End of the year.

Shining eyes, smiles, laughter. HAPPINESS. The excitement on the last day of school.Yes, the kids are ready for summer (and honestly, I am too!). But here's why I'm excited it's the last day.

Because my students got it.

To see the light of excitement in their eyes when you pass back their final and work from the year, seeing how well they've done-it's an excitement that makes you feel like you could start up the next school year on Monday!
Well... okay maybe not THAT soon.

But it's a pretty amazing thing to see the outcome of what you've attempted to shape through the year. After days where the kids slide down in their seats, close their eyes and throw their head back while saying, "I just don't get it!," to today. Where they see that they actually DID get it. And applied it to life. From days where YOU don't feel like you can do it because the kids are going crazy and you're exhausted and just want a nap (and so much coffee), to today. Where you made it another year and see what they did.

Here's to the 2014-2015 school year! Great job kiddos :) Proud of you!

Pictures, Words and Dreams

So for a while I’ve been debating the idea of writing this for a while. I write all the time, I enjoy it. I’ve experienced enough unusual circumstances living in a third world country to write probably 5 books already, but writing books takes much more time than a quick little post about daily life and funny sights.

So, here's how this works. I'm the worst at maintaining a smooth running blog. I can't ever seem to remember when to write or what to write about. Pictures are my go to item that save the day whether by jogging a memory I had nearly forgotten about, or by taking up so much room there isn't any for words. I love pictures, don't get me wrong, I know the whole "a picture tells a thousand words" thing. I'm a photographer for crying out loud! But my goal is to Incorporate more stories, more of what I see captured in words, not colors. Yes, I will still add photos. They will just more as a summary than as the focal point. 

So why not? Here's to a new beginning of a series of blogs that maybe someday will turn themselves into 5 books. Maybe they will be read and passed around more than I ever dreamed of. Who knows! All I know is that, in this moment I hope you're intrigued enough to look for the next entry. So far I've moved myself to a country I stated I'd live in for 6 months (I'm working on 4 and a half years now.)  Learned a new language and a new culture. I’ve celebrated through the ups and praised through the downs. Life in another country is hard. But oh, is it beautiful.

Country and Culture.

I love this country and the people that fill it. I love that God called me here 4 years ago for 6 months, and that I'm still here 4 years later. Sure, I miss 'home' at times. But this is home. Yes, I miss things like a quick run to Wal-Mart or to the grocery store...without needing to factor in traffic time. I miss the seasons. I miss seeing my friends, and now their littles growing up. And yes, I miss eating food without at times wondering what is actually in it or what I've just bought.
 But living here is beautiful.

I've grown, I've learned to live life in another country. Learned a new culture, language and how to cook new food. I've grown to recognize the constant noise and music around as soothing and find it quite odd when I'm somewhere that is filled with silence. I have seen lives changes for Jesus and seen kids seek after him fully. I've seen him be rejected. I've watched as communities come around one another in times of hurt and need. I've seen teens grow in their love for God in a culture that doesn't deem him worthy. I've experienced the joy found by those who live in utter poverty. Which may seem confusing, but that's a story for another post. I've listened to humble prayers offered out of pure awe and seen God move in ways that are just hard to fathom-still. 

I've seen the hand of my Savior at work in my own life because even when it seems impossible to take the next step, somehow I do and what He does always blows me away.

We're learning about prayer right now in class. Teaching 13 year olds about prayer and communicating with God is just about as convicting and challenging as it sounds. How do you teach a group of 16 7th graders to pray in faith when you yourself at times find yourself lacking that very thing and just uttering the words out of habit? How do you teach them the importance of communicating with your Savior when, I hate to say it, you make yourself so busy that you forget to take time and just talk with Him.

This has been a challenge.

Through 4 years of living here though I have learned this. Prayer works. Even in our doubt, or when we put limits on God. He hears. He works. Sure, not always the way that we want him to, but He does. He won't always answer how we expect Him to, but He will answer-and in a way that is so much better for us than we could have ever imagined.

Subbing, prayer, and provision.

This week I am subbing in another Bible class to help a coworker who is in the States currently. Middle school, early morning and not enough coffee tend to sit a little on the rough side for me. This is my first year in middle school. And on top of that, after deciding to be an awesome sub-I prepared the WRONG lesson leaving me about 30 minutes to put together the correct one! I felt unprepared, but I prayed and asked God to use me, my words and to let Him be glorified.

Our lesson on Tuesday was prayer, and how one of the key factors of prayer is praying with faith.After reading through an awesome story of how God had answered a prayer and being honest with the kids in our discussion of whether or not when something big comes we trust God to have the power to fix it. Do we believe really that He IS limitless and will take care of it how He sees fit?

 What I didn't know, was that on Tuesday after I finisehd teaching my lesson, I would return to my office to find out that I needed to pay $200 extra from my budget this month on car insurance by next week, on top of losing a piano student. On top of this, a 4 day trip to the States next month and still having no way of knowing how I was to get there.

 Needless to say, I quickly found myself slipping into a state of worry. I texted Rob who reminded me right off what I had just taught the kids about, and how the first thing that I needed to do was to go to God in prayer and remember that it is He who provides. It was definitely easier said than done, but I did it. I wrote out my prayer in my journal so that WHEN God answered my prayer, I would have proof always to remind myself of His faithfulness. I finished praying and felt peace flood through me, and I felt the prompt to not check my account until Thursday, today. I pushed it from my mind, and whenever it resurfaced, I surrendered it to God. This was a daily battle. Life on the field, depending on the support of those elsewhere to aid you in daily life, trusting that God will touch hearts and each month He will provide..it's hard! Anyways, this morning after finishing up our worship practice, I remembered that it was Thursday and that today was the day I was to check my account after feeling the Holy Spirit prompting me to not check it. I was walking up the stairs when I remembered, so I quickly hurried into my office and opened my account. God had provided a small portion of what I need for the month, but enough for the next few weeks.

What a HUGE reminder of how important my faith in God and his power is, and what an amazing answer to prayer.

Thank you to all of my prayer warriors out there! I appreciate and pray for all of you!

² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.