Talofa friends and family!
I am now closing in on three months of being in Samoa. It has been better and different than I expected. I will start with the biggest news first..
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| Sunrise over the base |
BIG Learning Center News:We plan to start the Learning Center
on April 22, the Tuesday after Easter. Less than a week now! The last
few days the team of us working at the Learning Center have been
cleaning out bedrooms and converting them into classrooms, painting,
clearing the land for a playground, and repainting the old playground
equipment that we have. The next two days will be spent planning for the
first few days of school, prepping the staff, and giving a teaching
workshop for the staff to teach them good principles and teaching
strategies. I am very excited since I have been getting a bit stir crazy
not getting to do the things that I really love. We have had numerous
families stopping us in town and on the street asking when we are going
to start. We plan to start small with the children who have attended in
the past and let it grow by word of mouth. We already have at least 20
who have signed up to come and I am sure more will show up. We won’t
really know what to expect until it starts.
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| Putting up posters in the classrooms |
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| Classroom for the oldest students |
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| Teaching Workshop for the LC teachers |
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| Critiquing the practice teaching |
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| Teaching Workshop-Practicing teaching a mini-lesson | | |
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| Teaching a practice math lesson |
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| Painting the walls |
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| Our Library/resources |
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| Building the Blackboards |
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| Painting the Blackboards |
Our staff team is really
bonding well and working hard together to get everything ready. I am
really pleased and proud of them. We have a team of seven-two from
American Samoa, one Fijian, one Solomon Islander, myself, and two
Samoans. We are planning on having three classes based on academic
levels with two staff in each class. I will be hopping from class to
class supporting the teachers, helping them plan lessons, teach, and
maintain order-doing more the administrative role-as well as teaching
English. This is going to be very different for me as I love being in
the classroom, but I think that right now (not speaking Samoan) the way
that I can best serve is by teaching the teachers how to teach as only
one of them has any ounce of teaching experience. If I can give them the
skills to teach and empower them, then I will have fulfilled my purpose
here. I have really had to hold things loosely though as even the way
that they set up a classroom is very different from how I would do
it-aesthetically pleasing vs. practical and useful. God has given me a
lot of grace and patience and I have just had to let go. These are their
classrooms not mine.
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| Repainting our playground |
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| Prepping the ground for the playground |
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| Final product (for now) |
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| Getting the area ready for our playground |
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| Painting the swing set |
Roommate News Flash!:One big piece of news is that I have a new
roommate...Tiffany decided to move out of her family’s fale and in with
me! She is absolutely wonderful although we stay up way too late talking
most nights. I am so grateful for her; I am not sure what I would do
without her. God truly knew what He was doing in putting the two of us
together again. God is just blessing our relationship and it is growing
deeper and deeper by the day. Not only that but she challenges me
spiritually and continually points me back to God. She’s been an
encouragement, shoulder to cry on, escape when I need it, and a cultural
bridge. God has been revealing more and more my purpose in coming here
specifically relating to my time with Tiffany. We are a really good team
especially when praying for people because our gifts compliment each
other, and we know each other so well that it just flows and we can read
where the other person is going. I think that us being together is as
much for her as it is for me.
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| Tiff and I :) |
What God is doing on the base/Bible Study and Mentoring:
God has been showing me His heart for this place and what He is doing and is going to do. I am so excited to be a part of it! I/we keep feeling that God wants to restore people’s identities, self-worth, and for the girls to show them what it truly means to be a woman and walk in beauty. Most of them have been told their entire lives what to believe and think and who they are that their true God-given identities have been lost, crushed, or buried. He is already beginning to transform some of their thinking. Tiffany, Ema, Mei Su and I have been praying over each other (basically doing deep inner healing) and seeing God breakthrough strongholds, lies, and fear bringing freedom and restoration. We really feel that this is just the beginning and God wants this to sweep over the base starting with us. We have been sensing that God wants to tear things down to the foundations with hurricane force and rebuild it from the base up-not patch jobs.
One of the huge needs on base is mentoring the staff. The culture of Samoa is steeped in religion and Christianity, but it is surface level. Most of the DTS students become Christians and begin to have a relationship with God on their DTS. Post-DTS there is a huge need for discipleship as most of them are baby Christians. Because of this, Mei Su (a Taiwanese lady) and I have started a small group once a week for the girls on base staff. As I said in my last update, people are really lonely but have so many walls up and don’t share their hearts with others. The group is going pretty well, but is slow going as there is so much resistance towards being open and vulnerable and so many layers or walls. A few of them have shared a little piece of what’s on their hearts; a few others have at least started sharing that they are struggling although they still don’t feel comfortable sharing what or why. At least they can say that they aren’t doing well which is a start. It is frustrating sometimes because I am impatient and want to see growth and openness now, but I know it is a process and a very slow moving one and that I can’t push or rush things. This is new and scary for them, but they want it. They desire it. They continue to come and say that they are lonely and want to have community and openness. Everyday there is a little bit more that they share.
I also have two girls that I am discipling once a week. I have seen huge growth in them. God is really moving. As I am one of the most mature Christians on base, many of the staff have started seeking me out to ask questions about God, the Bible, and a multitude of other related questions. I have been able to speak into people’s identities, about God’s anointing and favor, spiritual warfare, and so much more. I have also started leading worship and intercession twice a week which has given me the opportunity to speak into/teach about both of those topics and what true worship and intercession look like. It has been so amazing to see God answer prayer directly. There have been several times that we have prayed for something and the next day see it answered.
