...instead of the other way around.
So much of life is spent looking and searching... for someTHING, someONE, some PLACE... That sometimes we forget to stop and thank the Lord for those things that find US.
Those certain experiences, places, people, etc that find us and take us by surprise.
Like Mustard Seed Church.
I spent two long years in Ghana without a church home. In fact, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I even went to church in the months I spent in Ghana. (If not only one hand then less than two hands without a doubt.) I visited a few churches and didn't feel like I connected with any of them. Maybe I was unfairly judging them because I was looking for a transplant Dublin Baptist Church - my church in the States. Whatever the reason, real or imagined, I didn't go to church. I continued to read my Bible (almost) every day and downloaded sermons from the internet to listen to throughout the week and didn't feel like anything was missing from my walk with God. In fact, my relationship with the Lord was definitely strengthened in those two years where it was up to me to remember to read my Bible and study God's Word. Going to church in Ghana was a long, uncomfortable process for me and I made the decision to just not go.
Getting back to the US this summer after my contract in Ghana was finished, was like a breath of fresh air in terms of being able to go to church again. I missed that place and continue to miss that place. God has given Pastor Darrel such a gift and I love learning from him. So, when August came it scared me to again leave that place I felt so comfortable to come to Japan and potentially have the same problem I did in Ghana.
On my second Sunday in Nagoya, one of the other teachers took Amanda and I to Mustard Seed Church - about a 40-45 minute subway ride away. The minute I entered the building I was surrounded by smiling faces all welcoming me to the church. After learning and promptly forgetting about 10 names, the band started to play... and I knew this place was different.
Maybe the reason I felt I connected right away with this church is because music has and is such an important part of my relationship with God. The right song at the right time has always been able to make me cry or laugh or whatever. Music can be powerful and singing is a great way to connect with and worship God. At Mustard Seed, the band plays contemporary worship music - upbeat and loud so that I can sing as loud as I want!
In Ghana, one song in particular hit me hard and has stuck with me. Remember my post a few months back about the song, "God of This City?" For the rest of my life every time I hear this song I will think of Ghana. It's one of the last songs we sang all together as a group at the Wright's house for Care Group. (Oh, how I miss that!) It's a song that I still can't really listen to yet because it makes me so emotional thinking about Ghana and the awesome people there. Even now, I'm starting to tear up because this song just DOES something to me that I can't describe.
Why am I talking about this?
Well, because the very last song of the service the band played at Mustard Seed that first morning I was there was, "God of This City." They started to play the first few chords of the song and I was in shock. I could not believe that that... THAT was the song they chose to play that morning... my first morning there... my first church service in Japan... wow, God. When the song started to play, Amanda and I started laughing and crying and just couldn't believe what was happening.
God followed me to Japan. He was with me in Ghana and now He's here with me in Japan. Could there BE any clearer message? That's too great of a coincidence for it to be anything except God telling me, "This is your church. Stay here, learn about me, meet new people, this is where you belong. I'm here with you and I AM the God of THIS and EVERY city."
That was precisely the moment when Mustard Seed "found me." Loud and clear, I heard God's message and I knew that I didn't need to visit any other church in Japan because He gave me my home church. It's a gift for which I thank Him EVERY Sunday!
In a lot of ways... I feel more at home at Mustard Seed than at Dublin Baptist back in the States. That God found for me such an amazing church in a predominantly non-Christian country... is awesome. The 45 minute commute means very little to me and it's a small price to pay for what I receive in return - a chance to worship God with an amazing worship band, to learn more about God through great pastors, and enjoy friendships with all kinds of awesome people. I love the people I've met and have begun to get to know better and I hope that it all continues.
So, thank you Lord for what you've given me through Mustard Seed Church. Thank you for this place I get to go every Sunday and worship you. Thank you for all the people I get to meet and for the new friends I am making.
Love to everyone in the States :-)
24 October 2010
11 October 2010
What a difference a year makes...
At this time last year...
I was in Ghana.
I was teaching 8th Grade Science, Health, Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Science.
I was sweaty.
This is right around the time crap hit the fan with a situation at school.
I was praying for electricity and water.
I was counting the days until Christmas break.
I was ready to go home to America and never leave again.
I was in Africa.
NOW...
I'm in Japan.
I'm teaching Life Science, Pre-Algebra, Physical Science, Algebra I, Chemistry, and Geometry.
I'm not sweating.
I have a church I love.
I get to eat cheap sushi whenever I want.
I can have Starbucks and McDonald's.
I'm in Asia.
What a difference a year makes.
I keep reflecting on my time in Ghana, which I think is only natural since I'm somewhere new I NEVER thought I would be. Amanda and I talk about it a lot and she misses Ghana much more than I do right now... and she probably always will. She's able to look on the bright side and remember the good stuff easier than I can. Of course I miss the friends I made there EVERY single day - really, I do - but I don't miss Ghana yet. I hope that someday I do because I will never regret the time I spent there. God called me to spend those two years in Africa and I'm ridiculously grateful that He did because I learned things there I could have NEVER learned if I had stayed in America. Like...
1. how grateful I am for simply having an American passport
2. the knowledge that no matter how poor I think I am, I will always be rich
3. how small America is
4. how much I love my crazy family and depend on them
5. that some of the happiest people have no "stuff"
6. how to trust God and follow through even when I really don't want to
There are so many more things that I can't figure out how to put in to words - most of it having to do with how small my American mind was before Ghana (and really, still is). Living in a third world country really opens your eyes to how the other 90 or so % of the world lives.
I'm falling in to a rabbit hole...
After a tough two years in Ghana, I was ready to be back in America with my family. My to do list was: buy a car, get a job, make some money, get an apartment - LIVE IN AMERICA.
Mind you, I didn't really talk to God about all this - I just assumed that I knew best, that I had put in my time in Ghana, and it was time for life to be "easy" for a while. Oooooh, Elyse, will you never learn???
When I got home in June, things were pretty messy and I spent LOTS of time in the hospital with ailing family members. Looking back now, the reason I did not have a job right away when I got home like I wanted is obvious - to help take care of family so everyone else can work their own jobs! At the time, I remember thinking, "It's good that I don't have a job so that I can always be where people need me... but WHY DON'T I HAVE A JOB???" I wasn't willing to get outside of my own small, silly brain to see the bigger picture. Well, I saw it but I sure didn't pay enough attention. I was so focused on what I thought should be happening in my life that I wasn't paying attention to what actually was going on in my life. I wasn't willing to listen to those convictions from the Holy Spirit in my life because they weren't what I wanted to hear.
Thank you, Lord, that I was able to be with my family and help out so much this summer. Thank you, for not giving me a job right away even though that's what I wanted - your plan was so much better. Thank you for giving me an AMAZING summer with my family.
Some highlights...
So, the summer keeps going and I'm still job hunting and getting more and more frustrated. One day I was listening to the local Christian radio station in the car and the "positive thought" for the day was about seeing waiting as preparation. I thought about that for a while and realized that maybe all this waiting I was doing for a job was really God trying to prepare me for something else - all the while I'm still kicking and screaming about wanting a job. Hmmm. That thought didn't really sink in, I don't think, until Amanda started talking to me about the job opening here in Japan...
I think we all know by now how this story ends but *spoiler alert* I'm in Japan!
When Amanda first told me about the job opening, I totally shut down. "No, I'm in America. I want to be in America. I'm not leaving again. What if it's just like Ghana?" I e-mailed the director (after he e-mailed me, telling me about the job) and told him that I wasn't interested, end of story. Well, the idea of working in Japan kept nagging at me in my head and Amanda kept talking about it, haha. So, about a week after telling the director I wasn't interested, I e-mailed him again asking him for some more information. I don't remember exactly the order of events that happened next but I do know I talked to the director on the phone, I spent a weekend in South Bend, Indiana with several friends from Ghana who all enthusiastically encouraged me to accept the job in Japan, and then when I was officially offered the job in Japan (while still in South Bend) I was also offered a job in Columbus at COSI on the same day. WHAT are you trying to do to me God???
The job in Columbus was sort-of a dream job working for COSI - a place I love. It's a place all about science so what's NOT to love??? I wanted that job. Oh how I wanted that job! It would keep me in Columbus, near my family, and I would get to be with people who get nerdily excited about science like I do everyday. The downside: very little money, only part-time, no benefits.
To be offered two jobs ON THE SAME DAY... Geeze.
The job in Japan was something I had only begun to consider in the previous two weeks. Would my family be upset I was leaving again after telling them I was in America to stay? Would it be just like Ghana? Is this really where God wants me to be?
In the end it was an easy decision I was just too scared to make. Japan was absolutely too perfect of a fit for me for it not to have been designed for me. Plus, it came with more pay than the COSI job (not a lot more, but more nonetheless) and health insurance. PLUS - I would get to live with Amanda again! So, after lots of prayer and lots of talking to lots of people - I accepted the job in Japan and here I am :-)
I am LOVING living in Japan! I am LOVING teaching, which I honestly did not think was possible.
I go to an AWESOME church.
I have all the textbooks I need.
I have more science equipment than I know what to do with.
I get to have SEASONS again and watch the leaves change and maybe even SNOW.
I have always had electricity and water (and don't know why that wouldn't always be the case).
I can keep up with my favorite TV shows, find new TV shows, and can even watch FOOTBALL - all online, all free.
Packages come right to my apartment and if they're too big for the box, the post office will deliver them later the SAME day at the time you ask - they won't even open your package and rifle through your stuff nor will they charge you to receive your package!
I'm not afraid to be outside at night.
And even something that sounds like a bad thing but I'm actually enjoying... I'm up to my eyeballs everyday in planning for SIX preps - again, the work of at least 3 teachers.
I heart Japan.
There are only two things about which I can honestly complain about Japan.
1. MOSQUITOES. I thought I left those in Ghana... apparently not. Oh well, just another 100 or so scars to add to my already ridiculously scarred body.
2. The language. Now, I know perfectly well that this only has to do only with my own shortcomings as a single language speaking American... but it's still frustrating. Even as I'm doing my best to quickly learn the language, I know it's mostly a fruitless effort since learning Japanese doesn't involve learning one new language - but three. Three new sets of hundreds and thousands of new characters that are all used interchangeably and all three sets are used woven together. It's enough to make a foreigner crazy. Plus, in Japanese the words aren't separated by spaces like in English... they're all strung together. Also, English has 26 letters to learn, in contrast to one of the sets of Japanese characters, Hiragana, has at least 100 - and that's just one of the THREE sets. There are so many characters because instead of just stringing a few characters together to get a new sound (like in English, re versus ro for example) the Japanese just invented another character... bah. Another set of characters, Kanji, has thousands. Thousands. And those aren't "one character per sound" like Hiragana, one character will represent the word "tree," for example, while another will represent "forest." Admittedly, the two characters are similar for tree and forest but for me... they might as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics. Again, I know this is not a problem with the Japanese language or Japanese people because they understand it perfectly well - I'm the foreigner and it's my job to learn the language but that doesn't make it any less frustrating when all I want to do is order dinner somewhere and I can't.
