Week Five, and still Alive!

Good evening blog followers.

I am very happy to report that I have survived 5 weeks of teaching without running myself in front of a bus, car, or scooter. Though you may sense the sarcasm/jest in my tone, I am actually quite grateful for having made it thus far without more serious repercussions. It has not been an easy 5 weeks, but the blessings that I have received have far outweighed the stress that I seem to constantly be under.

First year teaching is HARD! I sometimes wonder what in the world I was thinking packing up and leaving my home country, family, friends and culture and jumping all the way around the world into the abyss. Okay, not really the "abyss," but it's a close enough analogy, seeing as I had a very limited idea of what I was getting myself into.

Does this sound like I'm whining my heart out? It's really not meant to. Let's redirect.

The past 5 weeks have been pretty great. I've gotten to know my students so much better and they really are a wonderful group. I am blessed to teach 17 eager minds that are actually excited about coming to school. Each day brings its own challenges, and of course there are ample opportunities for me to laugh at myself for silly mistakes I may have overlooked and are out there for the kids to see. We laugh together, and it's a good lesson for them to see that teachers as well as all human beings make mistakes, and that's fine, mistakes are made to learn from.

My greatest joy so far has been watching them come in every morning. They just bust through the door and are so excited to be here. Teaching Bible is incredible too. We've been praying for loose teeth a lot. Runny noses, coughs, an uncle's foot. Those are some cute ones, but we also pray for family that is far away, and family that is ill. They are a sensitive bunch and it's been humbling to hear them pray. I actually had one student come up to me a few weeks ago and ask me if I would pray with her. Another child in the class was bugging her a lot and she was concerned that she wouldn't be able to control herself, that she would lash out. So we prayed about it together. Things like that make me so incredibly thankful that I work here.

We had our staff retreat today, so yesterday was my first half day experience, and it was good. Then this morning we drove up to Si Tou Forest (Bamboo Forest) and had a great time. It was a short retreat. Perhaps the best part was going up into the forest and getting to see some more of what I am realizing is a gorgeous country. I confess that it made me feel more relaxed and reassured that God has a handle on all of this, and I do need to do my best, but I also need to learn to sit back and watch Him glorify Himself through each and every one of my struggles, as well as achievements. I can't spend the rest of my time here worrying and stressing over every detail. I can plan, and I must, but I musn't dwell.

Homesickness has been an issue lately. Especially since this was the week of 18. It was hard to be away from home, but listening to Cueca's a lot helped. I do often think about how excited I am to go home for Christmas, and then I have to remind myself that though it is good to look forward to things, I need to live in the NOW. As the wise (and favorite author) Elisabeth Elliot states in her book "Let Me Be a Woman" The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived--not always looked forward to as though the "real" living were around the next corner. It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.

With tomorrow in mind, I am excited to say that I'll be spending this weekend in Taipei with Natalie! We're going to do "touristy" stuff with friends that work at the Bethany (Taipei) campus. Once that has happened I will have more to report.

I have included some pictures of the staff retreat. Hope you enjoy!