One day at a time

So, must admit that I have nothing interesting to blog about it this week so I will keep it short even though I said that last week and it was still long! When you think about it, it is fascinating that people read what I write every week since it is just my life. When did that become interesting? Don't get me wrong, I love that people read it but my life isn't any more exciting than anyone elses. So, write down all about you and I will read it also! I do appreciate the support and you all wanting to know how the Lord is reaching Ghana because He is working here and in many places around the world. It is crazy to think that we are just one small part of his large amazing plan!

So, I am learning to embrace each day and enjoy it as now everything is pretty much routine. God has placed these children in my care and it is my responsibility to show Love at all times. Monday, my students and I decided to have a sweating contest and I think we broke the new world record for gallons of sweat lost in one day! In fact, we had so much fun that we played the game on Tuesday and partially on Wednesday. Never a dull moment in second grade. Alright, the truth is my air conditioner did not work and was actually blowing out hot air! In that little room with so many bodies, the place turns into an oven pretty fast! We were all dripping by lunchtime and we collapsed outside the first and third grade rooms where it felt like the artic to us. There are humorous moments when you are sweating and trying to teach or learn. For example the kids will be playing with manipulatives and then all of a sudden lose them. "Miss Sopcisak, I can't find my paper!" Check you arm! And low and behold their paper is stuck to their arm where evidence of sweating is left on the table. The boys deal with the issue by sticking plastic counters on their head which still quite nicely! This is unsanitary but sometimes you just have to do the unimageinable to get by. My kids were real troopers through it all even though it was not conducive for their learning. However, it does make for some good memories!
God is showing himself in mighty ways as Faith, the third grade teacher, spoke in chapel on Wednesday about salvation. Afterwards, there was a four year old who asked why Jesus had to die on the cross for our sins. The Lord is moving!

Please pray for our high schoolers as they are dealing with deaths, friendships, lack of parent involvement, and lonliness. It takes so much energy to teach all day and pour into these hurting teenagers. The harvest is plentiful and the workers few, so we must work hard!

On Friday, Mr. Crosby came to observe me. The kids behaved so well, wished he would have stayed all day since they were crazy in the afternoon! After Thursday, where all of them forgot how to read, I was nervous about what my students had actually learned this year. However, the lightbulbs all came on during Friday. It was an enjoyable Friday morning as Mr. Crosby observed my students reading, following directions to make mirrors, and memorizing poetry. I even had my students who normally don't like to work, read poetry very dramatically. Whatever makes them happy! I know my teaching methods aren't the best but I am doing the best I can and enjoying every minute. Just have to remember that from moment to moment.

One of the students who normally tells me I am the worst teacher, prays that I won't talk too much, and only likes school when we do food stuff, wrote an acrostic poem about me. I was so touched. I konw you want to hear it!
Super-natural
Opposite of dumb
Pretty like a flower
Intelligent
soccer
active

Well, okay, he left out some letters but definitely an A+ for trying. It really meant a lot, especially coming from this student. I know my satisfaction doesn't come from the edification of my students, but it certainly helps and it is cute. The girls of course, shower me with compliments but don't worry, I am trying to not get a big head over it!

I have just started tutoring a student on Saturday mornings. He is not confident in his English ability so I am just suppose to talk with him and help build up his self-Esteem. I can handle talking! I went to his home today and just sat on their living floor trying to get him to talk. I usually have the opposite problem in my classrom so I am not use to this but he is such a nice boy and I just pray that I can help with his English vocabulary knowledge so he can gain confidence and play more with the kids. As we sat on the floor, the cook brought us a try of ice tea and a China plate of Japanese cookies. It was so nice and out of the ordinary for me to be in a regular house.

So this afternoon, my girls down the street came over for more books. They read to me in their broken English which they are actually good at. It is just hard because they don't have a lot of schema for what they read and I try to explain it as best that I can. They get so excited looking at the pictures and spending time with me. I told them that next weekend I will take the two of them up to Auntie Jean's so they can pick out their own books. They are so excited about this and I can't wait to show them a plethora of books. They are expecting a lare building even though I told them it is a container but it is still more books than they have ever seen. Please pray that I get them there and back safely and yes, I am bringing someone with me to help.

There is only 5 weeks of regular school left but I must keep persevering until the end. These kids deserve my best all the time! Please pray that we all hang in there until the end.

Breaking News!!!!! It rained this afternoon and afterwards it was glorious! It was so cold that I put on a sweater to go outside. That was the first time I have worn a jacket in Ghana and it felt so good. Granite, when we came back, I had to take it off but for the moment I loved my life! Oh I can't wait to wear long sleeves for a long period of time. So sorry if you want the summer to be warm, but selfishly speaking, I would like a little colder weather when I am home.

Okay, I have bored you long enough, I will try to be more interesting next week!

Through Routine God Shine Throughs

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!

For sports on Friday we had balloon races. The kids enjoyed doing something different, even though they all looked silly!

This is Cynthia cooking in the outside kitchen at Fenaso. Food preparation takes a long time as you can see below. It definitely is worth the work as it is all delicious. Well, I guess I didn't make all of it so I can say it was worth it!

They are smashing the Palm Nuts to make the soup.