SO. Some highlights :-)
In short: I miss my family and American but I LOVE Japan. Praise the Lord for bringing me here!
If you're interested in seeing TONS more pictures... visit these websites...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2420946&id=7703737&l=215188036b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2432757&id=7703737&l=c07d949506
Please pray for:
1. my time here - that I would always keep God first and would always trust Him before trusting even myself
2. my students - that I would be able to always be a Christ-like example for them
3. my students - some hard stuff has been going on at school with them and they need prayer - prayer that they would lift each other up instead of tear each other down
Love to everyone in the States :-)
I was in Ghana.
I was teaching 8th Grade Science, Health, Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Science.
I was sweaty.
This is right around the time crap hit the fan with a situation at school.
I was praying for electricity and water.
I was counting the days until Christmas break.
I was ready to go home to America and never leave again.
I was in Africa.
NOW...
I'm in Japan.
I'm teaching Life Science, Pre-Algebra, Physical Science, Algebra I, Chemistry, and Geometry.
I'm not sweating.
I have a church I love.
I get to eat cheap sushi whenever I want.
I can have Starbucks and McDonald's.
I'm in Asia.
What a difference a year makes.
I keep reflecting on my time in Ghana, which I think is only natural since I'm somewhere new I NEVER thought I would be. Amanda and I talk about it a lot and she misses Ghana much more than I do right now... and she probably always will. She's able to look on the bright side and remember the good stuff easier than I can. Of course I miss the friends I made there EVERY single day - really, I do - but I don't miss Ghana yet. I hope that someday I do because I will never regret the time I spent there. God called me to spend those two years in Africa and I'm ridiculously grateful that He did because I learned things there I could have NEVER learned if I had stayed in America. Like...
1. how grateful I am for simply having an American passport
2. the knowledge that no matter how poor I think I am, I will always be rich
3. how small America is
4. how much I love my crazy family and depend on them
5. that some of the happiest people have no "stuff"
6. how to trust God and follow through even when I really don't want to
There are so many more things that I can't figure out how to put in to words - most of it having to do with how small my American mind was before Ghana (and really, still is). Living in a third world country really opens your eyes to how the other 90 or so % of the world lives.
I'm falling in to a rabbit hole...
After a tough two years in Ghana, I was ready to be back in America with my family. My to do list was: buy a car, get a job, make some money, get an apartment - LIVE IN AMERICA.
Mind you, I didn't really talk to God about all this - I just assumed that I knew best, that I had put in my time in Ghana, and it was time for life to be "easy" for a while. Oooooh, Elyse, will you never learn???
When I got home in June, things were pretty messy and I spent LOTS of time in the hospital with ailing family members. Looking back now, the reason I did not have a job right away when I got home like I wanted is obvious - to help take care of family so everyone else can work their own jobs! At the time, I remember thinking, "It's good that I don't have a job so that I can always be where people need me... but WHY DON'T I HAVE A JOB???" I wasn't willing to get outside of my own small, silly brain to see the bigger picture. Well, I saw it but I sure didn't pay enough attention. I was so focused on what I thought should be happening in my life that I wasn't paying attention to what actually was going on in my life. I wasn't willing to listen to those convictions from the Holy Spirit in my life because they weren't what I wanted to hear.
Thank you, Lord, that I was able to be with my family and help out so much this summer. Thank you, for not giving me a job right away even though that's what I wanted - your plan was so much better. Thank you for giving me an AMAZING summer with my family.
Some highlights...
A day at the lake... SO MUCH FUN! Can't wait to do it again next summer!
In Chicago with some amazing friends :-)
With Mom waiting for the Goo Goo Dolls concert to start. Mom and I had a BLAST this summer - it was so great to get to spend so much time with her :-) Love you, Mom
Family :-) I miss you all so, so, so much!
At Eileen and Nate's wedding... Heidi and Christi, I miss you both!
I got to spend lots of time with my brothers! On this day, I took them to the water park - hahaha, funny day.
So, the summer keeps going and I'm still job hunting and getting more and more frustrated. One day I was listening to the local Christian radio station in the car and the "positive thought" for the day was about seeing waiting as preparation. I thought about that for a while and realized that maybe all this waiting I was doing for a job was really God trying to prepare me for something else - all the while I'm still kicking and screaming about wanting a job. Hmmm. That thought didn't really sink in, I don't think, until Amanda started talking to me about the job opening here in Japan...
I think we all know by now how this story ends but *spoiler alert* I'm in Japan!
When Amanda first told me about the job opening, I totally shut down. "No, I'm in America. I want to be in America. I'm not leaving again. What if it's just like Ghana?" I e-mailed the director (after he e-mailed me, telling me about the job) and told him that I wasn't interested, end of story. Well, the idea of working in Japan kept nagging at me in my head and Amanda kept talking about it, haha. So, about a week after telling the director I wasn't interested, I e-mailed him again asking him for some more information. I don't remember exactly the order of events that happened next but I do know I talked to the director on the phone, I spent a weekend in South Bend, Indiana with several friends from Ghana who all enthusiastically encouraged me to accept the job in Japan, and then when I was officially offered the job in Japan (while still in South Bend) I was also offered a job in Columbus at COSI on the same day. WHAT are you trying to do to me God???
The job in Columbus was sort-of a dream job working for COSI - a place I love. It's a place all about science so what's NOT to love??? I wanted that job. Oh how I wanted that job! It would keep me in Columbus, near my family, and I would get to be with people who get nerdily excited about science like I do everyday. The downside: very little money, only part-time, no benefits.
To be offered two jobs ON THE SAME DAY... Geeze.
The job in Japan was something I had only begun to consider in the previous two weeks. Would my family be upset I was leaving again after telling them I was in America to stay? Would it be just like Ghana? Is this really where God wants me to be?
In the end it was an easy decision I was just too scared to make. Japan was absolutely too perfect of a fit for me for it not to have been designed for me. Plus, it came with more pay than the COSI job (not a lot more, but more nonetheless) and health insurance. PLUS - I would get to live with Amanda again! So, after lots of prayer and lots of talking to lots of people - I accepted the job in Japan and here I am :-)
I am LOVING living in Japan! I am LOVING teaching, which I honestly did not think was possible.
I go to an AWESOME church.
I have all the textbooks I need.
I have more science equipment than I know what to do with.
I get to have SEASONS again and watch the leaves change and maybe even SNOW.
I have always had electricity and water (and don't know why that wouldn't always be the case).
I can keep up with my favorite TV shows, find new TV shows, and can even watch FOOTBALL - all online, all free.
Packages come right to my apartment and if they're too big for the box, the post office will deliver them later the SAME day at the time you ask - they won't even open your package and rifle through your stuff nor will they charge you to receive your package!
I'm not afraid to be outside at night.
And even something that sounds like a bad thing but I'm actually enjoying... I'm up to my eyeballs everyday in planning for SIX preps - again, the work of at least 3 teachers.
I heart Japan.
There are only two things about which I can honestly complain about Japan.
1. MOSQUITOES. I thought I left those in Ghana... apparently not. Oh well, just another 100 or so scars to add to my already ridiculously scarred body.
2. The language. Now, I know perfectly well that this only has to do only with my own shortcomings as a single language speaking American... but it's still frustrating. Even as I'm doing my best to quickly learn the language, I know it's mostly a fruitless effort since learning Japanese doesn't involve learning one new language - but three. Three new sets of hundreds and thousands of new characters that are all used interchangeably and all three sets are used woven together. It's enough to make a foreigner crazy. Plus, in Japanese the words aren't separated by spaces like in English... they're all strung together. Also, English has 26 letters to learn, in contrast to one of the sets of Japanese characters, Hiragana, has at least 100 - and that's just one of the THREE sets. There are so many characters because instead of just stringing a few characters together to get a new sound (like in English, re versus ro for example) the Japanese just invented another character... bah. Another set of characters, Kanji, has thousands. Thousands. And those aren't "one character per sound" like Hiragana, one character will represent the word "tree," for example, while another will represent "forest." Admittedly, the two characters are similar for tree and forest but for me... they might as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics. Again, I know this is not a problem with the Japanese language or Japanese people because they understand it perfectly well - I'm the foreigner and it's my job to learn the language but that doesn't make it any less frustrating when all I want to do is order dinner somewhere and I can't.
SO. Some highlights :-)
My first sushi in Japan!!! I got to Japan one day before my birthday so Amanda and I had sushi on my birthday :-)
My little bedroom!
Everyone at Amanda's birthday dinner!
My classroom! See the PROJECTORS???
Amanda and I doing some exploring!
Japan has some of the greatest signs. This is one of my favorites because of the expressions on the mother and baby's faces.
The whole secondary went on a retreat = a lot of fun!!! Unfortunately, I missed this picture... oops.
In short: I miss my family and American but I LOVE Japan. Praise the Lord for bringing me here!
If you're interested in seeing TONS more pictures... visit these websites...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2420946&id=7703737&l=215188036b
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2432757&id=7703737&l=c07d949506
Please pray for:
1. my time here - that I would always keep God first and would always trust Him before trusting even myself
2. my students - that I would be able to always be a Christ-like example for them
3. my students - some hard stuff has been going on at school with them and they need prayer - prayer that they would lift each other up instead of tear each other down
Love to everyone in the States :-)
01 June 2010
God of This City
A song I have NOT been able to get out of my head for about a week now is this song by Chris Tomlin called "God of This City." Download it, buy it, get it - now. Seriously. It's such a very simple song and if you only read over the lyrics... you might not be impressed because it is so straightforward and nothing fancy - you still have to listen to this song.
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here
No specific city is named. No specific people-group is mentioned. God is the King of THESE people, THIS city - all people, all cities. Sing this song all over the world, in every city of the world and every word will still be true.
