Back to School!

Tomorrow marks the first day back to school for the kids on the Africa Mercy!
I am honoured to teach Grade 4 this year. We had an Open House event for the kids and families on board to check out the new classrooms and meet the new teachers! Our Grade 4/5 class this year is 'detective' themed! Here are some pictures!

From one home to another...

Ahoy matees! I arrived back on board on Sunday evening after 25 hours of flying, driving, and of course, lots of walking! It is good to be back on the ship. We've swung right into work mode with school starting up on Monday! I will be teaching Grade 4 this year in a brand new (much bigger) classroom! :) I am very excited for this new challenge!

Having been surrounded by close friends and family at home the last few weeks, I really have come away feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another year on board the Africa Mercy. I have been so encouraged by everyone and have realized why exactly I was so excited to come home! One of the questions I was asked a lot when I was home was ‘are you culture shocked?!’ The quick answer to this was ‘yep, definitely’.

There were times where I would stand in shock thinking….”I must have lived the past year of my life in another reality altogether.” It really feels like such a different world. I think the most culture shock I have experienced during my time at home, has been the reality that two VERY different worlds can co-exist on the same earth.

On my first flight, I sat beside a young boy with the newest clothing, fully equipped with an Ipod touch, a gaming system and a brand new VERY NICE cell phone. We looked through a plane magazine that tried to convince us that we needed a self cleaning cat litter box, a small robot, video taping sunglasses and an indoor turf box for the puppy…..duty free!

Did I really just spend a few hours in a metal flying object that placed me back in a world where food is only a mere possibility for someone? A world where the contaminated water someone will drink will contribute to the rapid flesh eating disease they are experiencing? Or the tumour that is increasing in size daily on their face?

Its hard to fathom that these worlds really do exist simultaneously- that our primary concern CAN be ‘how can I get the cat litter box to clean itself?’

Shocking?… yep, definitely.

When the lame walk....

Sometimes pictures really do say more than 1000 words ever could.

This is Abel...

Held...In her Father's arms

Words seem so hard to find. Anicette was taken into her Father's arms on Monday morning (http://alirae.net/blog/archives/371-speak.html) . Heaven rejoices to have such a precious little girl join them. Her family left to grieve and return to their village, empty and broken. We can only pray that they too, would be held in the arms of the Father.

Held (Natalie Grant)
Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair

This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

Hold them Father. Please, just hold them.

Anicette

I mentioned this little baby in a previous blog. Here is an update...please pray for the beautiful baby girl, Anicette.




This is taken from my friend Ali's blog...
http://alirae.net/blog/archives/370-baby-ani.html

Jehovah Jireh...my provider.

"You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, The Message)

It was only my second day on the ship when the principal of the Academy, Nikki, told us about her dream to take the teaching staff to a Christian Education conference in Kenya over the Easter break. The conference would give us the opportunity to network with many other missionary schools around Africa, attend MANY workshops about effectively teaching "third-culture kids" in a Christian environment and just a chance to get away as a staff and grow professionally, spiritually and as a team.

For a couple of months, we would hear of groups of people who were considering full support for us to go. It often seemed as though we were on a roller coaster of 'Yes, we are going! Oh wait...maybe not". As a teaching staff of 12 supported missionaries, paying for this conference individually was just not going to be possible. Yet we continued to pray that if God wanted us to go, He would provide the way.

With only about 4 weeks before the conference, we realized that a final decision was necessary. We brainstormed ways to try to fundraise the money we needed to go to this conference. This brainstorming session lead to, among other ideas, an Auction of Dreams, with each teacher providing a service that other crew members could 'buy' with the money going towards the conference/travel costs. Here are some pictures of the event.


Ben, our PE teacher and auctioneer for the evening!


Estelle (Kindergarten teacher) and I decided to perform a little "whistle while you work" song and dance for our 'Maid For A Day' service.


Kim (English High School Teacher) showing the homemade bagels (made by husband of the Grade 1 teacher-Shelly)


Haley (Grade 4/5 teacher), offering a weekend breakfast and lunch service.

In total, there were 24 items/services auctioned off. We thank God SO much for those who participated in our auction! He has, through many servant-hearted people, provided in full. We are going to Kenya!!

French

My family will attest to the fact that I have never been a fan of French. I guess I understand why it is taught in school as Canada is officially a 'bilingual' country. However, my childish eyes were never able to see the value in learning French, as I always imaginined myself remaining in Ontario, a predominantly English province.

My oldest brother has always been passionate for the language. I gave him alot of grief about the hours he would spend repeating French phrases from the computer in his room, adjoined to my room by a thin, non-soundproof wall. I now wish that I had listened harder.

I remember the general phrases to 'get by'.
Bonjour. Je m'appelle Danae. Comment t'appelle tu? Au revoir.
But by saying these, people get excited that you know French...and continue in French conversations. Problem.
"Je ne parle pas français" is not a fun response to the excitement.

I still find it quite humourous that God placed me in Benin and Togo, where the national language is French. I think God wanted to teach me a lesson about those who are stubborn. Or maybe a lesson about humility (Danae pre-Mercy Ships: "I can get by with English JUST fine!")

This said, I have a prayer request.
I have approached our Staff Development department and have joined the team of people learning French via Rosetta Stone- a wonderful computer program for those wanting to learn a new language! I've been quite consistent in my lessons and so far, have been learning quite a bit! In fact, I was very encouraged today when I went to church and could translate certain words in my head before the translator would say them aloud.

But I have a long way to go. I really desire to be able to know enough French to at least understand those I interact with here. I would LOVE to be able to have conversations with the Togolese children I am tutoring in a local village.

I never thought I would say this (and Calvin, if you are reading this, I apologize from deep in my heart for not listening to your wise advice about learning French)but I would LOVE to speak French!