First off, I want to begin by saying that I heard the news of the recent and more horrendous event that has happened in the US. I am horrified to think of what has happened to those poor teachers and especially those students. My thoughts and prayers are with you all right now as the country faces this grevious tragedy.
On Thursday we had our very last day of school for this school year at the Wesley Primary School. I am shocked and in awe of the fact that I have managed to teach an entire year (and I think it came out rather successfully, too!!). After I graduated from Centenary, I was convinced that I would never teach a day in my life. Even though my degree is in music education, I was over it and I didn't want to teach in a classroom ever again. And yet, here I am, a volunteer missionary teacher!! I seriously think God laughed when I told Him that I didn't want to teach. I mean, I almost didn't accept this position because I knew that I was going to have to teach. I fought it out with God for a week or two before finally accepting the fact that I felt like this was where God was sending me. When I accepted this position, I prayed that God would bring me healing from the rough experiences that I had with my courses and student teaching when I was at Centenary. And, I am so thankful that it has happened!! I came here very broken down and defeated in many ways, but God has pulled me up from that. I am amazed how He has been able to use my brokenness here to bring Him glory!! But, I'd say that's what God's in the business of doing. :D
It was SOOO cute on Thursday. After they made the announcement that it was the last day of school, reminding the students that their parents needed to come on Friday to pick up their reports, and reminding the students that school will start again on January 14th, they let everyone go. Many of the students rushed up to Kjirstin and I and gave us hugs and wished us Merry Christmas. I'm going to miss seeing those kids over the break. I asked some if they were excited about break, but many of them were really sad. They said that they were going to miss school and getting to be with their friends a lot. Honestly, I've never seen a group of kids so sad for the end of the school year. But, I reminded them that we would all be together again before they knew it! Some of them asked if I we would be returning after the break and you should've seen their faces when we said "yes". I think they all figured we would leave because that's when the last missionary left.
Now, that I'm finished, I'm taking it easy for a few days before I leave to visit my sister in Spain. She's been doing a study abroad program for this fall semester and wanted to do some touring in Spain. She didn't want to go alone, and since I'm already on this side of the globe and I didn't particularly want to spend Christmas without my family, I decided that I would join her. Thus, until I leave, I've been teaching piano lessons to my two students that have continued to come every week. I've been reading quite a bit as well as watching some movies. Right now I'm reading a book about a missionary and his experiences in Kenya. It's really fun to read about his experiences and compare them to my own. So far, I've found it quite enjoyable and comical in many ways as I make my comparisons! Of course, I'm also still running most days. I'm really excited because I signed up for the Kilimanjaro Half Marathon that will take place in March. I ran one half marathon shortly before I left to come here, so we'll see how this time compares. Honestly, I really wanted to climb the mountain, but that's pretty expensive and I think that this is a pretty awesome and FAR cheaper alternative way to see the famous mountain!
There was no frisbee yesterday morning because a bunch of people were out of town. However, Lauren, Danny, Junior, and I all went to the International School yesterday morning and threw a frisbee to each other and kicked a soccer ball around. It was a gorgeous morning and really enjoyable! (fyi: Lauren and Danny are two of Pastor Umba's kids, and Junior is one of their cousins. Lauren's been living with Pastor since she graduated from the Africa University this past June. Danny and Junior are currently home for their Christmas break.) Kjirstin left this morning to go to DAR so she could catch her own flight to Europe for some Christmas traveling with her mom. I went to church this morning after my morning run and making french toast on our kerosene jiko. I'm really getting the hang on how to use it and I'm really excited that we have it. I hope that we'll be able to use it to make other awesome creations! :D It was really hot today and I ended up getting a headache, so I laid down in the afternoon and have been taking it easy.
