wow. it's almost time to start a new season in my life again. The past month since I have been home has been super busy with work. I am working at a Day Care in Brunswick and take care of mostly babies and 1 year-olds. It is a very difficult job even if you love kids to death like I do. I have a new appreciation for every day care worker. Your work is constant, it never stops and you are constantly telling kids "NO!" and "Stop that!" It has been draining to say the least, but I feel like I am so prepared for teaching and whatever comes next with kids. In a week, I will start my summer ministry as a camp counselor at Camp Highland in Ellijay, GA. I am so excited for this next season the Lord has me to do. Camp Highland is so dear to my heart and I am honored to be able to work alongside some pretty amazing people. I am going to have limited communication again so the Lord, again, will be teaching me to rely fully on Him always. We are going to be participating in outdoor activity such as mountain biking, rock climbing, ropes courses, canoeing, tubing/skiing, horseback riding, white water rafting and so much more!! I am so excited to be the hands and feet of Jesus and be an instrument that the Lord uses in these kids lives. Camp Highland is a very special place because it is where I met my boyfriend and where my best friend has worked for the past two summers. This place has made such an awesome impact on both of their lives, I cannot wait to live there so soon!
This next week I will be making my way over to Newnan, GA and then Jackson, TN for Quick's graduation. I am so extremely proud of him. He is the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college and will actually be attending Grad school in the fall in Jackson. He has worked so hard and the Lord has honored his hard work. On the 23rd of May we will begin staff training for two weeks and then the campers come! I will be at camp from the 23rd until August 4th. After camp I move to Atlanta to finish school at Kennesaw State University. I am excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. Moving to a new place is always exciting and I cannot wait to meet new people, but I am going to miss the Island and all of my friends and family. I know God's plan, purpose, and timing is perfect and I am waiting with open arms for it. The Lord is so gentle and sweet and understanding. I am so glad He is in control and I'm not! Hallelujah for His constant presence and guidance in my life. He is forever and always faithful to His children.
-rach
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Culture Shock.
I am finally back on the Island and it feels so good to be home. I cannot wait to put my toes in the sand later this afternoon! Being back in the states has been really weird for me. I feel almost as if I am in a daze and I should wake up from a dream and be back in Africa again, but that won't happen for a while...I miss the kids so much and think about them and pray for them daily. They are all out on break right now and will start attending school again at the beginning of May. Some part of me wishes that I could just move to Africa now and start teaching over there, BUT I have to get my degree first. Me and mom were able to go see Taylor in Athens for his Old South Parade on Wednesday and took pictures and watched the parade. It was really fun and then we went up to Kennesaw yesterday and I registered and applied for the Education Program there and will be attending in the fall. It's def not UGA, but I think I am going to love it. The people there are super nice and it is beautiful and has a smaller feel to it, which I love. I am going to be living with my aunt and uncle in Smyrna to start out and then we will see from there. Some of the things that have been super hard for me to adjust too is all the excess stuff we have here. The nice clothes, cars and everything else. In Africa, the people don't need a lot to be happy, they have each other and that is the most important part of their lives: relationships. I miss the kids smiles and hugs every morning and late night pillow talks with Sawyer, I miss the morning greeting at the school and P.E. I miss the sunshine and afternoon rainy days. I miss our treck to Choma and the restaurant and watching FRIENDS on the weekends. But most of all, I miss the people, the conversations I had with Sylvia, the laughs I had with my girls, the Hide-and-Seek games and the constant piggy back rides and hand holding. I miss the realness and authenticity and the raw goodness of Africa. God has convicted my heart and made me realize that I need to have that same raw authenticity in my life and the same down-to-earth relationships. We need to be so consumed with Christ and his Character that we do not have time to worry about what clothes we are wearing or what fancy restaurant we are going to eat at next. I need to be consumed with His passion for me that I forget about all the material possessions around me. I am captivated by His love for me and I pray that I can share the authenticity of His love to others around me. I pray that I can appreciate the little things in life and not take for granted the relationships He has given me or simple things like electricity, power, running water, clean water, shoes without holes and food to eat. Christ love is consuming and His desire for us is to be completely satisfied in Him. He is so worthy, bask in His love for you today.
