A Life Lost, Faith Renewed...

As many of you know there was a tragic misfortune in Yap this last week. Kirsten Wolcott was murdered on Thursday, November 19. She had gone on her usual morning jog and when she did come back at class time they sent people out searching for her. They found her deep in the jungle stabbed several times. Even now as I am writing it is hard to imagine that this has happened when it could have happened to any one of us SM’s here or in any other place. We are on the front battle lines for Christ and since God’s side is winning, Satan is upset and trying his best to throw any thing in our way to prevent us from serving God with our 100 percent best.

The SM group, here in Palau, found out Thursday afternoon and there was a room full of mixed emotions. I, for one, was crying and confused, asking God why He allowed this to happen. Yes, even part of me was upset at God for a little while, just asking why, why, why. But after the initial shock had warn away there was peace that settled over our group. Some of us reached for our Bibles to look for encouragement while others of us prayed and asked for God’s encouragement, help and peace. This whole situation, so far, has really brought our group together, not only to keep each other safe, but also in a renewed strength to press forward and share God’s gospel with the world.

In this kind of situation I think of the commonly used phrase, live today as though it was your last. When I heard Kirsten’s story is struck me that I had just witnessed a modern hero, here in the year 2009. I had talked with her briefly in Hawaii on our way here and even at SAU since we were both in the same choir group and had the same major. In my small amount of interaction with her I saw that she was not afraid to call sin by its right name and she was a true Christian who did not hide the fact that she was in love with Jesus. She truly lived each day as though it was her last and I am trying my best to live up to the same standard.
She was taken from this world because I believe God knew she was ready to go. He knew that since she was serving Him faithfully He could allow her to leave from this sin polluted world. What great mercy God has! As you read this please remember the Wolcott family in your prayers and also the SM’s on Yap since two of them have already gone home. This is a terrible world we live in, but Christ is coming soon. Let us all keep this faith burning in our hearts.

Just to comfort you all, I am doing fine and still loving it here in Palau. It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday especially since I haven’t felt cold except while taking a shower with cold water. My kids our still keeping me on my toes, but doing great and learning so much!! I still love them so much even on the though, pull-out-your-hair days.

I’ll be home in exactly 26 days and I couldn’t be happier. I’m looking forward to being cold a majority of the time, taking a nice warm shower and not having to cook the same boring this for myself over and over again.

I miss you all dearly and pray that God is blessing you. Remember to be thankful of His gifts this holiday!

Novermber.... No snow :(

It’s finally a beautiful, relaxing, Friday afternoon and I have a few minutes to catch you on what’s been going on lately. I know it’s been many weeks since I’ve written last, but I’ve finally discovered that the work of a teacher leaves little time for blogging.

I am finally adjusting to the life here that I have in Palau, including the increasing heat index. For the past few weeks it hasn’t rained a lot therefore leaving it very, very hot. My hair is constantly up in a pony tale of sorts and it’s a little annoying to be sitting in my classroom sweating for no reason at all. We are saving money on air con (the Palauan way of saying air conditioning) so only four out of seven hours are to have air con. There is some sort of breeze some of the time, but it just never seems to reach inside my classroom. They (past SM’s) say that you get used to the heat, but I’m thinking that I’m an exception to that. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the heat!

Well, on a more positive note, the one thing I am getting used to is the same thing every day. I wake up, have worship, get ready, go to staff worship, meet my kids, go to the classroom, then have the same nine subjects every day. It’s extremely repetitive, but I love it (teaching) so much that the repetition doesn’t seem so bad day after day.

My students bring me such joy every single day! They are always saying new things, coming up with new ideas and making me laugh over the simplest things. For example, Ilang just got a letter from her pen pal, Rhina. In the letter Rhina told her to give me a hug every day since Rhina isn’t here to do it. So for the past few days she comes up at random times during the day and gives me the sweetest hug. I know that a teacher isn’t supposed to have favorites, but Ilang is truly my favorite. Her heart is the size of Texas and she has love for everyone. She is always telling me how much she will miss me even though I’ll still be here for 6 ½ more months.

In the end, I have come to a realization. Half my heart will be left here in Palau at the end of May and the other half I left back home with my wonderful family and friends. I miss and love you all!!

Just Another Day in the Life of an SM in Palau...

