One Month "Anniversary"

So, I have been here for one month now. It seems strange that it has already been so long! I feel like I have done nothing here yet, but I know that is just a lie from the enemy. I've been praying, worshipping, and connecting with people. I know this is bigger than I think. And, I have been learning how to stay on fire while away from my spiritual family. God is good, and I love this journey of discovering Him and who I am in Him.

This week was a breakthrough week for me. Thank you SO MUCH for all of the prayers sent my way. I felt them and needed them! The week started out with me being stressed. I had planned on having a Sabbath last weekend and had three teacher training seminars to attend and a Jesus Revolution meeting. Monday and Tuesday, I was good, but had so little direction as to what I was supposed to do next.

The Lord reminded me that I am called first and foremost to be a worshipper. If I am not in the posture of worship in my heart, then I am worthless. It is only when I gaze upon Him that I can do anything- and even then, it is Him doing it. Truly, what we behold, we become. I had spent the first three weeks here beholding my ever expanding job descriptions instead of beholding the One who called me here.

And with this refocusing, came the breakthroughs in the natural that I have been craving/expecting! God is soooo faithful!

I now have a classroom! It's not much, and I still don't have a desk, a fan, or a bookshelf, but I have space to teach in and decorate!!! :-) Oh, and it has internet! :-)

Monday I will finally be able to start my classes! :-) Pray that everything goes well. The students are SOOO shy! If they do not talk, I am not sure I will be able to teach! This is quite the opposite problem I had in the states. Any suggestions on how to draw out shy ones? Lol. I try letting them touch my hair, count my freckles and ask me questions. Only sometimes does that work. :-) I also need to develop/ use a vocabulary program to help boost their comprehension. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Another breakthrough! I found someone to help me teach the high school students! Tennie already works with them during their required study hall hours. Now, I can give her the reading strategies I use and she can teach them. In this way, I will "only" have 30 students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 plus teachers! I can handle that! :-)

So, my schedule is worked out, too! Mondays and Wednesdays I will teach Grade 6, Grade 2, and Grade 4, and three teachers. Monday nights, I will conduct teacher training seminars. Tuesdays and Thursdays I will teach Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5, as well as assist the teachers who are preparing for their board exams. Fridays are lesson planning days as well as a day for me to meet with teachers individually, observe classes, and do whatever else needs to be done. I have a break on Tuesday/Thursdays that will allow me to chat with friends and family in the states, too. :-) And each afternoon, I have a large chunk of time reserved to hang out with Jesus- an ABSOLUTE necessity if I am going to be at all successful in this work.

The Lord is good! :-)

In other daily news... (haha, I feel like I am writing for a newspaper but with the organization of columns and sections!)

I got to go to the chiropractor twice this week! I really like the way things work there. He has a full staff with physical therapists, myo-therapists (they are like deep tissue massage therapists that basically kill your muscle nerves), and if needed, a medical doctor. So, I got adjusted, received myo-therapy, a massage, and physical therapy. It is soo nice there! I feel like I am going to a spa and that I am back in America. Unfortunately, the cost is similar to the price in America, too. I am praying that my finances and time will allow me to continue going. I feel so much better after an adjustment and the other services rendered.

I believe God wants to and will heal me completely of this back pain. But I also see His purpose in it. When I look at things from His perspective, it makes the painful things so much easier to endure- and to endure with joy. James 1:2-3 "Count it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter trials of various kinds because you know the testing of your faith produces endurance."

Today was Nutrition Month Celebration. The students made posters, songs, and dances about eating healthy food and then presented them to the whole school and their parents. These kids are very creative and very talented. So many of them have creative giftings! I had a blast tasting foods and watching the kids come alive onstage.

