A Favorite Scripture

This is practice for the blog hop of the Made to Crave Bible on-line bible study; I'm so excited to go through the book again and to get another boost in my journey towards obedience to the Lord in ALL things...especially my eating! It's amazing to me how quickly I forget what the Lord has done for me, and how often I have to be reminded of His goodness and promises.

It's really hard for me to nail down what my favorite scripture is. Depending on the season of my life that I'm going through I might cling to a certain passage more than others, but there are some scriptures that come to mind quite a lot. One of them is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, i will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Here at Sakeji I so often feel weak and unable to handle the staggering responsibility that the Lord has given me. In the classroom, facing piles of marking, trying to figure out how to get through to a child, and so many other things often leave me feeling lost or helpless. I miss my family, I miss my home state, and sometimes I just wish I could GO and drive to a coffee shop to get away from the stress of life on a mission station. It's in those moments that I most treasure His promise that His grace is sufficient for me. His grace is big enough to handle any child, any situation, any issue, and any problem I might have. I so often fall for the lie that God somehow isn't enough for me--that He won't come through for me, or that this time I'm not important enough for Him to work it out. Foolish me--I know better!

As I get ready to start this bible study journey of Made to Crave, I'm excited about having a chance to get refreshed and encouraged. God has done some amazing things in my life since this summer when I first read this book, and I'm looking forward to continuing the journey of obedience and victory over the sin that so easily entangles me. His grace is sufficient--not brownies!

Construction

This week the school embarked on a new construction project--the renovation of the Main Sitting Room. For many years this room has been a hub of activity at Sakeji, and for many years its inadequate foundation has been sinking, and the walls have been developing some alarming cracks. As a part of solving the foundation problem the room is going to be extended about two feet, and the old nasty attic is going to be removed. It will be interesting to see how things progress. Right now it just looks like a mud hole!

My classroom is looking cheerful this week now that my students have their New Years mobiles finished. I'm always amazed by their creativity, and how different each child really is.

It's been a pretty good week in my classroom; I'm getting to know my new 6th graders, and working on setting up some good habits. I always forget how hard first term is--after third term where the kids were much closer to my goals for them, it's a bit of a shock to deal all these issues that I haven't had to worry about for a few months! Thankfully, God gives more grace.

First Week of School

1) All the kids arrived back safely, and classes seem to have started off well.

2) I really enjoy these first few days when the kids are all still on their best behavior...

3) I killed a small snake in my kitchen the other day. Got my heart rate up, and provided some entertainment for my cat. Not sure what it was, but when it's in your house all snakes are BAD.

4) After almost 5 hour of laboring with Jill, the music shelf and cupboard are once again usable, and we are getting rid of A LOT of things that we will never use. It's amazing how much space we have now!

5) It's been really cool and overcast these last few days; I keep hoping for a sunny morning to make getting up easier. Good thing I've got lots of handknit socks to enjoy in the evenings!

Welcome 2014!

I can't believe that it has been 4 crazy years since I set out on this journey--the journey of teaching at Sakeji Mission School. It seems like just yesterday that I spent that last bleary night packing and throwing things into my closet at home, just yesterday since I said that first goodbye in the airport, and just yesterday that I got off the plane and smelled the smoke. So much has happened since then, but God was and IS faithful.

This coming year is going to be full of challenges; some I already know about, and some are going to surprise me. This coming year is going to be full of blessings, opportunities for growth and maturing, laughter, tears, and a few curve balls. While I can't put most of those things into my planner, I'm excited to begin this new journey. Bring it on 2014--there is nothing that my Father and I can't handle together.

December Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

Whew—the 2013 school year is over! The last two weeks of school are always a very, very busy time for the staff at Sakeji Mission School. Seventy-seven report cards had to be written that take into account spiritual and educational progress during the term. These report cards had to be proof-read, and final grades calculated. Prizes need to be decided on, certificates written, classrooms cleaned, and the last batches of papers and notebooks sent up to the dorm to clear the desks for another year. Jill and I were busy rehearsing the program, last minute details were being organized, and each of us were trying to get all the loose ends in the areas under our supervision tied up. On December 3rd there was a PTA meeting which I was involved in, and then on December 4th the parents arrived to great excitement from their children. I gave several parent teacher interviews, played for the Prize Giving ceremony in the afternoon, and then for the show that evening. We had a special guest this year for the show—Chiefteness Ikelenge came with a few retainers. We don’t know how much English she understands, but we trust that the Gospel message went out to her as well as the parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends of our students.

