Currently

I'm currently watching this show almost every night to unwind before bed. I love it! :)

I'm currently rereading my notes from church this morning. ...awesome message on sin and digging deep in the Word.

I'm currently sitting in my classroom. I brought lunch with me today so after church, I could just go straight to my classroom and do some work, thanks to me not being quite so productive yesterday. And since I've been working non-stop since I got here, I'm giving my brain a break by finishing up this post.

I'm currently planning to catch up on Duck Dynasty tonight with some friends. ...such a fun show! 

I'm currently loving the Jubilee Project Films on youtube. They are all super inspiring and raising awareness for all sorts of diseases, disabilities, and for various people groups. My favorite video is Language of Love. Check them out!

And speaking of youtube, I'm currently realizing that it can be quite addictive. Wow. I should probably stay off of there during the work week :)

I'm currently wishing the high humidity would leave. We got a slight reprieve for a few days, tricking us into thinking cool season was here early. Ha! The humidity came back with a vengeance after that!

I'm currently planning to finally start back walking/jogging (and build back up to running) in the mornings before school. I hate having to wake up even earlier than I already do (which is quite early). Not to mention it being so ridiculously hot and humid, even super early in the morning. But it will so be worth it. I love how I feel when I'm done. I love that I have more energy throughout the day. And I love knowing that it's one more thing I can do to help me reach my goal.

Speaking of that goal, I've started and restarted a blog post about it, but keep deleting what I type. I think that I'm currently realizing I'm just not ready to post it yet. I think once I get down to my goal "place," then I'll post. But for now, I'll just say that my goal is "____ by 30." I'm giving myself 1 year and 11 months (from last month when I started this) to lose a certain amount of weight and get down to a certain size and really, just to get healthy. God knows I need to do this. It's an area that I've struggled with for long enough. It's time to quit making excuses and just do it. And I figure by giving myself such a long amount of time (with smaller goals along the way), it'll be a little easier. So, wish me luck...  August 6, 2015, I'll be a new person :)

I'm currently glad my dad's doing so much better. It was nice talking to him yesterday and hearing how good he sounds. It amazes me that it's already been 11 days since his surgery. Wow - Time flies!

I'm currently compiling the list of addresses to get ready to mail out my latest newsletter. It's yet another time to pray for each and every church, family, and individual that supports my ministry here in Dakar. Seeing those people's names, addresses, and email addresses is so overwhelming. I am just so incredibly grateful to all of the people partnering with me and supporting me through their prayers, encouragement, and finances. What a gift these people truly are!

I'm currently glad it's almost Thanksgiving Break! I realize there are still 5 1/2 weeks left, but it's our next break... :)

The 81st Dear ____ Post

Dear Dad, You went home from the hospital earlier this week. I'm so so so so so (and a few more so's) glad you're home and feeling better! Yay for answered prayers!

Dear 300, You're how many blog posts I've written so far. Actually, make that 301, counting this one. That's pretty cool. Don't you think? :)

Dear Biology, I spent part of our class time this week helping one of my students with you. Oh my word, Biology. You're kicking my tail... I keep thinking about Mr. Powell's class at Florala. Why didn't I pay more attention then???

Dear Humidity, You are absolutely horrible! Add the adjective, high, in front of you and you're even worse. I'll be so glad when Cool Season comes...

Dear Rainbow Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, I made you (all of you) from scratch on Thursday. You actually turned out pretty good. Yay for success in the kitchen! 

Dear New Student, You'll be starting on Monday. Thanks for giving me one more reason to love my job! :)

Dear Assemblées de Dieu (Assemblies of God in French), You're what caused my new student to get excited this morning. Why? When she found out that I was with the American A/G, she squealed and in French said, "Moi. Je suis avec les Assemblées de Dieu. Mes parents, ils sont missionaires." (Me. I am with the Assemblies of God. My parents, they are missionaries.) Her parents are with the Brazilian A/G. This girl's primary/native language is Portuguese. Then she's fluent in French. And now, she's going to be attending an English speaking school, yet she speaks no English. Can you imagine? It's going to be way more work for me, but I am really looking forward to it! :)

Dear Sometimes Difficult Part of my Job that I Love, I was telling someone today, I love the challenging students...the ones that cause me to think outside the box, the ones that make me have to do research and extra planning and even create new curriculum from scratch, as I'll be doing with this new student. Why? ...because that's what makes teaching fun. ...seeing that all your hard work has paid off. I seriously so love my job!!! :)

Dear Vanderbilt University, You're the first school I've found that offers the doctorate that I'm interested in. Obviously if I did do this, it'd be (quite) a few years down the road before I'd start, but it's nice to know that someone out there in university land offers a doctorate in my field. I just wish you were closer to family or that I had friends in the area...

