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| 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.
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| Math Pirate Treasure Hunt |
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| 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.
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| Soccer Practice |
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| 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.
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| Level 3 Kids |
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| Gasologa and Fa'atuatua |
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| 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.
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| John teaching Level 4 and 5 |
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| Teaching fractions to the Level 5 girls (practical application) |
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| 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
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| Level 2 Class performing their Bible Memory Verse |
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| Worship with the Base Staff |
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| 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.
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| The gang at the top of Mount Vaiai |
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| Trying to get over the log |
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| John keeping it educational-the grave of Robert Louis Stevenson- he forgot to read the sign... |
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John and his mini-me Gasologa
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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.
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| Mika, one of our most improved |
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| Salote working on her sequence of events for the English chapter book we read |
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| 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!
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| The girls and I |
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| 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
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| Sunset over the Learning Center |