Day was just like any other. Come to class, have worship, Bible, Spelling, English, pull out classes, lunch, science, S.S., Reading, Phonics and Handwriting. (2 recess somewhere in there too.) I had to get on to my kids today for talking a whole bunch and there were hardly any marbles handed out and no stickers on homework folders. It was pretty unusual and boring to tell you the truth. Then.... then electricity went out. It was pretty dark, because it was storming really hard outside and there was no sunlight at all. We stopped our assignment early and played heads-up seven-up until the lights came back on. Thankfully, they came on as soon as recess time was over and we continued on as usual.

After all the kids left I was feeling pretty tired, miserable and exhausted. I just wanted to sleep. Then the Pastor came to my classroom and got on my case because my kids were playing infront of the church, when they were supposed to be sitting infront of the school waiting for their parents. This did not make me happy and the devil was really on my back giving me a hard time. I knew I had to have a better attitude so I asked God to send something or someone to encourage me and give me strength.

Well, I usually leave my sweeping for the morning, but this afternoon I just stayed for some reason to finish up before staff meeting. Just as I was in the middle of sweeping, two of my girls came in. It was Ilang and Ashlee. Their two hearts combined give enough love for the world two times over. Any way... they have me a really pretty, little six petaled flower and then gave me a hug. I could tell it was Ilang's idea because after she gave me the flower, she had to remind Ashlee that it was time for the hug. She gave a not so sublimanal message to Ashlee. She tried her best to whisper, but that is something that 4th graders can not do. She was like, "Ashlee, hug! Ashlee, hug!" In her quietest tone (which isn't so quiet). Needless to say this brightened my afternoon and now I am ready to go to bed early!

The Lord is so good to me and I can't imagine my life without Him!

Today, ask Him for a small encouragement. Let your faith soar and just see what He does. Don't forget to thank Him in the end!

Well here I am again from the beautiful island of Palau. I’ve been away from home for over two months and we’re finishing off our 7th week, I believe. It seems like so long ago that I got on that plane in Cincinnati and left not knowing exactly what was ahead. Little did I know the plans that God had in store.
From the moment that I started school on that Monday morning, August 24th, I knew that this is exactly where God had in mind for me to be. Every day He shows me again and again that, yes, it may be difficult and trying, but life is just that way so that our characters may be improved.

For example, just the other day I had to give some harsh punishments to my class because they really got out of hand in Palauan class. I had them write a large number of sentences and one of my girls wrote a note and added it to the top of her page where she had written all the sentences. She said that she was sorry for what she had done and that she would respect not only me, but her other teachers too. She asked for my forgiveness and my heart melted right away. Yes, I’ll admit that I was upset that my class was acting so crazy, but God showed me the right amount of love, patience and sternness (is that a word?) that I need to keep my class running smoothly.

Right now, while I’m typing, the kids are eating lunch. I wish you all could be here to see their happy faces at the simple fact that they get to talk with abandon and not worry about being quiet because others are working. The room smells extremely good and I can’t wait till after their lunch when I get to have my lunch break while they’re in Palauan. Yeah, baked potato and a salad!!
Today we took a few pictures before they started PE. We attempted a “jumping picture”. It’s hard enough with only two people, can you imagine how it would be with 15 4th graders? We finally gave up, but the pictures didn’t turn out too bad. Right now, I’m having a hard time completing even one sentence, because I’m constantly hearing, “Teacher! Teacher!”.

I know that when I get back to the US I probably won’t respond to Jolene only, “Teacher! Teacher!” I’m getting used to it and it’s kind of cute. Thankfully, in choir they call me Ms. Jolene.

Well, Genesis has asked me to test him on his states and capitals since we’re having a test of the Southeast states tomorrow. Thanks again for all the prayers and thoughts!

Some realizations...

This blog is going to give you,in full detail, a desciption of all my students. Enjoy!

First there is Maggie. She is the youngest of my 15 and is quiet, but adorable. She finds it hard to focus in school, but when she does she is very, very smart. He favorite little quirk is that whenever I reprimand her or show her what she is doing wrong in an assignment she just gives me the most adorable smile and it melts my heart to pieces. It's hard to stay stern around her.

Next would be Genesis. Lord help us all!! I love this kid to death, but is a complete handful!!! He is very smart, and has offered to help one of my students who is behind because of coming two weeks late to school. He helps for about an hour after school each day which is a HUGE help. Unfortunatley he is still disobiedent in class and I am CONSTANTLY having to tell him to stop talking. It can get quite annoying.

Then we have Kobe. He is a sweet, quiet, boy who is actually quite lazy. He is very smart when he is actully doing his work which doesn't happen a whole lot since he tends to wonder off in "lala land" and get distracted easily. I am proud to say though that he is getting better and he is my project this year.

