Thankfulness

Lately I have realized just how much I truly have to be thankful for. God has provided far above and beyond anything I could ever ask or think, and I am so thankful for that. I know a couple days ago I listed some things that I am thankful for, but since then I have given it more thought and broken things down into more details and realized to a greater degree all that I have.

Just to share some things, I want to start out by saying how thankful I am for my Harvest family. There are many names that I can share and list specific things that I appreciate about each of them, however, I won't. But I will say there is always someone that I can turn to whether it be for advice, encouragement, or simply someone to just talk to or hang out with, someone is there. I never get the impression that I am being bothersome no matter how often I talk to the same person or seek advice from them. I could not ask for a better place to work. God is good!

Secondly, as the holiday season approaches I have wondered what I will do with not being able to go home, but I have had multiple offers from different people to spend Thanksgiving with them, or to just chill and do different things over the Christmas Break. I know that although I will be away from my family and will miss them dearly that I will not be lonely, and for that I am very thankful! God provides!

Thirdly, with having been homesick recently I have been trying to keep my schedule busy and take advantage of the various things that I have here and be thankful for them instead of dwelling on what I don't have and the things that I miss. Also, with today being Friday I have been thinking about what I should do tomorrow to keep myself busy and trying to figure out who I should call to plan something. As I was pondering this dilemma, my phone rang and someone that I have not been able to talk to much called to see if I had any plans for tomorrow and invited me join her for an adventure. It just so happened that she had gotten passes and the person she was going to invite wasn't able to go anymore so she called me. This made me realize that God cares about even my smallest "needs" or desires. He will take care of me and I have absolutely nothing to worry about....just more things to be thankful for!

I have been struggling a little recently with needing a car and wondering how long I will have to wait, but the more I think about it the more I realize that God already has all that figured out. He has the right car out there for me somewhere and when I really need it it will become available and all the details will work out. I just need to trust Him and be thankful that I don't have the extra expense and responsibility to worry about now. God's plan is perfect!

I am also so thankful for each of my students and their families. Most, if not all, of my parents are very understanding and helpful, and overall my students are well behaved. But as I am typing this right now, I am realizing that I am also thankful even for the naughty students. I get to learn how to deal with various situations that can be challenging, and because of this I can grow as a teacher and learn things that I otherwise would not have been able to learn if my kids were all well behaved. The more challenging students add an interesting dynamic to the classroom. There is never a dull moment, and today I found myself laughing (inside) at different things that they were doing even though it may not have been what they should have been doing! ...Now you are probably wondering if I am going to share any stories. Honestly right now I can't think of any...you almost just had to be there and see them, their little mannerisms and understand the situation, but if I think of one I will definitely share it, so stay tuned! 

God definitely does have a sense of humor, though!

Another thing to be thankful for is Skype and being able to make free phone calls to the States on nights and weekends. I am thankful for the many friends and family that I have all over the world praying for me, and being able to call them every now and then (some once a week). This is a luxury that is so easy to take for granted, but something that I am very thankful for. It makes the distance not seem quite as big, and even in some sense the time goes by faster being able to keep up to date with the various happenings. God loves us and hears our prayers!

So, I want to close with challenging you to take a minute or two to really stop and think of the many things that you have to be thankful for. Maybe some things that you take for granted...like cold weather or snow during this holiday season. ;) Whatever it may be, stop and thank God for it. This has helped me not only think about what I have, but realize more of who God is. So thank Him for the good and the bad, for the easy and the hard, because He has a perfect plan that He is working through you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: ..."

Hiking through the Jungles of Guam

I decided I better get these pictures posted before starting another week of school, otherwise who know when it will get done! ;)

With today being Veteran's Day we did not have any school, so I was able to experience a new part of Guam and island life. I went on a hike to a place called Sela Bay. This was unlike the hikes I am used to in West Virginia, instead of hiking through the woods we hiked through the jungle. There was also lots of mud and it was pretty slippery. It took us about 30 minutes or so to hike from the car to the beach. Once we got to the beach we just sat and relaxed for a few hours before heading back. 
Here are a few pictures:

Hiking in the muddy jungle...

It was really hot!

Spanish bridge

We found the ocean!

I was trying to show how muddy I was, but it didn't really show up in the picture...

Walking to our "camping" site

View from "camping site"

We went snorkeling when we first got there. The water was very shallow so it was hard to snorkel, but while we were putting our gear on we saw two baby sharks swimming around (they had gotten through the reef because they were so small - most of the time the sharks are outside of the reef). 

Some of the treasures others found while snorkeling...

Then we built a fire with whatever materials we could find so that we could cook our lunch.

They found some clams that the island boys were opening up and eating. I tried a little...

They had also brought fishing spears on the hike, and some of the guys caught fish with the spears, cooked it over the fire and ate it.

