Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
M fatige: I'm tired!
There are no words to express how incredibly tired I am...
Last night was my annual 4th grade overnighter...yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. 26 kids come ready and willing to stay up as late as they can while they eat, play and laugh at top volume!
First...I have to start at the beginning. Cameron has been sick for a week now. He has had a lot of pain in his stomach which is keeping him up during the nights...so, for this whole week there have been a few nights when I was up with him more than I was asleep. Scott helped a ton and was probably up more than me on most of those nights!
So, being extremely tired already, we had the 4th grade overnighter last night. It is always a fun night but it completely wears me out! We played kickball, dragon tag, parachute toss, steal the bacon,and a crazy spaghetti relay before heading to the roof. This part of the night is my favorite! We sit on the top of the school and have a time of worship. We also share fun memories about the year. Oh, this class is so funny and sweet! As we do this, the sky changes from blue to black and a million stars come out for our enjoyment! We talk about how amazing God is and we thank him for loving us! Then...
We headed back to our "sleeping room" and had a dance party, pillow fight, drag me across the floor game(this one was new to me), "let me show you what I can do" kind of thing (involved kartwheels, backbends...) and then 3 movies! Well, the movies started in the midst of all these activities. Finally, I made them get in their beds and "stay there". That is always the fun part because they are just so excited they really can't just stay there...they have to move around-so they crawl! :)
I think most of the kids were finally falling asleep around 2am. Now, normally I have to wake them all up the next morning so we can get things rolling...that was not the case this year! They were up by 6am on their own.
So we got ready, had some breakfast and headed home around 8am. Oh yeah, we had pizza and brownies last night for dinner too. :)
It is such a fun night for me to be able to see my kids out of our normal school setting...they are so fun to know!
I will do it again next year no matter how tired I feel right now because all I will remember in a couple days is how much we laughed! I love what I do!
(tried to attach pictures but can't get a great connection right now...pictures will come soon!)
Last night was my annual 4th grade overnighter...yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. 26 kids come ready and willing to stay up as late as they can while they eat, play and laugh at top volume!
First...I have to start at the beginning. Cameron has been sick for a week now. He has had a lot of pain in his stomach which is keeping him up during the nights...so, for this whole week there have been a few nights when I was up with him more than I was asleep. Scott helped a ton and was probably up more than me on most of those nights!
So, being extremely tired already, we had the 4th grade overnighter last night. It is always a fun night but it completely wears me out! We played kickball, dragon tag, parachute toss, steal the bacon,and a crazy spaghetti relay before heading to the roof. This part of the night is my favorite! We sit on the top of the school and have a time of worship. We also share fun memories about the year. Oh, this class is so funny and sweet! As we do this, the sky changes from blue to black and a million stars come out for our enjoyment! We talk about how amazing God is and we thank him for loving us! Then...
We headed back to our "sleeping room" and had a dance party, pillow fight, drag me across the floor game(this one was new to me), "let me show you what I can do" kind of thing (involved kartwheels, backbends...) and then 3 movies! Well, the movies started in the midst of all these activities. Finally, I made them get in their beds and "stay there". That is always the fun part because they are just so excited they really can't just stay there...they have to move around-so they crawl! :)
I think most of the kids were finally falling asleep around 2am. Now, normally I have to wake them all up the next morning so we can get things rolling...that was not the case this year! They were up by 6am on their own.
So we got ready, had some breakfast and headed home around 8am. Oh yeah, we had pizza and brownies last night for dinner too. :)
It is such a fun night for me to be able to see my kids out of our normal school setting...they are so fun to know!
I will do it again next year no matter how tired I feel right now because all I will remember in a couple days is how much we laughed! I love what I do!
(tried to attach pictures but can't get a great connection right now...pictures will come soon!)
Friday, April 26, 2013
Fun Friday
Scott and I went to a party today that his English class had. It was fun! The food was awesome! Scott's students love him...it was fun for me to watch them interact with him! These students are learning more than English...they are learning that there is a God who loves them..I love what God allows us to do here in Haiti!
This was the view from outside the classroom where we had the party...I love this place! I love this picture because it shows beauty in the midst of the trash and destruction...God is truly here in Haiti and these kinds of things I see everyday remind me of that fact! Happy Friday!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Pictures from the Creche
This is the new boy, Jamesly and little Crista
This is my student, Audra: an amazing young lady!
Here is our lesson time-they are good listeners!
An afternoon with sweet kids...
We love Wednesday afternoons! I take creole lessons with Susan right after school while Cameron has tutoring and Ethan plays...THEN we go to the Creche. The boys and I and usually Susan and her girls walk down the streets of our neighborhood. They are muddy, narrow and littered with trash and yet they take us to an amazingly beautiful place. On the way there I pick up one of my old 4th graders who has an amazing heart! Audra is a beautiful young lady who loves to come with me and play with the kids.
When we get to the gate the kids just run to greet us. We can't even get fully into the gate before the hugs and kisses start...my kind of greeting! Huge smiles are shining on the faces of kids with no parents. Smiles beaming from the faces of kids who have lived and experienced more horrors than I could imagine. These kids are so precious!
While there we help them learn English, we play with them, laugh with them, joke with them, love on them and sing with them. I LOVE my Wednesday afternoons!
Please pray for these children. There is a boy who came a couple weeks ago who was severely beaten in his old home. You can see it in his eyes and yet he is starting to let us in. He smiles with us and wants us to love on him...we willingly do so! All of them have their own story...please pray for their little hearts to be healed and for them to truly believe there is a God who loves them with a forever love!