The older children put on Daniel and the Lions Den as a skit. They did a great job!

This is a typical house in the village. It is made out of palm branches for the roof and branches and mud for the sides.

The girls showed me how to make a broom out of palm leaves. They are very resourceful with their supplies. I have a cutless in my hand but the scary thing it belongs to the girls. I have never given sharp knives to kids before. I guess there is a first for everything.

This is the entire school with Megan and me. Aren't they all adorable?

This is me playing bingo with my class. Can you see the rainforest out the other window?

This is the kindergarten class without any manipulatives or fun things at all but yet they are still disciplined in coming. How I wish I could offer more to them!

This gives you a good view of the classroom as we were writing words. Each child must bring their own desk as you can see are all different. Some of them are just too small for their growing bodies!



Good Friday commenced our much needed Spring Break as we reflected on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord by dying on the cross for our sins. Although I would have rather been at home, I spent my Spring Break visiting a missionary family whom I met at Laurie’s house during New Year’s Eve. We almost didn’t go because they had company but I am so glad we did as I met a life-long friend. Christine and her husband Kirk, live in the Ashante Region which is known for their gold and is west of Accra. They are lifestyle evangelists and they live among the people and help meet their needs. Another girl who is volunteering at the school and myself, started our journey early Friday morning by boarding a non air-conditioned bus for five hours. The open windows helped a lot. The journey was beautiful as we left the smelly, dry city for the sweet fragrance and luscious palm sprouting land. Oh life outside of Accra is gorgeous, such a tropical oasis. Upon arriving in Dumkwa, a nice size town, we quickly made ourselves comfortable in their house surrounded by Ghanaian neighbors, gutters which make bathrooms for some(don’t worry not me!), and munching goats. I forgot to mention walls around each house with a guard, is that what you said? No, I didn’t! Freedom! Yes, a place without walled in houses where we can live in community with one another. Isn’t that beautiful? I really respect them and the work they are doing as they are reaching out to the Ghanaians in their own environment. In their house lives two boys, which they are fostering. They have had the six year old since birth and the teenage boy since he was six. They are very nice boys and were able to go to the US with Christine and Kirk just last summer which has westernized them somewhat. America ruins everyone! Just kidding! Anyways, that night we then traveled to one of their villages called Fenaso. It is a town of a thousand people living in mud huts without electricity and very happy. There, the Wiltse’s have a beautiful grassy yard which I hadn’t seen in a long time! We were so hot in the city but when we arrived in Fenaso, it began to down pour as we found ourselves running in the rain. Seriously, the time of our lives. We were able to rest in Fenaso as we had our own simple guest house accompanied with a hole in the ground for a bathroom, bucket showers, and lanterns for light. I am so thankful for camp as I experienced all of these things in somewhat of the same form while working at Spring Hill. On Saturday, we walked a good distance to private property where they have found gold. It is illegal to mine without a company but it is good money so it doesn’t stop anyone. Actually, a town not too far away, Obuasi, makes the most money in the world from their gold! We witness many men, most who were standing around, shoveling in knee high mercy infested water for small pieces of gold. They did have three pieces of machinery to help them but other than that it was very simplistic in the process not to mention dangerous. It was definitely an experience to witness these men searching for gold to have a small earning from the profit.
On Sunday, we awoke to the usual calling of roosters, which crow a lot earlier than daybreak, to a bright beautiful Easter morning. I must say that this Easter was far different than the rest as we went to a church in town with dancing in the aisles and the preacher preaching about stomping on the devil with our feet. Typical church for Ghana but not my church in America. I did miss everyone at home with the sunrise service and the music lifted up to God but we made the most of it. The sermon was given in English but there was a man who interpreted everything into Twi, yes, just a tad different than Easter in America. I spent the afternoon not looking for Easter eggs but playing games with some of the girls that they are looking after while they attend middle school in town. They are such nice girls which enjoyed learning new songs from camp of course and playing games like Uno, or our favorite, Killer Uno. Communication barrier is somewhat difficult but I am picking up more Twi and I am learning how to phrase words that are more coherent to their English. On Monday, I had the opportunity to bake with four Ghanaian girls which was a real treat. Only one of them had read a recipe before as they cook by watching their aunties or mothers but they never bake. They had a good time adding ingredients, stirring and of course putting flour on their face which is a tradition of mine. Cathy would be proud of me as I did not make that much of a mess! I am so thankful for the laughter and sometimes tears shed in the kitchen with my mother as we baked or ruined recipes as it has helped me teach this skill to girls who have never experienced this joy. I am realizing how important it is to spend quality time with the people here to bring them new experiences and show them that we care.
On Tuesday, we packed all of our school supplies and headed to Apebrouso. This is a remote village where Christine taught for four years. She has a quaint little house which is nice compared to the crude mud huts that the Ghanaians have built. There are only about 20 houses and less than 100 people in this village so everyone knows when Auntie Abinah arrives since she is the only one with a car! The children immediately rushed to her house where they helped us bring in our belongings like little ants. You might get one shoe at a time but they got the job done. These children were willing to help in anyway possible. Christine asked who would get her water from the pipe and they all ran to get her some! They just love to help! I never had to hold anything in my hand because they would take ot from me and find pleasure in carrying whatever I needed. Talk about service. As a teacher, it was hard for me to see children who were the age of a normal fifth grader but really was at a second or third grade level. Right now, there is only one teacher for about fifty children of all ages which doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it just isn’t cutting it for a solid education. Also, the teacher tried her best but she doesn’t have the proper education either to be teaching some of the older children.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with these children even though it was only for three days. I played phonics games with them and even read some of my favorite picture books. Their lack of English and lack of schema from not leaving the village causes some miscommunication problems and this can be frustrated but I have to remember any little help they can get goes a long ways. In the afternoon, we taught on the solar system and then looked at the stars in the evening. It was such a great place to look at the stars since there wasn’t lights to interfere! The kids loved looking at the stars through a telescope and it was so fun watching them experience things for the first time through their eyes. Throughout the time there, I was able to teach them games and songs while they taught be life skills like how to make a broom out of palm leaves, grow their own plants, take care of wild animals, or share their constant love. One morning when I was running, a man stopped me with a rifle in his hand and reached into his bag. He pulled out a huge rat the size of a small dog and I am not kidding! It was very fury and well dead at least. These people have no fear as they must hunt and plant crops in the rainforest to survive. I love it! Friday was a hard day as we had to say goodbye to all the kids. Before we left, we gave them all pens, pencils, erasers and such which were donated by students at AIS. They were thrilled and jumping up and down. I think they thanked us at least three times each! Here at AIS, or in American classrooms, students lose pencils every few seconds and they don’t care what happens to them because they know they will get another one. Here, the children cherish pencils because they can’t get them anywhere else and it is something they don’t receive all the time. It really puts all the things I own into perspective as I have so much, mostly junk, compared to them. However, some of the things I am glad they are missing as their lives are simple but it would be nice for them to have better resources for health and educational purposes. I am so thankful to Christine and Kirk for showing me the “real side” of Ghana and not just the city. I have learned so much about this beloved country in one week as I am truly loving Ghana for the welcoming people and gorgeous scenery. Who can beat running in the Rainforest? I must admit when I realized that I have less than two months until I go home(yippee!) but I consider this as home now. I have been here for 8 months straight and I am glad I made that decision as I have been able to know the people in my life on a deeper level and understand how the country works although it is sometimes not the best way. I am excited for this summer to be home but after this week in the village, God continues to tug on my heart to establish teacher training centers in Ghana. Teachers hate their job and they don’t get paid well so they don’t show up which results in the majority of kids getting to high school without being able to read. I want to fight this trend as much as possible and I will be praying to God to show me in His time how I can fulfill His will for my life.

