Absent but present

Cathy and I in Boston! Aren't we beautiful?

Keren and I in Boston harbor going to the islands for a day of nature.

The true Ghanaian family. This was taken after an appreciation Ghanaian dinner for all of my supporters.

A pretzel bigger than my head. Truly! This was taken in Germany with all the delicious bread and fruit you could get!

Running down the paths of tree in Salzburg just like in Sound of Music. I think I could pass for Julia Andrews. Wait till you hear my voice!

An oxymoron? I think not, just a complication in identity and location. After being in Ghana for ten months, I had established a home with friends, critters, and a reason to be there. The unkown became normal and life had a rhythm. Then being back in the states, I saw my other purpose. The purpose of being close to family, friends, and bakeries in the North End. Alright, the third one is a joke but it was nice. So although I was absent from Ghana I wanted to live each moment in the states, to be present in mind and in spirit. I won't lie, there were some difficult parts when I just didn't understand the culture or felt out of the loop but what a joy to see those who have helped prepare me for this chapter in my life. I was able to see professors and mentors and thank them for guiding me through life to get to the point I am at now. Don't worry, I realize I have more growing to go! So although I love the people in the US and hopefully the people love me(smile) Ghana is home right now.

Oh, so a little about the summer! After leaving Ghana, which made me pay 40 ghana cedis to leave the country since my visa had expired, my friend and I went to Germany where Ghana lost my luggage. The country really loves me, what can I say? Anyways, it really was a blessing in disguise because Lufthansa gave me 50 euros to buy clothes and then everything showed up in Munich. Kim's bags were heavy so it was better not to have two more bags. Man, we were a sight at the train station trying to carry all of our luggage! We took the train from Frankfurt to Munich and spent three and a half days touring the city and elsewhere. Probably the highlight of my trip was eating fresh strawberries from the fruit market a block away from our cute little hotel. We were able to see Dachau which is just ruins now but with a nice museum depicting the history. How awful! I am glad to have seen it with mine own eyes so I can somewhat understand the devastation that occurred there. We also went to Slazburg in Austria where Sound of Music was filmed and then went to Neuenschtein(sp?) to see the Disney castle. So we got around but the countryside from gorgeous. It was green and rolling and green, and mountainous, and did I mention green? We even spent the night in the train station because our train left at 3 in the morning.

At home, I started the middle school program for VBS and we had a blast. I had to catch up with that age level as I am use to younger kids. One time I asked them if they needed help tying something and they gave me that look, we can do it. OH yeah, right! Oops! However, I saw the Lord touching their lives as they had to think deeper about God our creator and sustainer in all. I wish I was there all year to minister to these kids and have programs for them.

The fun continued with a two week "Freedom Trip" outeast with Cathy and a good friend. We hit Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City. Boston was my favorite as it is one of the places that began our country and it seems like a small town in the middle of a large city. We stayed in the North End which is the Italian section and were able to smell bakery from our beds. What could be better! In New York, we visited a college friend of ours with two other friends and took the city by storm! It was wonderful to catch up with sisters in Christ who for the past 5 years now have helped challenge me to grow closer in my Lord and Savior. What a blessing to be in their presence as a friend and colleague as we are all teachers. You know, got to stick together.

The rest of the time was spent frantically spending time with the family. So many good memories that we will cherish until my next visit. Thank you for all those who have been prayer warriors for me. I was so fortunate to see a lot of you this summer. I am sorry if I was unable to make it to everyone so please keep in touch.

Wait? How many days?