Tomorrow, my two students will be coming for their piano lessons. Afterwards, I'll go visit their orphanage for the afternoon. (On Thursday, another one of the little girls from that orphanage asked me if I was going to be visiting over the break and when I said "yes", she lit up with excitement!) I'm going to do a little Bible lesson with them about the meaning of the church. That a church is not just a building, but all of the members of the church. We all have a special purpose in the body of Christ and God shows us what He wants us to do. I'll also bring a movie that they haven't seen because I'm sure it'll be a special treat for them. And, maybe we'll get to play some outdoor games as well if it's not raining. On Tuesday, I plan to go to the Lutheran Jr. Seminary to visit the teachers and also my friend Anne. Then, she and I are going to town together for lunch and we might be joined by a couple other friends. On Wednesday I'll head out in the afternoon for DAR to catch my flight to Spain!!
I guess that about sums up the last few days and what's going to be happening for the rest of the week! I may or may not get a chance to post again before I head out. But, if I don't, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope that it is a time of joy and not of stress for you. Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. What an amazing gift was given to the world at that time and how often we forget it in all of our hustle and bustle!!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Compassion
So, today I got the most AMAZING opportunity to visit a Compassion site. I have personally been sponsoring a child in Ecuador since I was in high school. I started off joint sponsoring her with some friends, but eventually, I took over the sponsorship when others were not able to continue. I have received letters from my sponsor child and Compassion sends out updates each year to sponsors. I also have sent the occasional letter to my sponsor child. However, I never truly realized the extent of my impact until today. This is how it all came about:
I found out rather recently (within the last month or so), that one of the girls from our church is sponsored through Compassion. I was ecstatic to find that I knew someone who is sponsored through Compassion! I asked if I could visit a site with her, and she talked with the people at her site. They said that I should talk to the P.F. and gave me his number. I contacted him and he set me up with a meeting from a site manager, Harrison, who works at a site near where I am living in Morogoro. We arranged to meet today a hotel (many hotels here have restaurants, and it is common to meet people there) in order to discuss a visit. He brought his computer and showed me pictures from various activities they have done at their Compassion site and told me many stories about the students who are sponsored through Compassion. I was surprised to find out that many of the children are actually Muslims (in addition to Christians, of course). But, what an AMAZING impact this is having on the Muslim community here. Many of the children have converted to Christianity and although it causes some problems for some (meaning that the family is not accepting of the fact that their child has chosen to convert), others are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Christians. I learned of one boy who was having hearing problems and because he was sponsored through Compassion, they were able to get him the surgery that he needed in order to hear. His grandparents praised Compassion and the Christians because they took care of their grandson when the Muslims would not. What a powerful message this is sending to the Christian and Muslim communities. Although tensions between the two are rather quiet, it still exists. I find that oftentimes Christians just stick to being with other Christians and Muslims just stick to being with other Muslims. However, this is such a powerful way that Christians can show Muslims what Christianity is all about!!!
After the meeting, I was invited to join the children for their weekly prayer service. As a part of their prayer and praise day, they fast from morning until after the service every Wednesday. The service begins at 4pm and ends at 6pm. After the service, Compassion provides a meal for the children. I decided that I wanted to join them so I would have a chance to visit the Compassion site and meet some of the children. After I agreed, I was very surprised that I was going to have to ride on Harrison's pikipiki to get to the site. I was quite nervous as I have never EVER ridden on a motorcycle before and promised myself that I would not ever, EVERY do it. However, I had walked because that's the only form of transportation that I personally own here, and it was far away, so my options were a bit limited. I was surprised at how smooth the ride was, but I did shoot up a number of prayers to God along the way.
The Compassion site (one of 13 in Morogoro alone) was quite large and had quite a few buildings. I got to see the office where they keep all the records from all the children. There were so many pictures everywhere of the children and various activities they were able to participate in. Harrison showed me some of the books where they keep copies of the sponsor letters the children have written and received, pictures, and school records. They also keep records of when the children receive monetary gifts from their sponsors for Christmas and birthday and they record exactly how the money was spent. Everything was incredibly well organized!!