Well, sorry this was very long and informative. I just wish you could have all come with me! Maybe next time? Please keep in touch!

Focused on the Cross

Math Competition in full swing last Saturday. I had the groups go to center to make the afternoon fun. They all wore their Sunday best!

Kim playing my favorite game with the kids. It involves just dice, paper, and a pencil. The kids loved it!

Dancing with one of the children after the competition. A joyous moment!

All of the children from competition taking a picture with new books that were donated to children of the light. "Our God Reigns" was playing during the picture, so perfect!

I promise I am happy even though I don't look it. The kids had to be the fastest at saying the answer to win the card. The child with the most cards won the competition. It got loud but it was noise of excitement and fun!

AIS soccer game against street kids from Accra. Don't you love our beautiful field? THe kids played fantastic even thought the coaches were frantic!

This allows you to see the entire field. Isnt' is so even? One thing about America, I can't wait to play soccer on grass! Our kids are in the blue and I am hoping to bring real uniforms back from the states next year.

Before the game, giving them a last minute pep talk! They are such a great group of kids!

The coaches strategizing and figuring out the best place to put everyone. We had a great time coaching together as Meg is wonderful and such a great friend!

This week proved to be an emotional drainer but I of course, faith like a child, dealt a heavy card to me as my own students helped me focus on Christ and the real reason for serving him.

On Monday, one of my students asked me during prayer time why Jesus had to die for us. What a perfect opportunity which I grabbed hold of right away and began the whole salvation message appropriate for a second grader! I was describing all of the pain and suffering that Christ went through for sinners like us so we don't have to go through the same suffering when all of a sudden I looked over at one of my girls. She said aloud, "Miss Sopcisak, I'm crying." I asked her why she was crying and she didn't want to respond. I asked if it was that she understood the sacrifice Jesus went through for our sins and she slowly nodded her head. At this point, I was crying and all of the other students were just looking at us. It was an amazing moment sent by God and orchestrated by Him to allow this girl to understand, really understand Christ's redeeming love for us. During lunch time, I asked her about it more and she told me that she was so sad about all the suffering Christ went through for us but how happy she was also since he died in our place. I walked her how to accept Christ in to her heart by praying to God and she told me that she already did and she does at home with her family. However, her family is Muslim and I know the father is against Christianity. I know she understands the message of Christ, I just think she hasn't distinguished the difference that praying to God in Christianity is not the same in Islam. Please pray that she is able to stay strong in her faith and begin to understand her relatinoship in Christ as she grows older.