Am I actually writing down days until I am leaving Ghana and not months? What a weird concept! I remember the day I left my family, embarked on a journey for West Africa, not sure of what I was getting myself into. Now, ten months later, almost a year, I can communicate with my Ghanaian sisters and brother, hear Sister Christy anywhere on the street, actually control a classroom, and travel on a trotro for hours to share sweat and smell with Ghanaians. What could be better in life? God has sustained me through an incredible year of my life to stretch and grow me and now I am on the home stretch. Howevr, it is still my obligation to bring Joy and love to my students each day. Te worst feeling is thinking that one of my students does not know the Lord and I would hate for them to slip through the cracks. Instead of looking for the week to be over, I am looking forward to each day where I have four more chances to imprint Christ's love, share His message, and bring JOY to these children's lives like they have never experienced. I will never get these moments back with them again thus I must make the most of it. You never realize how amazing something is until it is almost over and I hate that but I have no regrets from this year. God has taught me patience and to continuously pour out to those around us. Life will be empty without my kids even though my new kids will be great. It is just that these are my first ones and nothing will replace that. This past week I had a kid say, "no I don't want to go to PE, I want to keep learnign math." Wow, what an amazing thing for a kid to say, he definitely got an A. I had another kid during prayer requests pray that all of the students would know how great of a teacher I am and to remember all that I have taught them. Another student who left on Friday prayed that he would keep his friends and teacher in his heart for ever and never forget them. He prayed that he would always pray for them and that we would pray for them." Could they be anymore precious? Okay,I guess I am not humming this tune all the time but these moments come up all the time and it is so important for me to stop and recognize them as it is only the Lord who can work like this in these children's lives. Children are so honest and are not shadowed by the world's evil yet. I have learned many life lessons from them and I will always be thankful for them.

Last Tuesday, we passed out essentials to our the kids on the street. We gave them, bibles, underwear, popcorn, and tampico(orange juice type drink.) After passing out the bibles, one girl opened the cover, saw Jesus and kept yelling, "I have Jesus, I have Jesus, I have Jesus" this is real folks I don't make it up! In a world where death and suffering is reality, the children rely on their heavenly Father more and just realize how vital he is for their existence. How many times have I gotten bibles in America? Was I ever jumping up and down to know God's love letter was tucked neatly under my arm?

This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go back to the Ashante region where I spent spring break. One of the other teacher's wanted to teach the girls how to make paper from recycled paper so of course I had to go. We left Friday at noon, which was hard leavin my students behind, my babies, I was like a mother giving the sub, ( more than capable teacher) last minute directions. Anyways, we spent 6 hours on a trotro, sharing sweat and literally laps with the guy next to me, oops fell asleep on him, you can say awkward! Saturday was glorious as I actually got 8 hours of sleep and woke to the luscious greenery, instead of disgusting, smelly Accra. We traveled to the village where I taught and it didn't take theh kids longto realize that we were there. While they made paper, I spent the day singing our favorite songs, making glow in the dark bracelets, and reading books. I gave them paper books and then when that ran out, folded white paper which was in big demand. I intended them to color on it but they just wanted the paper. Can you imagine? It doesn't take much to entertain them. So here I am on the porch in amidst of 15-20 children, passing out paper, remembering names, making them smile, and breaking my heart by their preciousnesss. Here are kids that have spent the day at their farms, have blood on them from cutting chickens but still want to color like the next kid in America. My heart is with these kids and I am praying for more ways to be involved in their lives next year. To be able to train the teachers of Accra, I must first understand the thinking of teachers and their students which will take longer than a year. God is in control and I am excited to see how he will lead in the following year.

Tonight we got together as teachers to share our years and sing songs to our Lord with a joyful noise. One particular chorus that kept with me;

Your all I need
Your all I want
Your my everything

Duh Christy? What more do I need in life, obviously nothing! So you mean even when the power is out, my classroom is hotter than a sana, my kids are sweating like pigs(their favorite simile), or a ten minute project takes two hours, God is still sufficient enough for me? Yes! Then why do I forget that so easily. This will all pass away, maybe even tomorrow but God will stand as my strong High tower for everlasting to everlasting. Amen.

