Word of the Week February 6, 2010

I am a logophile.  I could be described as sequipedalian. 

I love learning new words.  You will probably notice how my face lights up when I hear a new word.  I love trying to figure out what new words mean.  I love watching people’s faces when I use new words.  I am probably the most frequent user of dictionary.com.  So, I have decided that this may be a good place to begin sharing some of these new words that cross my path.

The word of this week is:  deluge.  (I actually learned this one from One Tree Hill this week.)

-noun 1. a great flood of water; inundation; flood  2.  a drenching rain; downpour  3.  anything that overwhelms like a flood
-verb 4. to flood; inundate  5.  to overrun; overwhelm

This word seems fitting for this week seeing as how we experienced a “deluge” on Friday.  However, it also seems appropriate as I can talk about the “deluge” of blessings that have been poured on me or the way I have been “deluged” with essays from my students this week.

So…what has been your “deluge” this week?

Have Yourself a Nerdly Little Christmas January 4, 2010

I admit it…I am a nerd…and I must also say that I have become quite proud of it .  When I was in high school, I tried so hard to play it cool.  I pretended like disorganization didn’t bother me and that school was only important because I wanted to get into a good college.  This pretense continued on into adulthood–I thought I could be a closet nerd and no one would know my secret.  Well, over the last few years, my “nerdliness” has become something I can hide no longer.  There is so much about me that screams, “Nerdly!”  (I must give credit to my SeeSalt friends for this term.)

So…with that being said, let me share with you what I got for Christmas this year.  This will only prove what I have just said…I promise.

First, my biggest nerdly gift is my Kindle.  I love to read, so this was the perfect gift for me.

 

Next, we have my fancy little label maker.  I have gone just a little label happy with this.  It is so much fun to make the fancy little labels, and I absolutely LOVE having everything organized.

 

Third is this nifty little thing.  It’s actually from my principal! 

 

And lastly is my pencil sharpener.  Now, to offer somewhat of a defense for this one, it is for my classroom.  My poor kids have been wearing their hands out trying to use handheld ones that only work half the time.  My dad was kind enough to make a small contribution to their well-being and gave me this for Christmas.  My kids were pretty excited about this one too!

 

Now, with all of that out in the open.  I am going to use my handy-dandy little label maker to label myself…

New Year’s Resolutions: Revisited January 2, 2010

I made a list of New Year’s Resolutions back in August when school started back.  To begin 2010, I think I need to take a look back and see how things are going.  Here is the list I made back in August…

1. to pray for discernment every day so I will be able to know what each of my students need from me– In August, I had no idea that I would have such a great group of kids this year.  I love love love love them!  Also, my trip to Kenyan schools gave me a brand new appreciation for my students and my job.
2. to work out regularly (meaning at least 3 times a week)–This one needs some work!  I coached tennis from August until November.  That provided some exercise, but when the season ended, so did my exercise plan.  January is a great time to start that back up.
3. to finish reading through the Bible–This one is progressing–I’ve made it to Psalms.
4. to make it home to watch Gilmore Girls in the afternoons (That means that I leave school to be home at 5.)–Tennis season messed this one up for a couple of months, but I’ve done much better since then.  The problem is that many days I want a nap more than I want to watch Gilmore Girls.  That doesn’t need to happen .
5. to use my evenings and weekends to invest in friendships–Church, friends, and family are keeping me pretty busy and I love it!
6. to do something FUN for myself at least once a month–In September, I did this.  In October, I made spent a weekend with my dear friend, Carol, in Anderson.  We stayed in our pjs, talked, and watched college football all day…it was GREAT!  November and December have been whirlwinds with the Kenya trip in November and Christmas and birthday in December.  I did have lots of fun during all of that though!  So, what is up for January?  We’ll just have to see…
7. to only bring home what will fit into my new, smaller teacher bag–gotta find some balance here–I have a stack of old essays in my bag that I’m working on grading right now.
8. to say NO to things that don’t fit onto my plate (Visit here for more info.)–Saying NO is still pretty difficult.  I gotta keep working here.
9. to get excited and prepared for Kenya trip in November–I have talked a ton about this trip.  See these posts and read all about it.
10. to enjoy spending time pouring into KidSpring and Fuse in Florence–These deserve their own posts! 