Okay, so the kid who asked about Jesus dieing on the cross on Monday, asked another question during prayer time on Tuesday. However, this one went in an entirely different direction as he asked why we had to have moms to be born. Not a question I wanted to answer in the middle of prayer time or anytime for that matter! Instead I asked him if he would be able to survive without a mom around. He said, "yeah, no rules." I then asked questions like, who would clean your wounds, who would make you dinner(well they all have chefs so scratch that one out), who would tuck you in at night, who would read stories to you, etc. We then decided collectively that having a mother around was important. Phew, really awkward moment turned out not to be too bad.

On Wednesday, I began the day by asking the students what they were thankful for. We had standardized testing all week and they were starting to get tired so I needed to keep them focused somehow. At first I got, "I don't know what I am thankful for." But then I received beautiful words like, "I am thankful for a wonderful teacher who teaches yes." Even though teaching isn't about all the rewards you get in return, it is nice to hear that from students even if they are only 8 years old. Then the statements became even more impactful. "I am thankful for Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and rose again. We don't have to die a bad death because he died for us and now we get to spend forever in Heaven with Christ." Amen sister! I promise that these are words from 7-8 year olds! That is what life is about and I am so thankful that my students can have this perspective which helps me keep that focus, the focus on the cross and his unconditional love. It was such an uplifting morning as it continued when the students were singing songs on my itunes like "God of Wonders beyond our Galaxy, You are Holy, Holy. Universe Declares your Majesty. You are Holy, Holy, God of Heaven and Earth, God of Heaven and earth, etc." and "We Want to see Jesus Lifted High" This is why we teach, so I can instill Christ's love and message in these precious little lives.

Wednesday afternoon was emotional draining as we held a memorial service for the father of two of our students who died suddenly on Saturday. I knew one of them pretty well and her strength on Wednesday was amazing. She stood in front of all of her peers and members of the community to talk about her father while she showed pictures. She was even telling jokes and just sharing his love for life and most importantly Christ. I didn’t know him but I know he was amazing just listening to his daughter share with pride his accomplishments and personality. We were all proud of the high school boys who stood up and shared their own losses with parents and their faith in Christ. Some of the boys(soccer boys) surprised me with their honesty and their openness with their faith in front of everyone but it reminded me of how much the Lord is working in their lives and at this school. The testimonies of these students are strong and I pray that we as teachers can continue to build them up in their faith. I wish I could reverse what happened, but I truly know the Lord is working through this family as his legacy will continue. The family has traveled back to America to have a funeral here and then will return after spring break as the wife has a job here.
Frustrations: Having joyful moments with my kids by them telling me about Christ or asking crazy questions is essential for my survival as stress starts to wear on me after awhile. For example, on Thursday while they were taking their standardized testing, the power was so bad that I did not have any air conditioning. I had the fan on but since the room is small, the fan was right on top of them so their papers and folders were flying away. So instead, the students had the best testing environment as they sweated and squinted to see the test since the light kept going out. You just have to laugh and embrace the craziness! When they were finished with a section, we went into the hallway which is all open and rested in the coolness which usually isn’t that cold but to us it felt like Antarctica. We then did the limbo and listened to the song, “I’m Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!” How appropriate! On top of this, only the printer in the high school was working and we had to print out report cards. I was printing some more out when I tried to change the cartridge and messed it up! Oh I felt horrible since we lost our last printer. Luckily, it was fixed, crisis adverted but it just gets hard when you try to print things out or copy things and you can’t because they don’t work anymore(even when they are new!) or the fluctuation of the electricity is too much to make anything work. I know it seems like pity little things but after awhile for some reason it just tires you out. I am really praying for the Lord’s strength these last two months as I want to be present here and give my students the best even though I am excited to go home.

Saturday was an exciting and eventful day! It began with my soccer team’s second game against street boys from the city. We played really well and I was so proud of them. We lost 4-3 and some of it was coaching errors! Meg and I are learning and so we will hopefully improve as the kids also improve their skills. They really have come a long ways this year and they are starting to see their own improvement. Yes, it would have been nice to come out with a win but at least the kids know we can play with other kids, especially Ghanaians who are so good!
The End of Math Madness! Yesterday was competition day at Auntie Jean’s to wrap up the math practice we have been doing. To be honest, I was so exhausted after the soccer game that I didn’t know if I could make it but I am so glad that I went to be rejuvenated in these amazing children. I had designed competition so the kids would go to centers so they didn’t have to sit through all of the boring parts. At my center, the kids took a speed test in either multiplication or addition and then had a flashcard competition. The winner of these competitions received prizes at the end of the evening. I could tell you that all of the kids improved in math and finished all of their tests in a minute. However, I won’t lie and be honest by saying they were still counting on their toes and making tally marks. Okay, so even after a month, they still need work but at least they were exposed to better ways of computing than they were taught. It seemed like all of the kids had a great time so that is what matters. They all dressed up in their Sunday best which was so cute and they all received books, fake coke(didn’t know difference) and popcorn so what could be better!
Spring Break Plans: So there is so much to write about! This coming Friday begins our Spring Break. I have decided to go to a village to help a lady that is friends with our Project Manager. I met her on New Years’ Eve and just felt a calling to go help her. She has many Ghanaian children living in the house and they travel to different villages to help where needed. She also helps at a school but has no formal teacher training. We will spend Easter in town and then travel to the village on Monday. There are only 20 houses there as it is in a remote area. We will be spending the week reading with the kids, doing fun activities and crafts with them, and singings songs. I am so thankful for my experiences at camp as I have a lot of games and songs in my bag from SpringHill. I love how God designs everything we do for a bigger purpose! I am traveling by bus there with a volunteer who is right out of high school. I am very excited about this opportunity to experience life in a village better and to help with a school as I am interested in establishing teacher training facilities. Unfortunately, I will miss Easter at home which I am very sad about. I love Easter as it is a time to reflect on Jesus’ Sacrifice for us and then celebrate His resurrection which gives us eternal life! I love our services at church and then the fellowship we have at home with the easter egg hunts. Please dye and egg for me or hide one in a very difficult place that we don’t find for a year. I know who can do this well! Most importantly, I pray that everyone takes the time to really reflect on Christ’s unconditional love for sinners like us. I might not have power or water all the time, but at the end of the day, I still have Christ and his promise to save me from this world! Amen! What more do you need?