Some pictures from the hike back. The paths were filled with wild orchids that looked like this. They were very pretty!

While we were down at the beach it felt like we were trying to survive on an island. However, I think it was more of a realization for me of what island life is like for some. They are calm and laid back, not in a hurry for anything, not worried about what they will eat this week, rather what will I eat today. If the college boys (who grew up on the islands) got hungry they went and caught their fish using a spear and ate it. One of the boys decided to use his machete and cut off some palm tree leaves to make shade. He called it his house. :) It was nice to have a slow paced day and learn more about the island way of doing things.

Today was a good day to reflect on God's beauty and remember all the things I have to be thankful for!

Modge Podge of Updates

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post! Sorry about that! I will try to post more often from now on (however, no promises). Life has gotten pretty busy with the different happenings of school.

Let me see, though, since my last post...

• We have had an unexpected day off of school due to a typhoon (which was only a tropical storm when it hit us). This was an exciting new experience.
  
• We had our revival services, or Summit Meetings, at church with Will Galkin as the speaker. That was really encouraging. It gave me lots of things to think about and work on, which is always good. :)
  
• We had International Day which was a half day and the students dressed up from various countries all over the world.
  
• I started going to a Bible Study on Saturday nights (whenever there is no Harvest function going on) at the Kirkland's home. This has been very refreshing and encouraging having a connection outside of Harvest (although Harvest is great, it is nice to have contacts outside the little bubble). They are also a small connection to my home back in Beckley, WV, which is a great blessing. I am so thankful for them and their friendship and ministry.
  
• I ran a 5K in about 30 minutes. We had to be there at 5:30 am for a start time of 6:00 am. It was a lot of fun, but I'm not used to running in the heat that early in the morning. The sun rises between 5:30 and 6:00 am and sets about the same time pm. The average temperature here whether sun or dark is upper 70s to mid 80s.
  
• We had Apple Day at school - my first full special day. Overall it went really well. We made applesauce in the classroom, had a visit from Johnny Appleseed, painted with apples, made apple mobiles, and inspected the inside and outside of an apple. In addition, we had a visit from the firemen and learned a little about what they do and the different parts of the truck. This was in conjunction with the Kindergarten classes' Career Day.
  
• Today I successfully finished my first day of Parent Teacher Conferences without any major problems, which is a huge blessing! The parents here are very understanding and supportive of the teachers. One thing I found interesting, though, is that the teachers sadly seem to get more respect than the parents. I had one parent ask me to tell her son (while she was sitting there) that he needs to obey her. I had another parent comment that they should get a life size picture of me so that their child would be more motivated to obey. Another parent almost used me as a threat to their child, saying that she would call me if needed so that her child would obey. It was an eye opening experience to how different the culture and way of thinking is. The teacher has a high value and respect level from both parent and student.
  I guess you could say this was a good reminder of what a ministry and impact I can have on each of my students and their families!
  
• I'm sure there have been many more things that have happened since my last post, but these are all the major events that I can remember right now. 

Lately, I have been struggling with being content with where God has placed me when all my friends, and family and all that is familiar are back in the States. With the holidays coming up it has also been a little more challenging knowing that I will not be able to go home. But through this challenge God is teaching me many things, and I am growing closer to Him because of it. I am finally starting to truly realize and understand that GOD IS ENOUGH!!! I do not need anyone or anything else to satisfy me. Right now I am right where God has me, and if I were any place else I would not be happy because I would be outside of His will. There have been many people here who have been very encouraging and supportive of me during this time and helped me direct my focus back to God. I am so thankful for them. 

Seeing that it is the month of November, "Thankfulness month," I have realized how truly blessed I am and how many things I have to be thankful for. Here are just a few things that I would like to share:

• I serve a wonderful God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He is ALL I need
• I get to live on an island
• I am teaching 25 wonderful 1st graders
• I have encouraging and supportive school parents
• I am healthy and have not gotten sick yet despite the sickness that is going on around me 
• I have a wonderful group of fellow believers, family, that I get to serve alongside of, encourage, and be encouraged by. People that will point me back to God, my Father, when I am tempted to sin
• I have a wonderful supportive and encouraging family back home that loves me
• I have all of you readers around the world who are encouraging and praying for me. Some days this is more of an encouragement than you may realize. I am so thankful for each and everyone of you.

The list can go on and on. One more simple thing of thanks - I am thankful for a day off tomorrow where I get to go hiking and relax at the beach for the day. :) I will try to think of you and pray for those who are suffering in the cold weather while I suffer at the beach. ;-) Pictures coming soon.

Here are a few random pictures of various activities, my students, and classroom. Enjoy!

The "indoor" recess area - during snack and rainy days.

Working hard in the classroom.

Beautiful sunset.

Ypao Beach

Panoramic view of my classroom from the doorway.

Fish...

International Day

Sunrise at the 5K