Soon enough the service was beginning and I joined them in the room where they were worshiping. We sang many praising songs (mostly in Swahili, but some in English) and then one of the students gave a message. I found out that she was a Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is now in secondary school and working at a local radio station. I was told that when she first came, she was shy and ashamed. However, now she is a fun-loving and outgoing girl who is grateful to God and the things He has done in her life. After the message, they went through a rather lengthy list of items that were written on the board that we should all pray for. One of the items was their sponsors and I was amazed how much they kept emphasizing the fact that the students pray for their sponsors.
Until you can see it for yourself, it's so hard to imagine what an impact you're having in someone's life. They kept thanking me for what I'm doing for my sponsor child in Ecuador and I'm not going to lie, I was really overcome with emotion over that. These kids, whom I've never met before, were thanking me for what I was doing for a girl they've never met before who lives half way around the world. But, they know what a difference a sponsor can make for their lives. They know how she feels even though they've never met her before. It was a truly beautiful moment for me.
After my experience today, I am so happy that I am involved in Compassion and what it is doing to affect the lives of children around the world. The people in charge of the sites are locals who know the area, the customs, and the children. They are exposing these children to Christianity in a powerful way by providing these kids with things they would not otherwise have such as education and access to resources. For example, this particular site has a few computers and they are using them to teach the children computer skills which are quickly becoming necessary here for various jobs. The program follows the kids all the way to the completion of secondary school and teaches the students various vocational skills if they don't wish to continue on to study in university. These kids are the poorest of the poor and are being given the opportunity to make their lives and the lives of their family members better. And it's all in the name of Jesus Christ!!!
I feel like in this post, I've become a spokesperson for Compassion. But, I know that many people sponsor children through Compassion or other similar organizations and I hope that this encourages you: You Area Having An Impact In This World! If you're not involved in a program, and you've thought about it, but never got around to it, I encourage you to get invovled! I know many people wonder where their money is actually going to the right place and whether or not it is having an impact, but be assured that it is! Of course, there are people who don't feel led to this kind of ministry and that's OK; we all have our place where we can make a difference in the world. But don't let fear or uncertainty hold you back!!
I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of my excursion today. When I went to the meeting, I didn't realize that I was also going to be visiting the site at the same time, so I didn't bring my camera. But, I plan to visit the site where the girl from our church goes, so I hope to take some pictures then. I hope you are all having a fantastic week so far!!
May The Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
I found out rather recently (within the last month or so), that one of the girls from our church is sponsored through Compassion. I was ecstatic to find that I knew someone who is sponsored through Compassion! I asked if I could visit a site with her, and she talked with the people at her site. They said that I should talk to the P.F. and gave me his number. I contacted him and he set me up with a meeting from a site manager, Harrison, who works at a site near where I am living in Morogoro. We arranged to meet today a hotel (many hotels here have restaurants, and it is common to meet people there) in order to discuss a visit. He brought his computer and showed me pictures from various activities they have done at their Compassion site and told me many stories about the students who are sponsored through Compassion. I was surprised to find out that many of the children are actually Muslims (in addition to Christians, of course). But, what an AMAZING impact this is having on the Muslim community here. Many of the children have converted to Christianity and although it causes some problems for some (meaning that the family is not accepting of the fact that their child has chosen to convert), others are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Christians. I learned of one boy who was having hearing problems and because he was sponsored through Compassion, they were able to get him the surgery that he needed in order to hear. His grandparents praised Compassion and the Christians because they took care of their grandson when the Muslims would not. What a powerful message this is sending to the Christian and Muslim communities. Although tensions between the two are rather quiet, it still exists. I find that oftentimes Christians just stick to being with other Christians and Muslims just stick to being with other Muslims. However, this is such a powerful way that Christians can show Muslims what Christianity is all about!!!
