I'm a teacher...

I'm a teacher, so I must...

• simply baby-sit a bunch of kids all day.
• watch kids color or write their ABC's all day.
• only work from 7:55 to 3:00 M-F.
• be able to have every night and weekend free.
• teach lessons directly from the teacher's edition of texbooks.
• have lots of planning time when my students are in other classes.
• have free time during the school day while my students are working independently.

ummm...NOT!

Teaching is rewarding. That's true. But teaching is hard work. I have 9 lessons to plan each day (Math, Science, Social Studies, Reading, English, Spelling, Phonics, Handwriting, Bible). I have 3 Reading and 2 Math Centers to plan each week. I have a weekly Parent note to send home. I have papers to grade. I have experiments and projects to plan. I have books to read and ideas to gather. I have research to conduct. I have meetings to attend and lessons to plan. I have extra-curricular activities to conduct, supervise, and attend. I am usually working on school work every night before going to bed and also on the weekends. I get 1 real planning time during the day and the other is spent taking kids to their other classes and picking them back up at the end, leaving me about 15 minutes to make copies, do prep work, and maybe squeeze in a trip to the girl's room.

My lessons take a long time to prepare, because while I do have a Teacher's Edition of all of my texts, that only meets the needs of a select few of my students. I still have 4 students receiving ESL services (1 of which speaks little English and 1 who understands little English), 2 receiving Special Ed. services, 1 that if in the States would receive Gifted services, and my 3 average-on grade level students. I have to meet the needs of all these students in each and every lesson, making it extremely difficult.

But...with all that said...would I trade my job? No. I love what I do. Yes it's hard. Yes it would be nice if there were 10 of me. But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I'm a teacher, so I...

• am teaching the potential future leaders of the world (or at least 6 different countries).
• am always looking for fun and exciting ways to teach my kids, so they're not bored and educated, but rather excited and educated.
• receive at least a dozen or so hugs, handshakes, or high-fives a day.
• receive at least a dozen or so hand-drawn pictures or hand-written notes a day.
• am challenged on a daily basis to be the best teacher possible.
• am a comforter, encourager, 1st Aid provider, nurse, counselor.
• am blessed beyond measure by my God to be able to have a job doing something that I truly truly love!

I am a teacher!

An Unwelcomed 3 A.M. Guest

What do a roach, my ceiling, and me jumping on my bed have in common? Um…an annoying, embarrassing, hilarious (after the fact) moment with an un-invited guest that occurred at around 3:00 one morning.

My roommate and I had come home in the wee hours of that morning after helping a friend paint her guest room. I groggily showered the paint splatters off, changed into my pj’s and got ready for bed. Then I walked into my bedroom, turned on the light, and saw quite possibly the BIGGEST cockroach ever crawling on my ceiling. UGH!

I’m normally not scared of bugs, but WOW – this thing was HUGE! After some loud girly screaming and hopping around, my roommate came to see what was wrong. Breathless and no longer half-asleep, I shrieked, “Bug! Big one! Help!”

Now, what do you think my sweet and helpful roommate did? Yes she got me something to kill it with and a paper towel to dispose of it with, but FIRST, she grabbed her camera and took a picture of me in my 3 a.m. best hopping on my bed and freaking out like a little girl over this monstrosity of a bug! Nice, Emily. Thanks for that! :)

Anyways…My point for this post (past showing me looking like a mess at 3 a.m.) was to say this...

Think about roaches. They just want to survive. They hide for protection, eat to survive, and procreate to keep their species alive. We should be the same way. We should hide ourselves in the protection of God's grace, feed ourselves with God's word, and we must share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world (keeping the Christian 'species' alive).

Now, don't get me wrong. If I see a roach am I going to let it live? Uh...NO! But, it does make you think. These annoying little creatures kind of have the right idea, don't they?

Back to School

School started on August 12th. It's hard to believe that almost 8 weeks have past since then. I'm teaching 1st grade this year and have the most adorable class EVER! :) I have children from the USA, Korea, the Middle East, Ghana, India, and Cameroon. I'll get 3 more kids in the next 2 weeks but for now here is my crew hard at work...

Back in Dakar

The main theme of my itineration sermons this summer  was "freedom." Celebrating the 4th of July felt different this year. I know that many times I have taken all of my rights and things God's given me as an American for granted. I guess it hit me this summer more so since I'd spent the last 11 months living in a third world country in Africa. It was so nice to spend the summer with my family, friends, and church families from AL, GA, and KS.

I landed in Dakar on August 6th. It felt a little weird landing on my birthday...not sure why, but it did. I had spent most of my time in the airports and upon boarding the day before crying. I know God's called me to Senegal. And I was definitely happy to be going back. However, it was sad leaving this time. I didn't know for sure when I'd be coming back. I'd already planned not to return to the US next summer and since the cost of flying was on a continuous climb, I didn't know if I'd be able to come at Christmas time. I once heard someone say that this is the hardest part of being a missionary -- constantly saying goodbye to family.