Thankful Thursday

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Due to yesterday being a national, Muslim holiday, we got the day off school. It was nice to sleep late and head in to work around lunch time and then work the rest of the day at my own pace - taking breaks when I wanted, visiting with students hanging out outside my classroom, having a long Skype chat with a friend, and just enjoying the day without having to hurry back and forth between classes and making copies and doing all the other things I normally do on a daily basis while following a set schedule.

I was reading my devotions yesterday morning and it referred me to the verses in the picture above. And even though I've read these verses many, many times, it was as if I was seeing them for the first time. God really opened my eyes to see them so much more clearly yesterday - and that's carried over to today.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 says, Be joyful always. I'm thankful for the things that brought me joy yesterday, like...

• being able to sleep late and NOT have to set an alarm for a change.
• the sound of a student knocking on my classroom door because she saw me inside working and wanted to stop and say hi and tell me about something exciting she was doing later in the day.
• the Facebook status, posted by my dad, telling how he was making a trip to Wal-Mart. This meant he's 1) doing better and 2) able to walk around for longer periods of time.
• the 2 videos of my niece that my brother emailed me yesterday. One was of her giggling up a storm, enjoying herself, playing with a pair of sunglasses. The other was of her sitting in the car seat chatting away, telling her Daddy who was driving all about something that sounded super important. 
• an email from a student's parent thanking me for helping their child.
• an email from a friend in the States, telling me she's thinking about and praying for me.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray continually. This made me think of a conversation I had last week with one of my elementary schoolers. 

He was feeling sad about something and I asked him if he'd prayed about it. He said he'd pray at night time (before bed). I told him he could pray anytime during the day, so he could even pray right then. He then asked me if I'd pray with him and I, of course, agreed. At that, the little guy grabbed my hand and prayed the most innocent, sweet, beautiful prayer I think I've ever heard. 

Then a few days later, he came running up to me before school, all excited, and told me that he prayed a lot over the course of the week. He said, "Miss Nichols, I prayed every time I thought of Jesus. When I was sad or mad, I prayed for Jesus to help me. When I was happy, I prayed and thanked Jesus. And it made me have really really good days. Jesus helped me because I prayed Miss Nichols!"

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

My family has had quite our share of difficulties lately. ...death, sickness, pain, issues with work, you name it... But you know what? In all of that I give thanks. God's will is for us to be thankful. Why? ...because all things come from Him. Sometimes those are good things and sometimes those are not so good things. But you know what? He has a reason for everything. And I'm so thankful that He's the one in charge, not me. And most of all, I'm thankful that in all things (even the really really really hard things), I was able to give thanks. So now, I give thanks for...

• the Christian heritage my Papa passed down before dying last month. I'm thankful for the many times I saw him reading his Bible, studying for a Sunday School lesson he was teaching, or singing a gospel song. I'm thankful for the many times I got to sit beside him in church or hear him play his guitar at church. 
• this past Father's Day. I got the honor and joy of speaking at my grandparents' church about my mission work in Senegal. Who would've known at the time that it would be the last service I'd ever attend with my sweet Papa? But God planned it to be a special one. And as he stood there, holding my hand, he leaned over and told me how proud of me he was. What a gift God Gave me there! I'm so thankful for that!
• getting the chance to speak about my missions work at my dad's school while I was in the States on my trip back for my grandpa's funeral. This is a public school people! They don't let people come in and talk about God and being a missionary every day, you know. 
• being home when my dad had his heart attack the day of my grandfather's death. I'm so thankful that I was able to be there to help him and my mom. 
• the many many people around the world that were praying for my dad during his latest heart attack and open heart surgery. There were times that I thought the pain of being so far away from him during this time would totally overwhelm me. But each time I'd get to that point, I'd receive another email, another handwritten note, another hug from someone saying they were praying for my dad.
• the many people my dad got to witness to while being in the hospital. Who knows what might come out of this experience? What if he had to go through all of that sickness, pain, and suffering just so one person (or more) could hear about our Lord and Savior? 

So as crazy as it may sound, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that God ordains our steps and knows what lies ahead of us. Thank you God for this life you've given me. Thanks for the good, the bad, and even the incredibly horrible. Thank you for always knowing what's best for me. Thank you for loving me no matter what. Thank you God. Thank you!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

As I was going through my pictures from last week, I came across this one. This little guy was in my class last year. He taught me so much as a teacher. Then I got the joy of teaching him in ESL this year. Last week was his last week at school before going back to his home country.

They say A picture is worth a thousand words. 