-rach
-rach
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Home again Home again...
All my love,
--Rach
Saturday, April 2, 2011
HOW GREAT THOU ART
Ok so I have done some pretty amazing things the last few days. When we arrived in Livingstone last Friday we were able to bring one of our dear friends, Moses that we met in Macha, he is from Zimbabwe. We are staying at Jollyboys, which is a backpackers place in the heart of Livingstone and it is so cool!! It is so chill and we are able to hang out by the pool and it has tons of places to relax. On Saturday, we were able to go to Victoria Falls, which is the most amazing, powerful thing I have ever seen in my life. The sound of the water crashing down in such capacity takes your breath away and made me realize yet again how great my God really is! We proceeded to walk around the Falls and got absolutely soaking wet with rain ponchos on! We were just getting wet by the mist of the rainfall and we were absolutely SOAKED!! It was so so amazing!!! We took many pictures that I hope to share when I get back to the states. As I kept looking out over the Falls and reviling in the majesty of God and His beautiful creation, I started bursting out in song, one of my favorite hymns: “How Great Thou Art”. Sawyer and I also sang, “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin, another one of my favorites and I could not stop gasping and screaming at how overwhelming it was. The experience with 3 people that I have become really close friends with because of Christ was amazing.
We also were able to go on a 3-day 2-night safari in Botswana that was absolutely incredible. We left early Tuesday morning and had to cross the Zambian border into Botswana and met 3 great people that attended the Safari with us, Darcy and Janet were mother and daughter from Idaho and they were both teachers and Kevin was a single 28-year-old that grew up in California and went to Stamford and now lives in London and is pursuing an acting career. So cool!! We crossed the border with no problem and arrived at the Safari Lodge for our 3-hour boat cruise. We were able to see many Hippo and Elephants, mongoose, crocodiles, water monitors, impala and many birds. It was really beautiful and peaceful and we continued to meet more and more new people on the Safari. One of my favorite parts of the boat cruise was seeing the abundance of water liliesJ It was so beautiful and they were many different shades. After the Boat Cruise, we returned to the lodge and had the most delicious meal I have had in my time in Africa and then headed for the land safari portion. Our group was made of 10 people including us 3, Darcy, Janet, Kevin and 4 girls that were studying abroad in Cape Town. Our Safari guide was named Jinson and has been doing tours for 22 years and has such knowledge about African wildlife and is a great man. We were able to see Kudu, Impala, Zebras, many elephants, giraffes, buffalos, water bucks, water monitors, eagles, many birds, hyena, lions and their cubsJ, all kinds of antelope and so much more. The coolest experiences of the 3 days were “running with the elephants”, seeing the lions everyday and almost seeing a leopard… “Running with the elephants” was when Jinson brought us down to the river and we stayed in the car and started speeding up and made the elephants run, many trumpeted and got a little feisty, it was incredible!!! Then we were able to see 2 Lionesses and their cubs on the first day and then seeing them eat their kill. The second day we saw Lions in Sunset at the river, the third day we saw lions in the morning at the river and then we saw Kudu making their alarm call and saw a baby Kudu get killed by a leopard…we actually didn’t see the leopard kill the baby, but saw the baby dead in the bushes and we were in the presence of the leopard, which was CRAZY!! The elephants and the giraffes and Lions were definitely my favorite part!
Today I was able to ride an elephant!! It was SO AMAZING!!! AHHH!! We got to ride it for a whole hour and then got to feed and pet them! So So COOL!! Tonight we went on a sunset boat cruise and tomorrow we are going to be doing some Adventure at the FallsJ So so excited!! We leave for Lusaka on Monday morning and I head back to the states on Thursday. It is going to be very bittersweet leaving Africa, I do not want to leave but I know I will be back someday! Thank you ALL for praying continuously for me, the Lord is teaching me so much right now it is crazy. I am realizing some reasons why He brought me here and have been able to reflect on my time at MICS while I have been in Livingstone. I miss MICS A LOT and especially the kids but they are on break right now and will not be attending school until May. Please continue to pray for my safety and for healing for Gil and Rhonda Krause. You are all a blessing to me and I cannot wait to see all of you again soon in the states. His name is above every name and He is majestic and SO WORTHY. PRAISE HIS NAME FOREVER.