My next student is Taldil. She is one of the most quietest people I have every met and also one of the sweetest (whenever she does talk). She is an amazing piano player and sings in choir. She's smart and is very focused in school. She is also the student I can depend on if I need any class done well.

Mimokl (Mimo for short) comes next. He is a little older than the others because he is repeating 4th grade. He is another one of my projects becaue there is NO WAY that I am going to let him fail this year. His first report card was encouraging and his parents loved it. (brownie points!!) He is my little helper and is constantly doing this with out being asked. For example, my dust pan had a huge crack and was working although it was a little difficult. One day I looked up and there he is taping my dust pan back together and now it works like new. He is super sweet!

Then we have Joni. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was in 4th grade. Talking, having fun and enjoying life to the fullest. She hasn't the smallest care in the world and she is always happy. Even though I am always telling her to be quiet she does really great in school and stays on top of her work.

Next is Kyle who is going to be my doctor some day. This kid is brillant when it comes to memorizing and making things stick in his head. I've had the kids memorize 11 of the 50 states so far (we'll have all 50 by the end of the year) and the after the third that I gave out the list he already had almost all 50 memorized. He always has the memory verse memorized the Tuesday before our Friday test and he is just really smart.

Then there's Ozzie. One of the cutest kids I've seen in my life. Big brown eyes, a little shorter for his age but still super sweet. He is well behaved some of the time, but when he gets around his friends Genesis and Mimo you're asking for trouble. (I have them as far apart as possible in the classroom!) When ever I do reprimand him though, he tends to throw a little bit of a fit but I will nip that in the bud sooner or later.

Ilang is sitting right next to Ozzie. Now, I know that you're not supposed to have favorites (and I don't) but if I was to choose one of my students to adopt it would be Ilang. She has a heart that is so loving she just can't give enough of it. During the first few weeks of school she was constantly talking and just not obeying the rules. Day after day I'm telling her to stop talking and slowly but surely she is getting better. Even though I punish her quite often she still loves me as if I'm perfect. I will miss her so much!!

Next comes Reklai. He is another one of my projects. (I'd adopt him too!!) You see, his mom is going to have her 3rd child any day now. His father is an invalid because of cancer and he is the child who came into school two weeks late. Because of this I've been slowly but surely helping him to get caught up on his work. He is a slow worker, but when he finally finishes he usually has A's. Most teachers might say that he won't make it through high school because he slower than his classmates. But I know that he will go on to college and make a difference.

After Reklai comes Rosie. She is Joni's twin and even though they look identical she is completley different. She is much less talkative then Joni and gets distracted VERY, VERY easily. I have her on the front row because I'm constantly telling her to get back to work. She doesn't like to ask questions which doesn't pay off in the long run. Even through all this she is very sweet and is constantly bringing me flowers.

Then there is Carol. She is not as quiet as Taldil, but she comes close. She is uber smart and is always done with her work 30 minutes before everyone else. She is Korean I believe and I love her smile because it looks as though her eyes are closed and you can't see them. Sooo cute! Just today, at the fair, she say me and came running over yelling, "Teacher, teacher!" I was surprised because she rarely shows affection!! I can always depend on her to help other students who are a little slower.

Next is Alfernie. He is again one of my favorites because I he's one of my projects too. He tends to cry a lot over the tiniest things and I plan to nip it in the bud this year. He will not be a whiny 8th grader!! Besides that he is always telling me cute facts about his family and friends and has the biggest heart to love just about anyone. He also tends to be my class clown some of the time.

Finally there is Dibuk. She is very pretty,sweet, smart, and a good student. I rarely have to get on to her about talking and she is always a good example to the other students. This is probably comes from the fact that her father was govener last year I believe and is running again this year. She has to appear in public quite a lot and is very mature for her age. She is really sweety.

As you can see I have quite a diverse class, but the combination is perfect and I can truly admit that I am lucky to have the class I have. From hearing the stories of other teachers I am lucky that my class is behaved (most of the time), on top of their work (except before handing out grades time) and very sweet and forgiving. I thank God for them each and every day. I wish each and everyone of you could meet them because they would love you and you would fall in love with them right away!! I have no idea how I'll leave them in 8 and a 1/2 months!! (sniff, sniff) :( Ahhhh think happy thoughts!! I have 8 and a 1/2 more months of fun and excitement!! :D