the funny thing about being a teacher

isn't really funny. Something I realized is that being a teacher is not your only job. As a teacher you are sometimes the steadiness in a child's life. You are their counselor when they have no one else. You teach them not only subject matter you teach them life.

Sometimes life is just to hard. You may say what does a third grader know about life being hard. Being here has really made me thankful for how I grew up. Some of my students don't see their parents for weeks sometimes months on end. Some of them have in more schools then they are old. Some of them have been let down time and time again and they are only 8 and 9. Plus some of them, most of them in a culture that is not their own. So I am OKAY being that steadiness and a counselor and teacher of life because if I am not then who else is going to be.

I thank God for every single one of my students no matter how trying they may be. They all have something they bring to our class. Please Pray for my class as some of them are going through a really hard time.

PRayer

1. for a little boy in my class who was in tears for like 15 minutes today. He has a lot going on and I dont know the details but God does.

2. Pray for the details of my trip to Germany to come together. Plane tickets bought.

3. SAT testing that is going on in school this week.

in the fast past of life...

The past two weeks have been kind of crazy. Last week I went to two soccer games against the other American school. It was a blast but super busy. I am amazed at how God just stops us and shows us His greatness. I saw this on Monday night.

So wanting to get home after a long day Christy and I were waiting for the students to leave and there was one left. An 11th grader that I believe is new to the school this year. We were sitting out on the front steps of the school waiting for his mom and we started talking about the stars and the moon. I said something like I don't understand how people can look at the moon and the stars and all the details in nature and not believe in God and he was like ya. Well we kept talking and he said but how did God get here. I was like the Bible just says He was there. Other than that I don't know that is something you will have to ask Him when you get to Heaven. At that point I wish I would have planned that when I said that but I wasn't even thinking that this kid might not be saved. Its great how God uses things we say to spark great conversation. At that he said well I pray and go to church and worship him and sometimes I read my bible so hopefully I will get to Heaven. At that I was like that is not how you get to Heaven. You can't get to Heaven by doing certain things we don't get there by reading our Bible or praying the only way is to accept the gift God gave us. He then went to ask what that gift was and I got to tell him about Jesus and how he came to save us and that if you accept that gift everything we have done or will do is already paid for and that if we accept that gift you will spend eternity with Jesus. Now did he accept Christ I don't know but he is searching. His mom finally came and gave us a ride home. As I was getting out of the car he simply said thanks for the advice Miss Meitzler. I said any time just stop by my room if there is anything. He stops by and says hi but no more questions but my job is to plant the seed and all we can do now is pray that the Holy Spirit works in him.

So we have a school in Japan in the southern part but they are definitely seeing the impact of the tsunami and the earthquake. We took a moment to stop and have a moment of silence. I explained that this was a serious thing because a lot of people lost their lives and everything that they owned. So at 2:46pm we stopped and we all stood up and just was silent however my class broke out into prayer for these people and they just asked God to comfort them and put His arms around them. It was an amazing time just to hear these 7-12 years just pray out in front of the rest of the class praying for a nation that is closed to the gospel for the most part and for people they don't know. They have some reference to the school because we have two teachers that were at AIS go to Japan and the director was in our class when the directors came so they love the director there. When we are to have faith like a child this is what he means. Hearing them pray was a great reminder of how we are to pray. Pray for people we don't know and just believe that God is already taking care of it all.

Lets get our praise on

1. the opportunity to share the gospel with these kids

2. the relationship I have with this students that they feel free to open up and talk to me

3. our electricity has been pretty good.

4. I am now 24 years old for another year to serve God

5. Amazing friends that I have all over the world that encourage me.

Prayer request

1. This 11th grade student and that the holy spirit will work in his life

2. the students that are at AIS that God would just open up their hearts and ears to him especially the Muslim families

3. hiring of teachers

4. plans for my spring break trip to Germany April 22nd- May 1.

5. Standford Achievement Test next week

6. Japan and the school that we have there that they can share CHrist with this lost country.

4 day weekend

Praise the Lord for 4 day weekends. This past weekend was Ghana's Independence so we got Friday off and Monday. I just thank God that I am in a peaceful country, and that the government is civilized and supports democracy. I especially am thankful because there are so many countries in Africa that are not and there are so many countries just in general that are not in peace right not.