We sang this song this past Sunday night at the Wright's house during care group. It was the last care group and after the sundae's were eaten, lessons learned in Ghana were shared, and advice was given to those staying for next year, it quickly became obvious that no one was in any hurry to leave that place. The Wright's house is somewhere we all go for encouragement, a time of refreshing worship, and good food - a perfect trifecta! It's a home away from home for us. As we all sat after prayer, not leaving because we didn't want it to be over yet, Ben started playing worship songs on his guitar and for the next hour or so we all sat and requested songs to sing and worship God. It will go down in my memory as one of the most powerful worship experiences of which I've ever been a part. It was truly awesome to be a part of this amazing group of people, amazing group of friends, that LOVE the Lord. A few times I stopped singing and just listened to everyone around me because I couldn't believe that I've been blessed with such awesome people around me. These people that love Jesus and show me that love every single day. I will forever be grateful to this awesome group of people for teaching me what Christ's love in friendship looks like. Thank you.
After singing this song, "God of This City," Ben started talking about how sometimes it can feel like we're abandoning these students after being part of their life for such a short time. I've definitely felt like this on numerous occasions. After teaching some of these students for two years and some for only one... I'm leaving. After becoming attached to some of these students... I'm leaving. Ben's reminder was that God is the God of THIS city right here and He's not going to leave it. We may be leaving this place and we may never see some of these people again, but God will never leave this place and he will never leave these people. I can go with peace in my heart from this place because I know that God is finished with me here - I've finished my work. But someone else will come and take my place behind me and continue the work that He has already started. Greater things have yet to come and they will come because there is no one like our God.
As I write this it is now almost 12:30am on Wednesday... this means that I leave Ghana tomorrow. Tomorrow as in Thursday. Thursday night I leave Ghana.
.
.
.
.
.
There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me right now that I'll be lucky if I'm ever able to make sense of them myself let alone make them coherent enough to explain to someone else. I just can't believe it's over.
Here is a list that has been started by the fantastic Jonathan to which much has been added by a lot of us. Some of it won't make sense to you but I want this list here to be sure that I have it always...
Happiness in Ghana
Happiness is Simple Brothers chicken and rice
Happiness is when the electricity comes back on
Happiness is Amanda and Elyse's ice cream birthday cakes
Happiness is going out to eat in Osu on the weekend with friends
Happiness is getting 5 Ghana cedi notes from the ATM instead of 10s
Happiness is watching movies/The Office/Big Bang with friends
Happiness is killing a cockroach with Raid and watching it slowly die
Happiness is playing ping-pong at my house with friends
Happiness is getting a fanchoco on a hot sweaty day
Happiness is eating humongous sausage kebab hotdogs on Mondaays and Fridays
Happiness is mango season
Happiness is jollof, red-red, and yam balls
Happiness is turning in my final grades for the quarter
Happiness is Friday nights hanging out with friends
Happiness is finally slapping that mosquito to death
Happiness is Thanksgiving in Ghana
Happiness is going home for break
Happiness is hanging out with the kids at Mama Latti's in Bolgatanga
Happiness is an ice cold Sprite while riding in the back of a truck in the sweltering heat
Happiness is a half-frozen Tampico after school
Happiness is talking and eating at lunch break in the teacher's lounge hoping the bell will never ring
Happiness is karaoke and bowling with friends
Happiness is macaroni and cheese every Saturday afternoon
Happiness is meat pies from church every Sunday afternoon
Happiness is traveling to exotic places with good friends for Spring break
Happiness is my parents come to visit me in Ghana
Happiness is getting cookies/sticky buns/nacho dip during school from Laurie Korum (and eating it in front of my students)
Happiness is playing disc golf at school with my friends
Happiness is riding my bike everywhere in East Legon
Happiness is eating a real dinner with a real family
Happiness is the International Day lunch
Happiness is when someone shares their food from America
Happiness is eating at the Lebenese families' house
Happiness is Sport's Day pillow fighting
Happiness is a good conversation with a good friend at "snack time"
Happiness is a homemade meal at a friend's house
Happiness is playing volleyball with the teachers during planning period
Happiness is scoring my first and only soccer goal in my life on the sand field with the students
Happiness is getting a package from the States
Happiness is getting to know my students
Happiness is friends I will never forget
Happiness is awkwardly choosing between your friends who will get married first!
Happiness is NOT painting your face and dressing in all black to play a prank on a friend only to realize he lives in an impenetrable fortress
Happiness is getting to watch my students - the boys - fight over who will get the next sparkly happy face sticker.
Happiness is getting to debate and have spiritual conversations with my students about whatever the controversial topic is that day.
Happiness is an air conditioned mall when the power's out
Happiness is about-to-expire-so-it's-on-sale cheese.
Happiness is sitting on the porch watching the lighting storm.
Happiness is rescuing kittens from DEATH!
Happiness is having runny tummy and being able to tell other people all about it.
Happiness is learning new words in the local language.
Happiness is getting a taxi driver who asks for the honest amount for a ride.
Happiness is getting a ride from a students family as you are walking home.
Happiness is AWWWKKWARD moments.
Happiness is talking about Jesus!
Happiness is getting surprise messages/notes/cards from students saying they love you and can't believe you're leaving.
Happiness is Sunday night at the Wright's.
Happiness is a cold shower after soccer practice when you've been doing push ups in the sand
Happiness is realizing that if home is where the heart is, a big part of my home is still in Ghana
Happiness is eating a whole loaf of banana bread not caring that it was full of bugs.
Happiness is watching tv shows while eating a whole loaf of bread with jam or nutella or BOTH.
Happiness is a good run and blarin head phones to block out the world
Happiness is buying anything you want from the window of your car.
Happiness is PLANTAIN CHIPS!
Happiness is a surprise list of happy things in your inbox when you should be doing work, but ALLLLLL you wanna do is procrastinate
Melissa: Happiness is Coco-cola in a glass bottle.
Happiness is KARAOKE!
Meg: Happiness is cheating on your no-coffee rule...even if it is just for FOLDERS
Melissa: Totally spelled that wrong but yeah... Coke in a glass bottle! YUM!
Happiness is ground nut soup with rice balls!
Happiness is being okay with being sweaty because everyone else around you is a sweaty beast too!
Meg: HAPPINESS IS WHEN ELYSE CORRECTS YOUR GRAMMAR BECAUSE SHE LOVES YOU... foldGERS
Me: Happiness is when people don't yell at me when I correct their grammar or spelling... it's a reflex I CAN'T control!
Happiness is quoting movies you've watched with friends
Meg: Happiness is a bag that ways 49.9 lbs
Me: WEIGHS
Meg: CRAP!!!!! i didn't do that on purpose!!!!
Happiness is painful because I never knew it was until it was over
Happiness is an awesome, awesome worship song that you can scream at the top of your lungs because everyone else around u is super loud too!!!! PRAISE JESUS. :)
Love, love, love it!
See everyone in America so soon... Lord willing! Please be praying for my flights home... there are FOUR of them :-/ Safe trip, safe plane, baggage makes it...
We sang this song this past Sunday night at the Wright's house during care group. It was the last care group and after the sundae's were eaten, lessons learned in Ghana were shared, and advice was given to those staying for next year, it quickly became obvious that no one was in any hurry to leave that place. The Wright's house is somewhere we all go for encouragement, a time of refreshing worship, and good food - a perfect trifecta! It's a home away from home for us. As we all sat after prayer, not leaving because we didn't want it to be over yet, Ben started playing worship songs on his guitar and for the next hour or so we all sat and requested songs to sing and worship God. It will go down in my memory as one of the most powerful worship experiences of which I've ever been a part. It was truly awesome to be a part of this amazing group of people, amazing group of friends, that LOVE the Lord. A few times I stopped singing and just listened to everyone around me because I couldn't believe that I've been blessed with such awesome people around me. These people that love Jesus and show me that love every single day. I will forever be grateful to this awesome group of people for teaching me what Christ's love in friendship looks like. Thank you.
After singing this song, "God of This City," Ben started talking about how sometimes it can feel like we're abandoning these students after being part of their life for such a short time. I've definitely felt like this on numerous occasions. After teaching some of these students for two years and some for only one... I'm leaving. After becoming attached to some of these students... I'm leaving. Ben's reminder was that God is the God of THIS city right here and He's not going to leave it. We may be leaving this place and we may never see some of these people again, but God will never leave this place and he will never leave these people. I can go with peace in my heart from this place because I know that God is finished with me here - I've finished my work. But someone else will come and take my place behind me and continue the work that He has already started. Greater things have yet to come and they will come because there is no one like our God.
As I write this it is now almost 12:30am on Wednesday... this means that I leave Ghana tomorrow. Tomorrow as in Thursday. Thursday night I leave Ghana.
.
.
.
.
.
There are so many thoughts and emotions running through me right now that I'll be lucky if I'm ever able to make sense of them myself let alone make them coherent enough to explain to someone else. I just can't believe it's over.
Here is a list that has been started by the fantastic Jonathan to which much has been added by a lot of us. Some of it won't make sense to you but I want this list here to be sure that I have it always...
Happiness in Ghana
Happiness is Simple Brothers chicken and rice
Happiness is when the electricity comes back on
Happiness is Amanda and Elyse's ice cream birthday cakes
Happiness is going out to eat in Osu on the weekend with friends
Happiness is getting 5 Ghana cedi notes from the ATM instead of 10s
Happiness is watching movies/The Office/Big Bang with friends
Happiness is killing a cockroach with Raid and watching it slowly die
Happiness is playing ping-pong at my house with friends
Happiness is getting a fanchoco on a hot sweaty day
Happiness is eating humongous sausage kebab hotdogs on Mondaays and Fridays
Happiness is mango season
Happiness is jollof, red-red, and yam balls
Happiness is turning in my final grades for the quarter
Happiness is Friday nights hanging out with friends
Happiness is finally slapping that mosquito to death
Happiness is Thanksgiving in Ghana
Happiness is going home for break
Happiness is hanging out with the kids at Mama Latti's in Bolgatanga
Happiness is an ice cold Sprite while riding in the back of a truck in the sweltering heat
Happiness is a half-frozen Tampico after school
Happiness is talking and eating at lunch break in the teacher's lounge hoping the bell will never ring
Happiness is karaoke and bowling with friends
Happiness is macaroni and cheese every Saturday afternoon
Happiness is meat pies from church every Sunday afternoon
Happiness is traveling to exotic places with good friends for Spring break
Happiness is my parents come to visit me in Ghana
Happiness is getting cookies/sticky buns/nacho dip during school from Laurie Korum (and eating it in front of my students)
Happiness is playing disc golf at school with my friends
Happiness is riding my bike everywhere in East Legon
Happiness is eating a real dinner with a real family
Happiness is the International Day lunch
Happiness is when someone shares their food from America
Happiness is eating at the Lebenese families' house
Happiness is Sport's Day pillow fighting
Happiness is a good conversation with a good friend at "snack time"
Happiness is a homemade meal at a friend's house
Happiness is playing volleyball with the teachers during planning period
Happiness is scoring my first and only soccer goal in my life on the sand field with the students
Happiness is getting a package from the States
Happiness is getting to know my students
Happiness is friends I will never forget
Happiness is awkwardly choosing between your friends who will get married first!
