Teaching

Tomorrow is my first day teaching a full 50-student class, and I'm teaching twice.  Lately I've been hit with exhaustion, I am just tired and have no motivation to exercise or write lesson plans.  Maybe I'm getting used to the schedule, or the weather, or the pace of life here, or the food, I don't know. But it bothers me, and I hope this lethargy is not here to stay.  Also, it's been a month since I taught at my last placement, and even longer than that since I've been really nervous about teaching.  So, the usual first-time butterflies are hitting me again and there's nothing to do but pray and put on a smile (or, in case of classroom management, a perfectly straight face).


The best part of my day yesterday was Skyping with my parents.  I am just so thankful for my family back home, which includes my church family.  The amount of support and encouragement in our family of faith is a testament to God's love.  So, thank you to all of you who have supported and prayed for my family just recently as well as over the years-- it means so much.


I recently had a good talk with the pastor and his wife.  I mentioned how Christianity is viewed differently here and in the states.  Ruth, the pastor's wife, commented that we have different battlefronts, but the same battles.  Slavery here look like wooden idols and dragon-ornamented temples and incense-perfumed meditation; America has its own brand of slavery that its being sold every day.  Yet people have the same needs, and they all need to be loved and forgiven.  I pray that God keeps you strong, each of you in your own mission field.


The rainy season is picking up.  On Monday I got caught in the rain on my way home from a bike ride, and my friend and I returned soaked.  Of course, I loved it.  It's raining again today, and Mom, I'm so glad I brought Chopin with me-- it was a perfect day to play his Raindrop Prelude. :)


Crazy food of the week-- yellow watermelon!  It's as yellow as squash and has almost an identical taste to red or pink watermelon.  I don't think I've ever seen yellow watermelon in the states; have you??


That's it for now... please pray for strength for me to get over this sleepiness.  More importantly, please pray for more missionaries to come here next year.  Ideally they would have 16 -18 missionaries at this school teaching Bible and English classes.  Currently there are 13 missionaries, and 3 of them are not coming back next year, while several others are still deciding.  Having less missionaries would mean cutting programs, decreasing the teacher-student ratio, and having less Christian witnesses among the national teachers who practice Buddhism, Taoism, or just "respecting all religions".


In my own personal prayers about where I will be in the fall, all that's clear is that I am called to be in Him; that is the "location" where God wants all of us for the entirety of our lives, the best place for us to be.  For more specifics, I wait and pray.


Anna


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"Fear not, for I am your shield, 
your very great reward."


Exodus 15:1b