Update in the life of Jenny…


Most Exciting NEWS Ever!!!
All of our Learning Center students accepted Jesus into their hearts <3 today! A day doesn't get much better than that. God is good!

Matthew 19:14- "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"

And this is why I came to Samoa :)

LEARNING CENTER:
The countdown is on until the end of the school year. We end on December 10th! Only 3 days away! (This will be our summer break. School doesn’t resume until the very end of January). We have a Parents’ Day/Christmas Program/Awards Ceremony on Wednesday.

Practicing for our Christmas Program

As far as the Learning Center goes, we still have four teachers (thank goodness). We have had a chickenpox outbreak. So our school is filled with spotted children. The philosophy here is let them infect everyone so that everyone gets it over with at the same time. Thankfully I have had it and don’t need to worry.

Exams

Kids are still doing amazing. We just got done giving final exams and the kids did a remarkable job. They are so hungry to learn and are like little sponges. One incredible thing I learned this week is that one of my students is going to go to a regular high school next year! This is huge! She has never been to school before besides the Learning Center- she is quite nervous and has been teary the last few days about leaving us and her friends. But she is pursuing an education and her parents are letting her go- reshaping the priorities- education is important- (this came right after the mom stopped in and I showed her all of her daughter’s work…).

Temukisa and I :)

I am really enjoying my Social Studies class right now. I gave them the choice of what they wanted to study for our last unit.  They wanted to study the world and the countries. We have made “passports” in which they have to draw the flags and write information about each of the countries we study.  We finished Africa last week and began the Americas this week. They love hearing about other countries and seeing the pictures of those places as most of them they have never heard of before nor do they have any understanding of what life is like outside of the island. Their favorite things are the animals.

BEAUTY FROM ASHES:
I found out a few distressing things about the students and their families in the last few weeks. I knew that they were poor, but sometimes you don’t see the full picture. We have a few families that have no electricity. They use candles for light and that is why sometimes the kids do not get their homework done. Another family, the mom goes everyday to collect things from the garbage dump to try to sell. Still another family has moved yet again because she is a widow with many children and they have no money and nowhere to live. Currently, the church is letting the family  live on their land and the mom works as a cleaning lady a few days a week (which is one of the lowest paying jobs in Samoa). A brother and sister are separated currently and every few weeks we pick them up from different houses as they are passed from one relative to another to live. One family has left the school because during the dry season they need the boys home to help haul water as they have no well or water collection tank. One of the girls came to school this week with welts on her chest, arm, and even face from where her mom beat her with a switch for “being cheeky” and refusing to wash the dishes. Her dad had to intervene. These stories break my heart and it is the reality for these children that I love so dearly.

But despite all this, God is good and He is sovereign. We have had huge growth in the kids in every way. A church donated Samoan Bibles for every one of our students! We have written prophetic words in the cover of each of them about their identities and who God created them to be- “little love letters from God.” I was also able to have a sleep over party with a few of the oldest girls this past weekend. We of course did all the typical slumber party stuff like eat junk food, paint our nails, watch loads of movies and stay up too late, but we were also able to tell them more about God and His love for them, that He has a purpose for their lives and is with them always. They have memorized loads of Scripture and are able to respond to questions based on Biblical truth. They are continually growing in their ability to hear the Voice of God.

Slumber Party!

Can't have a girl's slumber party without painting nails.

BASE STUFF:
We have been having problems with our water pipes the last few weeks. The government has been trying to fix it but not very successfully. We have been without water on and off for several weeks and whenever the water goes out, we have to cancel school. We have had seven days off. This is a nice break which I needed; unfortunately, it requires us to get up, check if the water is on, and then drive around to tell the kids no school. It has also has gotten me very behind for what I wanted to cover this year-oh well such is life. (This also means we are quite stinky and have piles of dirty clothes- cooking and washing up are the most difficult- I have taken to saying I am going to take bucket as opposed to going to take a shower as we have to go fill 5 gallon buckets up with water from our water catchment tanks in order to do so.)

This is what happens during rainy season- your bedroom becomes a laundry mat...