But with all that said, I woke up (from a rough night's sleep in an uncomfortable plane seat) on my birthday with a new outlook on life. I was so happy. I was happy to be coming back to Dakar. I was happy to be teaching a new grade level this year. I was happy to be coming back and seeing my friends and "family" here in Dakar.

And as it turns out, this was one of my best birthdays ever. I woke up to a yummy (small) breakfast on the plane...

I had a yummy snack complete with colorful drink (OJ -- don't freak people) courtesy of the coolest 9 year old (now 10) I know... :)

...At this point, I was running on about 2 hours of sleep and having some issue with my eye. So please excuse how rough I look. :)

And then we celebrated the boss and my birthday (we share bdays) with a bunch of friends that night...complete with a yummy steak and chicken dinner complete with raspberry (for him) and key lime pie (for me) for dessert! :)

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There have been a lot of high and low moments since I arrived back in Dakar. The power has gone out quite a bit. ...but my roommate and I have gotten pretty good at making snacks and meals and playing card games by flashlight/candlelight/headlamps... :)

 

There's been a LOT of rain. ...so much, in fact, that the soccer field at school flooded, giving kids (of all ages) hours and hours of fun. :) ....P.S. These pictures are courtesy of 2 other teachers here at DA.



The 10 Days of Elisabeth's Birthday

Birthdays are not a huge thing in my family, but they are made special for each person. And since we knew I’d be back in Africa on my actual birthdate, my family (and I) decided to have the fabulousness that was "The 10 Days of Elisabeth's Birthday". Check it out…Who knows? You may decide to have a 10 day Celebration as well :)

P.S. The 10 days were not right back to back...there were skipped days in between. ...just for those wondering why I'm wearing the same shirts in a lot of the pictures. :)

Day 1 - Toy Story 3 with my mom -- complete with Dippin' Dots and Coke Icee :)

Day 2 - Family Reunion -- I was especially happy to be at this reunion because I knew that I wouldn't be able to go to next year's, since I wouldn't be coming to the US next summer.

Day 3 -- Pecan Pie Blizzard from DQ -- FYI...The DQ Blizzard is celebrating its 25th birthday as well, so it was a double celebration! :)

Day 4 -- a trip to Coldstone with the family :)

Day 5 -- 25 cookies for my 25th birthday -- celebrating with my brother and sister-in-law

 

Day 6 -- Chocolate Gelato from my favorite brother and sister-in-law :)

Day 7 -- Celebration Chicken Strip Platter and Birthday cake Milkshake from Zaxby's

Day 8 -- Birthday presents from the best parents ever :)

 

 Day 9 -- Surprise Birthday party from my parents' church -- full of yummy American snacks and baskets full of goodies to take back to Africa :)

Day 10 - My favorite meal as my last lunch with my parents before leaving the USA again

Heroes

Everyone has at least one hero. Some people choose military personnel. Some choose firemen or policemen. Some choose their parents or their teachers. When I was little, I chose missionaries.

I can remember being in elementary school and attending the Alabama A/G Kids Camp one summer. A missionary came and spoke to us kids about BGMC -- Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (where kids raise money for missionaries). I remember her talking to us like we were REAL people…not just kids. She told us how our change helped boys and girls around the world. I remember crying and telling my mom that it wasn’t fair that I had a mommy and a daddy that loved me and fed me and took care of me when so many little boys and girls around the world did not have that. I then told her that that missionary, Cynthia Lucas, was my hero.

This summer, I had the opportunity to speak to boys and girls at the Kansas A/G Kids Camp about BGMC. I told them a story about how BGMC helps boys and girls in Africa. And then I told them how they can help those boys and girls that are less fortunate than them. After the service, I overheard a girl turn to her friend and say, “Miss Elisabeth is my superhero because she tells boys and girls in Africa about Jesus.”

Later that night I turned to my mom, with tears in my eyes, and said, “My dream has come true. I’m a missionary.” Do I feel like I’m a superhero like that little girl thinks of me? No. But I remember being a little girl and looking at a missionary thinking that she was my superhero. And hey…God only knows what the future holds. What if that girl becomes someone else’s superhero one day?

It's been a while...

After a really extended break from the blogging world, I’m back. The last time I wrote was May 8th. It’s hard to believe that 4 months have passed since I last wrote, so since a lot has happened since then, I thought I’d play catch up in this note…with at least what happened this summer.

On June 6 I left Dakar for the summer. It was a day full of mixed emotions – sadness over leaving (even if only for the summer), happiness over knowing I’d be seeing my family shortly, excitement over finally being commissioned as a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God, and nervousness over the busy summer awaiting me in the USA.

In my however many years of traveling, I have never had as many problems as I did on this day. Every flight was delayed. One flight was cancelled. One flight couldn’t be found. One flight didn’t have me confirmed (which made NO sense whatsoever). And the list could go on and on. After a lot of tears and a super nice Delta representative (the one nice person of my day), I did just barely make it home on the 6th though, finally seeing my parents at 11:57 p.m.

