadline. However, to them it wasn't a big deal as it is finished when it is finished. However, when I am in charge of a lot of kids, it makes it difficult to go off the schedule. Even when I try to think of everything and plan it out, it still doesn't go according to plan, welcome to Ghana. A quote from a professor at Taylor, "We have the opportunity to be flexible" which is so true here. Getting worked up about situations does not change it so you just have to relax and wait although it is good to push the Ghanaians some and help them understand how importance of staying with a schedule. I see there way of living and I see ours as well. I guess there should be a happy medium somewhere. Despite all this, both teams ended up having a good time together and even played more soccer in our school complex. I don't know how they still had energy but they did. I know this relationship will continue to be strong.

So in random thought, I was on the way to school one morning and I got to the place where usually it is overgrown with weeds. We usually walk on the wall of the gutter which was necessary this day since it was flooded. I hopped on the wall and carefully walked across the crooked uneven bricks hoping not to fall into the open disgusting gutter. I then looked up to see a chicken coming towards me on the wall. The thought then occurred to me that I was playing chicken with a chicken.(just in case you don't know, chicken is a game where you try to push the other person off of a small wall, or into the water, or off of the blob if you are at camp). I don't know why I found this so humorous but at 6 a.m. I guess it doesn't take much. Don't worry, the chicken became a chicken and jumped off first before I had to. So that was a pretty big paragraph to explain something ridiculous but I hope you enjoyed! we must learn to take joy and humor in the little things of life, it definitely helps me let go of the big things and realize it doesn't matter.

Now to the title. A week ago, we received the letter of intent from our director, asking us to decide by December 7th if we were going to stay or leave next year. I knew this time was coming but it became real once I had the paper actually in my possession. I tend to rush into everything so I wanted to make sure I was not jumping into this decision without praying about it and listening to the Lord leading in my life. When thinking of next year, there is no other place I would rather be than here. I love Ghana and would love to be here for a long although not at the school forever. However, at this point, I have not finished my work at AIS, as I want to use the materials I have a little more since I finally have enough to teach with. I also couldn't leave the soccer kids knowing they might not have a coach next year. On Friday, Mr. Crosby reminded me that I still had the letter in my school box and I explained that I didn't want to lose it. I finally realized that I was just putting this decision off and I since I already know where my heart is, I should just making it official. So with that thought, I signed the paper Friday night declaring that I will be coming back to the school next year. I miss people in the states, especially my family and it is hard to be away but I feel that the Lord has me here for a reason and this is where I feel at peace. It is hard knowing what is the Lord's will and what is my own but I have been praying about this and know this is the right choice. Thank you to all those who support me through prayer and financially. With your support, I have been able to feel at home here and know that the Lord has me here for a reason, for such a time as this, just as he has everyone else at a certain place. God is good all the time. So here I will be for another year, one year at a time, as God has given us one day at a time and he never gives us more than we can handle. I will leave you with Psalms 146. I am so thankful that my confidence lies in the Lord and him alone!

Praise the Lord!
Let all that I am praise the Lord. 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth, and all their plans die with them. 5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel[a] as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 6 He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever. 7 He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. 9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem,[b] throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!

God keeps his Promises

Last Sunday, we went to Pram Pram as our normal first Sunday of the month tradition. This time was a little different as we took high school students with us who are part of Community Service. This was great because then they planned the lesson and not us on the way there like usual. Actually, I was very proud of the high schoolers as they planned the lesson and the craft. They did the story on Noah and talked about his promise to never flood the earth again with water. This week, I have seen how God does keep his promises and reminds me repeatedly of this. How quickly we forget that He is in control and provides in suitable ways for us when it is His timing. However, back to the conversation of Pram Pram; it is really important for students to be involved in ministry and community service as it teaches them the imortance of sticking with commitments and taking initative. Some of the students jumped in their right away to help while we had to tell others to go help with the craft. As time goes on, I know they will be more comfortable in just taking the responsibility they see a need for and going with it. In addition to a God-centered morning through the joyful worship and then the story, the time with all the high schoolers was entertaining as they all have stories to shae about home life in school. No other school do you have the opportunity to come in contact with the students out of school in a healthy way without it being too weird. It really is a blessing as most of these kids do not have anyone else to talk to at home as their parents work all the time. These students are all so precious and just want a voice to be heard.