After the meeting, I was invited to join the children for their weekly prayer service. As a part of their prayer and praise day, they fast from morning until after the service every Wednesday. The service begins at 4pm and ends at 6pm. After the service, Compassion provides a meal for the children. I decided that I wanted to join them so I would have a chance to visit the Compassion site and meet some of the children. After I agreed, I was very surprised that I was going to have to ride on Harrison's pikipiki to get to the site. I was quite nervous as I have never EVER ridden on a motorcycle before and promised myself that I would not ever, EVERY do it. However, I had walked because that's the only form of transportation that I personally own here, and it was far away, so my options were a bit limited. I was surprised at how smooth the ride was, but I did shoot up a number of prayers to God along the way.
The Compassion site (one of 13 in Morogoro alone) was quite large and had quite a few buildings. I got to see the office where they keep all the records from all the children. There were so many pictures everywhere of the children and various activities they were able to participate in. Harrison showed me some of the books where they keep copies of the sponsor letters the children have written and received, pictures, and school records. They also keep records of when the children receive monetary gifts from their sponsors for Christmas and birthday and they record exactly how the money was spent. Everything was incredibly well organized!!
Soon enough the service was beginning and I joined them in the room where they were worshiping. We sang many praising songs (mostly in Swahili, but some in English) and then one of the students gave a message. I found out that she was a Muslim who has converted to Christianity and is now in secondary school and working at a local radio station. I was told that when she first came, she was shy and ashamed. However, now she is a fun-loving and outgoing girl who is grateful to God and the things He has done in her life. After the message, they went through a rather lengthy list of items that were written on the board that we should all pray for. One of the items was their sponsors and I was amazed how much they kept emphasizing the fact that the students pray for their sponsors.
Until you can see it for yourself, it's so hard to imagine what an impact you're having in someone's life. They kept thanking me for what I'm doing for my sponsor child in Ecuador and I'm not going to lie, I was really overcome with emotion over that. These kids, whom I've never met before, were thanking me for what I was doing for a girl they've never met before who lives half way around the world. But, they know what a difference a sponsor can make for their lives. They know how she feels even though they've never met her before. It was a truly beautiful moment for me.
After my experience today, I am so happy that I am involved in Compassion and what it is doing to affect the lives of children around the world. The people in charge of the sites are locals who know the area, the customs, and the children. They are exposing these children to Christianity in a powerful way by providing these kids with things they would not otherwise have such as education and access to resources. For example, this particular site has a few computers and they are using them to teach the children computer skills which are quickly becoming necessary here for various jobs. The program follows the kids all the way to the completion of secondary school and teaches the students various vocational skills if they don't wish to continue on to study in university. These kids are the poorest of the poor and are being given the opportunity to make their lives and the lives of their family members better. And it's all in the name of Jesus Christ!!!
I feel like in this post, I've become a spokesperson for Compassion. But, I know that many people sponsor children through Compassion or other similar organizations and I hope that this encourages you: You Area Having An Impact In This World! If you're not involved in a program, and you've thought about it, but never got around to it, I encourage you to get invovled! I know many people wonder where their money is actually going to the right place and whether or not it is having an impact, but be assured that it is! Of course, there are people who don't feel led to this kind of ministry and that's OK; we all have our place where we can make a difference in the world. But don't let fear or uncertainty hold you back!!
I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of my excursion today. When I went to the meeting, I didn't realize that I was also going to be visiting the site at the same time, so I didn't bring my camera. But, I plan to visit the site where the girl from our church goes, so I hope to take some pictures then. I hope you are all having a fantastic week so far!!
May The Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
Monday, December 10, 2012
A Youthful Weekend
This past week has been rather hectic with the annual end of the year examinations happening at the same time as the final preparations for our youth service on Sunday. We had a lot of rehearsals in the afternoons, so I lost out on a lot of my free time. We were supposed to have the youth service a few weeks ago, but it got post-poned until yesterday. But, I'll write more about the service later!
