Cockroach tooth... :/

Today during worship we talked about how no matter how hard your life is someone always has it worse, but that despite all of that we should still look for the blessings in life. So we went around the room and my students said something that they were thankful for, among the responses were, “I’m thankful for my family.” “I’m thankful for God taking care of me.” But a lot of them also said that they were thankful for me. I am so blessed to have this class. I look around at all the other classes and thank God for mine, not because the other classes are bad, but because these kids are a perfect fit for my personality.

God does still take care of us, and care about what happens to us. That has been made so obvious to me in the 2 and a half months that I have been serving Him. I resolve to learn to trust fully, and that I don’t underestimate His power, or what He can do. I am thankful for so much. I am thankful for my family that has come behind me and been supporting me in prayer, and love. I am thankful for my friends that have chosen to encourage and uplift me. I am thankful for my students who never cease to amaze me and are always teaching me something. I am thankful for the life God has given me, and I hope and pray that I can always bring honor and glory to Him. I am thankful for my SM family, which care about me, and love me.

I have realized that if someone can love you in the mission field then it’s true love, because they most definitely don’t love you for how you look, or even sometimes how you act. I have learned also this year that complaining about your circumstances don’t change them. Complaining about things only make them worse for you and have the potential to bring others down around you. I am convinced that I will never be the same because of this experience.  

I am learning so much about myself, and the mission field points out the things that need to change in your life. I am going through a lot right now, simply because I see so much that I want God to change in me. I know I’m here for a reason. I just hope I can learn all the lessons that God wants me to learn.

I am trying to teach my students decimals and I have now realized why it isn’t easy being a teacher. I try and teach them the concepts every way I know how, and they still don’t get it. I am learning that I have to go back to more basic concepts in order for them to grasp what should be their grade level, and heavily lean on God for leading and wisdom.

I love it here. I don’t think anyone will really understand unless they have been here, these kids, and how they are so encouraging, and how much I want them to learn. I only pray that I can be the best teacher for them, and frankly right now, I feel like I am not being the best teacher.

They are taking a test now, and of course I pray for them before the test begins, but I also realized that while they are taking it, I can sit at my desk and pray for them individually. Especially my struggling students.

So I woke up Friday morning with a weird bump on my leg, throughout the day it began to look more like a blister and began to get really red around the sore. It sent shooting pain up through my leg, and so I went to our local Doctor, Mr. George’s wife, who is a better doctor then the ones employed at the hospital, she put some natural leaves on it, and it started to draw out the pain. But for some reason it wasn’t healing. So she came back today and looked at it, and asked if she could pick at it. Later I found out that the reason why she wanted to pick at it was because she was taking out what happened to be a cockroach tooth. L Nasty! So I guess we found out what it was from. It is starting to heal and I am thankful for the wonderful people that God has placed here to take care of us.

I hope you all are doing well, and that nothing is going horribly wrong. I pray for you guys and hope that God will lead in your life, like He has been leading mine.

If you could still keep our school in your prayers, for financial reason, that would be much appreciated. I know that God knows the end from the beginning and I know that He will take care of everything.

Anyways much love to all and God bless.

God's working.... And Science Class

I just had a wonderful discussion with my kids about Jesus and what He did for us. We were talking about Jesus and how He was temped. We had a wonderful discussion about why memorizing scripture is good. I am so excited about how God is using me to reach these kids. The Bible verse in Esther keeps coming back to me over and over again, “for such a time as this, I was placed upon the earth…” God has me here for a purpose and I am convinced that the teacher’s before have done a wonderful job of showing the love of God, and now they really want to follow God. I know that I am here so I can talk about God, and my love for Him. These kids are getting there, they have a desire to follow God. Which I find so exciting. I am praising God for all that He is doing. I can’t get over it.

Everything is going pretty well, I am learning so much. I think I am actually more excited to learn about the different things then my students are. I feel at least in Science and Social Studies that I am learning so much, since science was never really my strong suite, but I feel that now that I am required to teach it I am learning about things that I didn’t understand and know. And of course the kids are teaching me so much about their culture and how things are done here, that I am just learning so much, but I love it. I have learned more here than I have in the 3 years of college I have taken. That is sad, but this is real life, and I can’t contain my excitement.

During Science Class yesterday we were talking about Wind Erosion and the different ways the wind effects the sand, the different ways the wind erodes. Anyways we were talking about abrasion, the rocks rubbing together and it wears at each other until smaller rocks break off. So my class clown pipes up and says, “So abrasion is like mating, they rub together and make small rocks.” I feel like this was a moment that I should have been professional and try and stifle my laugh, but It took me by surprise and it was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t respond, I just kept moving on, but it was still an interesting way to look at it, and if it helps them remember what it is, goodness, I don’t mind.

Also, during Science class (Science Class was very educational yesterday) they began to read about sand dunes and how the wind forms them. But every time they read the word ‘dune’ the whole class would irrupt in laughter. I knew that this word must mean something in Yapese, so I asked them what it means.

“Miss, dune means poop in Yapese.”

“Well, I guess that would work, it creates a pile of sand instead.”

The next section was called, “The Movement of Dunes” to which everyone was laughing, but then the paragraph in the section didn’t help matters any:

“Dunes tend to move in the direction of strong winds. Different wind conditions produce dunes in various shapes and sizes. A dune usually has a gently sloped side and a steeply sloped side faces the wind…”

The whole class was dying laughing. Needless to say I was as well. I guess it is things like this that makes a teacher’s job interesting. I can’t help but love these kids, even though they are so clingy and needy sometimes, and they don’t want to leave at the end of the day, but I guess that means that they love me and that they want to be near me. I do love them too.

God is really making a way, and I am excited where he is leading me. I am so blessed to be surrounded by fellow SM’s. I seriously thank God for them everyday. I don’t know what it would be like to be surrounded by people that didn’t care about what they were doing and constantly complaining. I thank God that I am here, and I know that God lead me here. It was all part of His great plan, and even though I don’t know all His plan for me being here, I do know that I am here for a reason bigger and greater then what I even know. I am excited to see what He is planning.

This past Sabbath I also got the opportunity to experience real foot washing. I now know what it is like to have dirty water after you get done washing feet. It made the experience so much more real for me. So thankful to be able to take part in that service. In America we always make sure that are feet look good before we go and have communion, but here when you walk around you walk around with bare feet and your feet get dirty, it showed me what God did for the disciples. I really had a better look into what God did, and felt closer to God because it. I AM TRULY BLESSED.

Again, keep praying for the financial state of the school.

We are not doing so well right now. If you know anyone that wants to donate to a good cause let us know. I will sending out letters to different organizations asking if they would be willing to sponsor the school, I pray and ask you to pray that God will bless  those letters and that they will get into the right hands, and that people’s hearts will be receptive.

Also continue to pray for my students

·         Yuka

·         Marisha

·         Kyle

·         Jaydon

·         Zoe

·         Sishra

·         Alex

·         Emma

·         Absalom

·         Joshua

·         Patricia

·         Tony

·         Tyler

Also a huge praise that one of my students showed up again for church. I was so excited to see her and she sat by me. I was so happy. So be praying for her, thankfully her Grandma is willing to take her to church, so she should be able to come anytime she wants.

Keep on praying please! God is doing great things!