This one's saying so much, but the biggest thing it's saying is that I'm going to miss seeing this little guy around campus. I've had to say goodbye to plenty of students in my short time as a teacher. But this goodbye... This one was hard. This one left me wearing my sunglasses so no one would see the tears.

Yes, part of my job is getting students ready to leave my care, to be able to function in the "real world." But, it never gets any easier...

Help me pray for this little guy. ...that he'll re-adjust to life in his home country/village. ...that he'll quickly and easily get reacquainted with relatives and also quickly and easily make friends. ...that he'll cling tight to the love of Jesus and prayer that he has right now. ...that he'll be safe, healthy, and a witness to all those around him. And please also pray for his family and friends here in Senegal.

Currently

I'm currently rereading "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. This makes the third time I've read this book. Each time I find new things that stick out at me. This is such an awesome book!

I'm currently sad that I'm missing my Bible study tonight. I just got home a few minutes ago, hurried and made cookies for one of my classes tomorrow, finished my last few report cards, and am now taking a break to eat supper and type this post before finishing up the last couple things that need to be finished tonight...

I'm currently (a bit) overwhelmed at the wat things keep being added to that to do list and am thinking that maybe a weekend away wasn't the wisest idea. Because while it was definitely enjoyable, it also definitely added to my current stress level...

I'm currently feeling the effects of spending too much time in the sun without enough sunscreen. Can we say ouch?!

I'm currently incredibly happy that my dad is doing so well. What an awesome answer to prayer that is! Now if we could just get his appetite back...

I'm currently thankful for the rain that came in the night. It made it a bit cooler outside and brought in some nice breezes this morning. It may not have lasted all day, but it did make the morning a little nicer :)

I'm currently blasting my worship music while I finish my supper and type this post. There's just something about it that is a nice mood lifter. Hmm... I wonder if it's Jesus :)

I'm currently looking at my tennis shoes laid out by the tv, ready to be worn while I work out to a video a friend let me borrow. Those pounds may be dropping off slowly, but at least they're dropping... Getting even earlier isn't the most exciting part of my day, but wow do I feel better when I'm done. Next week, I'll start back jogging (and building back up to running) the track. I'll reach my goal. I know I will.

And speaking of which...

I'm currently in the beginning stages of a post about those goals. I figure if I put it out here in Blogger Land for all to see, then maybe I'll be more likely to work harder to reach it. So to all of my faithful readers (Hi Mom, Dad, and Brother!), be on the lookout for this next post. It should be up by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.

I'm currently realizing that finding a doctoral program in teaching ESL is extremely difficult. It's weird. I've been so adamant in not wanting to go for it, but now that it's appearing to not be working out, I'm a little bummed. I'm weird. I know...

I'm currently looking forward to having the day off from school on Wednesday. It'll be nice to have the break. But at the same time, I'm currently praying in advance. I know why we're off. It's for the holiday of Tabaski (Eid), where Muslims celebrate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael before Allah intervened and supplied the ram. I'm praying that our Muslim brothers and sisters come to know the TRUTH. I'm praying that we, as Christians, show the love of Jesus Christ to those around us. I'm praying that we don't forget why we're here - to help further the kingdom of God.

The 80th Dear _____ Post

Dear Daddy, You had open heart surgery (a quadruple bypass) on Wednesday. My own heart was so full of fear over your surgery and my brain kept asking "what if" over and over again. It was so hard to be here when all I wanted was to be near you, to see you, to just be there. But you know what... You made it through. God definitely performed a miracle because, not only did you make it through, but you were awake and talking long before they said you would be. You surpassed the doctor's expectations for sure! But that's the kind of fighter you are. Nothing's gonna hold you down :)

Dear 1st Quarter of the School Year, We'll finish you tomorrow (actually today since it's after midnight here). You started out rough. It was hard getting into the swing of things with a new job, teaching such a huge range of grades, and just finding my way in my new role. But I've grown to love you. While I do occasionally miss teaching 1st grade, I love teaching ESL. And at this point, I can't see myself teaching anything else :)

Dear Crayons from America, You're what excited my elementary kids today. It really is the little things that mean the most sometimes...

Dear Weekend Away with Friends, You're what I'll be having starting tomorrow after school. The top things on my list... Catch up on sleep, read (for fun!), hang out with friends, watch the most beautiful sunsets ever over the ocean, and eat good food :)

Dear Doctorate, I told myself I wouldn't get you. Yet, you keep invading my thoughts. I've now had two former professors (strongly) encourage me to get you. And now, in my free time, I find myself searching for schools that offer you in my preferred field. I know it's crazy... I'm crazy, I suppose. I don't know...

