Back to School

Tomorrow is the first day of school! These past two weeks have been crazy busy! I think I got off the plane and was at work within 36 hours! I guess it's a good thing to hit the ground running, but sometimes you don't know which way is up.

It has been so amazing to meet the whole team. It is amazing to see how much God has grown the team in 2 years. We are starting this year with 19 foreign teachers! Can you believe we had 3 to start our first year! We have grown so much! We have some amazing people that have joined the team. I am so excited to see what God has in store for us this year.

We spent the past two weeks doing some team building and school orientation. Which is basically like a fire hose of information hoping that something sticks. But it also means a lot of questions! I am so glad I get to help everyone learn the DNA of our school and see them begin to  start relationships with the local staff.

One major praise report... one of our staff members received Jesus into her heart this week! Praise the Lord! She is the first fruit of the school and I am so excited to be a part of what God has for this year and all the souls that will know Him!

School starts in less than 12 hours... please be praying for the first day: that students will feel welcomed, staff and students will have a great day, and that the light of Jesus shines through the foreign staff. Jesus is the reason we are here! Pray for the nation!

Happy 1st day of school!

photo scavenger hunt. Using our bodies to spell.  

the whole team out to lunch to celebrate a birthday.  

Back to school

The foreign teachers at our school had a week off for Christmas. My roommate and I went to a mountainous city in the south of the country. It was amazing and refreshing. I came back refreshed and ready for the next three weeks of school before the Lunar new year.

The first day back to school was forever long. I forgot that even though I had the week before off, the kids were still in school. So they haven't had a break since August. Let's just say we are all looking forward to the Lunar new year so that the kids can have a break! 

So many things happened that first week back to school. We had a student get pushed down the stairs and he chipped his tooth. An adult tooth. All the foreign teachers knew this day would come, sadly it was the day we came back to school. This poor student still hasn't gone to the dentist.  

The next day, one of my student's shoes were taken from the shoe rack outside of our classroom. She had them after lunch, but when it was time for snack her shoes were no where to be found. We search all the halls and all the rooms. Still no shoes. Finally we made the decision to look through all backpacks because we couldn't send this girl home without shoes. After looking through all the backpacks, still no shoes. One of our admin found the shoes in a box on the first floor. Still no one knows how they got there. The mystery of the shoes. 

The next day, one of my students pushed another student in the canteen. This is very abnormal behavior for my students.  All I can think is that they are in need of this week vacation coming at the end of the month. Can you say countdown???? LOL 

Also, coming back after Christmas raises the question of plans for next year. I am still praying about what God has in store for me this next year. Will I still be here or will I move to another country. "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, Let me walk upon the waters, Wherever You would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronge, in the presence of my Savior." Oceans (Hillsong United). 

First Week of School

​Our team survived the first week of school! On Monday everyone showed up in their fancy dress (the traditional outfit here) or a dress shirt and tie. We were ready to welcome the students to the new campus! I was so ready to have students, they are the reason we are here!

The foreign staff ready to tackle the first day! 

This year I am teaching 3rd grade (home room, English, science, and library) and 1st grade (English and science). I am super excited about this year! It is going to be so much fun! My 3rd graders are the advanced and can have full conversations with me in English. It is so cool to see what our 1st graders will be able to do one day :). My 1st graders are beginners, so they are still learning their alphabet and lots of vocabulary.

This week has been long, but I am so thankful that we are open! We have been praying for this week for months! There were many times I thought we wouldn't be able to open by the 22nd, but God can do amazing things. We were at school for 12 hours getting things moved in and ready, but it was all worth it! The moment students arrived to my class, it was all made worth it. These are the kids God has given me to educate about His love! Yes they will learn English, but they will know they are loved and are beautifully and wonderfully made!

Some things that happened this week:

- my housemate and I were usually the first ones at school and the last to leave (about 13 hour work days)

- on Wednesday the Board decided to add a 4th grade class (AHHH)

- one of our co-workers was bumped up to full time to help with 4th grade (answer to prayer)

- Thursday was my housemate's birthday! (25 on the 25th - Golden Birthday!)

- Friday night was Back to School night (all the parents came to see the school and talk to the teachers)

It was a good week. Looking back it was good, going through it was exhausting. So thankful to be doing what God has called me to do! Please continue to pray for the school, the staff (foreign and national), pray for me as there are some transitions for me coming soon, and pray for me as I have been feeling very homesick (missing the familiar and comfort of home).