Yesterday(Saturday) we had a joyful occassion at school as we had a party for all of the workers who helped put up the building. Noone can believe that we added another floor to the school in just two months as everything takes forever in Ghana! We had painters sleeping in the school so the work would get finished. It certainly is a miracle but most importantly it is God working in His timing to provide for His children. We had over 30 families there which was really fun to watch the fathers interact with their children. The morning and afternoon were even complete with a bouncy castle, sidewalk chalk, a water fight, bubbles, and a random dance party which I think thrilled the teachers more than the kids but we are allowed to have fun too! These men are proud of their trade and their familiy and it is a privilege to know eaach one of them as they work so hard for this school since they see how God is working here. One of the students had been turned off to the bible and had never set foot in a church. This year he accepted Christ during a chapel and now loves to proclaim Christ's name! He asked Mrs. Crosby one day if it was important to proclaim Jesus' name. She said yes and he told her that he had a conversation with a little boy about God being the only one to constantly remain as everything else will pass away. He was excited that He was proclaiming the name of Jesus. For the first time this year, we have two Chinese students. They explained to the parents that the kids would have bible everyday. The mother said the she didn't believe in God but she didn't care if the child did. God is tugging at these students' hearts and He is winning the battles. It is such a blessing to witness God working in these students' lives but there are many more who are still hurting and don't see the need for Christ. Please pray that the staff will be committed to talking with the students and really taking the time to get to know them on a personal level so they see the need for a personal savior.

In exciting news, Laurie happen to have lunch with someone at the Embassy who gives grants to different American organizations. The administration met with this company on Friday and there is a good chance we will get a lot and I mean a lot of money to so we can actually build a school that actually functions as a school. After reading Esther, I have started to realize how God works for such a time as this and this is true again in this matter. We went from being stuck in this building forever to almost having land and the money to pay for it. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 63: 1-8

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Jesus is our Sheepdog

Team on three! I love our huddle of hands as each hand is unique and diverse. I love these players who come from all different backgrounds.

Half time talk. They look sharp in their uniforms which were my old ones from high school. We need to work on getting East Central off the back but other than that they look great! I had everyone and the guard or driver, literally trying to help with the game.

Well hopefully with my animation, they are getting the point. I don't think they are paying attention but I am trying!

Our lovely field is lined with Charcoal. My two guards did it for me. I am so blessed to have their help.

This is a random picture but it shows in the foreground one of my injured players, Mr Crosby the director who loves soccer and puts in his two thoughts, and one of my players who has a patch on his head because he scraped some of his hair off after falling on the rocks. Alright, it isn't the best playing conditions, I do miss the grass, but it works!

This is a picture of my kids getting ready for a corner kick against them. I like this picture because I ca tell who i marking and who isn't! A coach always has to analyze everything!

Some of you might be wondering about the title of this blog but don't worry I will explain it to you. We have been doing the sh sound in class this past week and one of our words was sheepdog. One of the girls automatically said Jesus is our Sheepdog, well I guess that works instead of Jesus as our Shepherd. I was telling them that a sheepdog protects the flock and rounds them up to take them from one place to another. That is exactly what Jesus does for us which makes sense in a 7 year old mind. Then one of my girls said Jesus takes us from our home here to our heavenly home. Amen! So there you have it, the theology of a second grader; Jesus is our sheepdog who gently keeps us on tract so he can safely lead us from the pasture to our eternal home.

This was an exciting week for soccer as we had our first game of the season. My parents graciously sent us old uniforms from my high school that I wore and even though it was a fiasco to get them out of the post office, we are able to put them to good use. They really feel like an actual team and I like seeing them have pride in themselves. Well, I survived the game even though I was a nervous wreck! As a single coach, the games are nerveracking. Well, at least I wasn't giving directions alone. I had drivers, the cleaning men, my guards, past players, parents, and friends trying to help me out. During the game I could hear English, Twi, Korean, and French. No where else can you experience this! It was getting a little out of control. I do love the diversity of it all as you can tell from the pictures how diverse we are but how we can be united through a great sport like soccer. This is definitely Christ's international community. I love that we can pray before games and even talk about our responsibility to play for Christ and play clean. Although not all of my players are Christians, they know where myself and others stand which is an amazing platform to share Christ. We are a hodge podge of people but we managed to tie 3-3 which was a huge accomplishment for the kids since we had lost the other two last year. One of the new kids said, "Did we win?" We said no but then he asked, "Why are we all celebrating so much?" Well, because we didn't lose! I am excited that my kids were pleased with themselves although we have a lot of work to do before our next game on the 20th.