This weekend I was planing to just sit and relax however it was a time a time of adventure and fellowship. It started bright and early on Friday. My friend fro

m the other american school invited me to come play volleyball and I was excited it was going to be on a hard surface more like a gym, even though it was not a gym. I am so used to playing on dirt/ sand at AIS . It was real, organized volleyball like serving, passing, setting, and spiking which I have not played in a while. It was great. We played like 3 hours straight. It was awesome.

After I played volleyball my friends and I went to the beach which was an adventure. We will close to the station that we needed to be to, to get a tro tro, which is like a 15 passenger van but with a lot more people in it. Finding the right tro tro was easy with my friends help he set it all up so that the guy would tell us when to get off. Which is just a praise because we had written directions and none of us had been there before. Ghanaians are really friendly people that will help you out even if they don't know the answer. So we found a taxi then to take us to the beach from where we were left off a tro tro which another ghanian helped us get. Then we finally made it to the beach and it was beautiful. Seeing the ocean and ho

w it seems to go on forever and just looking at the water and how it all seems to flow together. I just think how can you see things like that and not know their is a God. I mean I was sitting there and was just in awe of God's marvelous works and how amazing his creation is. I encourage you one day to go look at the sunrise or the sunset and just be taken away in God's amazing creation. I could have spent forever just sitting marveling at God's creation. I am so glad that I will be with the Lord marveling and praising Him forever one day.

Well it was about time to go home which took us 3 1/2 hours which was about double the time it took us to get there. It was great and even though y

ou were not there here are some pictures to remind you of how great our God really is!

Kim, Me, and Christy after we were out on the beach
Christy and Me before the waves smashed into us

Me and Kim getting pounded by a wave.

Me and Kim again

Get your praise on

1. good friends to fellowship with

2. a peaceful country to live in

3. be surrounded by friendly people who help even though they don't know you.

4. A God who made and amazing creation.

Prayer Request

1. Safe travels as my dad comes to visit me on March 18- 24

2. Continually showing love to some students in my class even when it is hard

3. figuring out everything for next year as I will be coming to school 5 days late. I know this is a while away but knowing I am missing the first week of school is stressing me out already.

4. hiring of new teachers and our land

5. relationships in our school between each other

"Seussification"

This is my class on the stairs right outside my

classroom wearing our Dr. Seuss hats.
Dr. Seuss hats on my class.
After we read Horton Hears a Who we

made Horton mask out of paper plates and paper.


THis is my white board all decorated.
Each cubby got a Dr. Seuss Hat

This is my awesome door that I decorated

it is Dr. Seuss and then all of my students names

are on the hats all around. As well as information

on Dr. Seuss and who he is was.

This is a word that my third graders made up today as we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday. I wanted to share some pictures with you from our day today and let you join in our "Seussification"

In the Rush of the world ...

God still finds time to calm us down and learn more. THese past two weeks have been busy but I have learned so much in those two weeks. So last week it was a struggle to really get into my Bible study and really focus on the Word. So on Tuesday I think it was I woke up and could not sleep I was wide awake. I tried watching a movie but it was not putting me back to sleep so I opened up my Bible and for some instance Revelation drew me in. I could not put it down I found so many things that were so interesting and how amazing our God really is. Just the smallest detail He has it down. One thing that just amazed me how awesome the worship is going to be and how everyone and everything is going to be praising the Lord. THat is just so amazing to me and it has given me a new hunger to read the Bible.

Then yesterday my class was talking about Matthew 18:21-35, which is the story of the unmerciful servant. We started talking about how Jesus made the greatest sacrifice for forgiveness by dying on the cross. So we were talking about that and somehow we got on the devil. So we were talking about how the devil got kicked out of Heaven and all these questions about the Bible. It was amazing just to see how many verses came to mind and how I could reference them in the discussion. This was definitely the holy spirit bringing them to mind. It was amazing. My class had such a good discussion, that even the students that don't usually put in their opinion were speaking up and asking questions and putting input in which was huge.