-rach
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Farewell MICS
On Friday, it was our last day at MICS and it was so hard to leave the precious kids that I have gotten to know and love for the last 4 weeks. The morning started out with Joe giving the devotion and me and Joe and Sawyer and Joe thanking for them allowing us to be part of their life at MICS and we are so thankful for each of them. There are about 30 kids in all in the boarding program and I was able to get closer with those children more than the other at MICS. There are about 100 kids total in the whole school, so it was really special to form a special bond with the boarding kids. I think I developed the closest relationships with Lisa, Christabel, Lwindu, Prince, Loondu, Christopher, Blessed and Chibonwa. Christabel is in the 4th grade and I was able to teach her math for a week and help her with her homework each afternoon. Christabel has a really hard family life. Her family left her in Macha when they moved to Lusaka. She begged to stay in Macha so she could continue to go to school at MICS and they left her. She has a lot of deep hurts and did not have a home for a while. She needs the love of Jesus and the Lord allowed us to have a special connection. Lisa is one of the younger girls that is just plain adorable. She is in the 2nd grade and wanted me to play with her all the time. She stole my heart while I was in Macha and Sawyer’s too. She is such a joy and makes me smile. Chibonwa and Blessed are also younger. Blessed is in the 1st grade and Chibonwa in the 2nd. They always wanted to play with me and give me hugs. Lisa and Blessed were big buddies. Lwindu is a treasure. She is so precious and would always greet me with a big hug and “Miss Rachel!!”. We played the card game, “Old Maid” everyday and she always somehow, wonJ She loved me and I deeply loved her. She always wanted to be near me. Christopher is one of the oldest boys. He is in the 6th grade and has a really hard family life but is sponsored to come to MICS. He is really scared about what is going to happen to him after the 7th grade when he leaves MICS. He is very smart and has a heart of gold. I admire his attitude so much. Prince is my man! Prince is in the 2nd grade and is crippled. His legs do not work and are too frail for his body so he gets around in a wheelchair. He has the friendliest deposition and such a positive outlook on life and does not let his inability to walk get him down. He absolutely loves his mom and hates when he cannot see her. She is extremely sick with HIV AIDS and she has limited time. Prince is smart and always played “thumb war” with me and Mr. Joe. He is such a delight and I am going to miss him so much. Loondu is amazing. He is also in the 6th grade and has a hard family life. His family is extremely dysfunctional and is sponsored to come to MICS too. He has a calling to be a missionary when he gets older and has the most beautiful singing voice. He sang and lead the youth choir every Sunday. Every day he would serve the boys plates at lunch and dinner. His heart is pure gold and it so sweet and kind. He is precious and I wish I could take him home with me, but I think He is going to do amazing work for the Lord in Zambia.
In the afternoon, the children gave us a Farewell program. Each grade sang us a goodbye song and wrote letters, notes and drew pictures for Joe, Sawyer and I. It was one of the sweetest things and there were definitely tears shed and it was very difficult to say goodbye. The staff women also sang a song to us and each child gave a handshake and hug on the way out. I am going to miss their beautiful voices praising the Lord every morning and helping them with their homework in the afternoon and reading them Bible stories from the “Jesus Storybook Bible” But I know that the Lord’s timing is perfect and if He wants me to return to MICS I will. He has done so many things in my heart that I wish I could share with all of you but that would take weeks. He is forever faithful and holds me in the palm of His hand. Those children have blessed my heart so much and I will never ever forget them. There hearts are so pure and tender towards God and they do not have hardly anything and are perfectly content. I am in Livingstone now with Joe, Sawyer and Moses one of our friends that we made in Macha. We are staying here until Tuesday and then going on a Safari in Botswana until Friday, then staying in Livingstone for the weekend and then off to Lusaka for a couple of days and then America bound on Thursday, April 7th. I will be arriving in the states April 8th and cannot wait to see my family, friends and boyfriend. We are going to see Victoria Falls tomorrow and we were able to fly over them 3 times yesterday. It is absolutely breathtaking. I will try to put up pictures once I get back to the States. Thank you so much for the continous support and prayer you have given me. The Lord is forever faithful and His creation takes my breath away.