Happiness is NOT painting your face and dressing in all black to play a prank on a friend only to realize he lives in an impenetrable fortress
Happiness is getting to watch my students - the boys - fight over who will get the next sparkly happy face sticker.
Happiness is getting to debate and have spiritual conversations with my students about whatever the controversial topic is that day.
Happiness is an air conditioned mall when the power's out
Happiness is about-to-expire-so-it's-on-sale cheese.
Happiness is sitting on the porch watching the lighting storm.
Happiness is rescuing kittens from DEATH!
Happiness is having runny tummy and being able to tell other people all about it.
Happiness is learning new words in the local language.
Happiness is getting a taxi driver who asks for the honest amount for a ride.
Happiness is getting a ride from a students family as you are walking home.
Happiness is AWWWKKWARD moments.
Happiness is talking about Jesus!
Happiness is getting surprise messages/notes/cards from students saying they love you and can't believe you're leaving.
Happiness is Sunday night at the Wright's.
Happiness is a cold shower after soccer practice when you've been doing push ups in the sand
Happiness is realizing that if home is where the heart is, a big part of my home is still in Ghana
Happiness is eating a whole loaf of banana bread not caring that it was full of bugs.
Happiness is watching tv shows while eating a whole loaf of bread with jam or nutella or BOTH.
Happiness is a good run and blarin head phones to block out the world
Happiness is buying anything you want from the window of your car.
Happiness is PLANTAIN CHIPS!
Happiness is a surprise list of happy things in your inbox when you should be doing work, but ALLLLLL you wanna do is procrastinate
Melissa: Happiness is Coco-cola in a glass bottle.
Happiness is KARAOKE!
Meg: Happiness is cheating on your no-coffee rule...even if it is just for FOLDERS
Melissa: Totally spelled that wrong but yeah... Coke in a glass bottle! YUM!
Happiness is ground nut soup with rice balls!
Happiness is being okay with being sweaty because everyone else around you is a sweaty beast too!
Meg: HAPPINESS IS WHEN ELYSE CORRECTS YOUR GRAMMAR BECAUSE SHE LOVES YOU... foldGERS
Me: Happiness is when people don't yell at me when I correct their grammar or spelling... it's a reflex I CAN'T control!
Happiness is quoting movies you've watched with friends
Meg: Happiness is a bag that ways 49.9 lbs
Me: WEIGHS
Meg: CRAP!!!!! i didn't do that on purpose!!!!
Happiness is painful because I never knew it was until it was over
Happiness is an awesome, awesome worship song that you can scream at the top of your lungs because everyone else around u is super loud too!!!! PRAISE JESUS. :)
Love, love, love it!
See everyone in America so soon... Lord willing! Please be praying for my flights home... there are FOUR of them :-/ Safe trip, safe plane, baggage makes it...
24 May 2010
Home
Home.
I never thought the idea of home could be such a fluid concept. Where is my home? To tell you the truth... I'm not so sure anymore.
If home is where I grew up and where my family is - well, then home is in America, in Ohio.
If home is where I started my first big girl job and first lived on my own and first started paying bills and building a life outside of the people I've known my whole life - well, then home is in Accra. Here - in Ghana. In this land that's not so foreign anymore. In this place I've spent the last two years of my life. With these people I can't imagine living without.
For those of you who have never been to Ghana, there is nothing I could possibly say to you to help you understand life here - nothing. There is no number of words that could be spoken to even give you a hint of what it's like here. Sure you see the pictures and you hear the stories... but LIFE could never be boiled down to a few pictures or a few stories.
It's sad that none of you at home will ever really get it. That no one will ever really understand these last two years of my life. Two years that have shaped me and my relationship with God more than ten years would have back in America.
You'll never understand just how hot it gets out in that African sun - or in the house when the electricity is off. You'll never understand what it's like when all you want is a cold shower but there is no running water. You'll never understand what it's like to sleep on a tile floor when the electricity is off. You'll never understand what it's like to just want to walk somewhere peacefully but never getting the chance because there is always someone yelling, "Obruni." You'll never understand what it's like to feel like all you are is an ATM machine - being chased by kids on the street yelling, "Obruni, give me money!" You'll never understand what it's like to be hungry because you can't open the refrigerator or cook anything because the electricity is off.
And on the other hand...
You'll never understand how hilarious and amazing my students are and how much I love being part of their wacky lives. You'll never understand the peace and gratitude when you realize God is bigger than this whole world and He really is everywhere - with you - always. You'll never understand how great it is to be able to buy pretty much anything you need from the window of your car. You'll never understand how good the food is that you buy off the street - Simple Brothers! You'll never understand the pure joy of real nacho chips. You'll never understand how great it is to buy three movies that have just come out in the theater for about $8. You'll never understand what it's like to accidentally kill a baby chicken on your way to work. You'll never understand what it's like to keep your eye on that goat because just maybe today is the day Obadiah decides to leap over and attack you.
Saddest of all is you'll never understand what it's like to make friends here.
Friends that I can't even begin to explain. I've been trying for the better part of 30 minutes to just write something, anything that would do justice to the people I've met here and can't imagine living without. Maybe when I'm back in America and can look back on these two years will the words finally form. The words to say how I'll carry each of them with me wherever I go. The words to say how each of them has touched my life and encouraged me. The words to say thank you.
Today was brunch at the Golden Tulip - an annual "goodbye" brunch for those of us who have finished our contracts and are off to something else. None of it feels real yet. "You mean I'm leaving Ghana NEXT Friday???" That can't be possible! But here it is... the necklace I received as my going away gift. The necklace we've been waiting for, for an entire year. Is it really mine? Am I really leaving this place? America has never felt so far away.
We've even begun to say goodbye to some of our favorite places...
It's hard to believe that we'll never eat at Tip Top or Monsoon again. It's hard to believe that we'll never get ice cream from Frankie's again. It's hard to believe that I'll never shop at Global Mama's again.
Never, never, never...
I can't believe that I've lived in Africa for the past two years. Really? AFRICA?
Apparently, so.
I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in life but it's hard to imagine that this chapter is ending. It's hard to not keep looking back to where I've been and it's equally hard to not keep looking forward to where I'm going. I hope to find a balance this last week and a half in Ghana that keeps me remembering and loving where I've been, paying attention to where God is taking me in the future, and enjoying where God has me right at this moment. I'm still in Ghana because my life isn't finished here yet - God isn't quite done with me.
I can only pray that when I get on that plane next Friday, God is smiling and saying, "You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith. Well done good and faithful servant."
I haven't always been the light God wants me to be... I know that. I haven't even always given it my best shot - I'll be honest. There have been days when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, watch a movie, and not talk to anyone - and I've given in. But God is bigger than my bad days and my bad moods. God can do anything with someone who is willing to take a leap of faith, to make sacrifices, to suffer.
God has held me through these two years in Ghana and I know He'll take me through the end. Through leaving this place and these people. Through transition back to America. Through it all.
I never thought the idea of home could be such a fluid concept. Where is my home? To tell you the truth... I'm not so sure anymore.
If home is where I grew up and where my family is - well, then home is in America, in Ohio.
If home is where I started my first big girl job and first lived on my own and first started paying bills and building a life outside of the people I've known my whole life - well, then home is in Accra. Here - in Ghana. In this land that's not so foreign anymore. In this place I've spent the last two years of my life. With these people I can't imagine living without.
For those of you who have never been to Ghana, there is nothing I could possibly say to you to help you understand life here - nothing. There is no number of words that could be spoken to even give you a hint of what it's like here. Sure you see the pictures and you hear the stories... but LIFE could never be boiled down to a few pictures or a few stories.
It's sad that none of you at home will ever really get it. That no one will ever really understand these last two years of my life. Two years that have shaped me and my relationship with God more than ten years would have back in America.
You'll never understand just how hot it gets out in that African sun - or in the house when the electricity is off. You'll never understand what it's like when all you want is a cold shower but there is no running water. You'll never understand what it's like to sleep on a tile floor when the electricity is off. You'll never understand what it's like to just want to walk somewhere peacefully but never getting the chance because there is always someone yelling, "Obruni." You'll never understand what it's like to feel like all you are is an ATM machine - being chased by kids on the street yelling, "Obruni, give me money!" You'll never understand what it's like to be hungry because you can't open the refrigerator or cook anything because the electricity is off.
And on the other hand...
You'll never understand how hilarious and amazing my students are and how much I love being part of their wacky lives. You'll never understand the peace and gratitude when you realize God is bigger than this whole world and He really is everywhere - with you - always. You'll never understand how great it is to be able to buy pretty much anything you need from the window of your car. You'll never understand how good the food is that you buy off the street - Simple Brothers! You'll never understand the pure joy of real nacho chips. You'll never understand how great it is to buy three movies that have just come out in the theater for about $8. You'll never understand what it's like to accidentally kill a baby chicken on your way to work. You'll never understand what it's like to keep your eye on that goat because just maybe today is the day Obadiah decides to leap over and attack you.
Saddest of all is you'll never understand what it's like to make friends here.
Friends that I can't even begin to explain. I've been trying for the better part of 30 minutes to just write something, anything that would do justice to the people I've met here and can't imagine living without. Maybe when I'm back in America and can look back on these two years will the words finally form. The words to say how I'll carry each of them with me wherever I go. The words to say how each of them has touched my life and encouraged me. The words to say thank you.
Today was brunch at the Golden Tulip - an annual "goodbye" brunch for those of us who have finished our contracts and are off to something else. None of it feels real yet. "You mean I'm leaving Ghana NEXT Friday???" That can't be possible! But here it is... the necklace I received as my going away gift. The necklace we've been waiting for, for an entire year. Is it really mine? Am I really leaving this place? America has never felt so far away.
We've even begun to say goodbye to some of our favorite places...
It's hard to believe that we'll never eat at Tip Top or Monsoon again. It's hard to believe that we'll never get ice cream from Frankie's again. It's hard to believe that I'll never shop at Global Mama's again.
Never, never, never...
I can't believe that I've lived in Africa for the past two years. Really? AFRICA?
Apparently, so.
