What is true love?

This week in class we have been talking about what true love is . I asked my kids what love was and of course they started saying how it was yucky and automatically went into a typical third grade response when anyone mentions anything about love. Then we read Matthew 5:44 and we looked at an example of true love. Matthew 5:44 talks about loving your enemy and praying for those who persecute you. We talked about how true love is having a right attitude about doing things too. We read I Corinthians 13 and we looked at how love always or love never but it never says love sometimes. I believe you either have true love or you don't there is no in between. On Wednesday we were sitting in an all school anti bullying chapel and there was a skit and after the skit when they were talking about it one of my students leaned over to me and said that was not showing true love. That student really got what true love is. This next week in class we are going to start preparing for chapel and our chapel is going to be on true love how God sees us and that He is the ultimate example of true love.

So I am excited I am getting a new student this coming Monday. So I am back up to 15. I know my class will be awesome at welcoming him.

Where is the love?

But I say unto you, Love your enemies bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.

Matthew 5:44

God is working at AIS. Last week was spiritual Emphasis Week at school. We had two twins named Mick and Rick come and present to the high schoolers. I was sad I didn't get to participate in the high school portion of SEW but they had a part of it where the high schoolers gave their testimony whether they believed in Christ or not and as a staff we got a list of all the high school students and what they professed so that as a staff we now have the privilege and duty to pray for each of these students and disciple them. At least two students got saved this past week and many more seeds were planted.

This week we have anti bullying week at school. This is where we as a staff are focusing on how to deal with bullying and that there are things in the Bible that speak to praying and loving those who we don't necessarily get along with. This week in my class we are talking about love and what love is. I wasn't even thinking about anti bullying week when I came up with my memory verse or Bible lessons and it happened that this week was about love and our memory verse is Matthew 5:44. I love how God works things out like this. There is a song that has a chorus that I absolutely love and I will probably make my kids listen to it but its by Mark Wills and it goes like this....

I'm a little boy with glasses the one they call the geek

A little girl who never smiles cause I got braces on my teeth

And i know how it feels to cry myself to sleep

I'm the kid on every playground the kid that's always chosen last

A single teenage mother trying to overcome my past

you don't have to be my friend is it to much to ask..

chorus

Don't laugh at me

Don't call me names

Don't get your pleasure from my pain

In Gods eyes were all the same

some day we'll all have perfect wings

Don't laugh at me.

The thing that sticks out the most to me is that we really have no right to judge or laugh at anyone because in God's eyes we are perfect and he made us just the way we are and for a reason. I can't wait to point this out to my students and just really stress the point that even if we don't get along with someone that we are still made in the image of God and we need to pray for each other and love each other even if its hard.

Please pray for our students as they are having two weeks (last week and this week) of who God is and who we are in Christ. Pray for the teachers as we share with our students.

a change of pace

I love with each new semester there is a new pace. I have changed pace at school and at home. I feel it the most at school. Each morning we have a new routine which has made the students intentionally say hello and gets them learning at the same time. This semester I have each of my students say good morning to two classmates everyday the catch is each time it is said in a different way. For instance one morning we gave hi fives and said good morning, another morning we said hello in French. Today we did it in Twee. After that we looked at events that happened on that day in history which brings up a lot of discussion depending on what the events are. Then my favorite part is having class devotion. This year I have brought a book back by Ruth Graham which read every morning and what is amazing about this is this year the Graham's are coming to Ghana for a conference and so my students are putting them together. Then we pray for our class then jump right into Bible. I love starting my morning out with Bible. For me its even a more of an encouragement because I do my devotions when I wake up and then get a reminder everyday in class with my students.

I dont know how many of you get to teach a Bible class, or sunday school, or VBS, or some kids class but I think everyone should try it. You end up learning to see the Bible through a child's eyes and the simplicity they see it with. You really do get a look at faith like a child in the true sense.

May God give you a change of pace out of your everyday routine and duties. When it happens you enjoy the little things God gives you even when you don't realize it. I encourage you to continue to be a peculiar person for Christ.

Prayer Request:

Pray for Nigeria and all the controversy there between the christians and muslims. They are are brothers and sisters in Christ.

THis week we have spiritual Emphasis Week so the students have chapel everyday.

Next week we have anti bullying week. Pray that we go about this in the right way with our students as it can be a very sensitive matter for some kids.

continue to pray for our new school and the building!

