Isn’t it funny how and when God chooses to intervene? For example…Friday afternoon of a VERY long week. I am exhausted, a little stressed, and slightly overwhelmed by all that has to be done in the final month of school before Christmas. Lunch is almost over, the kids are waiting at the door and I am just not mentally prepared to teach for the rest of the afternoon. The door opens and the lessons begin.
Science- the human body.
Social Studies – cultures.
God intervenes...
At this point in time, God begins to stir something inside of my students...my small, 5-7 year old students, to get on their knees and pray for people around the world. Hearing their small voices pray absolutely huge prayers was by far one of most humbling and encouraging moments I have had in the classroom so far. These children have an awareness and compassion for people around the world that is so rarely seen. How I so desire to have their child-like faith.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
No excuses....
There is really no excuse I can give for not having blogged since September 22!!! I cannot even explain how fast time goes when your entire life is contained inside a 500 ft floating ship! There have been days where I come to realize that I have not seen the sun in over 3 days….yet I have gone to work, done laundry, gone ‘home’ to sleep, eaten all meals, socialized with friends, gone to the bank, bought toothpaste and other necessities, and gone to church….without stepping foot outside.
Although this has the potential to sound quite depressing, it has been the most fulfilling and rewarding experience so far. I am still so excited and honoured to be serving here! I’ve never been more aware of the fact that ‘God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness’! There are definitely highs and lows, ups and downs, but God continues to be a constant source of strength, energy and joy. I feel so blessed in my area of ministry with the school and although it does get time-consuming and
exhausting, I have never felt more motivation and desire to do the work God has called me to do here. We actually had an Academy Open House the other week for any crew member to come and see what we do in the school. The captain and many other crew members came for a visit (see picture). Also, having just finished our Space unit in Science, we had a Costume Space Party to celebrate the end of this unit! Here comes Ms. Frizzle!
Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to participate in some of the land-based outreach opportunities. One experience was going to a local deaf school! This was an incredible experience. The French/Fon language barrier often makes it difficult to communicate with the local children and adults. Being able to use basic sign language or my ‘attempts’ at sign language was actually quite effective with the students! We all had a wonderful time together with face paint, balloons and streamers!
Although this has the potential to sound quite depressing, it has been the most fulfilling and rewarding experience so far. I am still so excited and honoured to be serving here! I’ve never been more aware of the fact that ‘God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness’! There are definitely highs and lows, ups and downs, but God continues to be a constant source of strength, energy and joy. I feel so blessed in my area of ministry with the school and although it does get time-consuming and
exhausting, I have never felt more motivation and desire to do the work God has called me to do here. We actually had an Academy Open House the other week for any crew member to come and see what we do in the school. The captain and many other crew members came for a visit (see picture). Also, having just finished our Space unit in Science, we had a Costume Space Party to celebrate the end of this unit! Here comes Ms. Frizzle!
Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to participate in some of the land-based outreach opportunities. One experience was going to a local deaf school! This was an incredible experience. The French/Fon language barrier often makes it difficult to communicate with the local children and adults. Being able to use basic sign language or my ‘attempts’ at sign language was actually quite effective with the students! We all had a wonderful time together with face paint, balloons and streamers!
As well, there is a building called the Hospitality Center close by where many patients go to wait for surgery or recover from surgery. Some patients need to gain weight before having surgery so they will spend time at the hospitality center in preparation. Various activities were planned for the patients on the weekend and so a few of the girls from the ship and I biked to the hospitality center to help out. It was so rewarding to see the joy and excitement in the patients eyes as they challenged each other to water races and Jenga building contests! The children were so beautiful and were eager to learn new games like Frisbee and really…just play! I was even able to hold a small baby who had been awaiting surgery for months as she needed to gain weight before having her cleft lip surgery. Annisette has finally had her surgery and is just a beautiful chubby bundle of joy!!
We are now nearing the end of the outreach here in Benin and will be going to Tenerife for part of December/January. We will then sail to begin a new outreach in Togo! In the upcoming weeks we will be ‘securing’ our classrooms and the rest of the ship to avoid disasters during the sail! The rule of thumb is ‘it can’t fall any farther than the floor, but it can always slide’! I am excited for what the next few weeks will hold! I will try my best to get better at blogging. Please hold me to this!!!
We are now nearing the end of the outreach here in Benin and will be going to Tenerife for part of December/January. We will then sail to begin a new outreach in Togo! In the upcoming weeks we will be ‘securing’ our classrooms and the rest of the ship to avoid disasters during the sail! The rule of thumb is ‘it can’t fall any farther than the floor, but it can always slide’! I am excited for what the next few weeks will hold! I will try my best to get better at blogging. Please hold me to this!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