The definition of fun!

According to webster, the definition of fun is: what provides amusement or enjoyment; specifically : playful often boisterous action or speech 2 : a mood for finding or making amusement

Well, push webster aside because I have a new definition and a whole meaning of this word.

Definition of fun #1: Seeing Monica and Abigail get a real book for the first time.

So last Sunday, I finally was able to get the books from Auntie Jean's to Monica and Abigail who live down the street from me. When they heard me coming, they called for everyone and the whole clan came out, aunties, cousins, sisters, brothers, mothers, grandmothers. It was a huge occasion to pick out the books! Walking away, I was almost in tears realizing these girls have in their possession real quality books for the first time! I can't even fathom that as I have so many books at home and so many in my classroom which the kids treat like dirt. I am so excited to be a part of their education.


Definition of fun #2: Finding creative ways to stay sane when the electricity goes off.

We have had the unique pleasure of losing our power for almost 48. Talk about wholesome fun there! It started when one of our surge protectors that we plug into the wall, popped out of the wall and burned up. They had to call ECG, our lovely friends at the power company, and they turned off the power. It gets hot super fast so we went out on the screened in balcony to have a dance party! Like I said, you have to keep your sanity somehow! Two times when we have had dance parties, the power has come back so I think it works like a rain dance. One of my roommates downloaded the song, "I've Got the Power" so this should help. Well once we danced to the most ridiculous song and the power was still not on, we decided to go to bed outside on my screened in porch. God blessed us since it stormed both nights so we had cooler weather even though I still managed to sweat! It was a great slumber party with my two roomies. Tuesday morning was Faith's birthday and she wanted to make a cake for her class. We didn't do it the night before because of no lights so we decided to make it at 4:15 a.m. instead. Oh the crazy stories we have to tell. Okay, so I have a cheap phone, a million cool points away from an iphone, but it is amazing to me because it has the greatest invention on it. Can you guess it? It is a flashlight which is pretty powerful which has been very hand lately. I am good at getting around in the dark, must be adapting night vision. Even with the power off, I still have nothing to complain about because there are millions of people in Ghana who do not even have electricity ever and they all survive. I am very spoiled in this nice house with this nice sleep inviting couch I am sitting on as I type but not everyone has these luxuries and I must be aware of that. I am learning to not take anything for granite as even our water goes out often. Everything is a gift from above and should be treated with utmost gratitude.

Definition of fun #3 Making pizza with my class. When we were learning fractions, Ihad the kids make pizza on paper by following the directions to color in the correct fractions. They wanted to make real pizzas so I told them we would when our compliment chain(reward system) hit the ground. Well they earned this privilege on Friday so we made pizzas out of pitas, sauce, and cheese which parents graciousy donated. I would call out a fraction and they would have to make that fraction by covering it in with a topping. They kids did a great job and they loved that fact that they were cooking even though we just stuck them in the microwave for a few minutes. They asked if we could start our own shop to sell bakeries. As we were making them, I realized that these children have never cooked before with their parents because their cooks do all the cooking. They have never had that experience of eating cookie dough out of the bowl or pretending to be the host of a cooking show which was fundamental in my childhood. I am glad that I could have brought some childhood moments to them that some miss out on. We are just having a blast in second grade! On Thursday, we made angles with out bodies in ou ever so cramped classroom which was hilarious to watchful but I guess painful for them. I promise they had fun! I love that I can give a student a look, smile or laugh, and deal with a dicipline problem. I always said in college that I couldn't wait to be a teacher because I would get to have fun and make a fool of myself all day long. Well, that day has come and I truly love the Joy of the Lord and laughter that flows in my room. These students are so precious and full of life that they constantly remember the real reason for living this life as it isn't about my selfish desires but about God's will in my life. Please pray for the kids this week as they have standardized testing and for the teachers who have to read the entire test to them.

As you can see their are many definitions of fun that I would have never dreamed of before. Ghana has opened my eyes to see the important issues in life and disregard those that won't matter when we see Christ's face in glory. God gave me this life to follow his purpose but also to enjoy and I entend to do so to the most potential. My challenge is for you to bring the defintion of fun to a whole new level this week as God has given us Joy to replace sorrow.