This afternoon, my friend Cheryl came over and we talked for hours, then took a nap, then talked some more. We planned on doing our lesson plans, but our conversation was so good and fun that work didn't happen. However, she volunteered to help me do my laundry and ended up doing all of it! Haha! She rocks!! :-) She got to eat peanut butter sandwiches and have the privilege of using my printer in exchange. So, in essence, we bribed each other. :-)

It is now way past my bedtime and I have to get up early in the morning for church. Congratulations for reading this post all the way here! I have pictures, but will post them later so I have time do it right. (Please graciously ignore any typos, misspellings, ommissions, and other grammatical errors. Proofreading is not happening tonight! lol.)

Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

Life in Christ

Life in Christ is the only way to live. He is my security, not a schedule. Today, I threw the schedule out the window. It seemed so contrary to do so in light of so much to do, and with Tita leaving tonight.

I was able to talk to Michelle today. What a divine appointment! She spoke the word of the Lord to me to rest. So, after 3+ hours listening to Gateway Sermons, reading the Word, journaling, and listing to worship music, I feel like I can breathe again.

I am sitting here now with a fresh smile on my face, and my goddaughter on my lap. She keeps tickling me as I try to type. Now she is pretending to sleep on my hands. I love her sooo much!

The secret life is the only life. And it's the only way to be able to handle all that God has called me to do here.

Scheduling Filipino Life

Hello Everyone!

It has been a very busy week. I started testing students this week to find out their reading comprehension levels. The students were either so shy or their English skills so poor, I decided to throw out the tests and try a different method.

This put me on my face before God for the entire week. One day, I sat at the table in room from around 6am until after 11am with my head "pounded" down on top of my Bible and stacks of possible courses of action. Roselle came in to tell me about a meeting and I told her my dilemma. She just said to pray. Hahaha! "I've done that! Now what?!"

From that place of desperation came the decision to focus first on training the teachers on various topics. So, now on Monday nights, I will be presenting topics ranging from personal time management, to classroom management, to reading strategies, to creative teaching ideas. Please pray for this! I have never done this before! Tita wants me to have a detailed syllabus by the end of the day Tuesday for the first few weeks of the trainings.

Then, I got a list from Roselle of the names of students who do not have any English skills and/or are struggling to read at grade level. From this, I am making a schedule of classes. I will be pulling students twice a week to teach them basic reading/conversational English skills.

So, it may sound like my scheduling problems are resolved, except that I have had more added to my job description. I am to help prepare teachers here for their board exams that are at the end of September. I am not sure how I am going to fit that into my schedule, or how to help people when I don't speak their native language.

And, there is the added problem that I do not have a classroom to teach in. I am looking at the cafeteria or the library as my teaching place right now. These are definitely not ideal locations, but it would be better than nothing. Another thing is that I could teach in my room, but Tina (my student with no arms and no legs) would not be able to get up the stairs to my place. Also, it is far from the school and valuable instructional time would be taken up in going from place to place. Pray that a suitable place for me to teach is found before the end of the week.

Friday, I went to a Jesus Revolution meeting. We were really late because traffic was so bad. But we got there in time for the last speaker. The message was about doing what God tells you to do. I was very encouraged because it is what God has put on my heart as a message for the Philippines. The spiritual atmosphere here is in need of a major shift. If you are interested in finding out more about what I mean by that and how you can help pray, send me an email.

Saturday, we had team building teacher training. It was a lot of fun! And, it opened my eyes to the specific topics and ways I can help the teachers. This year will focus on turning the classroom from teacher-centered to student- centered learning. I welcome any ideas from teacher on things that helped you to learn how to do this!

Sunday, we had a Brain Galaxy memory training. We learned how to capitalize upon mnemonic devices to memorize lists of random information. We laughed so hard! Now we are going around saying, "bicycle" "golden" and other word associations we made. I look forward to using what I learned to memorize scripture.