One exciting thing that happened this week was that one of my students, Rhoider, returned from pre-form one (prep for the first year of secondary school). On Tuesday, I went running at the International School, but it started to rain, so I decided to head back home. I was pretty near home when I heard someone call out "Madam Christina" (which is what all the students all call me). I looked around, but didn't see anyone I knew, much less a student that I knew. But then I heard my name again and that's when I saw her. I didn't recognize her because her uniform was not the Wesley uniform. I was SO terribly excited to see her again. (She goes to a church and is one of the members of the English choir in addition to being one of my students) I gave her a huge hug and then walked with her until we reached the school. I found out that she had just gotten back to Morogoro and was walking back home from the bus stand and also it was her birthday. I was so happy that I got to see her first and that I got to wish her a happy birthday!!
On Friday, Kjirstin and I did not go to school because the students were given the day off so that class teachers could make their end of the year reports. Since we are not class teachers, we didn't need to go for that. My piano students came in the morning and I taught them both and then let them hang out for a while. I had swiped some books from school for them to read while they weren't playing. All of the kids especially LOVE the Magic Tree House books. They're at a great reading level for these kids and they also teach about historical events and introduce kids to important people/ideas. After, we all headed into town together. Kjirstin and I decided to get lunch in town for a little variety and then did our shopping. As soon as we got back, we had our big/final rehearsal before the Youth Day Service at church. It was the first time we put Kjirstin's piano accompaniment together with all of the voices for "Our God Is An Awesome God". It took a few tries, but eventually we got it to where it was sounding pretty good. It really is hard to accompany because you have to listen to the voices and stay with them. After rehearsal I did my evening run and then got to skype with my parents!
Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30am to begin preparations for going to town. I was going to be there all day and night, and I had a lot to do before I left, so I wanted to give myself enough time. I washed a lot of clothes that had built up, washed dishes, cleaned my room, packed, and even fit in a yoga routine before leaving around 10am. I met up with the gang for our first frisbee match in 3 weeks. Afterwards, I went to a friend's house so I wouldn't have to go back to Kihonda and then back to town later that afternoon. We got to swim in their pool, chat, and I got to play with their daughters which was really fun. We were playing make-believe games and I think I had forgotten what it's like to play pretend. I mean, it's been a year since I've worked at the day care at our local athletic club back home and now I'm working with older kids and they're rather over the whole pretend phase of life. Soon enough, I had to head over to the "Harvey House" to make my preparations for babysitting.
Saturday night, Kjirstin and I watched all the missionary kids while the adults had a card party. It's a Christmas tradition from one of the missionary's families, and they needed someone to watch the kids. I was really excited to do it! I planned a bunch of activities for us to do with the kids including making paper link chains, a scavenger hunt for various items, singing Christmas songs, coloring/decorating a paper Christmas tree and then playing pin the star on the Christmas tree, and of course we would watch the traditional Christmas movies: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. Things went very smoothly except for the fact that Kjirstin got delayed and I had to start off on my own. I was a bit thrown off realizing that I was going to be on my own with eleven kids for an undefined amount of time. However, I quickly adjusted gears and got things going. Luckily, some of the kids are a bit older (like ages 10-14 ish), so they were able to help out with the younger kids. I managed to get them all started on dinner and I got the crafts set up without any big problems. From there everything proceeded well without any major set-backs or anything of that sort. By the end of it all, I was more exhausted than the kids, but quite content with how smoothly everything went. (and I think the kids had fun, which of course, is the most important thing!!) Here are some pictures of the fun we had together! :D
On Sunday, we had our big youth service at church. Like I mentioned previously, it was supposed to take place almost a month ago, but got postponed. With the extra time we were able to prepare a number of songs in Swahili and English. Also, a few youth put together a drama about the negative effects of listening to "street talk" and not asking for verification before acting on what they heard. There was also a section of the service dedicated to celebrating the recent college graduates from various universities: Lauren (one of the pastor's daughters), Upendo, and Frank. Kjirstin preached the sermon and Upendo translated. He was a member of our church who recently got transferred to another church to be a pastor. Her message was about the role and importance of youth according to the Bible. After the service a luncheon was served for everyone! I've included the pictures below for you to see! :D
Well, that's all for now!! Life is moving quickly and soon this week will end and so will the school year. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my sister in Spain starting next week. She's been studying abroad in Barcelona this semester and I thought I would visit her over the Christmas break.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
One exciting thing that happened this week was that one of my students, Rhoider, returned from pre-form one (prep for the first year of secondary school). On Tuesday, I went running at the International School, but it started to rain, so I decided to head back home. I was pretty near home when I heard someone call out "Madam Christina" (which is what all the students all call me). I looked around, but didn't see anyone I knew, much less a student that I knew. But then I heard my name again and that's when I saw her. I didn't recognize her because her uniform was not the Wesley uniform. I was SO terribly excited to see her again. (She goes to a church and is one of the members of the English choir in addition to being one of my students) I gave her a huge hug and then walked with her until we reached the school. I found out that she had just gotten back to Morogoro and was walking back home from the bus stand and also it was her birthday. I was so happy that I got to see her first and that I got to wish her a happy birthday!!