Very important: Today, two students at our school lost their father suddenly. I know one of the students very well and I can't imagine what the family is going through right now. Please pray for them as they have a lot of decisions to make concerning their future. I thank God that they are all Christians and have the comfort that only comes from Christ alone.

The

I am explaining how to use touch points to add to the kids. Don't you love their desks and paper? Their pencils are even built in to their hands!

Kids working diligently on addition and playing in the sand!

Auntie Jean and I having a good time explaining touch point and trying to hear all of the kids answers at the same time.

The pavilion from the side.

The pavilion for Children of the Light. This is looking from the top of the land and then it slopes down. Where the bricks have stopped is where the floor for the pavilion will be laid. The men read my dad's plan wrong and started with the foundation up instead of in the ground but Auntie Jean is adjusting.

Even all of the kids had to help carry up water.

The pile of sand and cement to make the flooring. Yes, they mix it all on the ground!

The kids from Children of the Light carrying down water and oranges to the land. They had to walk at least 20 minutes down a narrow and rocky path to the land. This is all in a day's work for them.

This picture is especially for Cathy but please enjoy it as well. This is Kweku, who was Cathy's special friend over Christmas. He is six even though he looks a lot younger.

Monica and Abigail, the girls down the streets who I give books to. They are intensely writing their names

Abigail's sister, enjoying some bread.

This is Abigail, look at that attitude!

This is Monica, they love to pose for the camera!

After five days out of school due to illnesses, we still not go back to school as Ghana was still celebrating its Independence. Yes, it was nice to have time off to get caught up in school work and e-mails(thank you to all who have e-mailed me, I love it!) but by this point, I was ready for a routine. I just could not sit in my room a second later looking up ideas for my classroom as there is a world around me in need. I sat for awhile contemplating on my move and just asking God what I could do for Him on this day that would be more glorifying to him than being on the computer. Finally it struck me, well actually God put it on my heart, that I should visit the girls down the street who I give paper books. After circling their house once, mind you it is an unfinished house, the girls came out and I asked them to read to me. They quickly found their books and read from them which included rhymes. I had to explain a rhyme to them and then we spent time naming rhymes in which we would jump everytime we said one. Children in Ghanaian school learn everything through rote memorization and don't exactly have the skills to decode words so I want them to know important phonetic rules. I then brought out a leveled reader, which isn't that interesting and doesn't have the best pictures but they loved it. They read a story about a clown which they had never heard of before so they loved it. They were desperate to keep the book but it is a school so I could not allow them to have it, however I had better new for them. Auntie Jean, the lady who runs Children of the Light which I go on Saturdays to help, told me that these girls could check out books from her library. All they had to do was pay a cedi for the pouch and then I could continue to give them quality books which they have never had before. The only books they own are the paper ones I have given them. Okay, so take a step back and think about your own house. How many books do you have laying around that you have never opened? How many do I have in my classroom although I still complain that I do not have enough? These girls are dying to get their hands on books where sometimes we just dispose of ours. They were so excited about the idea of getting real books and their grandmother and mother thanked me for this opportunity. Everyday, they would ask me about the books but I told them that I would not be able to go up until Saturday. Saturday was amazing on the land but I will get to that in a moment. When I got back, my guard told me that the girls had stopped by twice to give me their cedi and they were disappointed each time knowing I wasn't there. Later that night, as I was going to dinner for Faith's birthday, I saw the girls and they ran to go get their money. They said, "we came looking for you, we want the books." I tried to explain to them that I wasn't around because I was getting them their books! They gave me the pouch and I promised to bring the books after church. Even this morning at 6:30 when they were carrying water, they kept saying " the books, the books." "They are coming," I responded in true Ghanaian fashion! I love these girls zeal for wanting to read and actually understand what they are reading. I am also so thankful that the Lord put it on my heart to spend time with them on Monday instead of stay in my home. Please pray that I seek after small opportunities to just touch someone who needs it. Also pray for these girls as they want to be nurses and I want them to achieve but I just pray that school fees or sin doesn't get in the way of those dreams. I am so excited that I at least have another year with these girls to help teach them phonic skills and open their eyes to a new world through books.

I thought the kids would be crazy coming back after being gone for 6 teaching days but they did a good job remembering routines, well for the first day because they were so tired from not being using to getting up early. After that, they struggled but I always have to remind myself that they are only in second grade. I love the moments when I take a step back and realize how thankful I am to God to be here and to be a teacher. These are my kids who will remember me as their second grade teacher! It is hard to comprehend after being a student or helper in the classroom for so long. I love them all for their personalities and their creative ideas. For the most part, they remember what I tell them about good worth ethics and important life skills which is great but also scary that they are quoting me, what do I really know? Best of all, they have a desire to serve God and love to give prayer requests and pray to our mighty God in Heaven. Another great part is they say the funniest things! For this week: we were talking about Ruth and how Naomi was a widow. I said that if you are a husband who loses your wife, than you are a widower. One boy says, " Oh so that is what I am, Oh wait I don't have one of them(a wife)" Oh man, comments like those make the day so much better. A had a girl whose birthday was on Friday and her father goes all out so I wanted to talk to him before they came in. He came by my room after school on Thursday( he speaks mostly French), and I said, so our daughter's birthday is tomorrow. "It is?" he said to Saly. He had no idea that tomorrow was her birthday. This crushed the girl and I felt so bad that I had to be the one to tell him. These kids might have a lot of monetary value but they are hurting inside by not have someone who is there for them. Yes, there parents provide above and beyond, but the kids are crying out for attention, even the high schoolers because they don't get they crave for at home. Please continue to pray that we love on these kids even when they may act up from wanted attention.