Mobile Team:
I am continuing to get better and better as well as less self-conscious at learning and performing our island dances in our Mobile Team. We have had huge opportunities to speak and perform in churches and are “booked” almost every weekend. Last week we had the privilege of leading a service at a church that has broken relationship with YWAM-they have even stopped supporting the three staff who come from their church. Because of our willingness to go and the things we did and said, they not only have reconciled with the base, but are now supporting the staff again! They have even asked us to come and train some of their youth. We have also been asked to come to different churches and help lead some Bible studies specifically with the youth. We have broken our Mobile Team into four different groups so that we can divide and conquer. We also have had some financial blessings from the churches and have been measured for team uniforms :).
Random Jobs and News:
I am still working in the office several afternoons a week doing all of the email correspondence, updating our YWAM Samoa facebook page, working on writing grant proposals, and more. I am currently working on designing a playground and trying to obtain funds to build it. I have been talking to a man who owns a company designing playgrounds in underprivileged areas and we have some fun ideas. For a sneak peak of what we are thinking check out this website:
http://kaboom.org/blog/cool_playgrounds_wood_tires_thailand.
In June (just before I come home) I have the opportunity to go to PNG, Papua New Guinea for a gathering of YWAM staff from all around the Pacific. I am praying about whether or not I am supposed to go-leaning towards yes, but I have to make sure that it will not interfere with the Learning Center and my coming home.
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| Workbee at 6am |
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| Yes I know how to wield a machete |
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| Our piggery (with 5 batches of new pigglets) |
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| Building an extension to our piggery because of the copious amounts of piglets |
Me Personally:
God is definitely moving here in Samoa. It is definitely not easy, but God is so faithful. The days that I am struggling most, He lavishes me with the presence of a Westerner who takes me hiking somewhere on the island or buys me a hamburger, an incredible conversation with one of the staff, someone bringing me chocolate, a letter in the mail or just a phenomenal sunrise. He just fulfills my every need. Every few weeks there has been a “white person” who has come to the base to visit and just lavished me or even just talked to me for a while and it is like a breath of fresh air. We take for granted such little things like being able to have an easy conversation not straining to understand or being aware of my actions and how I might be perceived culturally or use sarcasm or just the way westerners preach. Haha. God is so good.
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| Sea turtles |
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| Feeding papaya to a sea turtle-Yes, I moved my fingers fast |
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| Rochelle, the amazing Australian woman who took me around the island, to see the Samoan cultural center, fed me chocolate, hamburgers, and fries, and took me to feed the turtles |
The first few weeks and months that I have been here, I felt like I really needed to be careful about what I said and really respect others, but I feel like now I have been here long enough and am at a place where I can speak into things that need speaking into-places where there is disunity or disrespect-calling people out in love. I have seen a lot of change and fruit come out of this and am modeling good forms of confrontation.
Relationship with the girls has been better but is still probably the hardest part of being here (although I am starting to get a bit sick of the food and craving things like pizza and spaghetti and pancakes...). There has definitely been breakthrough but there isn’t openness and trust-which is also partially due to the language barrier.
I am still waiting for my VISA. I applied, but they changed some regulations and the type of VISA I needed to get. I redid some paperwork and am now waiting to hear their decision. If it is granted, I will have a 3 year temporary residency VISA-not that I necessarily will be here that long, but it is the same price as one year and better than applying every year. Please continue praying. (Oh and no problems with Denghi Fever-only an outbreak of pink eye which I thankfully didn’t get).
Firsts:
I ate raw sea cucumber guts-not too bad just ridiculously chewy. Experienced my first earthquake-just a little one. I’m starting a school next week! :O
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| Cooking- Alexa one of the DTS students |
Prayer Requests:
1.
Learning Center starts next week!
-The students who are coming
-Grace, patience, and wisdom for me (and the other teachers)
-That the staff would be teachable and willing to listen and learn and that I would also learn from them and be humble
-Finances for both the school and the playground we are trying to build
2.
Mobile Team
-More opportunities to speak and perform in churches, youth groups, prisons, etc.
-That God would really use us mightily, that we would be led by the Spirit, and unity would pervade our team.
-We are believing God for a van to transport us to and from locations.
3. Clarity as to whether or not I am supposed to attend the
conference in Papua New Guinea.
4. Pray that I get my
VISA and soon.
5.
Me
-Continued boldness and a willingness to be obedient in whatever the Lord asks of me. To keep Him and His opinion of me first and foremost.
-An unoffendable heart and love towards others. No judgment.
6.
Relationships with the other base staff, locals, and students that will be coming to the Learning Center. *Specifically relationships with the girls on base, and that those relationships would go deep and not just be surface level.
7.
Girls Small Group- wisdom and discernment for how to run it and start it, but that also the girls would be willing to be vulnerable and open. Bond of sisterhood.
Sneak peak of Samoa
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| Traditional Samoan fale (this was a meeting house for the village elders and matai) |
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| Making a traditional Samoan food |
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| At the cultural center- demonstrating how to open and get the coconut cream from a coconut |
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| The ocean-it was raining over that one spot |
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| The buses from Apia into the villages |
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| Natural harbor with a Giant Clam Conservatory-Got to swim here-the water was freezing on top and hot on the bottom because of the natural springs flowing out from the lava rocks |
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| Laundry day in the pool fed from the natural springs |
Happy Easter! Jesus is risen!
Fa’afetai Lava!
For more pictures check out my facebook Jennifer Wendt or YWAM Samoa facebook page
