Pictures!!!

I have now been on the island for a week and a half, and am adjusting pretty well so far. The people here are great! They have been super helpful and understanding, and it is very much of a family atmosphere at Harvest, for which I am thankful!

After being here for a week I was finally able to get my phone, so I have only had it for a couple days, and haven't had a chance to take many pictures but here are the ones I have taken of some things I see every day. :)

This is the view out my bedroom balcony. 

View from our living room window. 

Then, at Harvest, the lower elementary classrooms are in a separate building (far left in the picture) from the rest of the classrooms, which is super nice! My room is on the corner with the two windows. This picture was taken as I was walking down from the upper part of campus. (Straight ahead is the girls dorm for the bible college.) 

....and here is a sneak peak of my classroom. More pictures to come once I get everything organized and presentable. ;)

Please pray for me, especially this week. I am beginning to feel the effects of being a first year teacher. Tomorrow night is parent orientation, and Thursday is the first day of school. I am satisfied with my room, but it has taken me longer to get it ready than I expected, and trying to figure out how to organize things has been somewhat challenging. 

Before coming here I was told that I would need to plan to get a car, I wasn't sure how necessary it was until I got here. I was also under the impression that I could walk to school, however, I am in the larger apartments (3 bedrooms), but they are a couple blocks away from campus. Although, I am within walking distance it is not a good idea for safety reasons to walk. Thankfully many Harvest people live in these apartments, so finding a ride has not been too difficult. 

The other challenge has been getting my bank account taken care of. The problem has not been needing money, but being able to access what I do have. I have finally been able to get an account set up here, and I some funds put into it, however, it will be about another week before the funds are available. I have been surviving fine, but I try not to go to the store or spend any money unless I absolutely have to, because it gets kind of complicated if I do. 

Another minor road block has been that I am still waiting for my boxes with my belongings that I shipped from the States to arrive. The post office in West Virginia told me they would arrive August 2. Well, that date came and went and no boxes. After talking to people here I found out that very rarely do things arrive on the day they were supposed to, and they get "lost" somewhere in between here and there, because there is no tracking update. I am not worried, I know they will arrive eventually (maybe 2-3 weeks late, though ;)), it just becomes interesting when I need some of the things that are in there.  

All of that to say it has been challenging to get things for my classroom and get it organized the way I would like, because, although the people here are very willing to help out, I do not want to take advantage of them. However, through all of this I have come to realize that it's okay if my classroom isn't perfect, it's okay if I can't do everything the way I prefer, as long as it works, it isn't going to matter in the long run. Also, God knew that all of this would happen, and so instead of complaining about it, I just need to trust Him. Trust Him for strength to get me through each day, trust that He will work all the details out in His time, and be thankful for the many, many blessing He has given me. 

I mean, how many people can honestly say that they live on a beautiful island, teaching and ministering to kids of all ages, and have a great group of people who love the Lord and each other to work alongside with, in addition to having a great support group on the other side of the world praying for me! I'm not sure it can get much better than that! So, as I sit here this Monday night I am reminded that God has a perfect plan and will work out all things for good. In the big scheme of things, none of these little problems matter. I need to make sure that I am obeying God and that means teaching these first graders that will soon be headed my way. So, ready or not, let's get this school year started! 

Thank you once again to each of you for your love and support!