-rach
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Tuesday: The African Sun
Today is Tuesday, the 2nd day of the last week here at MICS. So much has happened in just the past two days I could not wait to post! Last week I was given the news that I could no longer teach 4th grade Math because of my accent and I was kinda upset but I knew God was in control and He had bigger plans than I had for myself. Come Monday, Mrs Cynthia the other Reception teacher, has been sick and is supposed to be having her baby any day now and is not in school. So I got the opportunity to teach Reception two days in a row with Mrs. Anastasia!! It has been so fulfilling and rewarding. I love the little ones and that is where my heart and true passion lie, I have also been able to teach the little Reception and 1st grade girls in P.E. and I have been teaching them cheers, such as "Bang, Bang Choo Choo Train" and "Firecracker, Firecracker" and the "Banana" Cheer! It has been so fun to play with them and have fun outside. I have also been able to teach them "Little Sally Walker" and play Hide-and-Seek with them. They are absolutely precious and I receive so much Joy from them! I also am able to teach the Reception class, which is like a Kindergarden class in the states, Bible and I am reading from this great Bible storybook called, "The Jesus Storybook Bible". I was given this awesome Bible by my mentor, Lindsay, Freshmen year of college and love it so much. It gives and tells of the hope of Jesus in each story and has really cute illustrations.
It is probably one of the hottest days that we have had so far today...that African sun...I am so blessed to be here and to be able to form relationships with the Staff and teachers and especially the students at MICS. Many of the children have come up to Sawyer, Joe and I and asked us when we are leaving and they get pretty upset when we tell them. We are leaving this Friday and only have 3 1/2 more days with the kids. Please pray for intentional conversations to happen with the children and with the staff and we will finish the race that God has allowed each of us to run well and let our actions, thoughts and words be honoring and glorifying to God. My heart has been breaking the past few days knowing that I am going to have to leave the kids, but I know God's timing is perfect and if He wants me to come back He will allow me to. He has been so faithful to all of us, Sawyer, Joe and I, and allowed us to make a huge impact for the Lord and be impacted by the precious children here. I read a letter from one of my dear mentors and friends the other day, Christy and I wanted to encourage you with the verses she gave me.
"He who did not spare His own Son, surely along with Him won't He graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which, clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
Romans 10:14-16
Thank you for always praying, May the Lord bless you and reveal Himself to you in a special way today! I WILL PRAISE HIS NAME FOREVER!
-rach
It is probably one of the hottest days that we have had so far today...that African sun...I am so blessed to be here and to be able to form relationships with the Staff and teachers and especially the students at MICS. Many of the children have come up to Sawyer, Joe and I and asked us when we are leaving and they get pretty upset when we tell them. We are leaving this Friday and only have 3 1/2 more days with the kids. Please pray for intentional conversations to happen with the children and with the staff and we will finish the race that God has allowed each of us to run well and let our actions, thoughts and words be honoring and glorifying to God. My heart has been breaking the past few days knowing that I am going to have to leave the kids, but I know God's timing is perfect and if He wants me to come back He will allow me to. He has been so faithful to all of us, Sawyer, Joe and I, and allowed us to make a huge impact for the Lord and be impacted by the precious children here. I read a letter from one of my dear mentors and friends the other day, Christy and I wanted to encourage you with the verses she gave me.
"He who did not spare His own Son, surely along with Him won't He graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which, clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2
"How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
Romans 10:14-16
Thank you for always praying, May the Lord bless you and reveal Himself to you in a special way today! I WILL PRAISE HIS NAME FOREVER!
-rach
Saturday, March 19, 2011
How Deep the Father's Love for Us
Hello everyone!