On Friday night, some of us went to a cafe to play games. We were playing phase ten when all of a sudden the lights went out(nothing new). We automatically got out our cell phones with flashlights on them(best invention ever) and continued to play. We then laughed about it later as the darkness didn't even bother us. I was thinking about this funny event when a realization came to me. This is how I need to be in Christ! When I am walking in Christ's light and all of a sudden I am faced with a difficult situation that leaves me in the dark, I can't allow myself to stay in the dark. I need to without faltering, get out my light and keep going on with God's business. It sounds much easier said than done but God has given us the necessary tools like a flashlight on a phone to help us keep away from the darkness I just have to remember to pull it out right away like pulling out my cellphone from my purse. As we are doing God's work, the devil tries to pull out all of his tricks but I am learning the importance of spending time in the scripture and memorize His Word. I am a work in progress but being here as really helped me rely on God for every aspect of my life. God is amazing and we need to sing His Praises on High continuously!

I was in the market on Saturday morning and mud got splashed on me. Right away everyone said sorry and then offered their towels to clean my foot. It wasn't a big deal but it just shows you the compassion of people here as they are willing to help and be of assistance to make you comfortabe. There are even people who walk around waiting to carry your purchases. We feel bad using them as it looks like a servant following us around but at the same time it gives them an income and don't worry we tip them well. I hate using people to make our lives easier but it is a way to give back to them. Still don't know if it jestifies it but it is food for thought.

Today, Sunday, are taking the high schoolers to Pram Pram for them to lead Sunday School which is great so we don't have to come up with it on the way there! Also, it gives them a chance to be involved and give to others.

I will leave you with some scripture. Thank you for taking the time to read this and God Bless! Keep in touch! I hope you find the connection in it!

Psalm 95 1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
3 For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice, 8 “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,[a] as you did that day at Massah[b] in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest

Power of Prayer

Happy Waterween! Mr. Crosby and I relaxing on the front porch.

Here are the two watermelon lit up. Ghi Nyame means except for God which is next to Mr. Crosby. So much fun!

So we just got our screen fixed from two little boys who went through it and then I totally walked right through the screen even though I was the one who shut the door. Oops! However, it was really funny!

It is the 2nd annual Carving Watermelon Party since we don't have pumpkins. The three of us who live downstairs did Mr. Crosby. Well Faith and I scooped out the middle and Diann the art teacher did the face.

This is the symbol Ghi Nyame whick means "except for Christ. Shari and Kim did this one and it was fabulous!

The beginning stages of cleaning out the watermelon. The best part is that we get to eat it!

We took the high schoolers out to eat as part of Sharpeners. The two on the end are my girls. We were an embarrassment and I am sure the whole restaurant was glad we left but the girls had a good time so I guess it was justifiable.

Faith and I on a trotro ride to the market. This was one pretty nice but you never know what adventures await you on a trotro. Don't worry, I didn't have to hold any doors closed on this one!

This is a random picture of Medina market at the trotro station. We went to get fabric and are now on our way home as way we wait in the queu. This is life, everything just as it is.

We stopped to buy pineapple from this lady who cut them for us. I loved her outfit and she was so enthusiastic to cut pineapple for us.

Character dress up not Halloween. Since witchcraft is real here we can't really celebrate halloween but the kids were able to dress up as book characters. Aren't they cute?

Here is the rest of my kids in their outfits. They look thrilled to be there.

This is the 9th grade dress up. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th kids in the line are all soccer kids. This lineup is even complete with James Bond and Michael Jackson at the end. It is never a dull moment with this group.