Saturday morning, I made the treck up to the land with some friends. They needed water carried up from the stream so they could make more cement so I had the privilege of carrying water on my head! I will admit that it is not easy! First, you put a shirt or cloth wrapped in a circle on top of your head. Then you have a guy, well we had to have a guy, raise the bucket and set it up on your head so you can start moving quickly. It hurts the neck muscles but some of these kids have been carrying water at a young age so they have built up the muscle there. Yes, I must admit that some of the kids carry as much or maybe more than I do. It really is an amazing workout but to the Ghanaians, it is a way of life. I see the small girls in my neighborhood carrying water home before 6 in the morning. If they want to take a bath or have breakfast, they must first fetch the water. Water; that just comes out of the faucet for us but is a laboring job for people here. Oh what we take for granite! After we filled the large buckets, we began math or maths as the call it here. All of the kids were sitting on the sand doing flashcards while I was trying to think of how to use pencil and paper here. Then it dauned on me, we already have paper and pencils. I got their attention and told them to get out their pencil by holding up their finger. We then sharpened our "pencils" and got them ready to write. I showed them their paper on the ground(sand)and they even had a an eraser(palm of their hand.) We were working on touch points again which will help them be faster at adding. Yes, it was chaotic to the maximum but that is how Auntie Jean and I function so we had a good time. The kids would write the problem and then they would show me the answer by using the touch point to add. So, I had about 15 kids yelling, "Madame, Madame, look, look, 15, 15, I got it, I got it." It reminded me of Ethiopia and I loved it. If they got it right, Be,(teacher at the school) would throw them a biscuit. It was a group effort to help these kids understand but they were catching on which was amazing. Oh it was so much fun as we laughed continuously. I was just in my element, in the frest air, teaching kids who were using sand as their paper. How could it got much better. Well, actually it did, because then we told the Resurrection story through the eggs where there is a small figuring inside each egg that help tell the story of Christ's sacrifice for mankind. Some of the kids were distracted half of the time but there was one boy who will be a preacher one day as he would stop us to tell the kids something. He would point his finger, and in twi, tell them the truth of Christ. We always asked for a translation and it was the most beautiful words ever! What an amazing day. It is exciting to see the building of the pavilion as she just started going down to the land last June when it was still high brush. She officially purchased the land in November, and now she is building on it! God is working wonders here! We talked about how we can use the pavilion for teacher training and workshops which got me so excited as this is a desire of mine. We will see how God moves in time.

Well, this is a super long blog, sorry so much to write about! Enjoy your week and keep in touch!

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Unexpected Events Result in a Blessing

All the Ghanaians at the beach behind Independence Square. I am not sure why they all came but it was a sight to see. This is probably just half of the people there.

Independence Square! Happy Independence Day Ghana from 1957!

We missed the parade so we had our own! The guy on the left is Louis visiting from Germany. The girl is Meg who I coach soccer with.

The mighty roar of the waves which only the Lord could have created.

Meaghan and I at the beach during our day off due to sicknesses. Please pray for everyone's health!

Relaxing at the beach under the umbrella and reading good books. What more could you want?

Last Sunday night, my fellow teacher and I were sitting down or dinner at the businnes manager's home when we got a bitter sweet phone call: the health department was shutting us down for two days due to illnesses. My initials thought were; I have so much to teach them, how am I going to get it all done! And thinking of a day stuck at home didn't seem too appealing to me either . However, I was getting over bronchitis and didn't have much of a voice so it was nice to have the extra two days to rest my voice so I could actually yell at my kids. Just kidding! You know me better, I would never yell at my kids! I am the perfect example of a teacher! Okay, sorry, getting carried away. So I spent our first day off doing a puzzle with m roomate and watching Psych episodes until I found out that I could help with the library at school. The director's wife said I should be on drugs to calm down and not do as much but I am here in Africa to serve so I might as well do as much as possible. Well, I ended up not being that sacrificial as I met the director's wife and the project manager managerat the school. They asked me to go out with them to run errands and just be away and my weaknesses gave in so I went. It was nice to be out with them on a Monday as I enjoyed our conversations. Well, didn’t get much done but I guess I should be able to enjoy a day off! The next day we went to school as an in-service day and found out that the health department was shutting us down for the rest of the week! Oh, not good at all as I have things to teach my kids especially with standardized testing coming up. However, the Lord of course showed me that it was a blessing as I was able to get a lot of things more organized in my classroom. You would think that in a small room I wouldn’t have room for clutter but somehow I am able to accumulate a lot in there. My excuse is that I don’t have any room to put anything so I just make piles. We worked at school Tuesday and Thursday and then we had Friday off. You should be so proud of me because it was my idea to go to the beach with my roommate. She hasn’t been out much so I wanted to do something different. I figured out the trotro route and we found ourselves on a pretty clean beach staring off into the mighty ways of the Atlantic Ocean. There is something about water that is so soothing and refreshing! As we stood there, watching these enormous waves roll in, we realized how powerful and almighty our God really is to have created such amazing wonders in the world. Every second, a new wave come towards shore, just as powerful as the one before. They are magnificent to look at but dangerous to be a part of. God created the powerful mighty waves and it is a perfect example to us of how might and powerful He really is. For the God who separated the waters from the land, also created us and sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. It was a beautiful reminder on a refreshing day when we should have been at school.