Today is Saturday, yet another weekend in Macha. This is definitely a much needed weekend for me. This past week was a rather tough one, but so rich and good in the Father's love for me and His children. The Lord is revealing so much to me here that it is sometimes hard to put into words all of what He is doing at MICS and in my heart. This past week was certainly a full week for Joe, Sawyer and I. I started out the week teaching Math and Spelling to 4th grade here at MICS. By Thursday afternoon, I was told that I could no longer teach 4th grade Math because some of the parents complained about the children understanding my accent. At first, when Mrs. Sue told me the news, I was extremely upset and immediately started questioning God and why I was even brought back here. But God was so faithful, in reminding me and whispering to me, "My daughter, it is not about you but about me." I think that sentence could sum up what He is teaching me while I am here in Zambia. It is all about Jesus and not about me. My teaching 4th grade Math was definitely a humbling experience because I am absolutely terrible at Math, but by taking the opportunity to teach it away really showed me that His plans are WAY better than any I could conjure up for myself and that I need to Trust the ONE who is in control. I decided not to worry and know that He has something better planned for me. I am still going to be able to teach Spelling everyday and help out with the Activity room, P.E. at 9:30 am and also maybe help some with the 1st grade this coming week.
I am in awe of Jesus' goodness and provision throughout this whole journey. I have been praying fervently for intentional conversations to come up with me and the children and the staff here at MICS. On Thursday Sylvia, the housemom and I, had a really good conversation about God's constant faithfulness and how He knows best, all we have to do is trust that is way IS best and that He knows us better than we know ourselves. Sylvia has a good heart but is not a very happy person, but it has been amazing to see the changes in her since Sawyer arrived in January and even when I arrived just 2 weeks ago. She is more open with both of us, smiles and jokes around with us and is more tender to the children. It has been such a JOY to be with the boarding girls every afternoon and be with them at night. I am becoming closer and closer to them and it is going to be so difficult for me to leave on the 28th. We have 9 girls that are boarding: Josephine, Blessed, Lwindo, Lisa, Nancy, Sevina, Ester, Chipandwa, and Cristabel. I have formed the closet relationships with Lisa, Cristabel, Lwindo and Chipandwa. Lisa and Chipandwa and Blessed are the youngest and Sevina and Cristabel and Nancy are the oldest. Nancy and Lisa are sisters and Josephine is the niece of Yvonne and Justin Milandu, the house parents for the boarding school. They all are so sweet and the Lord has given me so much Joy from them. I am praying for continued conversations and opportunities for me to share Jesus with them. Fannie and Sylvia are the house moms that share the responsibilities with Sawyer and I. We have been reading Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to them before they go to sleep and they have really enjoyed it. It has been really neat to give devotion to the children at night and sing songs with them. I think African children singing to the Lord is one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard.
This week I got the opportunity to teach the boarding kids in music and taught them:"This little light of mine", "Lord I lift your name on High" and "His banner over me is Love". They like all three songs and were very quick at picking them up. Every night we have devotion and singing time before the kids go to their rooms and get ready for bed and Sawyer, Joe and I and Mr. Milandu take turns in giving the devotion at night and the next morning. It has been so encouraging to see the kids listen to us and want to know more about Jesus and His love for us.