I still have not been to the chiropractor. Tita Pat has been gone a lot lately, and will be gone for the next few weeks. She is the one in charge of making the appointment for me. I really need to go, though. My back has been bothering me so much that I can't sleep at night without taking ibuprophen. The people here are so sweet. They keep asking me if I need to sit out, need help, etc. I just tell them that it's not life threatening and I am not injuring it further by doing what I do, so no thanks. But it would be nice to be able to sleep through the night.

I downloaded games for Mirasol onto my iPhone. Now she wants to play all the time! She is absolutely precious!!!!! She will look all over for me, come sit in my lap, tickle me, and play. During church this Sunday, she learned how to take my earrings out and put them back in. She's soooo cute!!!!

Side note: I am covered in mosquito bites. Does anyone know of a natural repellant that works? And that I could make/get/use here? Malaria is no threat, but the itch drives me mad!

I am off to go do laundry and formulate the teacher trainings and lesson plans for the students. I hope to be teaching full force by Wednesday. This not having a schedule/ focused life is driving me crazy!!!

And by the way, I am doing great. I have made a lot of friends here and am loving being here. God is taking care of my emotions. When you pray, please pray that I connect with Him and hear His voice for everything I do. I can't live a day without His presence.

Oh, 5 am prayer meetings have started up again. I will be in charge of the Saturday meeting which will focus on praying for the building project. God prepared me for this and I am excited to see what will happen!

Tita is leaving because her spiritual mom passed away last week. She will go to America Tuesday night for two weeks or so, then come back to IFL for a day, then leave for about a week to go to Singapore. Please keep her in your prayers, as well as the entire IFL ministry.

I think that's it for now. If I don't update, send me an email or post something on facebook. Thank you so much for your prayers. I can't do this without them. Your notes of encouragement mean the world to me, too.

Forming Teacher Classes

Hey Everybody,

Because the test results are not at all what we want- and that is only with at few tests given- I will start training the teachers in instructional strategies on Monday. Therefore, I will be creating a curriculum to teach the teachers every Monday and Friday from now until God says we are done. Pray that I teach what is truly needed, not just what I think they need.

I am creating this training starting today. :-)

And the testing begins....

Hello friends and family!

I know I have probably scared you out of your wits with the last pictures of the last post. So, now, I bring better news. :-)

Last weekend, I went to Bataan where IFL has helped to plant a church in the midst of Ietas- a mountain tribe that was unreached 6 years ago. A member of the church, had passed away, so a group went up there for the funeral. It was a six hour drive. I went so that I could get to know the teachers and see the ministry up there. I felt bad being a tagalong for a funeral, but it really was a great time.

Tamarines- sour things fresh from the tree, eaten with salt

This is how the road ends in the Philippines. No signs, no warning and the rebar sticking out.

This is a rundown house of the Ietas. IFL people built these houses. No one lives in it anymore. The people don't know how to take care of them.

Paige, I took this picture for you! :-) It's a water buffalo!!!!

This is my friend Rose Ann and Andrew, the pastor's son.

Jing (my roommate from Singapore. She goes home on Tuesday.)

Anita is in the middle.

Lisa- a teacher I got know while on the trip.

I got to drink coconut milk from a coconut that had been on the tree only a few minutes before. It was SOOOO GOOD!!! :-) I also ate Jack fruit fresh from the tree. Jack fruit is sticky and slightly sweet. I think you could use some of it for hair gel in a pinch! We also went wading in the river. On a hot, humid day (as if we had any other type of day here!) the cool water felt so nice!

Jack Fruit

Traffic on the way home

I got my passport extended yesterday. I am legal until some time in August, then I will have to extend it again. After that, I will get my visa.

I love going out in the city, but I don't know if I will ever get used to being stared at for the color of my skin. At one place, there were some kids that just stared at me with their mouth open. I looked at them and said, "Yes, I am an American!" and went on my way! Then, I went to another restaurant and had groceries in my hand. A guy pulled out a chair for me to sit at the table next to him just because of the color of my skin! I am not afraid at all- there is no danger, but it's just weird! I want to come up with a response. I'm thinking about carrying sticky notes and signing autographs. I just need a body guard to make my movie star status legitimate!