So what’s the plan from here–

1.  Get back on an exercise plan–Wii Fit is helping out with this.
2.  Keep managing my time–give school the time it needs without getting consumed
3.  Prepare for my next trip to Kenya–maybe this summer??
4.  Keep having fun! 
5.  Keep  myself immersed in the Word and in the pursuit of God’s face!

God Keeps His Promises January 1, 2010

Sometimes God teaches me things one step at a time…

Step 1:

Alex was a kid in one of the classes I worked with in Kenya.  Here is the rainbow that he colored (please notice that it is in the correct order–the class had just learned this piece of information).  Our lesson with Alex’s class was that “God Keeps His Promises”.  We read the story of Noah’s ark and talked with them about how we can trust God.

Step 2:

One of the guys on the trip with us posted this picture on his Twitter while we were in Kenya.  Since I did not have many chances to communicate with family, my sister and mom saw this picture on Twitter and knew that I was okay.  My mom has spoken of this picture many times and told me that this was her sign from God that He was taking care of me while I was on the other side of the world.  I love that God used this picture (with one of His rainbows) to remind my mother that “God Keeps His Promises.” 

BTW:  We saw a rainbow almost every day that we were in Kenya.  I think that is so cool!  It’s like God knows that the people in Kenya might need lots of reminders of His goodness.  I love that he offers them the rainbows to remind them that He loves them. 

 

Step 3:

I am reading Francis Chan’s Forgotten God.  I got to chapter 2 the other day and read about how we often pray small prayers because we are scared that God might “fail” us.  Chan challenges that we need to let God fill us with the Holy Spirit so we can boldly trust Him and His promises. 

Here’s what he says: ”I have found that it comes down to faith:  Do you believe God keeps His promises or not?  Do your prayers and actions give evidence of your belief?…And ultimately you need to stake your faith in God alone, not in the gifts that He gives.  It really comes down to trust.  Do you trust God that when He says no or ‘not in this way’ to you, you still believe He is good and doing what is best?” (page 49)

Ode to Chick-Fil-A December 28, 2009

Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways…

I love that you are always clean
and that the people you hire are never mean.
I love the pickles on your sandwich and your waffle fries,
I can have them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner…you’re always willing to comply.
I love that you truly believe that I should have it my way.
You aim to please and brighten my day.
I love how you never put mayonnaise on my sandwich,
and that makes ordering such a cinch.
I love how my bread never gets soggy because you skillfully place
the lettuce between the tomato and bread just in case.
All of this just to say…
It is truly my pleasure to visit you, Chick-Fil-A.

Take to the World December 22, 2009

So God’s timing absolutely amazes me sometimes.  Bear with me for just a second to set this up…I am currently helping out with Fuse (student ministry) at the Florence campus of NewSpring Church.  We have been meeting in a wonderful family’s home, who has graciously allowed us to bring in 70+ teenagers to invade nearly every room in their house.  While there, we watch a video message from the student pastor at NewSpring’s Anderson campus.  We have been watching a series that he preached back toward the end of the summer.  All of this to lead into one particular message and how it pretty literally rocked my world (several months after it was actually preached).

If you read this blog, you already know that coming back from my trip to Kenya was quite difficult.  In this blog, I referred to the time when I was suddenly able to start processing.  What I am getting ready to share was the beginning of this processing and much of it came from the previously mentioned message from Fuse along with this song  that I re-discovered on my iPod about this same time.

• #1:  Brad, the student pastor, made the point that we each leave a trail of affections that lead somewhere.  We each have 10,000 minutes per week.  These minutes create that trail that leads somwhere.  So, where is my trail leading?  Do my affections (what my life–not my words–say I care about most) lead people to Jesus?  How can I best use every one of those 10,000 minutes this week?
• Here is my Kenya connection:  If you listened to the song linked above, you heard this line, “May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs to lead the hungry back to the place where you are from.”  I was with a wonderful team over in Kenya, and we were very intentional about leaving a Jesus trail for the people we encountered.  Whether or not we were always successful, we were intentional about letting the bread of life on our tongues lead those hungry for Jesus back to Him.  Now, I’m back in America…why is my purpose any different?  I still encounter people every day who are just as hungry (if not more hungry in some cases) for the bread of life.  I pray that my trail will lead people straight to Jesus!