While those last two weeks were very difficult in moments, it was all worth it. It is so special to remember where the kids were at the beginning of the term and see how far they have grown, matured, and improved over the course of a year. It is always good to talk to their parents, and it was good to hear the PTA taking measures to insure that this will stay a Godly school where the first priority is honoring Him. We said goodbye to ten of our students who will be moving on to different schools in January, and prayed one last time with them that they would continue in the things that they had learned. Now there are a few weeks of holiday for the staff to rest, regroup, and organize for the next school year which starts on January 8th. I’ll have a new class of 6th graders to ‘break in,’ and a continuing class of 7th graders to get ready for their national exams. Prayers for wisdom, patience, strength, and grace to show the love of Christ are always needed as I input into these young lives.

A recent item of praise is that my new work permit came through! I took a quick trip down to the capital to pick it up; now I’m taken care of for emigration for another two years. It is a constant challenge to keep up with documents in two countries, but there are some very patient people who help us missionaries out with that. Also, with so much backlog and inefficiency in Zambia, it’s always a matter of rejoicing when someone’s paperwork comes through and is not lost! This trip was a chance to visit some friends who live along the way, and to do some shopping for the next few months. I don’t anticipate heading out to town again for quite awhile, so I’ll need to stock up on the items I can’t get in Ikelenge. I am so thankful for the safety we enjoyed on the roads and in town; it is so easy to forget how blessed we are every time we go out and return safely.

I’m looking forward to another year of blessings, challenges, and learning how to serve the Lord better. Thank you so much for all your prayers, letters, e-mails, and the many different ways you keep in touch and encourage me. May He find us faithful wherever He has called us to be!

Another crazy road trip over, and nobody died!

Beth and I rolled into Sakeji around 7:30 last night after a week of craziness in travel, shopping, and government offices. Here are the highlights:

Day 1: We packed four girls into the back of Jill's little single cab Hylux to begin the trip down to Solwezi. The road was actually quite good, and everybody survived!

Day 2: We dropped the four girls off at the airport and proceeded to drive down to Kitwe to stay with my dear Sri Lankan friends. Indian food for supper--what a treat! The road was TERRIBLE. Lots of pot holes and a few muddy detours made driving rather interesting.

Day 3: We set off for Lusaka and endured some more bad roads because of the construction on the dual carriageway between Kitwe and Ndola. As we had experienced the day before, we were bothered at every check point and asked an interesting variety of questions including:

* Can I see your license? (almost every stop)

* What kind of triangles do you have? (I wasn’t aware that there was more than one kind…Uh, the metal ones…)

* Can I see your passport? (This from an emigration guy. I’ve never seen emigration on the road before!)

* Did you know your fitness is expiring soon? (Fitness=Inspection. Why no I didn’t—oh dear!)

* Can I have your particulars? (Translation—can I get your number? Why no, I don’t give out my number to creepy guys!)

When we arrived in Lusaka we got to enjoy some Christmas including this tree made of recycled bottles at Arcades,

and these lights in Manda Hill

Day 4: I went to emigration and was able to pick up my work permit with only an hours wait! Praise the Lord! After that Beth and I did some shopping and repacked the car.

Day 5: I took off in the rain to get the vehicle fitness (inspection) taken care of, and Beth went to the Canadian High Commissioner's office to pick up her passport. We both managed to get our errands done, ate some lunch, then headed up to Kitwe to stay with the Fernandos again. We almost lost the truck in a lake by the farm, but that little truck is made of stiff stuff!

Day 6: After a much needed sleep we headed into Kitwe to finish up our shopping. After that we went with the Fernandos to a bible study Christmas party. It was rather interesting as 80% of the people there were Indians, but the food was fantastic, and we enjoyed the caroling.

Day 7: Aunty Anita made a lovely breakfast of her fabulous spring rolls and samosas, and then we set off. The road was aweful and rather wet with all the rain, but we managed to roll into Sakeji at 7:30pm. We found out later that one of our tires was in really bad shape--I'm so thankful the Lord allowed us to get home on it! Truly, God is good!

Term 3 is officially over!

Yesterday was a crazy day--so much had to happen before the kids could go home! The morning was spent finishing off odds and ends and having our in school certificate assembly. After a hurried lunch I grabbed my prizes and then raced back to my classroom for parent teacher interviews. Once those were finished it was time for the big prize giving ceremony at which I had to play a few things. It started to pour rain right after the prize giving, so supper was a slightly damp affair. I raced home after that to change for the program, then it was back to the hall to start playing as the parents came in. I am so thankful for our refurbished hall--the porch on the back was a God-send last night! We had our annual visit from Father Christmas, and then there was time to enjoy some of the treats at the back! I slept like a rock--the adrenaline had kept me going, but once I left the hall and squelched home I realized that I was exhausted. I'm so glad it's all over--so very, very glad. I'm ready for some time to rest, reorganize and regroup. Teaching is an exhausting profession!