The kids make me so happy!!!!

Today, after the kids went down to river, I wrote in the sand, "If you're happy, and you know it, write your name".  i thought it would be cool to see how many people would right there names.  I wasn't really expecting any because I thought they would come from the river and start playing soccer.  After I was done I went home to work on an assignment, and I didn't come back until it was almost time for supper.  When I was walking up to the dining hall, I saw a few kids kneeling down in the sand. I excitedly went over to see if they actually were writing their names.  I was really happy to see that there were many names, plus the kids who were still writing.  It's the little things that make my day! :D I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but it was too big!  I love my kids here!!!

I am so blessed to be a part of this school for the past 7 months!!!  Please, keep praying for the kids here and their salvation and growth in their relationship with God!

10,000 REASONS

I had been planning a girl’s night with the gr. 7-9 since last Sunday.  I wanted to do the whole shebang: feet soaking and massage, hand massage, face mask, music, etc.  I also wanted to leave the girls with a special message they would remember.  I had a difficult time thinking of what topic I wanted to do.  On Thursday night I finally decided on something, but.... on Friday I received a very special package!!!  In it was the camp video from Girl’s Camp at Joy Bible Camp.  I was very excited to get it.  I watched the video and quickly changed my mind on the topic for that night.  The girls at camp had made a poster titled “10,000 REASONS” and had everybody write a reason to worship and praise God.  I thought this was a great idea so I made up a quick poster.  During the events of the evening the girls went over to the poster and wrote all the reasons they could think of to praise God.  I was very happy to see a full page at the end of the evening.  We had such a great time with the girls, and they all seemed like they really enjoyed themselves.  They were very happy for a “Friday Night” without the boys!  Thanks JBC and Emily for the inspiration!!

Here are a few pictures of the night!

 

 

 

 

Thanks to this great group of ladies.  The night wouldn't have been possible without them!!

 

 

 

October Update

Dear friends and family,

We have had quite a busy month.  Zambia’s Independence Day was October 24^th.  We started with raising the flag and seeing the Zambian anthem.  Well, I listened.  At 9:30 we all went down to the pool for house races!  Jessica and I are a part of Poole so we were in charge of making sure the next competitors were ready.  I nearly lost my voice from cheering so loudly!  I felt like the head cheerleader for Poole, reminding everybody to cheer for our racer.  I had so much fun! 

We split into different teams after lunch for the fun races.  There was Cardiff, Belfast, London, and Edinburgh.  I was the team mistress of Belfast, and Mr. H was the team boss.  All that means is that I got to ride in the tube when the other team members had to push, pull, or drag the tube across the length of the pool.  My tube was not my friend today.  More often than not I fell out of the tube when trying to sit in it.  In one of the races the kids had to pull me with a rope from the shallow end.  (I was at the deep end)Once I FINALLY got in the tube the race started.  When they pulled me to the other side Mr. H tipped me out!!!  I was completely shocked.  I really shouldn’t have been though.  He did it again in the next race!  After that I was ready, and I was determined that I would not be dumped in again!  The kids would try to tip me out, but before they could I would jump out. 

At the end the men and women had jumping competition.  The women had to jump of the 4 different diving boards on to a tube.  The men had to jump/dive/freestyle off the four diving boards.  Pam felt the full impact of the tube from the nine foot.  She was the only one to actually be able to make it fully on the tube from that high up.  Hannah got the tube.  She went right through the whole!!  A couple women backed out by the six foot because they are terrified of heights.  It was all good fun though!  On the guys’ side, the most impressive dives were Mr. O’s flip off the six foot and Mr. T’s back flip off the nine foot!! 

Unbeknownst to me, the 3^rd grade classroom was switched all around.  The 3^rd graders have wanted to change their seats for quite a while.  I walk into the classroom Monday morning about 3 minutes before the kids came down from assembly to quite a surprise. I had just enough time to get used to the change.  The desks are all angled rather than facing the front.  There is also a new whiteboard on the wall.  It was great watching the kids’ reactions as they walked into the classroom.  There was a lot of “Wow!”s and surprised faces with huge eyes.  We only had about 2-3 ft in the front of the class the way it was before.  The way it is now the teacher has a lot more room to walk around.  The 2^nd graders join the classroom for some of the classes, such as Scripture and Science.  Before it felt like you had to either talk to grade 3 or grade 2, not both.  Now it’s possible to face the whole class. 

I am very excited that 2 or 3 kids were saved this month within the last couple weeks!  It’s so amazing to hear of a child giving their life to Jesus!  Please pray for them as they grow in their new relationship with Christ. 

I pray that you are all doing well.  Hallelujah, that we can praise God in the storms as well as the light.

With much love,

Yolanda