Living in the moment, intead of counting the days

Don't even ask me how many days I have left in Ghana because I have no idea. I didn't even realize that June was coming so soon and school was almost finished. I just have been living in the moment, and not looking towards the future. Alright, I hope none of you are still believing this lie because although this is the fantasy I would love to live in, this is not all truthful. Yes, I do love my job, the kids, my life here but there is a nagging at my heart that yearns to be back to familiarity and family in America. To be honest, it is a scary thought as I have been gone for 10 months. It is just different here and I have forgotten a lot about America. I am not looking forward to our culture, but I will learn to embrace it for the time I am home. I will embrace all those I am blessed to know and who have been great encouragers to me all my life. Afterall, I would not be here without all of your support and guidance during my life. God is good all the time!

Time is quickly dwindling so I am trying to make the most of every situation and keep my kids busy in class. Above, you will see a couple of pictures of us making no bake cookies in class since we talked about the process of making chocolate. Ghana is the second largest exporter of chocolate and I have seen the process in villages. I had an amazing conversation with the kids as they thought it was unfair how the big CEO's of hershey make all the money and do no work, while the pickers make pennies. "But Miss Sopcisak, don't the farmers get some of the chocolate from the factory?" "But Miss Sopcisak, they are working hard while the people in the factory just push buttons. " My favorite one, " Miss Sopcisak, the people owning the chocolate factories are not showing love to their neighbours likes the Bible said because if they were, then they would share their profit with the farmers who don't have one." If only the world was ran by children. They see it much more logically than adults do! This week, we were talking about matter and how all living things are made up of matter that has matter. They wanted to know who has a larger mass, God or Jesus. Well, good question. Then we went into the three in one which is hard to wrap any brain around. This is the moment when you pray hard for the Lord to give you an answer but it is okay to say, I'm not sure, you will have to ask God when you get to Heaven, something for them to look forward to!

This past week has been emotionally draining as I have had to deal with a disciplinary action three times in four school days. I cannot go into details but please pray for my class and this student as he understands the magnitude of his behavior. It has taken a toll on me but thankfully I have the strength of Christ to get me through and the beauty of the other children. They are jumping with glee for the chance to be finished with school, which hurts, but I know deep down inside they have enjoyed this year. Well, I hope so anyway. It is hard to let them go since they are my first class but I have seen them improve tremendously and I am proud of them. Today, we made a fruit salad since we were learning about mixtures in science. Oh, the fruit is so good here. It is such a relaxed atmosphere to pass around fruit, and talk. Seriously, teaching is the best job because it isn't a job at all since I just have fun all day long. Okay, there are moments where my tune is different, but for the most part, I love my days.

On Tuesday, we had a surprise for our kid's club as we gave them donated clothes from children in our school which meant nice, expensive clothing. Most of the kids were very appreciative of the new clothes while others wanted to trade for something better. I guess kids are the same everywhere, never satisfied even when what they get is better than their worn, tattered, and dull t-shirts. Next week will be the last kid's club as we hand out bibles and underwear, you know, the necessities! These children have been a joy spot in my life as I can hear "sister Christy" from anywhere and they are so excited to come on Tuesday. They teach me to play clapping and stomping games that require too much coordination for me which I create more intertainment for them with my ridiculousness. They even bring laughter in the morning as I walk to school and put boxes on each others heads as we try to make our way down the street. Oh I am sure we are a sight but we are joyful and enjoying each moment so what more could you want in life? It is good to reflect all these happy moments as it is easy to get bogged down by the stress of everything, especially with the stress of leaving soon. However, we keep our eyes fixed on Christ who gives us the contagious job we must show to all.

I pray for a JOYFUL DAY basking in God's goodness

Purpose

Boys at Pram Pram where we led the service. They are so beautiful and filled with Joy! Kim, Lauren, and I doing a skit about the reasons we have the Bible.

My kiddos at the Spring Music Program even though we don't have spring here. Can you tell that it was a western theme? Aren't they cute?

Two of my girls before the program. I was so proud of them all!

Again, this was a picture from Pram Pram. We helped the kids make wordless Bibles to remember the message of Christ and then share with others.

Daniel, our guard, was cleaning upstairs for us when Faith and I were making dinner so we made him join us. We introduced Daniel to oreo's dunked in chocolate nestle milk which Faith got sent from a friend. We are turning him into an American so he said we now have to eat more Ghanian food.