While the water was out I got to sit in on the DTS and SOFM lectures :)

The Australian High Commission came two Fridays ago in response to an application for a grant that I submitted. They were incredibly encouraging and said that not only will they probably be able to get us the things that we asked for, but to redo our application in the next few days and add anything we might need. They also recommended a few other places that might be able to help us with some other things like a bus…However, in order to do this we also needed to get a letter of endorsement from the Ministry of Education. I have been trying to register with them since September to no avail- the lady I was working with no longer works there, they lost our paperwork, etc.. Without this, Aussie Aid can do nothing. Unfortunately, they still have not produced a letter for us despite the fact that I have hounded them which means that we will be unable to get the grant monies. At least, they are aware of the need now and what we are doing here.

In the last month, we had a DTS team from Kona, Hawaii here doing an outreach. They were very helpful in the Learning Center- spending time in the classrooms and loving on the kids and giving us help working with kids one-on-one. It was also a blessing for me personally to talk with them and have other palagis around. One day they made dinner for the base- fried chicken, pumpkin, cocoa samoa, rice, and vegetables- for me it was like a Thanksgiving dinner which I didn’t think I would get. So that was really special. I even made those at my table say what they were thankful for :).

Happy Thanksgiving! Anyone hungry?

Training from Kona-At this point we have put a hold on this as we do not know whether or not we will have teachers next year to train. Keep praying in our teachers. We desperately need this training, but unless we have teachers who are committed and with a heart and passion for these kids, we can’t run the training.

Kona DTS helping write in all the Bibles

DTS left for outreach in American Samoa

So long DTS boys

ME:
Thank you to all of you who were praying for me knee. It is feeling great. It was some weird muscle thing. Stretched it, massaged it, danced on it to loosen it up and it is pretty much back to normal.

One of my roommates left for several weeks to go to a wedding and graduation and the one on her DTS moved into a different fall with some of the DTS staff. This left me alone so my good friend Ema moved in with me. This has been such a blessing in so many ways. Our friendship has grown in leaps and bounds and we have just really enjoyed spending time together and sharing our hearts.

Faiuga, my DTS roommate

Ema, my new roommate and I

Ema and I- plain silliness

God has really been so good and so faithful. I was really struggling for a few weeks and in the last month or so God has really restored my joy and redeemed and restored things that had been lost of broken. Relationships have been flourishing, I have been able to start dancing again, I am enjoying teaching and being in the Learning Center. It has been good.

As I have almost completed a year here, I have been praying about the future and what this next year is going to bring- whether I should stay or if it is time to leave. It has been a very confusing and difficult road; however, God has brought a lot of clarity on things and is redefining my vision and purpose. Please be praying for me as I figure all of this out. If you have any words, encouragement, or thoughts, email me :) wendt.jen@gmail.com

COMING UP:
10th December- last day of school- parents come and see what their children have accomplished this year and awards
13th- 30th December- house sitting for a Canadian family who are going home for Christmas- they have a washing machine, real beds, big kitchen, AC, and I get to use their car!
Christmas- most likely in Savaii with some of the base staff who have invited me to come home with them
2nd- 15th January- Kona, Hawaii with my family!!!

A little bit of me time :) and I felt a little like a chameleon- This is what I will be doing in Kona (besides spending every minute with my family :) )

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. A good end to the school year
       -Smooth Christmas Program
       -Opportunity to tell the kids more about God and His desire for relationship with them
2. Wisdom for me about the future
3. That the thinking and priorities about children and education would continue to be altered and transformed.
4. Support from the Ministry of Education
5. Continued growth in relationships with the staff, students, and families
6. Safe travels to Kona, Hawaii!

Samoan sunsets!

Tests, Struggles, Grace, and Victory

God reminding me of His promises, faithfulness, and grace

God is faithful and His ways are not our ways. He keeps placing on my heart HOPE. When God starts something He always finishes it (although His finished product doesn’t always look like what I think it will). He has reminded me of His promises both for me and for the school- things that I have had to hold on to as we have had a roller coaster ride the last few weeks.

Math Pirate Treasure Hunt

Level 1 class

 Learning Center:
Since my last update, we now have 3 teachers (this includes me) and 5 classes which means that we have had to double up for things and combine classes. I am teaching full time which gives me little time for the administrative things or checking on the other teachers. We had another teacher, but he has been out “sick” for over 2 and 1/2 weeks with no word. We are assuming that he is not coming back. We have had various other people filling in from around the base and are working on a more permanent solution.
* Just this Thursday we asked someone to join the team until the end of the school year (December) and he agreed. I am still writing all of his lesson plans, however. 