I complained this summer when everyone was having snow days that I wanted a sweat day but having this day off was better than a snow day because we could go to the beach. Okay, so really I am jealous of snow days but I am trying to justify it in my mind. It is unfortunate that many kids were sick and it will be hard to get back into the swing of things on Tuesday. Please pray that the sicknesses have subsided and that it will not spread anymore.
Psalm 93:3-5 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their waves. 4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, Than the mighty waves of the sea. 5 Your testimonies are very sure; Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever.

Psalm 89:9 9 You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.

Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day as of yesterday! You might be thinking, but Christy it isn’t July yet but you must remember I live in Ghana! I did a little research like a real journalist so I could enlighten you on how Ghana became independent. Britain ruled Ghana as the Gold Coast Colony but after the second world war they started to lose interest in their large empire. At the same time, African nationalists in the Gold Coast region were building power to become their own nation as this was the area with the largest population of educated people. The leader of this movement was Kwame Nkrumah who was put in prison several times by the British for trying to start revolts. In 1954, Nkrumah became Prime Minister and on March 6, 1957 he helped Ghana declare that they were officially independent of British rule. They were the first sub-saharan country to get their independence which they are still really proud of. Ghana’s foreign policy was then focused on helping other African countries gain their independence as they wanted the whole continent to be separate nations. By 1966, Nkrumah had made a socialist nation so with the help of the US, the military staged a coup d’etat to overthrow him. Busia became the president who is no longer alive but his granddaughter goes to our school. So many crazy connections! Anyways, although Ghana has a democracy, there is so much corruption in politics such as having huge houses that they don’t use or owning mountains which is across from Auntie Jean’s land. I was talking to a taxi driver today about how I like Ghana and the people and he said to me, “But don’t you think there is a lot of corruption.” I said I didn’t want to respond because I didn’t know enough about it to make a statement but that the people I meet are very kind. I then said, “so you think the government is corrupt.” He answered very quickly with, “ I don’t think, I know.” There you have it, from the mouth of a taxi driver which are pretty smart! As good Ghanaians, we decided to celebrate Independence Day by going to a suitable location, Independence Square. Makes sense right? Well, when we got there, the huge parade had already subsided so there wasn’t much to do except for watch all of the Ghanaians and walk around. The square has a huge monument with 1957 up at the top. Then there is a large ampitheater with stands. I guess that is where the parade happened. The president lit the perpetual flame on the square but when we got there just a couple of hours later, the flame was already gone. I guess it isn’t too perpetual after all or they decided it was a waste of gas since there is a shortage in the area. You can be the judge. The ocean is right behind the square so we walked behind it to go down to the beach. There were hundreds, seriously, of Ghanaians standing around or playing in the water. You can see for yourselves in the pictures! It was crazy so we did the only sensible thing we knew, we stood right by the water, surrounded by Ghanaians playing Catch Phrase in a circle. That made for a crowd around us for sure! In all seriousness, Ghana is a well developing country which is very proud of its roots and strong will to become independent. I am so thankful to be surrounded by kind people who are willing to show me where to go and who want to talk about their country in which they are proud of. Yes, they understand there is corruption but they also have the hope that Ghana will rise above this and equality will be possible for all.

Okay, one more thing. I went to Asbury today for church which I haven’t been to in awhile. The music there is incredible as people are just so happy to praise the Lord and dance in his sanctuary. Okay, watching this obrunei dance is not that exciting but it just feels good to let loose and really praise the Lord with all my being. So I challenge you on this Sunday to dance in the aisles and really praise the Lord with all that you are. Normally, I am one who is pretty rigid in worship but I am learning here that worshipping the Lord should be a joyful occasion. I heard a song today that I hadn’t heard since Christmas with Cathy and we loved it so much. Me writing the lyrics does not do the song justice but think of a Reggae or Salsa flare to these words and it is amazing.
When my heart is overwhelmed,
Lead me to the Rock,
That is higher than I,
That is higher than I.
If you really want to know how it goes, I can sing it to you over the phone but I won’t do it justice. You should just come here and listen to it yourself! Then during the sermon, the pastor talked about running and cleaning towards the rock and how magnificent the rock is. It was a well thought out sermon and helped me understand that this is my purpose in life, to seek after the rock and stand firmly planted on it. It isn’t about me at all, I am here to serve my King in whatever capacity he requires of me. What a great reminder. Here is the scripture passage that goes with the song. Who knew that Christians songs were taken straight from the scripture? Makes sense! Okay, I am kidding, I promise.

Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy Psalm 61:1-3