After kids club, some of the kids stayed behind to read books that I finally got from the container. Thank you to those who donated books during the summer to make this possible. The kids were so good and quiet! Unfortunately, a lot of them cannot read well as they don't know their sounds and phonics. I am hoping to work on this with them so they can be better readers. It was truly a blessing to see themlove reading or looking at the books.

I do not have some new revelation to share with you but just a hodge podge of memories from the week. First of all, last Tuesday we had Kid's Club followed by the first Reading Frenzy as I think I might call it. The kids have been asking for weeks to stay and read books but I haven't had enough. Now with the container arriving, I finally have enough! The kids were so good and quiet as they set there absorbing in the books. Unfortunately, too many of them can't actually read well as they are only taught sight words and not how you actually sound out each sound. I hate these realizations because it makes me want to go in the public schools and show them the right way of doing things. This is my ultimate passion but it is hard right now as I see the struggle but feel as if I can't devote my entire time to this problem as I have my own classroom to run. I know my time will eventually come but I don't want more kids to fall through the cracks. Thank you to all those who donated books! I will start the alphabet with them shortly so they have a foundation to build from.

Friday was character dress up day at school, as the kids could dress as their favorite book character. We cannot celebrate Halloween here as it is seen as a pagan holiday and very dark since witchcraft and all that is a very real thing here. The entire school spent the morning outside presenting their costumes on the stage. I never got a picture of myself but I was Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus. I think these books were more of my time as most of the kids were not familiar with these books. I taped pictures of animals all over my dress as Ms. Frizzle always wore dresses that depicted where they were going on their field trip. I tied a little bus around my neck as the bus transforms into different objects to get them to their destinations. All of my pictures had falled off in minutes but I did put some thought and creativity into it!

Quote of the week so drum roll please............... "Miss Sopcisak, I love Wednesdaybecause it is chapel day and I get to dance with Jesus." This is coming from one of my Muslim girls who is really close to understanding Christ and his saving grace towards all sinners

All of the soccer kids were in a big buzz last week as students from British International School approached me for a soccer match. The plan right now is to play next Thursday. My kids don't feel ready but they never will be until we start playing matches and they realize the necessity to work hard in order to get results. I don't want to be too hard on these kids as I want them to enjoy soccer but at the same time they need to learn discipline and how to work hard which will cary out for their entire life. I do love these kids as I am able to be more of a friend than a teacher to them. Also, I get to be sarcastic which I love! Please pray for my sanity this week as I prepare for the match.

Also on Friday, we took some of the high school kids out for pizza at a nice place with lots of Obruneis as part of the mentoring program. That sentence had too many prepositions, please forgive me. Anyways, we had a great although we were a little loud and obnoxious. Good thing we were sitting in the corner. Lets just say we definitely all had the Joy of the Lord. These girls all come from different cultures and backgrounds but they all have a sweet spirit which yells to feel connected with others and to feel like it belongs somewhere. It is a privilege to be friends with these girls and share some of my struggles or experiences to better benefit them and the problems they are faced with each day. Keep them all in your prayers.

Today in church we talked about the church being honest and sharing with one another. We also talked about the power of prayer. I forget sometimes how powerful prayer can be and how we need to share with one another so we can really see prayer working. Pretty soon I need to make a decision about next year and I have to make sure I am making a decision that will honor God and not just myself. Please pray that I will listen to the Lord talking to me and not my own thoughts. God has a mighty plan for all of us and the only way to stay true to Him is to be open to His calling. Please know that I am praying for all of you and would love to talk sometime if you ever have the chance.

I was glad to have met friends on the way home who were excited enough about the books that they carried them for me. They are so strong. I admit that I tried to carry the box on my head for awhile but couldn't do it for long.

This is when the boys got the uniforms. They were so excited that they all tried them on right away. They look sharp.

Chistmas in October

I will give you a warning before you get too far into reading this. This blog might be not be that exciting as but for those who trek through, thank you. Yes, some of the things that happen are a bit out of the ordinary than in America, but now it is life and I don't remember them as well because they just aren't usual anymore. I still feel weird just blogging about my life since everyone has a story to tell about how God is working in their life for his Glory. As my grandpa would say, just say thank you to those who take the time to read and then just get on with it.

