Substitute Teaching

Today I took a walk over to the orphanage to get out a bit (and get a few hugs from some kids in the process), and I stumbled across an opportunity to help out at the orphanage a little.

The two Zambian teachers at the orphanage, a married couple, are needing to take a week off so that they can work in their fields, and someone needs to be able to come fill in and teach the lower grade kids at the orphanage for a week. With me being on break I actually have the time to fill in, so if nothing else comes up, I will be substitute teaching at the orphanage all next week! I'm pretty excited about this...I'm eager to have a better idea what teaching at the orphanage is really like, and to see if that's something that I'd be interested in doing at some point down the road. I'm also ready to do something else other than be on break, so it should be a nice change of pace. 

Substitute teaching, here I come! :)

Friday Swim Time!

For several months last year the kids at the orphanage would come and use the Sakeji pool for a swimming outing every Friday morning. Since the key people who ran that have since gone back to their home in England, the Friday swim times have been dwindling, as it takes quite a bit of manpower to watch 25 - 30 little kids who mostly don't know how to swim! During term I'm unable to help out with that as I'm always in the classroom  around that time, but since I'm on term break, I, along with others, have been trying to revive it. We've had a great couple of times, and even seen some progress with kids who were afraid of the water and are now conquering their fears, and are obviously having a blast!

I've been enjoying spending time with the orphanage kids in a different capacity, and building on the relationships that I have with them a bit more. I was down at the pool a little before the kids arrived today (to unlock the bathrooms and check for snakes) and it was sweet when they all arrived and immediately started shouting out "Mama Hannah! Mama Hannah!"

These kids are so precious, and I love being able to be a part of their lives...however small of a difference it may make in the long run. 

Exciting changes...however temporal

If you're reading my blog you're probably aware of how easily I tend to get excited....and lately I've had three pretty neat additions to my house which are very exciting! :) 

I'm not sure how many people know this, but I've always wanted to have a rocking chair when I'm grown up with a family...and even wanted one for the past year that I was out here at Sakeji. Well...somebody here found out about that and moved a rocking chair from another house over to mine, knowing that I'd really enjoy it! I'll have to move it back when I leave here, but for now it's mine, and that's pretty cool!

Next is a toaster! There wasn't a toaster in my house when I moved here, and I guess I figured the hassle of buying one from town (they are pretty expensive) wasn't really worth it. Well, again, someone on station asked me if I'd like to use their old toaster for a while (as they got a new one), so having toast for breakfast is becoming a new treat!

The last very exciting addition is a piano!!! This is a temporary thing, but exciting none-the-less! There are a few pianos scattered around station, but none in my house. Right now however, the assembly hall is being renovated, and during the period of time when that will be happening the piano gets to stay with me!!! Again, this was suggested by other staff members who figured that I'd appreciate it, and probably jump up and down with excitement over it! 

It's neat to have some new things in my house that make it more homey and comfortable for me, and it's a blessing to have other staff members who have figured me out, and like to give me not just the things that I need, but also some things that I enjoy.

When my heart is overwhelmed...

     Sometimes all of the sudden problems seem really big and unmanageable. It's crazy how I can see God work time and again, and then suddenly (like the Israelites and the 12 disciples) I forget all God's past miracles and focus on all of my present problems! How silly of me! It's like in the Bible when shortly after Jesus had already fed the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish, and the disciples ask Jesus how He is planning to feed another crowd that is actually smaller than the first! It's easy to shake my head at the disciples in the Bible, and yet, how often am I like that myself!

     Anyway, this morning in my devotions I read a passage in Psalms, a few verses that I had actually already put to music to help me remember them. Such amazing verses, and at the end of my day as I was beginning to fret and forget just how big my God is, these verses came back to me:

 "Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. 

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, 

when my heart is overwhelmed; 

lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter to me,

a strong tower from the enemy. 

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; 

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." 

Psalm 61:1-4 (NKJV)

     It was a great reminder, and somehow, as suddenly as my problems became huge, they seemed small again. How great is our God, who not only knows the silly concerns of my life, but cares deeply about them, and about me. I don't know how anybody could live without Him!

And yet another term is finished....

     The prospect of getting through this week was a little daunting, as I had class all day everyday, with a whole lot of checked out kids who weren't interesting in learning anything new, but all just wanted to go home! (And I didn't blame them!!!)

      It's crazy to be sitting here, at almost the end of Wednesday, having finished all my report cards, met all my end of term deadlines, and have just finished all my parent/teacher interviews! It's amazing that somehow the hard stuff is finished and completed until next term! I feel like it is the first day of summer break, and while I still need to go to dinner tonight, and help out with the dinner dishes, I feel like I'm done, and that already I am on break!

     In about a week I'll probably start missing the kids, and being ready for second term to start, but right now, having time to relax, not being on a rushed schedule all the time, and living in my house instead of in my classroom sounds pretty good! 

     End of term is filled with plenty of emotions...pride for my kids and what they've accomplished, exhaustion from the past term and a need to catch up on sleep, excitement for some of the projects I want to do over break, sadness as my roommate will be leaving to go home....and with each end of term I am realizing that it is bringing me one step closer to the day when I will be leaving Sakeji to go home and get married! What a bitter/sweet end of term that will be!