 

• #2:  Brad referred to Psalm 115 where it talks about idolatry.  One of the big points from this message was that we will become what we behold.  In verses 4-8, the psalmist describes the idols as having mouths but not being able to speak, having eyes but not being able to see, having ears but not being about to hear, having noses but not being able to smell, having hands but not being able to feel, and having feet but not being able to walk.  And the most powerful statement in verse 8, ” Those who make them will be like them…”  So, Brad’s point was that if we worship idols (tv, cell phones, relationships, ourselves, etc.), we will become like them.  We will become callous and numb and apathetic and insensitive.  We will be like the idols in Psalm 115–we will no longer use our mouths to speak truth, we will no longer be able to see the needs of those around us, we will no longer hear God speak, we will no longer feel for the lost, and we will no longer use our feet to take us places to serve. 
• Again, here is my Kenya connection:  Go back to the line of the song that says, “Know you must become what you want to say because that’s still the way He takes to the world.”  God expects me (as His child) to become more like Him.  That’s His plan for spreading His gospel:  I live how He wants me to live, I begin to look more and more like His son each day, and then people begin to see Jesus in me and come to know Him.  If I allow myself to become like the idols we have here in America, I totally mess up the message that I send to everyone (Kenyan or American).  They don’t see God…instead, they see something totally fake pretending to be like God.  My prayer through this Christmas season has been for God to keep me sensitive to the needs of those around me and to break my heart for what breaks His (to borrow a line from another song).  I long to see the world and the people around me as God sees them.  Now, I don’t know if Kenya reawakened this in me, but I know that it definitely sharpened my senses.  I pray they stay sharp and that I will stay in a posture to keep them from becoming dull ever again.

Connect the Dots December 21, 2009

While in Kenya, I fell in love with the kids I met over there.  Their smiles, their precious faces, their barefeet, their little hands…I love love love them.  I still smile and get a little misty-eyed thinking about the time I spent with them.  I loved how they would hold my hand and not let go.  I loved how they giggled as I tried to speak Swahili.  I loved how they cheered when we arrived at their schools and villages.  What I loved the most is that they were so full of joy.  They smiled most of the time and didn’t let their circumstances bring them down.  It was so convicting and refreshing at the same time.

Our afternoons in Kenya were spent with the older students at the Uasonyiro school.  These students were close to the age of my students here in America.  We did many activities with these kids to teach them about Jesus.  We also had the chance to get this group to write letters to my American students.

 

While in Kenya, I didn’t forget about my lovelies back here in America.  I missed them greatly.  Even though, they are middle schoolers who wouldn’t dare be caught holding my hand and they don’t cheer for me every time I walk in the classroom (which both might seem a little awkward over here), they are such a special bunch.  For the first week I was back, I really struggled to fit these two worlds together.  I so didn’t want to forget the kids in Africa.  I think I was so scared that my American students would simply just replace the Kenyan students now that I was back home.  I have realized that there is room in my heart for all of them.  I fell back in love with my students, and my heart still skips a beat when I remember the precious faces of the kids in Kenya. 

This past Friday, I got to share my Kenya pictures and the letters with my 8th graders here at home.  My American students wrote letters back to the Kenyan students.  They were so excited to get to do this.   It touched my heart in such a huge way.

Some highlights from their letters that make my heart smile:

Many of them…

• began their letter with “Jambo” because they wanted to learn how to say hello in Swahili.
• want to visit Kenya one day and meet the kids that wrote these letters.
• want to get a letter back from Kenya.
• want to travel around the world to learn about other cultures.
• want to see a zebra/elephant/giraffe.
• loved seeing the African nature and animals in my pictures.
• will be praying for the kids in Kenya.
• wanted to tell them about things in America that they don’t know about.

  For example, this group of kids took pictures of their braces because they wanted the kids in Kenya to know what they meant when they said they wanted to be a orthodontist.  Look at these huge smiles .
  