I love being infront of kids and making a fool of my stuff. I love planning lessons and helping the children but one aspect of teaching that I have been afraid is talking to parents. Now for those of you who are parents of school aged children, don't get me wrong, I love you to but it can be a tight nerveracking especially when your only 24 and never have had kids before. Monday and Tuesday started as nail biting days as they were only half days followed by parent teacher conferences. I had 7 back to back on Monday and despite none of the copiers working to print out all the needed materials for parents, they went smoothly. I had one parent who had some good constructive suggestions which I appreciated. The rest were just thankful for what I was doing and thankful for the school. One parent told me that as a family they pray specifically for me and the rest of the teachers. This really touched me and helped me realize the body of believers that uphold this school. It truly is the only way to explain why we are still functioning as and growing as satan tries many times to interfere but through the prayers of many, God has sustained us more abundantly than ever. So after facing my fear of parents, I see that they can be my biggest advocates. I truly am blessed with great parents who are involved and want to help their children succeed. In some places, you might be left alone but then the students have no support from their parents. Also, the majority of my parents are well educated people who are capable of helping their students and understant the importance of a good education. Please continue to pray for my kids as they still grasp who God is and as they share with other classmates about Christ. One girl went home and told her mom that the other girl had accepted Christ from my story from last week. I guess the girl was jumping up and down and just ecstatic that this other girl had made a decision for Christ. Pray that this young beautiful lady finds her own personal relationship with Christ and that we would be there to uphold her in her decision.

This week I was reminded how much God is involved in each aspect of life including soccer. I forgot to tell you last week that the uniforms my parents sent for the kids were at the post office but they wanted 200 Ghana Cedis for them which is still over $150. I refused to pay that much since I shouldn't have to pay extra money for something that is already yours. These uniforms are already 7 years old and they aren't even a name brand as we called them K-mart specials in high school. However, they love jerseys here so they were willing to raise the price. How kind of them! Mr. Crosby, the director, showed his grace on my and decided to pay the money to receive them. I told him I would foot the bill but he declined my offer. I must give a shout out to Mr. Crosby because he does care about us and the kids a lot. Fortunately, when William our driver came back with the uniforms, he told me that it only cost 65 Ghana Cedis which is a huge different. Praise the Lord! Mr. Crosby was very excited to show me as he found my class and I upstairs in the hallway looking for land as we were pretending to be Christopher Columbus. Mr. Crosby then swam next to our boat all the way to land and even beat us. Man, he is a fast swimmer! Sorry, I went into second grade mode there, please forgive me. Anyways, after school, I got to show the kids and they were so excited! I have pictures but I don't have my camera at the moment so hopefully on next year. The boys were trying to find their favorite number and were just chilling with them on. I informed them that they are for the matches which they understood but I just got a kick out of how excited they were. Again, these aren't the best uniforms and I wore them myself! It is cool that now the kids I am coaching are wearing my uniforms. I never dreamem this while in high school but it is cool how God designs everything perfectly for His ultimate reason. I must admit that practice is tiring on days as the kids don't have discipline or hard work ethics. However, we are working on it and we now have new motivation as we have uniforms and games to play. Please pray for patience with me and these kids!

Christmas in October continued as the container with all of our books and workbooks on it finally arrived. Before this, we have been all making copies of the workbook pages we needed as we didn't have enough books. You can all say that we were rejoicing with the final arrival of the container. It has been in Tema, the port city for over 6 weeks but for some reason it took this long to arrive here. Who knows? It's Ghana! We spent a long time Thursday night stamping all the books and putting them in their perspective classes. It is exciting to know that our school is making improvements and progress as continue to add more resources and books for the kids. It is hard not being able to pull any book I need from the library but we are getting their slowly but surely. I sent five personal boxes on the container with three of them containing books. Oh happy Day! Thank you to all of you who donated books during VBS at church. Some I am keeping in my classroom but the rest I am taking back to my house to use for reading time after kids club. They kids have been begging me to let them stay and read but I just haven't had the books for them. They keep lingering but unfortunately the container was slow. So to their surprise, on Tuesday, they will be able to stay after kids club and read for awhile until it is too dark. These children really need phonetic practice and I am going to start helping them get the sounds down as all they know is rhote memorization.