When we get to the gate the kids just run to greet us. We can't even get fully into the gate before the hugs and kisses start...my kind of greeting! Huge smiles are shining on the faces of kids with no parents. Smiles beaming from the faces of kids who have lived and experienced more horrors than I could imagine. These kids are so precious!
While there we help them learn English, we play with them, laugh with them, joke with them, love on them and sing with them. I LOVE my Wednesday afternoons!
Please pray for these children. There is a boy who came a couple weeks ago who was severely beaten in his old home. You can see it in his eyes and yet he is starting to let us in. He smiles with us and wants us to love on him...we willingly do so! All of them have their own story...please pray for their little hearts to be healed and for them to truly believe there is a God who loves them with a forever love!
Friday, April 5, 2013
Be Still...
Well, I have practiced this concept this week. We have been on our spring break this week and we have stayed here in Port de Paix the entire time. I have stayed here in my home wearing my pajamas most of that time...which has allowed me to do a lot of "being still."
I am thankful and yet at some moments I felt like I should have been doing other things. Don't we all feel like that sometimes...when we take a few moments for ourselves (or a few days) we feel guilty because there are so many things we should be doing instead of "relaxing" and "being still." I could have gone to my classroom and worked in there, I could have gone out in the community and met with people...I could have done a million different things. Because I didn't, at times I felt guilty. And then...I realized I am doing exactly what I need to be doing right now!
During the school week we are busy! At the school from 7am until 2pm. Quick lunch and then back to the school to prepare for the next day. On Monday afternoons I work out with a friend. On Tuesday afternoons I lead a Bible Study with the 5th grade girls and then teach voice lessons. On Wednesday afternoons I have Creole class and then the boys and I head over to the Creche to play with the kids and love on them and teach them a few words in English. On Thursday afternoons I have a Bible Study with our staff women. After all those things are finished I come home, get the boys cleaned up, start dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, spend time with the boys, read books, then get them to bed. I don't stop until around 8 or 8:30 each evening. I am in no way complaining!!! I absolutely LOVE living and working here! I LOVE raising our kids here! BUT, I needed to BE STILL this week!
Even in this stillness, I have accomplished so many things and laughed with my boys a million times. It has been a week full of fire (my boys love to play on the porch with matches), clean rooms (lots of organizing and simplifying), movies, naps, good food (I had the time to make buscuits and gravy-Cameron said it was the best breakfast ever!), and most of all STILLNESS! It was good to think, pray, read and plan!
There are times when God wants us to be still! This week was MY time to practice being still!
I am thankful and yet at some moments I felt like I should have been doing other things. Don't we all feel like that sometimes...when we take a few moments for ourselves (or a few days) we feel guilty because there are so many things we should be doing instead of "relaxing" and "being still." I could have gone to my classroom and worked in there, I could have gone out in the community and met with people...I could have done a million different things. Because I didn't, at times I felt guilty. And then...I realized I am doing exactly what I need to be doing right now!
During the school week we are busy! At the school from 7am until 2pm. Quick lunch and then back to the school to prepare for the next day. On Monday afternoons I work out with a friend. On Tuesday afternoons I lead a Bible Study with the 5th grade girls and then teach voice lessons. On Wednesday afternoons I have Creole class and then the boys and I head over to the Creche to play with the kids and love on them and teach them a few words in English. On Thursday afternoons I have a Bible Study with our staff women. After all those things are finished I come home, get the boys cleaned up, start dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, spend time with the boys, read books, then get them to bed. I don't stop until around 8 or 8:30 each evening. I am in no way complaining!!! I absolutely LOVE living and working here! I LOVE raising our kids here! BUT, I needed to BE STILL this week!
Even in this stillness, I have accomplished so many things and laughed with my boys a million times. It has been a week full of fire (my boys love to play on the porch with matches), clean rooms (lots of organizing and simplifying), movies, naps, good food (I had the time to make buscuits and gravy-Cameron said it was the best breakfast ever!), and most of all STILLNESS! It was good to think, pray, read and plan!
There are times when God wants us to be still! This week was MY time to practice being still!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Amazing Day
What an amazing day! It all started this morning before school...well, actually it started yesterday afternoon. I had a Bible study with the 5th grade girls (my old students that I love) and it was just amazing! We had some amazing conversation and talked about some amazing challenges we were going to try to accomplish as a group. Then we come to this morning...those same girls just make me smile! Every morning they cheer me up and get me ready for the day.
After school, Ethan and I went on a little journey to a small orphanage close to home. It is called the Creche. The children are just amazing! We took chalk along with us and you can imagine what 15 brown little children playing with chalk looked like when we were done...it was AMAZING! They helped me with my creole and I helped them with their english and we laughed and played. Ethan enjoyed himself so much he tried to hide from me when it was time to leave.
Then just a few minutes ago during our prayer time Cameron said an amazing prayer! He recited our science lesson from class today-thanking God for molecules, oxygen and other gases, water....and much much more. Say it with me..."It was Amazing!"
God is so AMAZING! He constantly gives us reasons to smile! He adds "little" things to our day to make it an amazing day! Oh, how He loves us!
After school, Ethan and I went on a little journey to a small orphanage close to home. It is called the Creche. The children are just amazing! We took chalk along with us and you can imagine what 15 brown little children playing with chalk looked like when we were done...it was AMAZING! They helped me with my creole and I helped them with their english and we laughed and played. Ethan enjoyed himself so much he tried to hide from me when it was time to leave.
Then just a few minutes ago during our prayer time Cameron said an amazing prayer! He recited our science lesson from class today-thanking God for molecules, oxygen and other gases, water....and much much more. Say it with me..."It was Amazing!"
God is so AMAZING! He constantly gives us reasons to smile! He adds "little" things to our day to make it an amazing day! Oh, how He loves us!
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