I spent 4 days with my parents before heading to Springfield, Missouri. We drove around the city, went to a museum in, and spent the night in Springfield. And on Sunday, June 13, I started my 2 week School of Missions with the Assemblies of God. I spent the next 11 days in Springfield learning valuable information to help me in this next area of my life. I met and made many friends. It was so great knowing that even though we would all eventually be scattered all over the world, we’d all be working toward a common goal – The Great Commission. And on Thursday, June 24, I received a certificate saying that I was now commissioned as a Missionary Associate with the Assemblies of God.

My parents and I drove back to their home the next day where I quickly washed clothes and repacked to go to Atlanta for the weekend. I arrived late Saturday night in Atlanta and was picked up by my aunt, uncle, and cousin who I was staying with that weekend. After a quick snack and chat, we headed to bed and got up the next morning for church. I went to their church with them that morning. And went to another church that night and shared my first itineration message. I was thoroughly blessed by this church’s pastor and congregation. It was such a nice way to start my first summer of itineration.

I flew back to Kansas the following Monday morning. Upon arrival in Wichita, I thanked God for such amazing flights that weekend. AirTran is an AMAZING airline and my airline of choice for domestic flights from now on. Since my dad was at youth camp for the week, I spent the week with my mom, shopping, swapping recipes, cooking, talking, and just enjoying our time together. My parents’ church had their annual Freedom Bash that Saturday, celebrating our country’s freedom.

On July 4th, I spoke at my parents’ church and was overwhelmed by the love and encouragement this church family showed me. Plus, I was finally able to meet the people that my parents had fallen in love with over the past few months. The following morning we left heading to Kids Camp where we spent the next week with about 500 or so kids having the times of their lives, learning about the best superhero of all, Jesus Christ. While at camp, I even had the honor of speaking to the kids one night about BGMC. On the last night of camp, I slipped and fell causing a large hematoma to rise on my knee and causing my whole knee to swell and turn a lovely shade of purple. Fearing what other damage might could’ve happened, and knowing my history with knee problems, we left thinking we’d make a trip to the emergency room. However, being the stubborn soul I am, I persuaded my parents to not worry so much and let me just keep my leg propped up with ice on my knee. That caused the swelling to go down quite a bit, so thankfully I didn’t have to make an ER visit.

That following Saturday, July 10, I left mega early and flew to Atlanta. My brother picked me up and drove me about 4 hours to my grandparents’ house where I quickly said my hellos and goodbyes, picked up my car, and left. After a quick trip to Wal-Mart and the Wendy’s drive-thru , I headed towards Florala, Alabama to begin 3 ½ weeks of non-stop travelling. I spent the next week in Florala and Andalusia, speaking at 3 different churches and catching up with friends from high school. The following Thursday I had a quick visit with another aunt, uncle, and cousin and then headed to Clanton to meet with our district’s missions director. After that I headed over to a supporting church’s VBS service where I got to share about BGMC and missions with a great group of kids. This pastor was my one of my pastors as a child. It was such a fun experience getting to go back now and meet up with him and his wife again.

I spent the next 3 weeks at my brother and sister-in-law’s apartment, while I travelled around the area speaking at different churches, visiting with family and friends, and catching up on good ol’ Southern cooking. I also bought a few things in AL (that I can’t get in KS) to take back to Dakar with me…like grits for example. My parents arrived the last weekend of the month and it was so nice spending time with our family of 5 (first time since Christmas) again. I got to have a mini birthday celebration with my brother and sister-in-law and then the following night my parents and I left heading back to Kansas.

I really enjoyed this trip back to Kansas with my parents. Sure the car broke down. Sure we had to wait a long time somewhere in Arkansas while 2 different mechanics worked on the car. Sure we had to drive the rest of the way back with a big, long piece of the side panel of the car rested on my mom’s and my shoulders. BUT, with all that said we were able to spend quality time talking and catching up on our lives now. It was really nice. Plus…when one has been in a third world country for a year with no American food available, any chance for a road trip with yummy fast food is AWESOME!

We got back to Kansas and I was able to spend my last week in the USA with my parents. I led my first Kids Crusade at their church, continued on with my self-proclaimed 10 Days of Elisabeth’s Birthday Celebration, went on a few last-minute shopping trips, and tackled the huge job of packing.

On August 5th, I left the USA not knowing when I’d be coming back. I would love to come back at Christmas, but I still do not know if that will be a good option for me, due to the cost of plane tickets and possible ministry opportunities. Plus, my entire (immediate) family will be together in KS over Spring Break, so that might be a possibility too. And I’m hoping to still have enough support raised to not have to come back and itinerate this summer and rather stay in Dakar, do all my teacher work at a more relaxed pace, and also find ministry opportunities to participate in outside of DA. We’ll see.

More blogs to come…

• My Hero
• 10 Days of Elisabeth’s Birthday
• Back in Dakar
• Back to School
• The Great Roach Incident
• Learning from Mosquitos
• First Grade
• Let’s Eat Y’all
• …and many more I’m sure.