Oh the joys of chaperoning!

     This past weekend, from Friday through Tuesday, I got the opportunity to be one of three chaperons for a Sport's Tour for our 7th - 9th graders. Living out in the bush doesn't really make sport's games against other schools an easy or realistic thing to do, so once a year, the sport's teams get packed into two vehicles and travel eight hours to Chingola and Kitwe to play netball and football (soccer) games against some other private and/or Christian schools in Zambia. 

     Our girls played netball extremely well, and we were proud of their effort, teamwork, and incredible wins against every other team in their league. It was quite funny as the other schools kept asking, "So where are you from again?" Even in the bush, they've had the opportunity to be trained by one of the best P.E. teachers  around. Our boys weren't quite as victorious as the girls, but they still worked hard, and had a good time. 

     Needless to say, as fun as the trip was, I'm happy to be home and back with my second and third graders. Middle schoolers can be such a blast, but after so many times of looking for missing items, dealing with mood swings of teenage girls, trying to get girls to bed on time, out of bed on time, and reminding everyone to get their water bottles a half a million times, one is ready to come home to a normal school schedule. 

     All in all, I'm so glad that I got to go, and I was grateful for a chance to get to know the upper school kids a bit better. I have some neat memories that I'll never forgot with them, and I hope that I was able to build some relationships that will last. 

Planting Seeds

     We are doing a unit on the food we eat with the second and third grade, and how eating healthy affects our bodies, so one way we are practicing eating healthy food is growing some vegetables in class. First we went down to the school garden to get some dirt from the compost and then we headed back to the classroom to plant our seeds. 

     One student in particular has been very excited about this activity and had actually requested planting seeds (after reading about it) only about a week ago. His excitement has been an enjoyment to watch, and I'm happy to say that his plants have been the first to sprout. I love when students are so excited about learning, and I love to be able to feed into that, and try to be a part of building kids that love learning.

Nothing to blog about?

Oh I wish I had something to blog about
Oh I wish, oh I wish that I did
Oh I wish I had something to blog about
Like a picture, or a line from a kid.

Or something that's so fascinating
That would make you wonder if it's true
Oh I wish I had something to blog about
And then I could share it with you!

I wish I could blog about birthday party
How the theme was "Everything Nautical"
But unfortunately I didn't make it
Since I wasn't feeling healthy at all. 

See there's not much to say for the classroom
Apart from the day to day grind
Where one day you feel like a winner
The next wonder how you've been so blind!

I could blog about little reminders
God gives us to show that He's there
When a day where I taught about praying
A student was found kneeling in prayer!

Or sometimes when I'm going somewhere
(Wherever that somewhere may be)
I'll hear students singing a chorus
That I taught them in assembly.

Or the chances that I've had to build
Relationships with the senior girls so far,
With helping them with dinner dishes
Or teaching swimming, piano, guitar.

I guess the whole purpose of blogging
Is to remind me where my treasure's been laid.
And the day to day work of a ministry
Is worth much more than just getting paid.