So, I now feel like my two worlds are connected.  The kids that have been close to my heart since August have become acquainted with the kids that stole my heart in Africa.   I love that!

 

Getting Back in the Swing of Things December 21, 2009

The last three weeks have been such a whirlwind.  I never dreamed that coming back from a trip to Africa would be such an adjustment.  It has been like I was experiencing everything in America again for the first time.  Walking into school, serving at church, driving a car, using my debit card, sending a text, etc…everything has felt different.  A friend at church told me that I was now seeing my world through “post-Kenya” eyes, and that is a great way to describe what it’s been like.

It took about 2 full weeks for me to feel “normal”–well-rested, rational, in control of my emotions.  Here is the best way I can sum up those 2 weeks:

1. My brain hit the pause button.  It refused to process.  It was just taking everything in which meant I felt completely overloaded.
2. I was extremely emotional.  I cried every morning on my way to school and every afternoon on my way home.  I cried at Hallmark commercials and songs on the radio.  I cried over absolutely nothing.  For those of you that know me, you know this is totally not normal for me.
3. I longed to be back in Africa.  I longed for the fresh air, for the slow pace, for the kids hanging all over me.  Everyone’s joy over there was so contagious.  (I think this may be where some of the crying came from.)

Then, suddenly, one day last week, it was like a light turned on, like a fog lifted.  I was able to begin the processing process.  The longing to go back didn’t leave, but I was able to start thinking clearly and realistically about when I might be able to go back.  I’m still a little more emotional than I was before, but I’m thinking I’m okay with that.  I like that I am more sensitive to the needs and conditions of those around me.  Now, I am still looking for lots of answers, but I feel like I have direction.   I know I’ll have more to post about all of this later, but I didn’t want to keep anyone in the dark. 

P.S.  My friend, Cookie, has written some wonderful posts detailing a lot of what we did while we are over there.  I am loving that I get to relive the trip through her writing.  Here is a link to her blog if you are interested .

On a More Serious Note… November 17, 2009

So I definitely have Kenya on my mind–that might have something to do with the fact that I leave in less that 48 hours.  It seems like just yesterday that I posted this.  It has already been a journey preparing myself (heart, mind, and body) for this trip.  

The best part of this preparation is coming to the understanding that God has chosen me to do this because He loves me.  I also love that He has reminded me of that daily.  Everything from providing more than enough money for the trip from many generous people, to providing me with a wonderfully supportive work family who doesn’t mind me missing the 4 days of school before Thanksgiving (I am praying they won’t be full moon too), to giving me an overwhelming sense of peace and excitement about the trip…through all of this, God has shown me that He is really in control of the details and all I have to do it get on the plane and go on the trip.  I have heard over and over, “Heather, do you trust my love for you?”  Such a tough question to answer–so convicting every time I realize that I have slipped into yet another frenzy of control-freakiness.

All of this hit me the other day with the words of a dear friend who sent me this text:  “And we see this trip isn’t just about God using you but also about him loving you.”  Wow!  I need to tape that to my forehead so I can remember that every day that I’m in Kenya (maybe writing it on my heart will be a little less awkward ).  I think it’s pretty good advice to remember when I get back and face other challenges too.

Advice for my trip to Kenya… November 16, 2009

…from my 8th grade students at school .

My kids got so excited today when I told them I was going to Africa for my Thanksgiving break.  They didn’t believe me at first, but when they realized it was true, they had lots of questions and even more advice to offer.  Here are some of the best pieces of advice they gave…

1)  If I see a real lion, I should run.  They really will eat me!  (I think they may have heard that on the Discovery Channel for Kids or something.)

2)  We should definitely pack a turkey, so we can have a Thanksgiving dinner…instead of eating goat.

3)  I should try eating monkey brains while I’m over there.  (They’ve heard they really do eat that in Africa…who knew?!)

4)  They (all 95 of them) should be at the top of my souvenir shopping list.

5)  This is my favorite…ladies, they think we should take turns washing each other’s hair in the sink in the bathroom.  This way we don’t have to endanger ourselves by swallowing any water.