Crunching sand underneath my feet, awaken me to the fact that I am indeed in Ghana as "obruni, obruni," is echoed across the road. What is my purpose for being here? To see how many times in a day I can hear obrunei? Is it to snap photos at the way the Ghanaian people live? Or am I here to make the most money possible(I hope you know that one is faulty! However, my kids on Friday tried to tell me that I am only here for the money, but I corrected that right away!) As I tripped over hidden rocks on the crunching, hard sand, and dodged Ghanaians hidden by darkness, I began to contemplate the purpose for living here and remember my first love for Ghana. As the days wind down, it is easy to look forward to America, to family, and a rest at home. These are all great things but again what is the purpose? Oh yes, again it goes back to Jesus and His purpose for us. Am I focused on the task he has given me at hand? What is that again? Oh yes, daily carrying my cross for Him by answering the same question 12 times, breaking up little fights, but most importantly listening to questions that require thinking about Jesus Christ. Days can be rough, but moments are precious as I tackle the "what if" questions and learn how my kids faithfully follow Christ. I talked to one student this past week and asked her who Jesus was to her. She told me that it made her sad sometimes thinking about what Christ did for her. I asked why and she went on to tell me that he had to die because we are the sinners and He did nothing wrong. However, he died for us so we wouldn't have to go through all that suffering. Wow! Is that the purpose for living and being in Ghana. Is it so precious 6 year old hearts and truly understand the sacrifice of Christ? If that isn't a reason for living than I don't know what is. Today I heard a powerful sermon in church today about our appointments with Christ. We need to be ready to have appointments with our students, our employers, employees, or random people on the street. The missionary speaking today told us countless stories of how people were willing to be at the right place on a park bench, on the other side of the phone, or wonder into a village to share the redemptive story of Christ. We don't have to be superheros but we do have to be diligent and be ready and waiting for the time that God has appointed us to share with others. Amen!

Ocean breezes and constant clashing of waves, welcomed us as we pulled into the property of Kinder Paradise in Pram Pram. I had mentioned months back about visiting this haven for street children. the first Sunday of every month with other missionaries. Unfortunately, the two missionary couple before us, recently left so the torch was laid on us as we gladly carried the flame to prohibit the distinguishing of the light of Christ. Again, we are not amazing or anything, because as we were driving there, we were figuring out our lesson and cutting out construction paper. Not the best of being organized! We arrived late as our driver missed the turn off and we weren't paying attention so we missed most of their gorgeous singing but we did arrive in time for the boys and girls singing. The girls sang "Nothing is too difficult for Thee" which touched me in a powerful way. These girls come from broken and abusive homes but yet they are still able to sing about God's power with all their might. They have tremendous faith at an early age because they have to dependo on Christ for survival? Do I know what it means to truly depend on Christ for my every need or do I just expect to have something? Our lesson went okay but Christ convicted us that we needed to be more prepared. We did a small skit on the reasons to read our Bible and the purpose for having it. We then made wordless books which turned out to be somewhat chaotic but the kids didn't seem to mind. They want us to come back next month so it couldn't have been that bad! I love interacting with these kids as they are so open about their lives and want to be your friend right away. They have so much trust in people even when they have been hurt. They show love for one another that can only come from Christ alone. How am I suppose to bring a message to me when they bring the truth to me?