I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in life but it's hard to imagine that this chapter is ending. It's hard to not keep looking back to where I've been and it's equally hard to not keep looking forward to where I'm going. I hope to find a balance this last week and a half in Ghana that keeps me remembering and loving where I've been, paying attention to where God is taking me in the future, and enjoying where God has me right at this moment. I'm still in Ghana because my life isn't finished here yet - God isn't quite done with me.
I can only pray that when I get on that plane next Friday, God is smiling and saying, "You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith. Well done good and faithful servant."
I haven't always been the light God wants me to be... I know that. I haven't even always given it my best shot - I'll be honest. There have been days when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball, watch a movie, and not talk to anyone - and I've given in. But God is bigger than my bad days and my bad moods. God can do anything with someone who is willing to take a leap of faith, to make sacrifices, to suffer.
God has held me through these two years in Ghana and I know He'll take me through the end. Through leaving this place and these people. Through transition back to America. Through it all.
25 April 2010
Chapel
As some of you probably know from reading Facebook, I led chapel this past Wednesday. On Monday, Joyce asked me if I would be able to fill in as the main speaker and I said I would. I've been singing with our mini-worship band each week and that has been great! Usually we sing a few songs and then a visiting pastor will give a short message. Basically it's just a mini-church service every Wednesday morning at school. It's good when I can understand what the (more often than not) Ghanaian pastor is talking about, which, unfortunately, isn't that often. Anyway, something that I feel like God has been putting on my heart lately is to really think about and learn what the songs we sing mean. So often we sing songs but don't think about the meaning behind them. "Do I really mean what I'm singing?" The thought hardly ever crosses our minds. Or maybe you're different from me and think about it constantly - awesome! I never used to think about it until someone else brought it to my attention. I just thought I'd try to turn what I talked about into a blog post for you guys to read and hopefully encourage you! How I did it was to talk about the song then sing it, then talk about another and sing it, etc.
The first song we went through was "Every Move I Make." A pretty standard worship song, I think. Here are the lyrics:
The first song we went through was "Every Move I Make." A pretty standard worship song, I think. Here are the lyrics:
Every move I make, I make in You
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Waves of mercy, waves of grace
Everywhere I look I see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love
How can it be?
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Waves of mercy, waves of grace
Everywhere I look I see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love
How can it be?
It's upbeat, it's catchy, it's hard not to sing along. But how often have you thought about what it really means? Does Jesus really guide your every step and every breath? As I was thinking through these lyrics and what they mean, I think God laid on my heart that this song is really about surrender. Surrender to God and the leading of his Holy Spirit in my life. I know, it sounds deep for such a simple song but hear me out. Is it true that every move you make, every breath you take, and every step you take is for and because of Jesus? Are you really leading your life in such a way that everything you do is for Jesus and HIS glory? I definitely am not all the time - DEFINITELY not. I'm human. I fall. I make mistakes. Even though I can't say that this song is true of me all the time, every second of every day, I'm still going to sing this song out loud because it's a desire I have in my heart. I WANT this to be true of my life - I want Jesus to lead my every move, breath, and step. I want my whole life to be surrendered to Jesus Christ. And over the past several weeks He's been patiently teaching me how to do just that. Now, you might ask yourself two questions: #1 How do you surrender your life to Jesus? #2 Why SHOULD you surrender your life to Him?
Let's tackle that second question first.
Some scripture... Genesis 1:1, 27-31
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plan on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of all the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day.
God MADE us. Specifically. Uniquely. HE made us. No matter what you think about how that happened - evolution, six literal days of creation, something else entirely. Right now, that's not the point. The point is that God did it. He did it and he did it however he wanted. Don't you think that deserves some respect? Some surrender? In these verses we see that God blessed Adam and Eve and gave them rule over all the animals and plants. But what happened a little bit later in the story? THEY messed it up by eating that apple from the tree. Adam and Eve had one single rule to follow and they broke up. Adam and Eve messed up - but who fixed it? It wasn't Adam and Eve. God fixed it by sending his only son to die an excruciating death on the cross. Did you know that the word excruciating was invented to describe dying on a cross? That's how horrendous and unexplainable death on a cross was - they had to invent a word to describe it. We don't have to pay for the sin of Adam and Eve or our own sins that we commit every day because God loved us enough to send his only son to die for us on the cross.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God LOVED the world. It started with the love of God for us sinners. God loved us so God gave us his Son. If we believe in him then we will receive eternal life with God and his Son in heaven. God loved, God gave, we believe, we receive. Notice that it's God initiated! Our salvation and eternal destination depends on our response to the love God already demonstrated to us through the death of his holy Son on the cross.
Psalm 103:8-12
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He has removed our transgressions, our sins, away from us as far as the east is from the west. Because he first LOVED us!
Still need another reason for why we SHOULD surrender our lives to God?
Psalm 18:30-36
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
We should surrender our live to God because he is worthy! "His way is perfect." He will keep us strong and lead us in the way we should go... if you ask Him.
Okay, back to the first question: HOW do we surrender our lives to God? Well, this is something I'm still learning. God has been trying to teach me this in the past few weeks - complete and total surrender. In my limited experience, I think the answer to "how" is through prayer. Talking to God and thanking Jesus for his sacrifice on my and your behalf. Asking the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin in your and my life and how you and I should get rid of it. Talk to God about your day - just stay connected. Talk to God about your problems instead of gossiping about it with someone else. Talk to God about anything and everything. Acknowledge his authority over your life. Just talk to him and believe that he will keep his promises.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
If you earnestly and honestly seek him - God won't ignore you, he will reward you. But don't expect those rewards to be immediate or the way YOU think they should be. We can't put God into our little box and say, "Okay, I prayed this way and you didn't respond the way I wanted so I'm not going to pray anymore, God you must not really care about me." God doesn't work on your time schedule or always in the way that you want. Would God really be GOD if you could control him or put him in your own little box?
If you just don't know what to pray... pray scripture.
Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Now, even if the words of this song "Every Move I Make" don't describe you right this second - if the words describe a desire you have of how you want to live your life or maybe even how you think you should live your life... sing it out!
Let's tackle that second question first.
Some scripture... Genesis 1:1, 27-31
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plan on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of all the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day.
God MADE us. Specifically. Uniquely. HE made us. No matter what you think about how that happened - evolution, six literal days of creation, something else entirely. Right now, that's not the point. The point is that God did it. He did it and he did it however he wanted. Don't you think that deserves some respect? Some surrender? In these verses we see that God blessed Adam and Eve and gave them rule over all the animals and plants. But what happened a little bit later in the story? THEY messed it up by eating that apple from the tree. Adam and Eve had one single rule to follow and they broke up. Adam and Eve messed up - but who fixed it? It wasn't Adam and Eve. God fixed it by sending his only son to die an excruciating death on the cross. Did you know that the word excruciating was invented to describe dying on a cross? That's how horrendous and unexplainable death on a cross was - they had to invent a word to describe it. We don't have to pay for the sin of Adam and Eve or our own sins that we commit every day because God loved us enough to send his only son to die for us on the cross.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God LOVED the world. It started with the love of God for us sinners. God loved us so God gave us his Son. If we believe in him then we will receive eternal life with God and his Son in heaven. God loved, God gave, we believe, we receive. Notice that it's God initiated! Our salvation and eternal destination depends on our response to the love God already demonstrated to us through the death of his holy Son on the cross.
Psalm 103:8-12
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He has removed our transgressions, our sins, away from us as far as the east is from the west. Because he first LOVED us!
Still need another reason for why we SHOULD surrender our lives to God?
Psalm 18:30-36
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
We should surrender our live to God because he is worthy! "His way is perfect." He will keep us strong and lead us in the way we should go... if you ask Him.
Okay, back to the first question: HOW do we surrender our lives to God? Well, this is something I'm still learning. God has been trying to teach me this in the past few weeks - complete and total surrender. In my limited experience, I think the answer to "how" is through prayer. Talking to God and thanking Jesus for his sacrifice on my and your behalf. Asking the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin in your and my life and how you and I should get rid of it. Talk to God about your day - just stay connected. Talk to God about your problems instead of gossiping about it with someone else. Talk to God about anything and everything. Acknowledge his authority over your life. Just talk to him and believe that he will keep his promises.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
If you earnestly and honestly seek him - God won't ignore you, he will reward you. But don't expect those rewards to be immediate or the way YOU think they should be. We can't put God into our little box and say, "Okay, I prayed this way and you didn't respond the way I wanted so I'm not going to pray anymore, God you must not really care about me." God doesn't work on your time schedule or always in the way that you want. Would God really be GOD if you could control him or put him in your own little box?
If you just don't know what to pray... pray scripture.
Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Now, even if the words of this song "Every Move I Make" don't describe you right this second - if the words describe a desire you have of how you want to live your life or maybe even how you think you should live your life... sing it out!
Every move I make, I make in You
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Waves of mercy, waves of grace
Everywhere I look I see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love
How can it be?
You make me move, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Every step I take, I take in You
You are my way, Jesus
Every breath I take, I breathe in You
Waves of mercy, waves of grace
Everywhere I look I see Your face
Your love has captured me
Oh my God, this love
How can it be?
This post is pretty long so I think maybe I'll do this in installments since I talked about 4 songs...
Come back again!
:-)
Come back again!
:-)
12 April 2010
Spring Break - part 2
Alright, I believe I left off writing after we ran away from Afrikiko.
To be honest, not too much happened after that. We were afraid to leave the relative comforts of East Legon! Amanda and her mom made a trip to the art market and we all made one more trip to Osu and other than that... you could find us lying by the pool. :-)
Let's re-focus on the FOOD we ate over spring break. Some I've already mentioned and some I haven't. There was just too much good food eaten over break to not devote an entire blog entry to it.
First up - Thursday night dinner at La Galette! No picture of the food but the chicken alfredo pasta and 4 seasons pizza Meg and I shared were delicious!
Friday morning breakfast - bow fruit. I have no idea how you actually spell it but that's what it sounds like. And it has nothing to do with fruit.
Friday night dinner at Monsoon. The amazing sushi about which I've already written and posted a picture. Here's a picture of the rest of the sushi Amanda and I split - fashion sandwich and sashimi!
Saturday night at Chez Afrique. Mmmmmm red-red. I wish I had some right now!
Can we go back now? Please?
Easter dunch/linner/something between lunch and dinner! Bar-b-q chicken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm.
Easter dinner, aka feast!!! A family from the school invited us over for dinner. A Lebanese family. Lebanese food is sooooooooooooooo good!
Dessert MIGHT have been better... do you SEE that chocolate cake??? And the Lebanese goodies on the left and the chocolates on the right. Wow.