Dear Job Offer, I got my second of you to teach in the States. I've been emailing back and forth with an ESL Coordinator for a school system in Tennessee who's been helping me with forms and such, trying to update our ESL program, and today she asked me, again, if I'd be interested in a position next year. This is the second time she's asked me. I, again, thanked her, but told her I was happy where I'm at. I have no plans to leave DA anytime soon, but it is nice to be wanted :)

Dear Berean (A/G licensing) Courses, I only have two more of you and then I'll be finished with the first level of you. I've put you off long enough, though. I'll be writing the guy in charge next week to register for you. It's so cool to think I'm so close to being finished with them... What a fun, dream to come true, this is!

Dear Writing a Paper, I had the best idea ever for you. So anyone in the field of ESL or Special Education, hit me up. I can help you out... :) Or if I ever do decide I've finally gone totally nuts and actually pursue my doctorate, then maybe this topic can be the topic of my dissertation :)

Dear 2 1/2 Months, You're how long is left until Christmas. This'll be my first time not going back to the States in December. I'm sure it'll be a little hard on Christmas Day, but I'm actually looking forward to spending my time here and with a few hundred (or so...I really don't know how many there are.) fellow co-workers on our retreat :)

Dear Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, After seeing a picture of you during the craft time in Kids Club the other day, one sweet boy asked me what you were. After recovering from shock, I explained in great detail about your delicious goodness. He told me he'd never had you before. This poor child... How could I not share with him after hearing that sad, sad news?! So I told his dad about the conversation and got permission to bring him one to school tomorrow (today?) and he, of course, agreed. So now Operation Intoduce the Sweet Australian Boy to Reese's is going down in approximately 7 hours :)

Dear 1 A.M., You're what time it is right now. I'm not really sure why I'm still awake. I'm so not a night person. Clearly that can of Pepsi I drank this afternoon did me in... :)

Currently

I'm currently loving this picture of my sweet niece. Isn't she the most precious thing ever? :)

                                                               

I’m currently learning more about the heart than I ever wanted to learn. It seems like every time I talk to my mom or one of my dad’s nurses, I come away with a new term I’m unfamiliar with. So I’ve been spending a lot of time browsing the internet trying to find out what it all means. It’s times like this having a medical degree would come in handy…

I’m currently feeling as if my heart is playing tug-of-war. One side is pulling me to my parents, wishing I could be with them, especially my dad as he faces this scary surgery. The other part is pulling me here, where I’m at, doing what God’s called me to do. I know I'm where I'm supposed to be. I just wish I could be there to help and to support my family. Does that make sense?

I'm currently scared about my dad's upcoming surgery. Sitting around, waiting, and swirling what ifs around in my head are not good for me... I'm trying to stay busy and keep my mind off of it, but it's not working that well... I just wish I could be there. I wish I could see him and talk to him...

I’m currently enjoying these unseasonably cool breezes in the mornings and late evenings. It may be ridiculously hot all day, but on my walk to school and at night, it’s not too bad. 

And speaking of those nice evening breezes, I'm currently sleeping in my living room at night since I've converted my couch into a bed. That's because it is way cooler in there than it is in my sauna. ...oops, I mean my bedroom.

I'm currently ready for this weekend and a get-away with some friends and I'm currently looking forward to it being a weekend full of relaxing, reading, hanging out with friends, spending time on the beach, watching sunsets over the ocean, and honestly...just being as lazy as possible all weekend. It'll be awesome :)

I'm currently doing research for a paper I'm writing. The government shutdown is really putting a kink in my plans, though, as I'm having to do online searches of journal articles and most of the databases are owned by the government. Boo to that! But, the few articles I've been able to find through other sources are proving to be very informative and interesting reads.

I'm currently semi-laughing at the idea of getting my doctorate. One of my grad school professors wrote me, telling me I should consider it. Ha! More school? What?!

Although... There is this small (very small) part of me that is currently thinking, Hmm, maybe that's not such a bad idea... So on a "whim," I decided to look up schools that offer a doctorate (Ed.D.) in the field I'm interested in. There aren't many. And the closest one to home is 2 hours away. There are none in my field in my state. There are some in TN, MS, GA, FL, and further off as well. And doing all the classes for my Master's online was hard. But getting a doctorate online? Yeah... That's not happening. So that means I'd have to take a furlough time and do it. But would it even be worth it? Hmm... I have this thing... I love being in school. It's funny. In the item above, I said no thanks to the question of more school. But honestly, I do love it. I love being a student. But, I just don't know if it's worth it... And would it benefit me (well, more importantly would it benefit God) for me to do it? I totally thought of a cool "new" job on the mission side of things for it. Of course, I'd have to get the big bosses to go along with it... :) Anywho...

What do you think blog readers? Should I do it?