On Friday, Kjirstin and I did not go to school because the students were given the day off so that class teachers could make their end of the year reports. Since we are not class teachers, we didn't need to go for that. My piano students came in the morning and I taught them both and then let them hang out for a while. I had swiped some books from school for them to read while they weren't playing. All of the kids especially LOVE the Magic Tree House books. They're at a great reading level for these kids and they also teach about historical events and introduce kids to important people/ideas. After, we all headed into town together. Kjirstin and I decided to get lunch in town for a little variety and then did our shopping. As soon as we got back, we had our big/final rehearsal before the Youth Day Service at church. It was the first time we put Kjirstin's piano accompaniment together with all of the voices for "Our God Is An Awesome God". It took a few tries, but eventually we got it to where it was sounding pretty good. It really is hard to accompany because you have to listen to the voices and stay with them. After rehearsal I did my evening run and then got to skype with my parents!
Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:30am to begin preparations for going to town. I was going to be there all day and night, and I had a lot to do before I left, so I wanted to give myself enough time. I washed a lot of clothes that had built up, washed dishes, cleaned my room, packed, and even fit in a yoga routine before leaving around 10am. I met up with the gang for our first frisbee match in 3 weeks. Afterwards, I went to a friend's house so I wouldn't have to go back to Kihonda and then back to town later that afternoon. We got to swim in their pool, chat, and I got to play with their daughters which was really fun. We were playing make-believe games and I think I had forgotten what it's like to play pretend. I mean, it's been a year since I've worked at the day care at our local athletic club back home and now I'm working with older kids and they're rather over the whole pretend phase of life. Soon enough, I had to head over to the "Harvey House" to make my preparations for babysitting.
Saturday night, Kjirstin and I watched all the missionary kids while the adults had a card party. It's a Christmas tradition from one of the missionary's families, and they needed someone to watch the kids. I was really excited to do it! I planned a bunch of activities for us to do with the kids including making paper link chains, a scavenger hunt for various items, singing Christmas songs, coloring/decorating a paper Christmas tree and then playing pin the star on the Christmas tree, and of course we would watch the traditional Christmas movies: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer, and Frosty the Snowman. Things went very smoothly except for the fact that Kjirstin got delayed and I had to start off on my own. I was a bit thrown off realizing that I was going to be on my own with eleven kids for an undefined amount of time. However, I quickly adjusted gears and got things going. Luckily, some of the kids are a bit older (like ages 10-14 ish), so they were able to help out with the younger kids. I managed to get them all started on dinner and I got the crafts set up without any big problems. From there everything proceeded well without any major set-backs or anything of that sort. By the end of it all, I was more exhausted than the kids, but quite content with how smoothly everything went. (and I think the kids had fun, which of course, is the most important thing!!) Here are some pictures of the fun we had together! :D
On Sunday, we had our big youth service at church. Like I mentioned previously, it was supposed to take place almost a month ago, but got postponed. With the extra time we were able to prepare a number of songs in Swahili and English. Also, a few youth put together a drama about the negative effects of listening to "street talk" and not asking for verification before acting on what they heard. There was also a section of the service dedicated to celebrating the recent college graduates from various universities: Lauren (one of the pastor's daughters), Upendo, and Frank. Kjirstin preached the sermon and Upendo translated. He was a member of our church who recently got transferred to another church to be a pastor. Her message was about the role and importance of youth according to the Bible. After the service a luncheon was served for everyone! I've included the pictures below for you to see! :D