Soccer Practice

Nick teaching PE

The school itself is going very well. The students are doing great and learning so quickly. I teach Social Studies and Science in English to three girls in the Level 5 class. On their last two exams, all three of them have gotten in the 90s! I am so proud of them. It is difficult with their English level to do really in depth questions, but they are processing the information, retaining it, and able to respond to questions about it. The last two weeks we have been talking about the earth which led to the questions, “Where did the earth come from? How was it made? Why did God create the world?” I think they are really starting to understand what Christianity is all about-it is not just religion, tradition, and rules, but it is about relationship with a God who made them, knows them, died for them and loves them.

Level 3 Kids

Gasologa and Fa'atuatua

Merroo wearing traditional fine cloth for our Ava Ceremony- This is made from tree bark

My English classes are thriving. The Level 3 class is able to write simple sentences and read simple English books. The Level 4 class is performing a play that they memorized in English! And my Level 5 class is writing personal narratives (all three of them have already written over a page).  I am so proud of them! They have come so far from the broken English that they spoke just a few months ago. My math classes are doing great as well working through long division (with remainders and decimals) and fractions.

John teaching Level 4 and 5

Teaching fractions to the Level 5 girls (practical application)

Level 5 Girls

On Fridays, the Learning Center leads worship for the base. Each week we study a different aspect of God’s character and strive to present that in some way on Friday mornings-Bible verses, skits, songs, etc. This past week we studied being a servant, our main role-model being Jesus. During our time of worship, the students washed the feet of the base staff and prayed over them. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Staff and students holding each other crying and worshiping God as one body. God’s presence was so tangible.
Washing Feet Video

Level 2 Class performing their Bible Memory Verse

Worship with the Base Staff

Some Learning Center love for Lautasi

Saturday mornings, a few of us get up at 6 to go and hike Mount Vaia. This morning we took five of the Learning Center students with us. They have never been up the mountain before. It was so fun to experience it with them for the first time and see the unabashed curiosity and awe on their faces or hear their exclamations of “It’s so big!- I’m going to stay in the car” as they stood at the base looking up at it.

The gang at the top of Mount Vaiai

Trying to get over the log

John keeping it educational-the grave of Robert Louis Stevenson- he forgot to read the sign...

John and his mini-me Gasologa

Training with the Kona Team:
I have been in communication with the University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii. It is looking like we will be able to run a course here on the base for the teachers and anyone else who is interested to receive a Teacher’s Training Course. It would be a year long course-mostly hands on and discussion based- which at the end, they would receive a teaching certificate (not diploma). It would give them some background and skill set. We desperately need this as many of our difficulties arise out of lack of knowledge and training. If this were to happen, someone would need to lead this course on the ground-the logical person would be. However, I am not sure that I am supposed to be here that long or if I want to be. Also at this point we also only have two other teachers (and will they stay?) so how can we run this and also will they just leave as soon as the training is completed and we end up in the same place that we started…? Many questions and few answers.

Mika, one of our most improved

Salote working on her sequence of events for the English chapter book we read

Gasologa working on his project

Me Personally:
The last few weeks have been some of the hardest in my life. I will admit that there have been times of doubting why I am even here and of wanting to pack up and come home. There has been attack after attack. There have been difficulties relationally, with the Learning Center and the teachers, and more. There have been several things and decisions made that I have not agreed with which has caused quite a bit of controversy. It has just been a very difficult road to walk on; many tears have been shed. But I do know that above all else God is good and He does not give us more than we can bear. I am so grateful to all of you and your prayers. Through all this time, things with the students themselves and teaching have been going smoother and more encouragingly than ever-God knew I needed some rays of sunshine. They never cease to make me smile. Thankfully God has placed some incredible people in my path here outside the base who let me crash at their place on occasion or come over for an afternoon after church when I really need to get away. I have been trying to exercise regularly and I am cooking for myself a lot more (I have attempted crepes, tortillas, cinnamon-banana loaf and a few other simple things). It is also finally avocado, pineapple and mango season!

The girls and I

Emely and I

Prayer Requests:
-TEACHERS!  We need committed teachers- ones who have a heart and passion for these kids and for this school

-For me in every way :) encouragement, against loneliness and frustration, wisdom and patience, strength, boldness

-Wisdom and discernment as I pray about whether I am supposed to stay and for how long and if I am supposed to help lead this training course

Sunset over the Learning Center

Home and Back Again~ A Missionary's Tale by Jenny Wendt

Well a lot has happened in the last two months since I last updated my blog. 

