Listening and waiting...

is probably the two hardest things to do. I am in this state of waiting and listening. Knowing that God has His perfect timing is reassuring but how do you make that comforting when you have to make decisions that impact your life. Right now I am in the process of choosing what to do next year. There are a couple of options stay here in Ghana and continue to teach on a year contract, or I could transfer to another school and teach another grade level for two more years. My waiting is soon to be done because I am soon going to get that paper in my hand where I have to make the choice, but how do I really know where God wants me. How do I discern where God wants me and where it is not just my emotions. This Sunday afternoon from when I get back from Church till 5 pm I am going to just pray and listen and search the Bible just really seeking God's direction. I am really looking at maybe going to Turkey and see if I could get the k-5 teaching job. I miss the joy of little kids. Is it not amazing God already knows where I am going to be and He is already laying down the carpet for me.

Less stressful updates:

Volleyball is going ok. We only have two students now. We have had three quit. We could have had an opportunity to play a game in the near future but had to say no because we only have two students. It is hard to do anything at practice with only two people. Some days I wonder what is the point of having volleyball with only two players. It seems worthless to me but then God just says you are working with two that want to learn and you are ministering to them so keep working at it.

Sharpeners is on its way. I have two ninth graders and tonight the girls are going out for Mama Mia's pizza.

Today is also Character day at school the students get to dress up like their favorite book character. I am excited because I am reading the story Running Out of Time, which was like one of my favorite books as a kid and I just read the part where she goes outside of Clifton 1800's to 1996 in jeans and a tee-shirt so I am dressing up as Jessie Keyser and it is going to be awesome. I will try to post some pictures of my class up here so you can see what they have dressed up as.

GOd is good all the time and all the time God is good. He will bring what he will and I am eagerly waiting for where I belong in the plan. Please pray for my next year and where GOd wants me. Pray for my class this year has been a rough one and a struggle to keep it all together with this class. Safety especially this weekend as it is halloween and witchcraft is around here and so just pray for this continent this weekend.

As iron sharpens iron

This week we had our first meeting for the sharpeners and it was a blast. I really feel God is going to impact these kids lives for Him. They have so many good ideas and they really just want to be stronger young men and women for Christ. We have grown to about 10 students, which we have gained 2 tenth graders.

My students have been such an encouragement to me this week in little ways. Little notes they have left me or random hugs. God is good and he uses the little things to impact huge in my life and others.

God has been working here in Ghana we had many students come to Christ at a chapel call in the high school I think two weeks ago at chapel and I know there are some students in my class that are really struggling with the idea of Christ.

Yesterday I got to relax by the pool which was nice and just read the Bible, read my book and listen to Shawn Mcdonald, and truly just a get a relaxation and refreshment from the Lord. Then I got to go out to sushi with some of the wonderful teachers that I work with. After a good message today in church about not being of the world there is 30 people I work with coming over for our 2nd annual fiesta. This week we have a 4 day week. We get Friday off which is great.

Pray:

There has been a lot more robberies around East Legon which is the part of Accra that I live in. Pray for safety as the police have stopped their road blocks. PRay for the continued work of the Holy Spirit in all of my classes, and our school. Praise the Lord for all the rain we are getting it is still raining here which is very odd for this time of year. Praise the Lord for good health I have yet to be sick this year which is an 100% improvement from last year.

THanks for all the prayers and the support.

a chance to change a ...

life. Today I found out how it felt to really encourage a student and why I am here in Accra. Today I had a student that went from a great attitude to a bad, sad, i don't care about anything attitude. I dealt with the situation and eventually had to put him in the hall. I went out to talk to him and I was telling him how I love the positive _____ and how I want him to do well and succeed and how I care what happens to him. I asked him if he believed it and he said why should I and started crying. My heart broke that this third grader felt like he was not cared for. So we talked for a little bit more and I sent him to the bathroom to wipe his face. Then when I sent the rest of the kids out to lunch I prayed with him and sent him to recess. I assured him that I was here for him and that if he needed to come talk to me I was here and any thing he said to me would stay between my unless it was something I had to pass on. Please pray for him. I am not sure where his heart lies but pray for this student who is going something hard right now. Pray that he knows he is cared for.

This week I have learned a couple of things. They all have to do with my high schoolers. God is really using my study hall to challenge me to conversations and intentional things with the high schoolers.

1. Purity is not in their vocabulary. I have had more than one conversation about purity with the boys. The first one was a couple days of when I first had them and they noticed a ring on my finger where a wedding ring goes and they asked if I was married, which I replied and to that they asked why I wore a ring on that finger. I went on to explain that that was my purity and ring. They went on to ask me what that meant. I explained that it meant that I was waiting until God gives me my husband and till I was married. Then just this week after volleyball practice and two of them were in my classroom they started asking about purity again, and I just got from them that it is not significant at all. They think of it as a joke and it breaks my heart that having sex is a joke and not sacred. One of them even said that guys need to practice for their wives. That statement tells me that it is nothing. I just pray that I can be a witness of saving themselves and the gift of purity for their wives instead of it being something they do with everyone. Please pray for these boys and especially two of them that they are really just searching for answers and I believe GOd is opening up their hearts. Pray for me as I am faced with some hard questions and pray God gives me the words to share with them and be open with them.

2. High Schoolers are very observant. More than one this past week has come up to me and asked me what was wrong. They said I have seemed more sad and not my happy joyful self. They said I have been different. These shows me two things that I am under watch by them and they can see the joy that I have in Christ and just a difference in my life. I am not going to lie this year of teaching has been very hard on me. My class is nothing like last years and they are a struggle. I get more frustrated with them, often because they are not listening and they do not care about not listening which is hard for me because I want to do fun things and be joyful and show Christ love but it is so hard when all you are doing is repeating directions and talking sternly to your students. They also see me at lunch when I am ready for a break and be by myself and refresh and I cant because I have them. Pray that my students start listening and I have more patience with them. THat I show Christ love for them even when I am frustrated with them. Help me to share the joy with my students and especially the high schoolers.

Prayer

1. the high schoolers

2. My third grade class just that their ears would be open and that their hearts would be open to the Lord.

3. my stress level it has been up and so has my frustration that I can be joyful even when I am upset and disappointed with my students.

4. for strength on many of my days they are very long with little breaks especially no lunch breaks working with the high schoolers on tuesday-thursday and then lunch duty on Mondays and Fridays.

5. Volleyball it has been going well we have about 7 kids and then me and the other coach.

6. Sharpeners hopefully we will start this Friday.