Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Manuia le Kirisimasi ma Manuia Tausaga Fou!
Learning Center:
We wrapped up the Learning Center in style with a prize giving ceremony/ Christmas program. The kids did an amazing job singing Christmas carols, performing dramas, and displaying what they have learned this year. It was an awesome celebration and so many parents, grandparents, siblings, and aunties showed up to celebrate with us. We awarded the top students and those who showed the most godly character. We also handed out prizes to all the students including their new Bibles and toothbrushes.
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| Brothers |
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| Vavega- overall Godly character award |
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| Our lion |
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| All dressed up for our play |
We had a parent meeting afterwards in which the parents all decided that they wanted to have school uniforms for their children (which we now have ordered), as well as discussing next year, transportation issues, etc. Very productive.
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| Singing Christmas carols |
The most exciting thing, however, is that I felt God telling me to clearly spell out the Gospel message to the kids. We have been building up to it the whole year and laying the foundation, but never quite plainly stated it. Well as I was praying one morning on the last week of school I felt God say that it was the right day and He gave me a plan of action on how to present it. Long story short, every student accepted Jesus into their hearts!!! God is so good!
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| Our bird who looks more like an angel (she had a beak too) |
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| Painting the dragon |
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| African safari truck |
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| My level 5 girls |
Feed the Hungry:
The weekend before Christmas we were able to partner with a local church to hand out a free Christmas barbecue, presents, and clothing to the local villagers who are in need. Most of the families from the LC where there which was fun to see and interact with them outside of school.
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| Christmas presents |
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| Serving barbeque |
VBS:
We had another team from Kona, Hawaii volunteering here for two weeks. While they were here we ran a week long quasi-Vacation Bible School. For a few hours a day, kids from the village came to do crafts, hear Bible stories, play sports, sing songs, and just have fun. The kids had so much fun! It was a nice break for me as the team planned and ran the VBS and I just helped where they needed me, took pictures, gave suggestions, and did crowd control. The exciting thing was that half of the kids that came were not from the LC but other kids from the village- we are expanding our reach and impact! Several of those families have asked if the can bring their children to the LC as a result.
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| Picking up all the kids for VBS- 70 kids! |
Christmas:
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| An island Christmas tree :) |
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| Base Christmas Party- Gift Exchange |
One of my jobs during Christmas was to organize the outreach for the Kona team which put me in close contact with them and enabled me to build relationship with them. As a result, they not only invited me to join them when they went away to a hotel on the other side of the island for Christmas, but they also paid for my room! It was such a huge blessing. We had a great time swimming through underwater caves, exploring the To Sua Trench, kayaking along the reef, and just relaxing.
One of the other huge blessings was that a family (originally from Australia but who are living and working here) that I met here was going home for Christmas and asked if I could house sit for them. I not only was able to stay in their house- a real house with air-conditioning, hot showers, real beds, a huge kitchen, etc,- but I was also able to use their car! I was able to spend a lot of my free time exploring, going to the beach, and doing things that I haven’t been able to do living on base. I was even able to have a few girls come over for Christmas and New Year.
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| This was caused by the waves pushing the air through the tube |
Kona, Hawaii:
Shortly after Christmas I was able to meet my family halfway between Samoa and Michigan in Kona, Hawaii! My mom even decided to be spontaneous and changed her ticket to stay a few extra days with me. It was such a wonderful time with my family- catching up, having fun, laughing, going on crazy adventures, resting, eating good food, etc. We were able to see the volcano bubbling, go spelunking, jump off waterfalls, snorkel in the reefs and with the dolphins and manta rays, and so much more. While paddle boarding, a humpback whale swam so close to us and breached!
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| Ready to swim out into the middle of the ocean at night to see manta rays- aren't we gorgeous? |
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| Jumping off waterfalls! |
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| The girls :) |
I was also able to meet with several influential people within the YWAM University of the Nations School of Education in which they not only offered support and suggestions but opportunities for the future. We were even given some iPads for the Learning Center students! These are the people who helped inspire the LC in the first place and create the vision as well as the lady who runs the teacher certification programs.
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| Mommy-Jenny time :D |
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| Tiffany, Liaina, and I in Kona- reunited friends :) |
Back in Samoa:
I arrived back to Samoa only to be smacked in the face with a wall of heat. It is the hottest that it has been since 1958! And the humidity is at least in the 90% or more at all times. Needless to say, it is pretty miserable. Add to that the mosquitoes, it’s not been a very nice welcome. Oh and the country has somehow run out of chicken and is not getting a shipment of supplies until the end of the month, so we are eating tin fish and pork for every meal. God has a lot of grace on me right now. It is also going to be a big transition as my dear friends, Sio and Vicky, who have really helped me process and listened to me, and supported me as well as let me use their kitchen have moved off base. It is very exciting for them, but a bummer for me as I don’t have my go-to person easily available (they will be in during the weekdays) nor will I necessarily have access to a kitchen or refrigerator…So be praying for me and for grace :)
Next Year…:
As I stated last month, in two weeks I will have been here for a year! 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. I still do not have a definite plan of action. I am still waiting on the Lord. I have had to wrestle with many things including feeling like a failure or that I am letting the kids down if I leave, but also not feeling that I am in the best and most healthy environment for me to grow and thrive and utilize my gifts. It has been a long and hard road bringing up lots of questions, insecurities, doubts, confusion, etc. But through it all God has been a constant and continues to impart His wisdom, grace, and peace. I am at peace with whichever way He leads me and know that the time I have been here has been far from wasted and that if I am supposed to leave, God will hold these precious children in His hands. And if I am supposed to stay, I know that God will provide a way to help me grow and thrive and to maintain my joy and peace.
If you have any words, encouragement, or thoughts, email me :) wendt.jen@gmail.com
COMING UP:
February 2: School starts up again
Beginning of February: A girl is coming to help staff at the LC as well a short term mission builder.
May (or slightly earlier)?: Home for Caleb and Gye Ha’s Graduation
PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Wisdom for me about the future
2. That the thinking and priorities about children and education would continue to be altered and transformed.
3. Support from the Ministry of Education
4. Continued growth in relationships with the staff, students, and families
5. LC- Teachers and vision and wisdom on how the school should proceed and what exactly it should look like