Pray for relationships that I am making and keeping ones I already have.

first week back

Well back in the swing of things here in Accra. I can't believe how much I missed these students. The love that I have for my students grows more and more everyday. I couldn't wait to get back into school and see my students. This past week has been amazing my students are awesome. I have come back to now 14 students instead of 15 . I am sad to see one of them not return but I love to see how God has influenced my class.

It goes back to Wednesday. Before we left for break we were learning about prayer. So after break we put into practice what we learned and we set out to pray for each classroom in our school. We also prayed for each other. Part of our exercise was for them to write down a couple of prayer request that I could pray for them and a bunch of them prayed that the student that wasn't coming back would come back safely. At this time they did not know he was going to be back I had just found out the day before and was not sure how to tell them. This broke my heart knowing that he was not coming back but knowing that these students were praying for him. It is amazing how these students have made the choice to pray for their classmates. After Bible on Thursday they had some specials and other classes and then after lunch we sat down as a class and I told them that their classmate was not coming back. We as a class made some encouragement cards to send to him and every morning we take time out of praying for our class to pray for this student. God is working in this classroom.

a realization

After being in church on Sunday and now writing a communion talk I just have come to the realization how amazing the body of Christ is. On Sunday I was really missing my church in Ghana and how much joy it seems they have and I missed the carefree don't care whose listening singing and the dancing and all the smiling. This frame of mind is totally different from church here in the states. However is it about how we are worshipping or is it Who we are worshipping I think this holiday as I came home it was me wanting to see my family but wanting to be in Ghana and missing people on both ends and I wasn't thinking about why I was coming home to celebrate the birth of Christ and that it didn't matter where I am I am going to be celebrating with people all over the world the greatest gift and biggest sacrifice. Isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway and it doesn't mater where I am and who I am with. It doesn't mater how we worship or celebrate we are celebrating and worshipping the same person. Let us keep that in mind as we go into worship this season.

O Come Let us adore him.

Can't believe its over

Wow I feel like this semester has gone by super fast. I feel like I have been going and going since I have been here. It has been pretty busy here finishing up the semester. Its hard to believe that just in about 24 hours I will be getting on a plane to fly by to Chicago for three weeks. This realization has been hard to grasp this year. I have this feeling of wanting to be here in Ghana but wanting to see my family. Ghana has become my home and I have a family here too that might not be related to me but has been my support through so much this semester. I feel like I know how military people feel when they are going home but long to go back. I haven't even left yet and long to be back here. I have grown so much this semester just in finding who I am outside of school and who I am in the greater scheme of things. Just pray for the transition back to the states because I feel like it will be harder for me this time. Pray for people to hang out with that I will get some rest in between all the traveling.

Praise- I have now received my passport back and inside it is my work visa for one year. So after two and half years of waiting I finally have it.

Pray- for a safe trip back into the states.

a God who knows what we need before we ask

I always wondered what I would be like in an emergency. Well today I surprised myself. I always thought I would be a little emotional instead I was calm and in control. Today at school we had a fire and we had to go outside. None of us knew what was going on. Well it happened there were a couple of little fires that were put out. However, to go along with that we had no water at school. So at about 11:30am we all went outside. The administration decided to call school and send everyone home. So instead of teaching all day I was outside watching the third graders waiting for their rides to come. It was very exciting.

I thank God that it was not to bad and no one got hurt. Its funny how God knows things before we do and he knows exactly what we need. The past week I have had this head thing going on and have not felt well. So today I was tired I didn't feel well and just at the point of not wanting to be at school. I was contemplating seeing if I could take tomorrow off because I just was tired and frustrated at the school for not having electricity and not having water. I was just to the breaking point after a long week. Not more than 20 minutes later I find out that they have cancelled school for tomorrow because it is a national holiday. It was just what I needed.

Please just pray that I feel better it is just a head cold but it is wearing on me. It is straining my voice, I am having a hard time breathing out of my nose and my ears are clogged. THese would not be all that bad except when you have 15 third graders and you can't speak or hear them.

Continue to pray for my passport situation. THat it will come back in because I leave in 15 days. Continue to pray that we will start building soon. Our budget here is getting really tight with the new building. Please also pray that our electricity bill at the school will come down it is a lot of money and its not necessarily a fair amount.

Praise no school tomorrow so another 3.5 day weekend. Tomorrow I will get to go surprise my friend George at his soccer tournament by my house that I didn't think that I was going to be able to go because I had school. Holiday is coming with much needed rest.

Thanks for all your prayers and support we definitely feel them here.