I think one of the biggest blessings for me, besides playing and being with the children is having Sawyer here with me and being an encouragement to her. We have gotten so much closer as the time here increases and I am so blessed to have her as my sister and close friend. Her humble attitude and willing spirit has been so encouraging for me to watch and observe. She does all her work to the best of her ability and is extremely detailed and through with her work. Joe has blown me away at how gentle and kind and caring he is with the boys and I am so blessed to have a Godly example how a man should act while I am here. His humble spirit and willingness to help and change the kids lives is truly amazing. God has been SO faithful and I know that I keep saying that but I don't know what else to say, He has shown his faithfulness in every aspect of this trip and has shown me true love and grace. He has allowed me to meet people in Macha that love the Lord and want to help the people here as well. The Tiesons are a family that live right next to the school and have 2 children that attend MICS, Keyanna and Josiah. Josiah is a little boy, 2nd grade, that is adopted from Zambia. Anthony and Karlene lived here for 3 years and then adopted Josiah and returned for furlow in Canada and then came here again for 11 months and are moving again soon for Canada or Mexico. They are a precious family and Anthony is a teacher to the teachers at the school. He guides and counsels teachers in the school in the Macha area. We went out to the resturant with Tracy and Matthew and The Tiesons minus Anthony. It was so good to hang out with people that have lived all over the world and have lived in Macha for sometime and to see the different perspectives. We had Lasagna and Fries which was DELICIOUS. The food that we have at MICS is not that good so we get a good meal it is a treat. We played this game called PIGS and you have 2 rubber pigs and a scorecard and you roll the pigs and different positions the pigs are in depends on how many points you get! It is so fun and I am getting a game of PIGS when I get back to the states:) Today is a very relaxing day and at about 4:30 p.m. we are going to meet Karlene and go to Choir Practice with her and then have dinner at the Teisons. Every Friday at MICS, me, Sawyer and Joe plan an activity called Fabulous Friday and pick a theme. Yesterday was Beach Day and it was SO much fun. The kids all meet in the chapel and the theme is kept secret until they are all settled in the chapel. We then tell them the theme and yesterday many of them had never even heard of a Beach. We began with a scene from the Little Mermaid- "Under the Sea" and then we split the children up in groups 4th, 5th and 6th grade did a Treasure Hunt around the school and Reception, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade stayed with me and we drew pictures of the Beach and read stories about the Beach and the Ocean. Then all the groups went around and played outdoor games. I packed a UGA football helmet Beach Ball and the kids played Beach Volleyball with that and then they came and played what is called the Water Game. You have 4 buckets and 2 buckets are filled with water, and 2 cups. You split them up into 2 teams and the beginning person fills their cup up with water and races to the bucket to pour the water in. Whichever team as the most water in the bucket wins. I organized this game and all the kids thought is was fun. Then after that they proceeded to go back to the chapel and watch Planet Earth and learn about creatures in the Ocean. They all really enjoyed it and it is fun for us to plan it:) We are still brainstorming for ideas for the next Fabulous Friday.
I am so very blessed to have friends here and to have true fellowship and community. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for this week at MICS.
Today is Saturday, yet another weekend in Macha. This is definitely a much needed weekend for me. This past week was a rather tough one, but so rich and good in the Father's love for me and His children. The Lord is revealing so much to me here that it is sometimes hard to put into words all of what He is doing at MICS and in my heart. This past week was certainly a full week for Joe, Sawyer and I. I started out the week teaching Math and Spelling to 4th grade here at MICS. By Thursday afternoon, I was told that I could no longer teach 4th grade Math because some of the parents complained about the children understanding my accent. At first, when Mrs. Sue told me the news, I was extremely upset and immediately started questioning God and why I was even brought back here. But God was so faithful, in reminding me and whispering to me, "My daughter, it is not about you but about me." I think that sentence could sum up what He is teaching me while I am here in Zambia. It is all about Jesus and not about me. My teaching 4th grade Math was definitely a humbling experience because I am absolutely terrible at Math, but by taking the opportunity to teach it away really showed me that His plans are WAY better than any I could conjure up for myself and that I need to Trust the ONE who is in control. I decided not to worry and know that He has something better planned for me. I am still going to be able to teach Spelling everyday and help out with the Activity room, P.E. at 9:30 am and also maybe help some with the 1st grade this coming week.
I am in awe of Jesus' goodness and provision throughout this whole journey. I have been praying fervently for intentional conversations to come up with me and the children and the staff here at MICS. On Thursday Sylvia, the housemom and I, had a really good conversation about God's constant faithfulness and how He knows best, all we have to do is trust that is way IS best and that He knows us better than we know ourselves. Sylvia has a good heart but is not a very happy person, but it has been amazing to see the changes in her since Sawyer arrived in January and even when I arrived just 2 weeks ago. She is more open with both of us, smiles and jokes around with us and is more tender to the children. It has been such a JOY to be with the boarding girls every afternoon and be with them at night. I am becoming closer and closer to them and it is going to be so difficult for me to leave on the 28th. We have 9 girls that are boarding: Josephine, Blessed, Lwindo, Lisa, Nancy, Sevina, Ester, Chipandwa, and Cristabel. I have formed the closet relationships with Lisa, Cristabel, Lwindo and Chipandwa. Lisa and Chipandwa and Blessed are the youngest and Sevina and Cristabel and Nancy are the oldest. Nancy and Lisa are sisters and Josephine is the niece of Yvonne and Justin Milandu, the house parents for the boarding school. They all are so sweet and the Lord has given me so much Joy from them. I am praying for continued conversations and opportunities for me to share Jesus with them. Fannie and Sylvia are the house moms that share the responsibilities with Sawyer and I. We have been reading Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to them before they go to sleep and they have really enjoyed it. It has been really neat to give devotion to the children at night and sing songs with them. I think African children singing to the Lord is one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard.
