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!

The Countdown!

Near to the end of term (and in some cases not so near to the end of term) the kids start a countdown till the break, and pretty soon everyone is counting down along with them! I've even got it up on my chalk board this term....11 more days!

The rules for the countdown are pretty funny. You can't count today, and you can't count the day that they go home, and often they don't want to count the last day of classes either! (Some kids also try not to count the weekends!)

I was one of those kids who always tried to make things sound bigger or more than they really were so that I'd be pleasantly surprised when they were finished earlier, or sooner than I was expecting. I think I often still am like that!

But I guess, this term, I'm happy to follow the rules, and make end of term sound as soon as possible too. I'm in disbelief how close we are to end of term, and trying to figure out where the term went, but just as happy for a break as the kids! 11 more days, and I can catch up on sleep!

Or nieces, or nephews for My sake....

     Well, this morning I had four emails in my inbox telling me about the birth of my newest little nephew, born last night (in my time zone, six hours ahead of the states)! He sure looks like a cutie from the pictures that I've seen of him, but pictures just don't really cut it when I know that I have to wait another four-ish months till I get to see him and hold him!

     I guess the verse Matthew 19:29 has kept popping up in my mind today..."And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life." (NKJV)

     No, I'm not giving up as much as the original disciples gave up for Jesus, and I'm certainly not giving up as much as many other heroes of the faith past and present have given up, but every once in a while I guess I need to be reminded that the small sacrifices that I do make for the kingdom are seen as very important in God's eyes. And that's encouraging. :)

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Today while I was trying to get some work done in my classroom (I was attempting to multi-task, and memorize Bible verses and grade math at the same time...it didn't work so well) I was taken with the beauty of this tree right outside of my classroom window. It's just blossomed, and there were birds flying around from flower to flower. For a few minutes I was just caught up in the amazingness of this creation, and the poem "All Things Bright and Beautiful" just kept going through my mind! What an incredible God we serve! What an amazing creation He has made! 

A somewhat poor attempt of a picture of the beautiful birds that are often outside my classroom.

Looking forward to always being Blue

Since the beginning of this term the kids started calling me "Future Mrs. Blue", or "Mrs. Blue to be", which is now often just dropped to "Mrs. Blue"....I don't mind being called "Mrs. Blue" at all, since, pretty soon it will be my name (besides, then I have an excuse to think about getting married!)!!! They always enjoy calling me that too...I think that the idea of one of their teachers getting married is just an exciting thought and thing to think and talk about. 

Today I had to smile though, as I was wearing a brown dress, and one of the second graders said, "Hello Mrs. Brown." 

Hmmmm.....I'm not sure if he was clever enough to think of a witty joke, or if he really thinks that my last name always matches what I'm wearing! :)

Grade 2's Hard at Work

...Well, sort of hard at work anyway! Just some snapshots I took during math class this morning. These are the smiling faces that I get to see on a daily basis...they are usually smiling that is! :)