THen today we were talking about the Spaniards and how they came over to the west and were setting up missions and that they were forcing the native americans to believe or the were publicly whipped or killed. So we started talking about the right way to spread the gospel and the wrong way. How we need to do it with a loving, and caring spirit and not a forceful spirit where you make it a punishment. It was amazing to see the opportunities I have had this week to share with these kids and encourage them to get in the word.

Really that is the reason we are here. For all the times this year I have been stressed out or just frustrated with my class these last two days made up for it more. I wish I had more answers to their questions but they were asking some hard questions and we are going to see if Mr. Crosby can answer some of them. A friend of mine that teaches in Singapore wrote to me and gave me a good reminder, he said, "Every time one of your third graders give you a hug it is a hug from the Lord." THis is so true God doesn't put us in impossible situations we just have to see His touch in the simple things and in the child-like things. He sends his hugs in the form of a child.

Get our Praise on

1. more people are showing up to volleyball

2. I am learning so much and have a renew hunger for the word

3. Great Discussion in Bible

4.we are still getting rain- this never happens in February.

5. My dad comes in 3 weeks!

6. Had some great fellowship with the high school and middle schoolers after school and volleyball.

Prayer Request

1. OUr electricity has been going out more and more. This is the third or fourth time this week that our electricity has gone out.

2. opportunities to share Christ with students

3. I don't get to busy to sit and listen to what the Lord is teaching me

4. pray for unity in our school right now there is a lot of issues going on right now.

5. Mr. Crosby, our director, as he hires people to come to Ghana that the Lord would bring the right people to us at AIS

I love my life

This week I have really seen why I love being in Ghana. This week I had a blast getting to know these students. It started off with a day off where I got to just work in my classroom and then got to be a chaperon for the soccer team. Not really knowing anything about the game of soccer I went to be a support for the soccer coach which happens to be my roommate. I got to be in charge of the first aid part which is just funny since I have no idea anything about first aid. Luckily no one got hurt at least not to bad. All I had to do was get ice for two students which happened to be a really cool thing. I got to talk a lot to the assistant athletic director. After we got back from the game and got home I had an email from him which was just a huge encouragement of the testimony our school has, especially to the other American school. The soccer team did really well and they tied against a really good school compared to us. So I got to meet a lot of the high schoolers and middle schoolers on the soccer team which I knew their names but really did not know them. So on the way home one of them reminded the coach that she said if they won or tied she would give them a party so on Friday the soccer team came over. It was very chaotic but very fun. It is amazing to see the students outside of school and how they interact with each other.

I just have kept thinking this weekend where else or how could I ever imagine that I would have 25 high school and middle school students at my house playing soccer and playing games. The impact that we make here through relationships with the students and really just getting to know them is amazing. It is a real encouragement to see the impact that people have on other's lives just because of how we act and how we treat other people.

Get your praise on

1. opportunity to share a smile with professionals at another school

2. no one got hurt at the soccer game and that they did well

3. our electricity came back on

4. great friends that are big encouragements to you and support you no mater what

5. time to yourself to regenerate.

6. One of the seniors got saved last week.

Prayer Request

1. continue to pray for my class

2. pray for this senior girl who got saved as she begins this amazing journey

3. for Mr. Crosby as he is back in the states interviewing for new teachers

4. Pray for a situation that is not involving me but a close friend and a parent and somethings that happened with administration.

5. This new contact I have with the assistant athletic Director and that I can share Christ with him.

life in Ghana

This week has been a pretty normal week. We have no school Monday but teachers have to go in for a teacher work day. I am really excited for a day kind of off. I really don't have much to say but I do have a few prayer request that seem small but are really important.

1. please pray for the volleyball program. The kids are not showing up and me and the other teacher are thinking about just not doing it anymore for the high schoolers. This brings me to another one we are thinking about working with the 3rd through 5th graders to start on their skills so that way when they get to jr high school and high school they will have a love for volleyball and we can play more fun things. THis volleyball program is my baby and I want it to work and reach these kids with something that they haven't done before and share a passion that I have.

2. pray for two of my students they are just having a rough time. These two are the ones that shape our class and they have no confidence in themselves. I had one last week that broke down twice in tears for me and the art teacher. Please pray for whatever is going on his poor little heart.