This week I got the opportunity to teach the boarding kids in music and taught them:"This little light of mine", "Lord I lift your name on High" and "His banner over me is Love". They like all three songs and were very quick at picking them up. Every night we have devotion and singing time before the kids go to their rooms and get ready for bed and Sawyer, Joe and I and Mr. Milandu take turns in giving the devotion at night and the next morning. It has been so encouraging to see the kids listen to us and want to know more about Jesus and His love for us.
I think one of the biggest blessings for me, besides playing and being with the children is having Sawyer here with me and being an encouragement to her. We have gotten so much closer as the time here increases and I am so blessed to have her as my sister and close friend. Her humble attitude and willing spirit has been so encouraging for me to watch and observe. She does all her work to the best of her ability and is extremely detailed and through with her work. Joe has blown me away at how gentle and kind and caring he is with the boys and I am so blessed to have a Godly example how a man should act while I am here. His humble spirit and willingness to help and change the kids lives is truly amazing. God has been SO faithful and I know that I keep saying that but I don't know what else to say, He has shown his faithfulness in every aspect of this trip and has shown me true love and grace. He has allowed me to meet people in Macha that love the Lord and want to help the people here as well. The Tiesons are a family that live right next to the school and have 2 children that attend MICS, Keyanna and Josiah. Josiah is a little boy, 2nd grade, that is adopted from Zambia. Anthony and Karlene lived here for 3 years and then adopted Josiah and returned for furlow in Canada and then came here again for 11 months and are moving again soon for Canada or Mexico. They are a precious family and Anthony is a teacher to the teachers at the school. He guides and counsels teachers in the school in the Macha area. We went out to the resturant with Tracy and Matthew and The Tiesons minus Anthony. It was so good to hang out with people that have lived all over the world and have lived in Macha for sometime and to see the different perspectives. We had Lasagna and Fries which was DELICIOUS. The food that we have at MICS is not that good so we get a good meal it is a treat. We played this game called PIGS and you have 2 rubber pigs and a scorecard and you roll the pigs and different positions the pigs are in depends on how many points you get! It is so fun and I am getting a game of PIGS when I get back to the states:) Today is a very relaxing day and at about 4:30 p.m. we are going to meet Karlene and go to Choir Practice with her and then have dinner at the Teisons. Every Friday at MICS, me, Sawyer and Joe plan an activity called Fabulous Friday and pick a theme. Yesterday was Beach Day and it was SO much fun. The kids all meet in the chapel and the theme is kept secret until they are all settled in the chapel. We then tell them the theme and yesterday many of them had never even heard of a Beach. We began with a scene from the Little Mermaid- "Under the Sea" and then we split the children up in groups 4th, 5th and 6th grade did a Treasure Hunt around the school and Reception, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade stayed with me and we drew pictures of the Beach and read stories about the Beach and the Ocean. Then all the groups went around and played outdoor games. I packed a UGA football helmet Beach Ball and the kids played Beach Volleyball with that and then they came and played what is called the Water Game. You have 4 buckets and 2 buckets are filled with water, and 2 cups. You split them up into 2 teams and the beginning person fills their cup up with water and races to the bucket to pour the water in. Whichever team as the most water in the bucket wins. I organized this game and all the kids thought is was fun. Then after that they proceeded to go back to the chapel and watch Planet Earth and learn about creatures in the Ocean. They all really enjoyed it and it is fun for us to plan it:) We are still brainstorming for ideas for the next Fabulous Friday.
I am so very blessed to have friends here and to have true fellowship and community. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for this week at MICS.
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