 |
| Our God is an AWESOME God!! :D I taught the chorus to everyone and the verses just to the English choir. It was a really fun challenge! |
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| Kjirstin accompanied us on "Our God is an Awesome God" |
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| From the drama about "street talk" |
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| Congratulating the graduates!! :D |
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| "For we live in unity!" I got to lead the English section of this song. |
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| Kjirstin preaching and Upendo translating. |
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| Dance party Tanzania style. |
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| The food! |
Well, that's all for now!! Life is moving quickly and soon this week will end and so will the school year. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my sister in Spain starting next week. She's been studying abroad in Barcelona this semester and I thought I would visit her over the Christmas break.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Nearing the End
The students begin their annual examinations next Monday, marking the coming end to our school year. I'm ready for it and I think that the students are too. (I mean, they began cheering when they announced it at school :D) We plan to have a short time for teaching after the exams and school will finish on Friday, December 14th!!
This week has been an average week at school, though, I must say that it has flown by. I've taught all the usual English and music classes with the addition of my new Math Prep classes for Class VI. So far, I've been impressed with their knowledge of math, and I've been trying to figure out what it is that is causing such low scores for them. I think that a lot of stuff that I've covered first is the easier stuff, so it's good to know that they have a solid foundation. But, of course, the scores do not reflect that. I mean, when only two students gets above a 20%, there's something to worry about. I think that one of the major problems is that the students are so afraid of the math teacher. I've walked by when she's teaching and she's a bit intense. I mean, the minute she enters a classroom, everything becomes so incredibly silent and tense. I hope that I can help the students to not be so afraid of math (honestly, I think thats half the battle right there).
Overall, I'm very happy with the progress that my students have made this year. It's hard to remember what our starting point was, but I feel like there must be some kind of improvement. One of my major victories is that students are beginning to recognize their own mistakes. I used to have to ALWAYS point out mistakes and tell them what the mistake was. But now, through just a little bit of prompting, the students are able to figure out what they did wrong. It makes me SOO happy!! Also, they've improved in their ability to construct appropriate sentences using the word of the day. At first, many were basically copying my sentence and changing one or two words. But, now they are really getting creative with it and I've seen some awesome responses (and of course some hilarious and ridiculous responses as well). It makes me so happy because knowing and understanding vocabulary as well as being able to construct sentences is so important for language mastery. Kjirstin is continuing to ready with the students and although I'm not there with her, I know it must be doing something to help the students!!
Another recent victory is how I've managed to revolutionize the bucket shower. So, I may have mentioned bucket showers before, but when I say this I mean: I have a pitcher and a big bucket of cold water. I take the pitcher, fill it with cold water and dump it over my head. This happens because the water is on less than half of the time. I think I posted pictures in my last blog with the buckets, but basically, the minute Kjirstin and I discover the water is on, we rush into the bathroom and begin to fill up our buckets. We've got one large one and five smaller ones. Altogether, between flushing the toilets (but, only maybe once a day. I mean, like seriously, I don't know if anyone realizes this, but toilets use SOOOO much water!!!!), showering, washing hands, and even some clothes washing, we can make that amount of water last for about two days.