I didn't even give a shout out to the amazing mom who provided me with all of these pictures!!!
Momma Joyce - thank you for EVERYTHING over break!!! It was fun showing you around! :-)
To be honest, not too much happened after that. We were afraid to leave the relative comforts of East Legon! Amanda and her mom made a trip to the art market and we all made one more trip to Osu and other than that... you could find us lying by the pool. :-)
Let's re-focus on the FOOD we ate over spring break. Some I've already mentioned and some I haven't. There was just too much good food eaten over break to not devote an entire blog entry to it.
First up - Thursday night dinner at La Galette! No picture of the food but the chicken alfredo pasta and 4 seasons pizza Meg and I shared were delicious!
Friday morning breakfast - bow fruit. I have no idea how you actually spell it but that's what it sounds like. And it has nothing to do with fruit.
It's basically a donut. A delicious, greasy, mess of a donut. Yep, they cook it over a fire on the side of the road and serve it to you wrapped in a piece of newspaper. Classy!
Friday night dinner at Monsoon. The amazing sushi about which I've already written and posted a picture. Here's a picture of the rest of the sushi Amanda and I split - fashion sandwich and sashimi!
Can we go back now? Please?
Saturday night at Chez Afrique. Mmmmmm red-red. I wish I had some right now!
Top: Gari Foto. Middle left: palava sauce. Middle right: beans part of red-red. Far left: rice to be eaten with red-red. Bottom middle: fried plantain, the other half of red-red. Bottom right: boiled yams to be eaten with palava sauce.
Can we go back now? Please?Sunday (Easter!) breakfast I made cinnamon pancakes with a delicious apple sugar-y topping!
I promise it's better than this picture looks. And I don't know why it uploaded sideways.
Easter dunch/linner/something between lunch and dinner! Bar-b-q chicken, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm.
The green beans were an especially nice treat!
Easter dinner, aka feast!!! A family from the school invited us over for dinner. A Lebanese family. Lebanese food is sooooooooooooooo good!
Dessert MIGHT have been better... do you SEE that chocolate cake??? And the Lebanese goodies on the left and the chocolates on the right. Wow.
Monday was the Afrikiko debacle so let's skip to Tuesday.
Tuesday dinner I cooked again! And Amanda made one of my most favorite desserts...
Tuesday dinner I cooked again! And Amanda made one of my most favorite desserts...
I may look a little crazy in this picture BUT the garlic chicken pasta with broccoli and accompanying salad were delectable!
Dessert was scrumptious! Hot from the oven apple crisp. Mmmmmmmm, thanks Amanda!
Just when you start to think, "How much can these people eat?!" It keeps going.
Wednesday morning I made cinnamon rolls!
One more! Wednesday night we made our way back to Osu and feasted on Chinese food.
Sadly, we are now finished with the trip through "Spring Break Food 2010."
Hopefully I'll see you again at my next installment, "Mexican Food Extravaganza June 2010."
Wednesday morning I made cinnamon rolls!
Yep, from scratch. And we had some mango. You know - for balance.
One more! Wednesday night we made our way back to Osu and feasted on Chinese food.
Amanda and I each got soup noodles: her with chicken and me with beef. It was soooooo good and made even better by the new air conditioning at this restaurant!
Sadly, we are now finished with the trip through "Spring Break Food 2010."
Hopefully I'll see you again at my next installment, "Mexican Food Extravaganza June 2010."
I didn't even give a shout out to the amazing mom who provided me with all of these pictures!!!
Momma Joyce - thank you for EVERYTHING over break!!! It was fun showing you around! :-)
05 April 2010
Spring Break - part 1
I don't actually know that there will be a "part 2" blog for spring break but just in case... here's part 1.
Spring break started with a day off on Friday! Well, that's when it started for me but it kind-of started the day before for Amanda because her mom flew in to visit and got here Wednesday night! She was able to go with Amanda to school on Thursday and meet her students and most of the teachers at the school. Joyce, Amanda's mom, also brought TONS of goodies for Amanda and Meg and I and for that we will be forever grateful! Especially for the Oreo's :-)
I guess the official beginning to spring break was actually dinner on Thursday night at La Galette - a standby favorite restaurant! Jonathan accompanied us ladies and it was a fun time!
Friday morning began with a ride in a tro-tro to Medina market in search of some fabric. Unfortunately, Friday mornings are apparently not a big time for the market because a lot of the little shops were closed. However, Amanda and I did find some good fabric and Joyce the seamstress is currently fashioning for us some fun PANTS! Joyce, Amanda's mom, is having a skirt and dress made. Let's hope they're ready on time and don't need too many alterations! The rest of Friday was spent at the pool for Amanda and Joyce and I stayed at home for a quiet afternoon. That night we made the trip out to Osu for some shopping and dinner at MONSOON - another favorite restaurant. I spent way too much money on some paintings for me and fun things for my little brothers but it's my last semester in Ghana - I'm justifying it. At Monsoon, Amanda and I were able to try some new sushi and it was AMAZING! Sorry Fashion Sandwich but you just won't cut it anymore. Unfortunately this new sushi, rainbow rolls, is far more expensive than what we usually get so we will probably never eat it again - but oh how great it was while we had it! Nice discovery, Amanda!
The gelato we had after dinner was the perfect after-dinner treat!
Saturday we were off to Labody Beach Hotel for a day at the pool and beach. It was an aaaaaaamazing place! The hotel was so beautiful, the pool was clean and even more astounding - the BEACH WAS CLEAN! The price was a little higher than we were anticipating because people are always raising their prices in Ghana but it was well worth it.
That night Amanda decided that her mom needed to experience some real, Ghanaian food and I was more than happy to join them at Chez Afrique. Gari foto, red-red, palava sauce with boiled yams... mmmmmmm! I can't say that Joyce enjoyed it as much as we did, though. Okay, so it's something to get used to, I guess...
Sunday was Easter, of course, and we spent the day relaxing around the house, which was a very welcome break for me. I felt like we had been going and going for the past few days and it was nice to just sit back and take a breather. For breakfast I made pancakes with a cinnamon, brown sugar, apple-y stuff to go on top and it was absolutely delicious! Then for lunch I made bar-b-q chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and heat up some green beans - Amanda's favorite! The worst part was when the power went out - 8 minutes after I had put the chicken in the oven to cook. Ummmmm, now what? Amanda had the good idea of taking the food upstairs to finish cooking because upstairs the girls have a gas oven and stove-top, which theoretically should work when the power is out. Well, let me tell you that it doesn't work when the power is out when the girls upstairs fail to have the gas tank replaced when the old one is empty - crap! Thankfully, 40 minutes later the power comes back on and we finish cooking the food and have one pretty good meal! And yes, we continued cooking the chicken after it sat for that long and I'm still alive to talk about it so I'm thinking it's okay :-) For dessert we busted in to the second package of Oreo's. That's right, the SECOND package!
THEN - as if all that food talk isn't enough - we went over to a Lebanese family's house for (a very late) dinner! Mmmmmm there was so much food and it was all DELICIOUS.
Sunday was an incredible eating day :-)
And that brings us to TODAY. Oh what a Ghanaian day we've had! Amanda asked around and found this hotel in Akosombo called Afrikiko. She looked it up online and it looked beautiful and it had gotten good reviews from friends here who have been there. I enthusiastically said "Yes!" when she asked if I thought it would be a nice place to stay when her mom came and everything made it seem like this was going to be a great getaway from the city life here in East Legon. So, Amanda booked a room for us and we got up and found our tro-tro to Akosombo this morning. When we got there, the place was beautiful. It's up north a bit and on the river and it was quiet and peaceful. However, the moment we stepped in to the reception area we knew this was going to be a totally Ghanaian place and experience. The room was nice enough even though I knew I'd be wearing my flip flops in to the shower and there were no towels to be seen and the TV was pretty small and only had 4 channels and they had yet to bring us the extra mattress for me to sleep on - I mean, there at least was an air conditioner. However, not more than 5 minutes after we were shown to our room and we were settling in, what happened? The power went out. Nice to see you, too, Akosombo! We were determined to make the best of it and changed in to our swimsuits and headed out to explore a bit and relax by the pool. Like I said, this place was really very pretty and had so much potential to be a great getaway. Where Afrikiko went wrong is in the details. Like not providing enough chairs around the pool, especially chairs with cushions and that weren't broken. Okay, we can deal with that. Let's put on our sunscreen and just take our towel and go lie on the concrete right next to the pool. Five minutes later the pool is swarmed with loud and obnoxious women. Joyce and I decide that it is in fact NOT rude for us to get up and move to the other side of the pool away from these women. Soon it becomes apparent that there is no getting away from these people because they're multiplying and the pool has become overrun with loud, screaming people. The three of us retreat back to the room and decide that it's just time to go. When we got back to the room they had brought the mattress for us and nonchalantly tossed it into the room with some sheets. Uh, thanks. Even after a two hour tro-tro ride there, it still sounded like a better option to get the heck out of there and take another two hour tro-tro ride home than be there any longer. We haven't regretted the decision since! The things I tried to describe above probably sound like no big deal to most of you reading this - guess you just have to live in Ghana and experience it to really understand.
And here I sit now, in the relative comfort of my living room. Never have I been so thankful for East Legon and this house :-)
It's been a good start to spring break!
Spring break started with a day off on Friday! Well, that's when it started for me but it kind-of started the day before for Amanda because her mom flew in to visit and got here Wednesday night! She was able to go with Amanda to school on Thursday and meet her students and most of the teachers at the school. Joyce, Amanda's mom, also brought TONS of goodies for Amanda and Meg and I and for that we will be forever grateful! Especially for the Oreo's :-)
I guess the official beginning to spring break was actually dinner on Thursday night at La Galette - a standby favorite restaurant! Jonathan accompanied us ladies and it was a fun time!
While to some it might look as if Jonathan and I are holding hands - we are in fact not. It's just a slightly awkward picture, haha.
Friday morning began with a ride in a tro-tro to Medina market in search of some fabric. Unfortunately, Friday mornings are apparently not a big time for the market because a lot of the little shops were closed. However, Amanda and I did find some good fabric and Joyce the seamstress is currently fashioning for us some fun PANTS! Joyce, Amanda's mom, is having a skirt and dress made. Let's hope they're ready on time and don't need too many alterations! The rest of Friday was spent at the pool for Amanda and Joyce and I stayed at home for a quiet afternoon. That night we made the trip out to Osu for some shopping and dinner at MONSOON - another favorite restaurant. I spent way too much money on some paintings for me and fun things for my little brothers but it's my last semester in Ghana - I'm justifying it. At Monsoon, Amanda and I were able to try some new sushi and it was AMAZING! Sorry Fashion Sandwich but you just won't cut it anymore. Unfortunately this new sushi, rainbow rolls, is far more expensive than what we usually get so we will probably never eat it again - but oh how great it was while we had it! Nice discovery, Amanda!