Faith downloaded the Amazing Race episodes that were tapes in Ghana. They are hilarious and I recommend watching them as they give you a little taste of crazy life here. I have been to most places that they traveled to so that was exciting. I have such pride for Ghana! There are scandals and corruptions but also genuine people who care.

May God continue to show his light to in each day!

We have a Champion

Here is a lot of random pictures that I have been meaning to put up but haven't yet. Enjoy! The one above is at Pram Pram where we go once a month to lead Sunday School. The kids are making lion masks for Daniel and hte Lion's den.

This beautiful face was captured at Children of the Light. The eyes say it all.

This is at Trashie Bags where they take recycled bags and make purses, bags, or clothing out of them. If there is a small child with the mother, the baby is called a Trashy baby.

These are all the ice cream and water sachets that have been cleaned and are drying before they are made into something. Their slogan, "fantastic in plastic." It is a great way to recycle and give people an opportunity to work.

A rain jacket out of plastic sachet bags that are normally filled with water. How appropriate. This one is a little small but Faith and I might have one made for our size!

The ladies at Trashy bags sewing up a storm of sachets. They are making large grocery bags.

This is a really nice picture of the front of our school. On the left, you see a tall tower. That is the tower for the stairs so kids can get up to our third story. We are growing but there is not much more room for us.

Pin the tail on the donkey during our fiesta. I missed miserably!

I put a blind fold on Mr. Crosby our director during the Fiesta. I think he is scaring one of the small kids even though he can't see. This was a fantastic night with The Boss and many friends.

Oops the same picture is above!

Another picture of our school. This one shows all the flage that surround the complex. We have 30 countries represented here.

I just love Ghana for almost getting run over by trotros all the time, being greeted by men in their underwear on my street, random people being willing to help us, crazy excited ladies selling us pineapple, watching thieves run down the street, and little girls yelling "sister Christy" while there in a tub of water with suds all over their body. Never a dull moment in Ghana!

Last week I shared how a little muslim girl wrote a song about Christ and put herself in it to actually receive Christ's sacrifice(even though she doesn't believe in it Ha!). The amazing stories continue. My one little boy, who is quite the evangelist, asked another muslim girl if she was a Christian and believed in Christ. She told him yes so he quickly proceeded to call out, "Miss Sopcisak, come quick, we have a champion over here. She has accepted Christ!" I asked the girl if this was true and she told me yes then I asked if she knew what that meant and she said no. We then spent time in the hallway together where she told me that she truly did believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for her sins and he rose again so we can spend forever in Heaven. Amen! I don't think she entirely grasps it, but it is a start and God is working in amazing ways. I just have to be faithful in following through and asking this girl about the truth she is beginning to believe in. My little missionary friend learned his first lesson in tactful missions on Friday. We had just finished taking our spelling test and the kids began the scores they received. I told them we don't share each others scores because we all have strengths and weaknesse and it is up to us to help each other in different area. My little boy said, " yeah even though (girl in class) and I don't have the same god, I would never go up to he and say, (girl name) you believe in Allah and not God so you are going to hell." It was one of those moments where you could see it coming but there was nothing to do about it. It was out of the mouth before I could stop it. My first reaction was to laugh which I knew was wrong but I tend to laugh when I there are intense moments like that. I told the boy that we should not say that and it was inappropriate in school. He truly has a pure heart, he just might not go about it in the right way all the time.

Last week we didn't have water again at the house because the city water wasn't on like usual. In the morning, I must have turned on the sink and then forgot to turn it back off since nothing came out of it. Well, I definitely remembered when I got home late that night. You know those TV shows where they actually flood the bathroom and it looks so hilarious that you kind of want it to happen to you? Well my wish finally came true as I got to go wading through the crisp crystal clear creek right in the comforts of my own home. So at 10:00 p.m I had the opportunity to bail out my bathroom with cups from the inch deep water. Luckily Daniel our guard helped me. What a blessing he is even when I do something ridiculous. At least it is a good story!

Last Sunday we had the Fiesta at our house which proved to be a fantastico! We had an amazing

dinner plus we played pathetic but enjoyable games like pin the tale on the donkey, the limbo, and even danced to the hokey pokey. I was laughing hysterically on the last song as even the director and his wife were participating. This is what happens when you are surrounded by the same people all the time and you don't get out much plus the stress of school. I love that we can goof around and have clean fun as the body of Christ.