This week has also marked what seems to be the start of our short rainy season. It's been AMAZING!! We've been getting rain off and on since maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. It's cooled things off so well and I'm less worried about water shortages. I've heard that in the past when they didn't get this rainy season, the water was only turned on maybe once or twice a week. Now, we're pretty good at rationing our water and being careful, but that's a pretty big stretch right there. Praise God for that!! :D
Also, I thought I should make an update concerning the fundraising. I haven't really received any funds since my journey home this past July. Overall, I need to raise $5,500. So far, I've raised $2,319, so I'm still looking to raise $3,181. If you are interested in making a donation, please do so through The Advance website: https://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Donate?type=1001&project=982465
There you will find my name among the other missionaries on the drop down list which is labeled "special designation". Please note that 100% of your donation will be given directly to me so that I can continue to complete the work that God has given me here. Also, your donation is 100% tax deductible!!!
I hope that you all are have had a wonderful week and are not getting too stressed out by the Christmas preparations just yet. Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!! :D
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
This week has been an average week at school, though, I must say that it has flown by. I've taught all the usual English and music classes with the addition of my new Math Prep classes for Class VI. So far, I've been impressed with their knowledge of math, and I've been trying to figure out what it is that is causing such low scores for them. I think that a lot of stuff that I've covered first is the easier stuff, so it's good to know that they have a solid foundation. But, of course, the scores do not reflect that. I mean, when only two students gets above a 20%, there's something to worry about. I think that one of the major problems is that the students are so afraid of the math teacher. I've walked by when she's teaching and she's a bit intense. I mean, the minute she enters a classroom, everything becomes so incredibly silent and tense. I hope that I can help the students to not be so afraid of math (honestly, I think thats half the battle right there).
Overall, I'm very happy with the progress that my students have made this year. It's hard to remember what our starting point was, but I feel like there must be some kind of improvement. One of my major victories is that students are beginning to recognize their own mistakes. I used to have to ALWAYS point out mistakes and tell them what the mistake was. But now, through just a little bit of prompting, the students are able to figure out what they did wrong. It makes me SOO happy!! Also, they've improved in their ability to construct appropriate sentences using the word of the day. At first, many were basically copying my sentence and changing one or two words. But, now they are really getting creative with it and I've seen some awesome responses (and of course some hilarious and ridiculous responses as well). It makes me so happy because knowing and understanding vocabulary as well as being able to construct sentences is so important for language mastery. Kjirstin is continuing to ready with the students and although I'm not there with her, I know it must be doing something to help the students!!
Another recent victory is how I've managed to revolutionize the bucket shower. So, I may have mentioned bucket showers before, but when I say this I mean: I have a pitcher and a big bucket of cold water. I take the pitcher, fill it with cold water and dump it over my head. This happens because the water is on less than half of the time. I think I posted pictures in my last blog with the buckets, but basically, the minute Kjirstin and I discover the water is on, we rush into the bathroom and begin to fill up our buckets. We've got one large one and five smaller ones. Altogether, between flushing the toilets (but, only maybe once a day. I mean, like seriously, I don't know if anyone realizes this, but toilets use SOOOO much water!!!!), showering, washing hands, and even some clothes washing, we can make that amount of water last for about two days.
This week has also marked what seems to be the start of our short rainy season. It's been AMAZING!! We've been getting rain off and on since maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. It's cooled things off so well and I'm less worried about water shortages. I've heard that in the past when they didn't get this rainy season, the water was only turned on maybe once or twice a week. Now, we're pretty good at rationing our water and being careful, but that's a pretty big stretch right there. Praise God for that!! :D
Also, I thought I should make an update concerning the fundraising. I haven't really received any funds since my journey home this past July. Overall, I need to raise $5,500. So far, I've raised $2,319, so I'm still looking to raise $3,181. If you are interested in making a donation, please do so through The Advance website: https://www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Donate?type=1001&project=982465
There you will find my name among the other missionaries on the drop down list which is labeled "special designation". Please note that 100% of your donation will be given directly to me so that I can continue to complete the work that God has given me here. Also, your donation is 100% tax deductible!!!
I hope that you all are have had a wonderful week and are not getting too stressed out by the Christmas preparations just yet. Remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!! :D
May the Lord Bless You and Keep You,
~Christine
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