Time home:
I was able to come home for a little over six weeks which was so wonderful and needed. to much can beat coming off the plane to a large handmade poster held by my parents, nieces and nephew, and best friend. All of my family was home including my sister and her family from England and extended family from Wisconsin. It was such a blessing to have all of us together and in the same place. I think that this was one of my most fun summers ever. I was able to spend time with family, friends, supporters, the kids I nanny for, and do all the things that make northern Michigan so wonderful (and eat good food!).

I even got to go on the boys fishing trip :O

Me and Ember-Auntie Niece Hot Chocolate Date at local coffee shop

Isaac and I out for ice cream (which happened almost daily)

The nieces and I (Siri and Ember)

Mom and I as we took the boat to the restaurant for dinner days before I left

I was able to go backpacking in Canada at Lake Superior Provincial Park with some amazing friends. I got to see my long-time friend, John, marry the beautiful Heather in Portland on the way home. I was able to attend a family reunion in Door County, Wisconsin. The list goes on and on.

John's weddings- my two best friends from my study abroad in Spain-Stephen and John

Backpacking in Canada

Backpacking

The whole backpacking crew

My boys I nanny for-all in a days work-spies looking for Waldo

Bowling with Ella (the little girl I nanny for)

Spending time with my best friend, Kaylee

Nannies and kids rafting adventure

I was also able to spend a lot of time processing my time here in Samoa and making a plan for the next leg of my time here.

Hanging with some of the cousins on our family reunion

God moments on the way home:
In the Samoan airport I met a Fijian professional golfer (who I later learned was Vijay Singh one of the best golfers in the world) who bought me hot chocolate and introduced me to another Fijian by the name of Bana (Barnabas) who played rugby back in the day with one of my closest friends here in Samoa. When we arrived in Fiji, Bana drove me around to help find me a hotel and get me local rates and paid for my taxi and a coke at the hotel where we proceeded to sit and chat about God. The next day, I splurged on a tour around Nadi and met some great people who were so kind and bought me fruit and shared goodies from NZ. I had a wonderful time touring the botanical gardens, trying out a mud bath in the hot springs, and touring a Buddhist temple. Then, because I had to check out of my hotel that morning, one of the ladies invited me to come hang out with her at her hotel for the afternoon and use her shower (as I was still covered in mud) and free transport to the airport.

At the Buddhist Temple

Trying cava at the market

Our tour guide and I at the botanical gardens

Mud baths in Fiji

That night on the plane everyone was sleeping and I was gazing out the window at all the stars having some time talking with God. I told Him it would be really amazing to see a shooting star go past (up to that point there hadn’t been any). Within the next five minutes, three shooting stars went by! It was incredible!

Sunrise out the plane window-morning after shooting stars

Back in Samoa:
It is good to be back in Samoa. I arrived just before the end of the school day so I was instantly mobbed by kids. I had at least three kids constantly attached to me for the next few days.  A lot happened while I was gone. They had a Samoan Culture Day which was a huge success and loved by students, parents, and base staff. And then they took a two week holiday.

Samoan Culture Day

During this time, I had a complete staff turn over. Four of my staff left (one to go home and three to do a School of Frontier Missions being run on the base). During the next few weeks, there were apparently many different hands pitching in to help. We had four new staff to replace those who left. In the last week, three of our teachers have left. We are now down to four teachers- My co-leader, John, and I as well as two other boys. Last Thursday, one of my teachers was asked by the base to step down from all leadership roles as he made some very poor decisions. Also this past weekend, two others left the base. We are now down two/three teachers (again). Leaving us with myself and three other teachers. So after just getting in a rhythm and flow, we are having to redo our schedule again. This is very frustrating and disheartening. However, the boys that are left have really risen to the occasion. It has been going quite smoothly and could have been a nightmare. Thank you, God!

Failauga, one of our new teachers

Our two new teachers are very young. They both just finished their DTS at the end of July. There is a large lack of maturity, but they are so far really rising to the challenge. I believe that the two of them are very gifted teachers and I think will be a great asset to the school. They have quite a bit of potential and so far have been willing to learn. After the three other staff members left, they really stepped up and took initiative. They have been doing a fabulous job the last three days.