This past Friday we had a day off since grades were due and we have parent teacher conferences on Monday and Tuesday afternoon. Please pray for me with this as it is nerve racking talking to parents as I tend to sugar coat everything. Luckily I wrote everything down so I could stay on the script and be truthful. Honestly, my kids are doing a great and sometimes I worry that I am too easy. Time will tell! We spent the morning going to Trashy Bags which recycles small plastic pouches that hold water, juice and ice cream in to use for purses, bags, and duffel bags. I had never been there before and we were glad we went. It is such a geat opportunity for people to have a job and people on the street can even bring in the trash for a profit. For people to survive in Ghana, there must by equal opportunity for all people. Trashy bags is helping the environment, local street people, and parents to generate an income to support their families. It seems like menial labor and it is but Ghana is all about making ends meet no matter what the cost is.

After being here for over two months, I finally found the time to take the girls down the street to Auntie Jean's house. They have been begging for weeks to go to the library and I finally was able to act on my promise. They were so happy checking out books as they grabbed anything they could put their hands on. They desperately hunger for knowledge and books which seems like ordinary coffee table center pieces in homes all across America. The kids are also working on Christmas dictions for the concert which my two actively paricipated in coloring, cutting, and glueing. At he end when everyone was cleaning up, the girls went to find a broom so they could help just as much. These two girls are definitely precious and it is my desre to continue to work with them so they can aspire to be whatever they want to. They were so well behaved even though Medina(market) was stressful on the way back as the line for trotros was extremely long and the taxis were all taken. We almost got ran over a couple of times but we luckily found one that took us all the way home. God answers prayers even though it took awhile.

I came across a verse this week which has really helped me realize my reason for living and who I desire to please. I usually read NKJV but I had my new living translation version and this particular verse woke me up in a new way in this version.

"Obviously, we are not trying to win the approval of men but of God, if pleasing men were our goal, we would not be Christ's servant." Galatians 1:10 I am a people please but I am realizing that the only one I have to please is Christ and my desire is to walk after his desire.

God in the Details

In America, it is easy to forget that God exists in every detail. We expect electricity, water, and things to work correctly. When they don't work, we take it to someone who can normally fix it and life goes on. However, here electricity and water could be off for days with people always telling you tht it is coming. This can cause frustration or you can learn to trust God with things that seem minor. I would never pray to God for trivial things in the states because it seems as if I can handle it on my own. However, being here I have realized that I will not make it through the next hour without asking him for strength and perseverance. Fr dealing with more minor issues, I have learned to truly put my trust in what God provides instead of fixing the problem on my own. I am so excited that I am able to grow in this way of seeking out the Lord first as it shows my maturity in Christ but I still have a long way to go. You are probably still confused so I will give you some examples. When I run in the morning, there are usually dogs out. They are normally sleeping but sometimes they like to bark or growl at me. Several weeks ago, I prayed while I ran that the dogs would leave me away. During the run, no kidding, every dog around me sprinted away from as quickly as lightning. Some of the dogs I didn't even see until I saw hem bolting away. Weird? No, God! When I experience something like this, I automatically have to give the glory to God as it is not possibl without Him. God is working in evey detail and it is so important to see how He provides in big ways but also in small ways. Two days ago, I was running when one dog was circling me and growling. I kept yelling at it but nothing worked until I said Christ please. At that moment, the dog stopped and just stared at me as I jogged away. Coincidence? I think not! In America, I thought it would have been silly to pray to God for such a small thing but here I realie how important to give every situation over to God.

I have also seen the Lord work in a might way this week. I wrote up the experience for my director to send back to the main office so I am just going to insert that. (sorry, call me lazy!)