Ah Lord God, Thou has made the heavens and the earth, by thy great power

Ah Lord God, Thou has made the heavens and the earth, by thy outstretched arm

Nothing is too difficult for thee

Nothing is too difficult for thee

Oh great and mighty God

Great in counsel and mighty in deed

Nothing, Nothing, Absolutely Nothing

Nothing is too difficult for thee

During the week, it was brought up during prayer time that I was going to be moving to the third grade room, which means I will have a room three times my size! I do admit that I will the character my room brought with kids tripping over one another or sweating to death from lack of air conditioner, but alas life will be easier with more room. Anyways, the kids freaked out and thought I was going to be the third grade teacher. One girl said, " I would scream if you were my teacher again! They all started saying how they didn't want me again because I get scary when I am angry and I yell at them at least a thousand times a day. Alright, that conversation had to be fixed quickly so I stopped prayer requests to nip that in the bud. I asked if they went home and told their parents these horrible things about me. My one student who I have been around and around with piped up and said, "Of course not, I tell me parents how much I love second grade." Okay, that put the horrifying converfsation to rest as at least I was touching one of their lives. Well, I think all of the kids were kidding because I don't want them to have this impression of me. I do love kids and I try to show my love to them as much as possible.

Later in the week, I was telling my students that we would have to skype my dad on his birthday. The boy mentioned earlier told me he would send my dad a movie, but then a wii. He would even give my dad burned copies of the games he doesn't play anymore like SpongBob. I feel like he is being pretty passionate, don't you?

The end of the year bring Spring Musicals or second semester musical since we don't have spring. The program this year was western theme which could be guess easily after looking at all the kids in their adorable cowboy shirts, bandanas, and hats. God's message reigned through as the music worked this time and the kids were respecful to praising the Lord through their voices. Please remember, that our school takes in a wide range of students who don't all believe in Christ. We are all very eclectic but it is amazing how we can still praise the same God or work together to accomplish His will. Parents heard the truth tonight if they wanted to or not, so a seed was planted at least. Please continue to pray for the salvation of our students and parents. They are searching, they just need to search for the Christ who isn't hard to find.

"Sister Christy, Look at the Mountains!"

My favorite little friend, Kweku! He doesn't talk much but his eyes speakf or him.

Monica and Abigail reading the many pictures they picked out at Children of the Light. Below is a picture of Kim and Abigail. They were so excited to ascend up the mountain even though it was a little nerve racking for them.

On Friday, AIS had it's first annual Poetry Slam since April was poetry month. The students from kindergarten to 12th grade had an opportunity to share memorized poems with the entire school and parents. My students all performed and did a great job!

As I looked back on this week, I realized how amazing it truly was as I had an opportunity to really pour into the children around me whom I love so much. Yes, some days it is getting harder to love on the students as we are all getting tired but I told them that I want us all to remember this last month as a joyful one, where we all think of others first but of course that is easier said than done. The students are starting to nag on each other but I just start singing, "Why Can't We Be Friends?" and that seems to help. I have begun to write encouraging notes home with the kids because they have come a long ways from the beginning of the year. I just have to look at the large picture and realize it. I was almost in tears one day thinking how much I would miss them as I am realizing how special a first class is. Oh they all have remarkable and unique personalities but I love them all for who they are. We do have a good time together as long as they are following directions. As you saw above, the school had a poetry slam in which I was in charge of organizing all the poems. It went smoothly until students and teachers tried to change things on me at the last moment. I actually said the "no" word and it felt great! It was so cool to have the entire school plus over 100 parents share poetry with one another. Yes, the little ones were getting anxious by the end but this activity brought the whole school together to show each other our accomplishments.

After practice one day when Meg and I usually go running, we started talking to one of our players who has been going through a hard time. The conversation lasted for an hour and we were able to share with him our own struggles and sin in our lives. He kept saying we just felt sorry for him or he would ask why we would waste our time talking to him. We kept assuring him that we cared deeply for him and wanted the best for him. It felt so good to be honest with this high school boy as we just shared God's truth with him. Being here as helped me realized the praise I must give my Lord when he strategically places me in situations so I can share openly, God is working in mighty ways and I need to stop and actually acknowledge his participation as He designs every situation for a reason. Please continue to pray for this boy as he struggles to find his confidence and trust in the Lord.