The gelato we had after dinner was the perfect after-dinner treat!
Saturday we were off to Labody Beach Hotel for a day at the pool and beach. It was an aaaaaaamazing place! The hotel was so beautiful, the pool was clean and even more astounding - the BEACH WAS CLEAN! The price was a little higher than we were anticipating because people are always raising their prices in Ghana but it was well worth it.
Don't judge my pastiness just because I wasn't born with Amanda's amazing olive complexion.
That night Amanda decided that her mom needed to experience some real, Ghanaian food and I was more than happy to join them at Chez Afrique. Gari foto, red-red, palava sauce with boiled yams... mmmmmmm! I can't say that Joyce enjoyed it as much as we did, though. Okay, so it's something to get used to, I guess...
We had quite the delicious spread!
Sunday was Easter, of course, and we spent the day relaxing around the house, which was a very welcome break for me. I felt like we had been going and going for the past few days and it was nice to just sit back and take a breather. For breakfast I made pancakes with a cinnamon, brown sugar, apple-y stuff to go on top and it was absolutely delicious! Then for lunch I made bar-b-q chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and heat up some green beans - Amanda's favorite! The worst part was when the power went out - 8 minutes after I had put the chicken in the oven to cook. Ummmmm, now what? Amanda had the good idea of taking the food upstairs to finish cooking because upstairs the girls have a gas oven and stove-top, which theoretically should work when the power is out. Well, let me tell you that it doesn't work when the power is out when the girls upstairs fail to have the gas tank replaced when the old one is empty - crap! Thankfully, 40 minutes later the power comes back on and we finish cooking the food and have one pretty good meal! And yes, we continued cooking the chicken after it sat for that long and I'm still alive to talk about it so I'm thinking it's okay :-) For dessert we busted in to the second package of Oreo's. That's right, the SECOND package!
THEN - as if all that food talk isn't enough - we went over to a Lebanese family's house for (a very late) dinner! Mmmmmm there was so much food and it was all DELICIOUS.
Sunday was an incredible eating day :-)
And that brings us to TODAY. Oh what a Ghanaian day we've had! Amanda asked around and found this hotel in Akosombo called Afrikiko. She looked it up online and it looked beautiful and it had gotten good reviews from friends here who have been there. I enthusiastically said "Yes!" when she asked if I thought it would be a nice place to stay when her mom came and everything made it seem like this was going to be a great getaway from the city life here in East Legon. So, Amanda booked a room for us and we got up and found our tro-tro to Akosombo this morning. When we got there, the place was beautiful. It's up north a bit and on the river and it was quiet and peaceful. However, the moment we stepped in to the reception area we knew this was going to be a totally Ghanaian place and experience. The room was nice enough even though I knew I'd be wearing my flip flops in to the shower and there were no towels to be seen and the TV was pretty small and only had 4 channels and they had yet to bring us the extra mattress for me to sleep on - I mean, there at least was an air conditioner. However, not more than 5 minutes after we were shown to our room and we were settling in, what happened? The power went out. Nice to see you, too, Akosombo! We were determined to make the best of it and changed in to our swimsuits and headed out to explore a bit and relax by the pool. Like I said, this place was really very pretty and had so much potential to be a great getaway. Where Afrikiko went wrong is in the details. Like not providing enough chairs around the pool, especially chairs with cushions and that weren't broken. Okay, we can deal with that. Let's put on our sunscreen and just take our towel and go lie on the concrete right next to the pool. Five minutes later the pool is swarmed with loud and obnoxious women. Joyce and I decide that it is in fact NOT rude for us to get up and move to the other side of the pool away from these women. Soon it becomes apparent that there is no getting away from these people because they're multiplying and the pool has become overrun with loud, screaming people. The three of us retreat back to the room and decide that it's just time to go. When we got back to the room they had brought the mattress for us and nonchalantly tossed it into the room with some sheets. Uh, thanks. Even after a two hour tro-tro ride there, it still sounded like a better option to get the heck out of there and take another two hour tro-tro ride home than be there any longer. We haven't regretted the decision since! The things I tried to describe above probably sound like no big deal to most of you reading this - guess you just have to live in Ghana and experience it to really understand.
Amanda and I running away from our room!
And here I sit now, in the relative comfort of my living room. Never have I been so thankful for East Legon and this house :-)
It's been a good start to spring break!
01 April 2010
No light yet at the end of this long tunnel
All I want to do is climb on a plane and fly home. Is that too much to ask?
My time in Ghana has been filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows. When things are good in Ghana - they're great and full of laughter and so much fun! But when things are bad in Ghana - Ghana roundhouse kicks you to the face and then steps on your chest to make sure you aren't getting back up for a while.
What is it about us humans that makes it so much easier to focus on only the bad? What is it about us humans that makes us WANT to focus on the bad instead of the good around us? What IS that? Who wants to be miserable? Me, apparently.
I've just been so intensely discouraged at school lately and I don't know what to do about it. I know that any problems in the classroom originate with the teacher and that it's my fault what's happening and it's up to me to fix it - but I'm lost. All I see around me are students who don't care and want everything the easy way. They just want the answer and care nothing about learning the information. No matter how much practice I give these students, no matter how many worksheets, no matter how much reading, no matter how many problems I solve on the board in class - nothing I do is ever enough for these students. On almost every quiz and test some of my students have taken this semester, a certain fill-in-the-blank section has been included. They've seen these almost exact questions several times. Just glancing through a test these students took shows that several of the students are STILL MISSING THE QUESTIONS. Even after I remind the students to study their previous quizzes and tests. Even after I mark their questions wrong. I don't understand what to do. Then this morning I walked in to class to things like, "Miss Lyle, you're wrong! You gave us a wrong answer. You made a mistake! Hahaha." I had already been alerted to the mistake yesterday by one of the students but by that point class was over and I didn't have a chance to fix it. Yes, I made a mistake and no, I don't have any problems with admitting that because I did make a mistake. I told the class that yes, I made a mistake in the calculation because I used the wrong value for one of the variables and I gave them the new, correct answer. What am I doing that makes these students approach me in this way? WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
Some of my students hate asking me questions. "Why?" you might wonder. Because I never give a straight out answer. I usually always ask them another question to try and help them figure out the answer for themselves. How can it be bad that I want to try and enable them to think for themselves? Almost always they ask me questions they can figure out for themselves if they would take me seriously when I ask them to think. Half of learning science is learning a new way to think in a problem solving way. I try to help my students learn that but I just feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall. I guess I can't force people to learn if they just don't want to.
Okay, seriously. Just caught a student drawing on their desk. I told them that they will serve lunch detention and they told me that they didn't know it was wrong to write on the desk...
.............
Um, too bad?
I feel like I do so much for these students and all I get back is... well, not much some days. Granted - some days are really good and I get to laugh and joke with my students and have fun while getting done what we need to get done. But then other days... I'm sure I'm not alone in this and I'm sure it's much the same in schools all across the world - and no, that doesn't make me feel any better. And maybe I'm just having an exceptionally bad day and that's all it is, I don't know. All I know is that my students don't listen to a darn thing I say and then blame me when they miss something. I'm tired of being blamed. I'm tired of taking responsibility.
What am I doing to cause this behavior? What should I be doing instead? What should I stop doing? I didn't come to Africa to yell at students all day.
I need prayer. Prayer for my attitude and behavior. Prayer that I would be completely surrendered to God and the working of His Holy Spirit in my life. I can't fix or change any of this.
I can't do it.
But I know One who can. I serve a God who is mightier than all of this. Who knows exactly what I'm feeling and what I'm going through right now. He also knows exactly what my students are feeling and going through. Pray for my students. Pray that I would be sensitive to what they need. Pray that I would be open to a new direction for my classroom if that's what it takes.
Please help me to bathe this situation in prayer.
I've been trying to hold on to it and do it myself for too long. All God is asking of me is to surrender it to Him. He knows what to do with it. He knows the right course, the right words, the right everything. I'm supposed to be in Ghana working for Him anyway, so why do I try to hold on to what's rightfully His with such a strong grip? WHY???
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
If I'm not submitted to God, does that mean I'm serving the world - the devil? If I'm not totally submitted to God and serving Him... then what am I serving? My own agenda?
At the end of my time in Ghana, I want so much to be able to say what Paul said in 2 Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." When I finish here in Ghana I want to be able to say that I did something good for the Kingdom here. That I kept my faith and submission to God above all else and shared it with others - my students. I want to finish well.
Please pray for my students and I as we struggle through this.
Thanks for letting me ramble and work through this. Sometimes I just need what's in my head to spill out to get it organized.
Leaving Ghana 9 weeks from tomorrow.
My time in Ghana has been filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows. When things are good in Ghana - they're great and full of laughter and so much fun! But when things are bad in Ghana - Ghana roundhouse kicks you to the face and then steps on your chest to make sure you aren't getting back up for a while.
What is it about us humans that makes it so much easier to focus on only the bad? What is it about us humans that makes us WANT to focus on the bad instead of the good around us? What IS that? Who wants to be miserable? Me, apparently.
I've just been so intensely discouraged at school lately and I don't know what to do about it. I know that any problems in the classroom originate with the teacher and that it's my fault what's happening and it's up to me to fix it - but I'm lost. All I see around me are students who don't care and want everything the easy way. They just want the answer and care nothing about learning the information. No matter how much practice I give these students, no matter how many worksheets, no matter how much reading, no matter how many problems I solve on the board in class - nothing I do is ever enough for these students. On almost every quiz and test some of my students have taken this semester, a certain fill-in-the-blank section has been included. They've seen these almost exact questions several times. Just glancing through a test these students took shows that several of the students are STILL MISSING THE QUESTIONS. Even after I remind the students to study their previous quizzes and tests. Even after I mark their questions wrong. I don't understand what to do. Then this morning I walked in to class to things like, "Miss Lyle, you're wrong! You gave us a wrong answer. You made a mistake! Hahaha." I had already been alerted to the mistake yesterday by one of the students but by that point class was over and I didn't have a chance to fix it. Yes, I made a mistake and no, I don't have any problems with admitting that because I did make a mistake. I told the class that yes, I made a mistake in the calculation because I used the wrong value for one of the variables and I gave them the new, correct answer. What am I doing that makes these students approach me in this way? WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?
