The journey........

        Where to begin, and what to say. God never ceases to amaze me with the blessings, and lessons that He allows me receive. I am looking back over this week, and am realizing that the only reason I got through it, was because God lead and gave me the strength to make it through. This weekend was busy, but it had it really good moments in it as well. I feel that God is really trying to stretch and grow me. Friday’s are always a pretty good day, but this last Friday was really good. First, the 5th grade teacher, Zoe and I were discussing big foreheads, and we were debating who had the bigger forehead. So we decided to measure. The result: I was blessed with a big forehead. But that is beside the point.
           School ended for the day, and as I was beginning to get my room ready for the next week, Mr. George, (A really nice man that works here at the mission, and has gone the extra mile to make us feel welcome), stopped by and told us that he was leaving to go get sand from the beach. Now, in order for all 4 of us girls to go we had to ride in the bed of the truck to go get sand, and so there we were, going down the road at 30 mph, hanging on to the truck as we stood up. It was probably one of the most fun things I have ever done. The view of the ocean as we were going up and down the rolling hills, was breath-taking. I don’t know how people could live in a beautiful paradise like this without believing that there was a God. I absolutely love it here. The roosters in the morning, the blazing sun, the lizards everywhere, (and students dismembering their tails), the dogs barking at night, and the friendly faces all around. I am blessed. God knew what He was doing when He called me here. When we came back from the beach with a bed full of sand (We still sat in the back on the way back too in the sand.), we were all sandy, and decided to have a water fight… what better way to get all clean?
      Then I had the privilege to go to a vespers put on by a local elder of the church, at a Fishing/ Navigation college, just down the road from the school. Those people can sing. Elder Ben, the elder that led out, can play the guitar and sing like no one else I have ever heard. I was thoroughly blessed. The singing reminded me of home, and it felt like I was back in my living room singing with my family.
         I presented for Sabbath school for the High-School aged kids, and this week’s talk was about relationships. We had been warned that these kids culturally don’t talk about relationships, but I still felt that I was being called to talk about how a Godly relationship works. And so I did. And God blessed. They seemed interested, even though they didn’t participate as much as I would have liked them to, I knew that they were listening, and that they were taking it all in. I just pray that they study it out for themselves.
        Sabbath Afternoon, we got to go out into the villages to sing and pray with people. The first house we went to was a house of a dying man, and his wife. We walked up the path to the house, and there he lay on the porch of their house, on a mat, thin and gaunt, and I became overwhelmed that I was in the presence of a dying man, and I was here to give him hope. We later found out this man has cancer, some kind of cancer that effects his voice, he couldn’t talk very well, and he looked very weak. I don’t even know how to put into words how I was feeling. But it was a sobering experience to know that here I am, healthy and well, and am in the presence of a man that could die any day. And here I can complain about the stupidest things. But here was this man grateful for what we had done for him. It took everything I had to choke back the tears.             So I have been gone for almost a month. Actually tomorrow marks a month. Where has the time gone? God is absolutely good. I love these kids, this place, and I pray that I will make an impact in their lives.
          I was chatting with my parents for a couple minutes before I had to go to staff worship and they where sharing with me about the Pathfinder Scarves and Sashes that are being donated from the Michigan Conference Pathfinder Clubs. This weekend they had a staff workshop at Camp Au Sable, and were asking for donations to get 90 of each of these items. My parents iterated that while they were talking about it, that some of the Pathfinder Leadership from the clubs statewide were taking off their own scarves to put in the box to send to us. When I read that, tears welled up in my eyes, as again I realized how unworthy I am, and how absolutely good God is. I know God says he would provide, but the willingness of God’s people to give to those that are not as blessed, warms my heart. So thank you, Michigan Pathfinder’s. I told my class about the miracle of the sashes and scarves today and they thanked God for that. They were amazed that people would want to help them. So know that you are making a difference in these young lives, Pathfinder’s of Michigan. God will reward you.
         So my third week of school is underway, and I am praising God for His grace, and patience with me. If I could, I want to ask that you be praying for.
 • My class, Marisha, Tyler, Tony, Zoe, Yuka, Joshua, Patricia, Emma, Kyle, Absalom, Alex, and Jaydon.
 • Pray for me. That I can have wisdom to know how and what to teach them.
 • Pray for my Fellow SM’s – Carolita, Lauren, Raffie, Delphina, Van Larry, Zoe, Lorraine, Miss Angie,      Becky, Aaron, Zech, and Sarah. Also the Principal Mr. Raian, Mr. George, and their families.
 • Pray for God’s Holy Spirit to be ever present in this place and that we will see a harvest for His kingdom. • Also be praying for the evangelistic series starting up here in October, that God will win the island of Yap. 

Love you all and thank you for all the support.
 My Address just in case you want to send me anything (wink, wink) is:
 Andrea Szynkowski
 c/o Yap SDA School
 P.O. Box 700
 Colonia, Yap 96943
 F.S.M

Much Love to All, and God bless!