Saturday was truly the best day of my life! In the morning, I tutored the boy who needs confident in speaking English. His teacher told me that he had a good week as he spoke more and offered the answer for questions. When I came to the door, he opened it and greeted me with a loud Hi. I was so thrilled to see this as the week before he would hardly talk to me. Granite he was nervous the first weekend, but I think he is getting more confident in speaking aloud. I think it was because I spent 1 and half hours with him the week before. Okay, I can't take all the credit since it only has been a week but nevertheless, he has come a long ways. Today, he intiated conversations on his own and spoke with accuracy. I am so proud of him and look forward to more sessions together as we just play games and talk!

Afterwards, I quickly prepared myself for my expedition to Auntie Jean's with Monica and Abigail who live down the street in a squatter's house and come to our Tuesday kid's club. Most of you know, but just in case you don't, I give borrowed books to these girls from Auntie Jean's library and they must read to me weekly to get new books. They are great readers but they still need help with some phonetic sounds so I enjoy helping these girls. I just want them to succeed. They have been beggin me for awhile to take them to a library and Saturday was finally the day. They each had on new clothes and were so excited to go. Getting through Medina with them was a little difficult as there were tons of people weaving in an out while I tried to hold on to their precious, small hands. I eventually had one infront and one in back of me so I could swivel each on to miss the oncoming market shoppers. At the time, I had my sunglasses on so it probably looked like the small children were leading the blind! Anyways, they all probably thought I was a stupid obrunei who couldn't get through the market without the help of children. I am sure we were a sight to see! Me met up with another teacher friend which was so nice so we could split the responsibility. After some confusion, we finally made it on a trotro and made our slow path to Aburi with all of the traffic. As we left Medina, the girls started seeing large hills in the distant. "The Mountains, the Mountains!" They were so excited even though they aren't mountains but large hills. It then dawned on me that they have never really been out of the city before. This was a first for them to see the "mountains." Now I know why parents take their children on road trips or to experience new things, because when you see a child have an eye popping experience for the first time, it makes you look at life differently and gives you a sense of joy like never before. As we ascended up towards the top, they were a little nervous, especially when they looked down below, but they were just mezmerized by being so high up. When we got to the top, they asked us where the mountain was, and I told them we were on it. "OHHHHH!"

Arriving at Auntie Jean's was a joyful occassion as they immediately picked out many books that they wanted to borrow. They had never seen that many books in one place and it was overwhelming. This month, Auntie Jean is doing folk tales and fables where the children get read to or read them and then they must retell the story in their own words. This is a hard task for children to do, especially those who aren't fluent in English. The kids worked diligently on it and my two wrote about The Three Little Pigs. I wanted to act out different fables with all the kids but Auntie Jean said, "look around. They are all content with what they are doing." Indeed, this was true! Auntie Jean went on to tell me that they are content with not doing much because Children of the Light is a safe haven to them compared to home. I am learning that it isnt the glamarous things that make a difference but the availability to be open and mee their needs no matter how great or small. At the end, we had bible time where the children are memorizing scripture. A lot of this part was done in Twi so the little kids could understand. However, my two speak Gha so they were lost and they were beginning to lose it. Since Ghanaian children are always by themselves and can take care of themselves, I forget that they are still small children. By six o'clock, the girls had had it and started to wine as we walked down the road to the trotro stop. Afterall, we had done a lot of traveling and we still had to get home. I worried a little at this point because usually it takes me awhile to find a trotro down to Medina and if I do find one, I always get the last bus. There was even a funeral going on which causes more traffic of people! However, I put the matter in God's hands by praying and sure enough, immediately when we got to the stop, an empty trotro filled up! Praise the Lord! God answers requests no matter how great or small! On the way to Medina, I was able to give motherly love to my two readers as I had one sleeping on my lap and the other one using my arm as a pillow. I don't know how they slept with all of the bumps and turns we took but they must have been just completely tired!

Yes, I did spoil them like an Auntie as I bought them snacks, and I know you need to be cautious doing this as then the family will expect more next time, but it was fun to treat these two girls to a fun day out as they don't get much of this. After being gone for 6 hours, we arrived safely home where I was greeed with thank you's. Oh, it was a glorious day as I witnessed first hand God's goodness and His work being done through these two small girls.

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!