I started testing the reading comprehension levels of Grade 1 students today using the Informal Reading Inventory book that my dad shipped me last week. I could hardly get the students to talk to me! I don't know if the problem is that I am white or if they just really don't understand me.

Their reading levels are SO LOW! The kids can say the words on the page all the way up to grade three, but cannot answer reading comprehension questions on passages for kindergardeners. Please pray for the students and for me. I complained to God, "They can't read!" He said, "That's why I brought you here." I want to multiply myself into every classroom. I am praying for laborers to come. But I think I am my own answer to prayer. If I couldn't do this, He would have sent other people to come here with me. Still, I am praying for laborers. I am also praying for a classroom.

The special education teacher (Nancy) and I do not have classrooms to teach in. Our apartment is our workroom, our storeroom, and sometimes, our classroom. We can only use a classroom to teach in when the other classes are not meeting- in the hottest part of the day. One classroom will cost around $6000 to build. IFL wants to build 8 of them. We are praying for the finances to be able to start construction by Christmas time.

Please pray that God speaks to both Nancy and I about how to do our jobs. Nancy is doing a pilot program also. We have been given tasks and students, but rely on Jesus alone as to how to go about fulfilling them. Nancy is also my roommate. She is SUCH A GODSEND! We are able to communicate about students, God, life, and laugh together. She has the same heart for the kids as I do. It's so encouraging to see her passion and commitment! :-)

I will begin a second day of testing tomorrow. Pray that it goes better than today did. God knows what He is doing in having me here.

Typhoon Pictures

Hello everyone! Here are pictures from the typhoon last week. I look at these and think about the word "typhoon" and realize you are probably freaking out that I had to endure this. Please understand, it was HILARIOUS! I wasn't a bit scared and laughed the whole night. The Philippines usually get 20 typhoons per rainy season. Only 19 more to laugh through! :-)

Water in our hallway.

This was a video, but it takes so long to load I posted it as a picture instead. This is Judith scooping water with a tupperware lid into a plastic tub. We then dumped the water into the bathroom so it could go down the shower drain.

Attempting to keep it from raining inside. See video below. (Maybe... I waited over two hours to load and then cancelled it because I needed sleep. Maybe it went through anyway?) :-) I'm putting tape across the type of the door to hold up the contact "paper" we took off of the dishes cabinet.

Sorry this one is sideways... I don't know how to fix that yet. But this is of Judith and Nancy trying to put up contact "paper" over the raining door. Judith is the shortest out of all of us and is standing on a nightstand. I am the tallest and just taking pictures. Haha!

The finished product! Tada!!

Thumb tacks used to hold the curtain in place over the window that was broken. School supplies = typhoon supplies! :-)

Typhoon Flooding in my room.

IFL kids and school

PE class: AKA play see-saw with the teacher!

Construction on the girls' new dorm.

Kindergarten 1

The spider (one of my roommates) on the wall. Alive.

The spider by my shoe. Dead. Killed by the shoe.

Cheryl and I (one o

f the teachers)

Mirasol and Deborah

Mirasol at McDonalds

My air conditioner: the refrigerator!

Traveling Pictures and more

My friend Roselle and I inside the tricycle.

This is the view from inside the tricycle.

Roselle eating a doughy type of bread. :-)

This is how you eat Halo-Halo. Well, kind of. It is not supposed to be messy.

Halo-Halo! It's like iced rice milk with fruit, ice cream, nuts, jelly, and a lot of other delicious things. :-)

I don't know if you will be able to watch this, but this is a video from my first jeep-nee ride. :-)

This is the nearby university. I was holding the camera straight and then we went over a bump as I snapped the picture! This was on my second day at IFL- we went to SM.

This is at the Hong Kong Airport. It was beautiful there!

This is my travel buddy, Rachel. She was such a God-send!