In my classroom of 13 students, I have found one student to be opposed to God and the bible. At the beginning of the year, she informed that the Savior I talked about was not her God nor the God who created her as she was created by Allah. During chapel with Alabaster Box, she covered her head with her jacket which was sad to me considering what a joyful time that was with the school and indeed the presence of our Savior. From those events, I have tried to be committed, along with others, to pray for her and the conviction that she was under. Three days ago, I started to see God answers those prayers as she asked during Bible time what would happened if someone didn’t believe in God. I went on to explain the salvation message and the importance of accepting Christ as the only true Savior. You could see the wheels turning as several minutes later she asked her next question. She asked, “What if I half believe Jesus is the Savior in our heart and half not, what then?” I then went on to explain that he wants our whole heart and again He is the only true Savior for the bible says, “I am the way, the truth, and the light.” No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6Then one of the students asked me if we could ask this girl if she wanted to accept Christ right now as her Savior. Even the class recognizes the need for Christ in each life. God started to open her closed heart and what a blessing that was to see. Last week I was talking about the darkness of sin. On her own she said, “sin is like a dungeon and Jesus is the only one that can free us from it.” What a powerful analogy! Today, she was sharpening her pencil on my desk where I have my bible. She turned to me and said, “Why did God write the Bible?” I had the opportunity to tell her that it is a letter written by Him for us to show that He is with us always and will take care of us. She seemed to be okay with that answer but before she walked away I said, “Do you know that Jesus loves you.” “I know,” she says and went back to work. These past couple of days have been a blessing as God has turned a closed heart into a questioning one for the truth. God is working hard in her heart so please pray that God will show her the truth which would impact her entire family. This child is searching as I hear her constantly having conversations about Christ and Allah. The other children also see the importance of winning her for Christ. On Friday, we were picking up when she made up a song. It was actually quite good and I asked her where she had heard it but she really made it up. She wrote it down and the words are powerful as they speak the truth of Christ.

Here they are: Be glad don't cry for the Lord has joy. He gave you Joy. You must think about the Lord. He made you. You must red the bbible becase it is Gods word. He made you. Jesus had to die for our sins to make us.

Isn't that powerful? I asked her about it and she told me she wrote it for all the Christians because she knows this is what they believe. I asked her if she believed in what she wrote and she said no because she believes in Allah more than God. This kind of broke my heart until I really examined what she wrote. At the beginning she uses the pronoun you to refer that she is not included. However when it comes to the most important message from Christ, about Christ dieing on the cross for our sins she switched the pronoun. Instead of saying, for your sins, she used our sins and us. God has a great sense of humor. She might not believe this at least aloud to me but she at least knows the truth and is thinking about it. God is good so please continue to pray that the Lord will open her heart and the heart of her family.

This week I took my class on a field trip to West African Mission which is a clinic and ambulance service for members. It was started by a woman whose children attend our school. I had one of them in class last year. We are learning about community helpers so the childen got to go in an ambulance, test their hearing in a sound proof booth(they all passed so now none of them have an excuse about not being able to hear me!), and learn about water safety around a pool. It was fun to get out with them and enjoy their cuteness in a different place other than school. They are doing well but please pray for their listening ear and for kindness in tone to one another.

Friday night we had our kickoff for Sharpeners which is a mentor program we are starting with the high schoolers. Two high school students are paired with a teacher where they can hang out each week. it gives the kids a chance to have someone to listen to them and it enables us to connect better with the students. We hace 10 signed up right now which is great for a start. We had them all over to our house for food(of course), games, and a time with their mentor. I already know the two girls I have pretty well but I am excited to know them on a more personal level. They want to study the book of Revelation, a book I know so much about(I am being sarcastic) so I will have to google it to find out more information or ask my dad! Please pray that we could be vulnerable with one another and study God's word so we could strengthen our relatinoship in Him.

I am not writing this to scare you but to open your eyes to the reality and for you to pray for this. The police presence has diminished some in our which means crime has gone up. There have been several houses broken into and some people have died. Mr. Crosby has asked us to be more cautious so please pray that I especially will act with care for now. Also, on Mr. Crosby's way home Friday, he saw the police catch two people thought to be robbers and kill them right there. First of all, that was rough to watch but also noone is for sure if they were actually robbers. I am not even sure what to pray about on this but pray the Lord will lead you to pray for the right words. This is reality here. It is not a scary place but death is an open thing. Well on that note, I shall leave you but I hate leaving you on a down note! Oh tomorrow we are having a fiesta just because we can. There, that is more rand0m and happy!