Some of my students hate asking me questions. "Why?" you might wonder. Because I never give a straight out answer. I usually always ask them another question to try and help them figure out the answer for themselves. How can it be bad that I want to try and enable them to think for themselves? Almost always they ask me questions they can figure out for themselves if they would take me seriously when I ask them to think. Half of learning science is learning a new way to think in a problem solving way. I try to help my students learn that but I just feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall. I guess I can't force people to learn if they just don't want to.
Okay, seriously. Just caught a student drawing on their desk. I told them that they will serve lunch detention and they told me that they didn't know it was wrong to write on the desk...
.............
Um, too bad?
I feel like I do so much for these students and all I get back is... well, not much some days. Granted - some days are really good and I get to laugh and joke with my students and have fun while getting done what we need to get done. But then other days... I'm sure I'm not alone in this and I'm sure it's much the same in schools all across the world - and no, that doesn't make me feel any better. And maybe I'm just having an exceptionally bad day and that's all it is, I don't know. All I know is that my students don't listen to a darn thing I say and then blame me when they miss something. I'm tired of being blamed. I'm tired of taking responsibility.
What am I doing to cause this behavior? What should I be doing instead? What should I stop doing? I didn't come to Africa to yell at students all day.
I need prayer. Prayer for my attitude and behavior. Prayer that I would be completely surrendered to God and the working of His Holy Spirit in my life. I can't fix or change any of this.
I can't do it.
But I know One who can. I serve a God who is mightier than all of this. Who knows exactly what I'm feeling and what I'm going through right now. He also knows exactly what my students are feeling and going through. Pray for my students. Pray that I would be sensitive to what they need. Pray that I would be open to a new direction for my classroom if that's what it takes.
Please help me to bathe this situation in prayer.
I've been trying to hold on to it and do it myself for too long. All God is asking of me is to surrender it to Him. He knows what to do with it. He knows the right course, the right words, the right everything. I'm supposed to be in Ghana working for Him anyway, so why do I try to hold on to what's rightfully His with such a strong grip? WHY???
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7
If I'm not submitted to God, does that mean I'm serving the world - the devil? If I'm not totally submitted to God and serving Him... then what am I serving? My own agenda?
At the end of my time in Ghana, I want so much to be able to say what Paul said in 2 Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." When I finish here in Ghana I want to be able to say that I did something good for the Kingdom here. That I kept my faith and submission to God above all else and shared it with others - my students. I want to finish well.
Please pray for my students and I as we struggle through this.
Thanks for letting me ramble and work through this. Sometimes I just need what's in my head to spill out to get it organized.
Leaving Ghana 9 weeks from tomorrow.
12 March 2010
Learning about myself
This week we were back to school after being off for a week due to H1N1 hysteria. It was a long break that was some much needed time away from school - even if it did stress me to the max. "A break from school stressed you out more than being in school?" you ask? Yes. Absolutely.
Here are two things I've learned about myself. Two things that I HAVE to have in my life and two needs that were definitely not met while being away from school. It's weird to think that I'm 24 and things two things caught me off-guard. Shouldn't I KNOW this by now?! Well, whatever. I know it now.
#1 - I canNOT be around groups of people all the time. I just can't. I require more time to myself in a day than most people probably need in a week. 100% introvert, right here. Being around lots of people wears me out. It stresses me out. Of course, this has NOTHING to do with the people around me here in Ghana - I know that I'm this way everywhere I am. The people here in Ghana are some of the best people I've ever met in my life! This is not a poorly conceived attempt at ridiculing the people around me in any way. Even after saying that, some people probably still don't understand what I'm saying and if you don't: you're probably an extrovert. My point is: I need time to myself to recharge and refuel. Sitting and thinking, reading a book, watching a movie... those are all fun things for me. One of the great parts about being the way I am is that I feel like I'm rarely bored. There's always something to read (especially now that I'm on BBC ALL THE TIME), always something to watch, always something to write about or think about, always a game of Minesweeper to play (I'M OBSESSED)... I always have something to do - I'm much more comfortable being alone than I am with being in a group. It's just the way God made me.
#2 - I have to feel like I have a purpose. I have to feel like I'm doing something with my time and my life. In Ghana, I'm here to teach and be a witness to these students. Granted, I don't do that well all the time but there's always some new goal to work toward and there's always some work to do. At school I have a place to be, I have a place where I fit, and I have a job to do.
These two things were totally working against me all break. All my friends around me are amazing extroverts. It's hard to be an introvert in an extrovert world, which is no ones fault - I'm not blaming anyone. Then there wasn't any specific role for me to fill over the break. I feel like these two things almost contradict each other. On the one hand I like to be one my own and doing my own thing but on the other I have to feel like I'm doing something with my life. Does anyone else see the apparent contradiction? Anyway, I do.
I guess that's just what I am. An amalgamation of quirks, phobias, pet peeves, preferences, desires, hopes... all contradicting each other.
I like it.
Okay and here is my new favorite song! "Our God" by Chris Tomlin.
Here are two things I've learned about myself. Two things that I HAVE to have in my life and two needs that were definitely not met while being away from school. It's weird to think that I'm 24 and things two things caught me off-guard. Shouldn't I KNOW this by now?! Well, whatever. I know it now.
#1 - I canNOT be around groups of people all the time. I just can't. I require more time to myself in a day than most people probably need in a week. 100% introvert, right here. Being around lots of people wears me out. It stresses me out. Of course, this has NOTHING to do with the people around me here in Ghana - I know that I'm this way everywhere I am. The people here in Ghana are some of the best people I've ever met in my life! This is not a poorly conceived attempt at ridiculing the people around me in any way. Even after saying that, some people probably still don't understand what I'm saying and if you don't: you're probably an extrovert. My point is: I need time to myself to recharge and refuel. Sitting and thinking, reading a book, watching a movie... those are all fun things for me. One of the great parts about being the way I am is that I feel like I'm rarely bored. There's always something to read (especially now that I'm on BBC ALL THE TIME), always something to watch, always something to write about or think about, always a game of Minesweeper to play (I'M OBSESSED)... I always have something to do - I'm much more comfortable being alone than I am with being in a group. It's just the way God made me.
#2 - I have to feel like I have a purpose. I have to feel like I'm doing something with my time and my life. In Ghana, I'm here to teach and be a witness to these students. Granted, I don't do that well all the time but there's always some new goal to work toward and there's always some work to do. At school I have a place to be, I have a place where I fit, and I have a job to do.
These two things were totally working against me all break. All my friends around me are amazing extroverts. It's hard to be an introvert in an extrovert world, which is no ones fault - I'm not blaming anyone. Then there wasn't any specific role for me to fill over the break. I feel like these two things almost contradict each other. On the one hand I like to be one my own and doing my own thing but on the other I have to feel like I'm doing something with my life. Does anyone else see the apparent contradiction? Anyway, I do.
I guess that's just what I am. An amalgamation of quirks, phobias, pet peeves, preferences, desires, hopes... all contradicting each other.
I like it.
Okay and here is my new favorite song! "Our God" by Chris Tomlin.
Water you turned in to wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There's no one like you
None like you
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There is no one like you
None like you
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God you are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God
Our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God you are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God
Our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
Opened the eyes of the blind
There's no one like you
None like you
Into the darkness you shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There is no one like you
None like you
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God you are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God
Our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
Our God is greater
Our God is stronger
God you are higher than any other
Our God is healer
Awesome in power
Our God
Our God
And if our God is for us
Then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then what could stand against
Really you could probably download anything by Chris Tomlin and it would be amazing. Him or Christy Nockels. She's pretty amazing, too!
Passion 2011. I'LL BE THERE!
Love to everyone in America :-)
Passion 2011. I'LL BE THERE!
Love to everyone in America :-)
17 February 2010
From the Inside Out
Everyone needs to download this song... now.
From the Inside Out, by Hillsong United
A thousand times I've failed
still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
still I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
still my purpose remains
The art of losing myself
in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And my heart and my soul
Lord, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
And let justice and praise
become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out, Lord
still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
still I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
Your will above all else
still my purpose remains
The art of losing myself
in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And my heart and my soul
Lord, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out, Lord
And let justice and praise
become my embrace
To love you from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, Lord, my soul cries out, Lord
16 February 2010
Got my hairs cut
In case anyone missed it... A few weeks ago, Amanda chopped off 7 inches of my hair...
While she did a FANTASTIC job - "Why do people even go to school for this? I can DO this!" I heard her say - I came to realize that it was cut to be exactly in that awkward stage of hair. If I was in America I would have kept it, no questions asked because it was totally cute. However, I currently live in Africa where your hair needs to be long enough to pull back off your neck or it needs to be short enough that it isn't even on your neck. This haircut fell squarely on my neck and was a built in heater. As if it's not hot enough, now my hair was working against me.
Anne Clair decided that this week was her big, life changing week - and I tagged along! Several of us made our way to Antoinette's to get our hair cut after our "teacher fun day" on Monday.
Ben went first.
Anne Clair went second. This transformation was a drastic one and there was no shortage of shocked faces from Anne Clair as allllllll the hair came off! She told us that never in her life has she had such short hair.
Meg went third.
And I went last! This makes for a total of about 10 inches cut off my hair in the last month. Whoa. That's about a year and a half of my life... gone! hahaha
Amanda was there with us, too but she opted out of the hair cutting extravaganza.
We look gooooooooood :-)
I think the intent of this picture is pretty obvious - before and after...
While she did a FANTASTIC job - "Why do people even go to school for this? I can DO this!" I heard her say - I came to realize that it was cut to be exactly in that awkward stage of hair. If I was in America I would have kept it, no questions asked because it was totally cute. However, I currently live in Africa where your hair needs to be long enough to pull back off your neck or it needs to be short enough that it isn't even on your neck. This haircut fell squarely on my neck and was a built in heater. As if it's not hot enough, now my hair was working against me.Anne Clair decided that this week was her big, life changing week - and I tagged along! Several of us made our way to Antoinette's to get our hair cut after our "teacher fun day" on Monday.
Ben went first.
David Beckham was the objective... How'd he do???
See how long her hair was?!
Meg went third.Short haired Meg has returned! Nice face, dude...
And I went last! This makes for a total of about 10 inches cut off my hair in the last month. Whoa. That's about a year and a half of my life... gone! hahaha
Amanda was there with us, too but she opted out of the hair cutting extravaganza.
We look gooooooooood :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)