The Level 3 girls practicing a dance they choreographed

Tasi and I

There were also several students who left for various reasons (two moved, four have to help out on their family’s plantation, etc.). We now have ten new students to replace them. This past week, we had a week off from school for the annual Teuila Festival. We spent the time having Teaching Workshops- refocussing on the vision and purpose of the Learning Center, going over rules and expectations for the students and staff, re-arranging the schedule, shuffling classrooms, students, and teachers, and giving them tips for classroom/behavior management and teaching tips.

Level 1 Class

I have felt like God is saying not to look at the failings but at the potential of each person and see them as He sees them. With another complete set of teachers leaving, it again calls into question how to make the school sustainable. God continues to promise that there is a future for this school and that He is at work behind the scenes. I found out this week that it is pretty certain that there will be a team coming from Kona, Hawaii early next year to do actual training with our teachers which will give them a teaching certificate (not degree). This will be such a blessing! Please continue to pray though that we get teachers who are committed and will stay for the long haul (or even a school year!).

The Learning Center!

We have held the verse Philippians 1:9 very closely to our hearts. ”It is my desire for each one of you, that the realization of love's completeness in you will increasingly burst through all boundaries, and that every sphere of your relationship with others will be greatly impacted by your intimate acquaintance with love". Love is the key. These kids come from hard places. Who knows what they have gone through in the past or everyday at home. Some may be physically, emotionally, verbally or sexually abused. Some may not have two parents. We want to love on them with God’s love and give them a safe place to discover their worth and identity and who God is. The school is about THEM. Not a ministry, not YWAM, not to make ourselves look good, but about the kids.

Our new magnifying glasses!

We added a new class (so we now have five). There are three girls in the class who are very intelligent and speak fairly good English. I spent a few days painting a new chalkboard and sewing a divider curtain to hang in the fale. I am lead teaching our highest class. I teach English to the highest three classes and Science and Social Studies to the top class. We had a great day and a lot of fun. It is going to be a challenge for all of us as I attempt to simplify Scientific things for their minimal English.  Now that the other teachers have left, we have had to juggle things around a bit so I have been teaching a little bit of everything everywhere, but trying to maintain the five classes. We were blessed by a school in New Zealand with pencil cases handmade by their students for each of our students, a printer/scanner, and basic science materials. I am also picking up a container this week from another man in New Zealand with books and soccer cleats for the kids. God is definitely blessings us beyond ways we could ever imagine.

Me Personally:
It has been hard being back. There have been moments of intense frustration and loneliness. Moments of why did I come back? and moments of joy as I was mobbed by the kids or invited home with one of the girls for a big holiday celebration. I am living in one of the fales now which is both a blessing and a curse. It provides great airflow, but loads of noise as it is in the path to and from the bathrooms and next to the piggery (thankfully the wind is always blowing the opposite direction). Still adjusting to new roommates (sadly Tiffany moved back into her parents’ fale when I left-still working on persuading her to move down). The food has been pretty awful as well-canned sardines numerous times a week.  God has been providing in so many ways though. I was able to go to the beach last weekend. I also had the opportunity to go this weekend for two days to the beautiful island of Savaii with two German guys that I met. We had a blast swimming in waterfalls, playing in the ocean blowholes, watching the sunset over the ocean at the farthest western point of Samoa, sleeping in open fales on the beach, and so much more.

Blowholes in Savaii

Swimming in the waterfalls

Hiking to the waterfalls

Swimming in the pools under the waterfalls

'Prayer Requests:
-TEACHERS!  We need committed teachers- ones who have a heart and passion for these kids and for this school.

-We are still waiting to hear if we will get a free bus.  Keep praying our bus in! We need it. We have had two accidents in the last few weeks with kids getting hurt while climbing in and out of our truck.And now the truck is broken and we have to take all of the kids in shifts in the back of a pickup truck.

-I also feel like there is a spirit of apathy and lethargy over the base. It feels like people are just going through the motions and not really meaning it.  Pray for a spirit of revival to flood our base. Also that I would not sink into it as well. That people wouldn’t get so focussed on the practical that they forget the importance of the spiritual and spending time with God.

-For me in every way :) encouragement, against loneliness and frustration, wisdom and patience