This happened to me.
Just recently.
Which is why I haven't blogged in what seems like years and now I'm not sure how to pack it all in.
I suppose the best thing to do in these situations is to just... go for it. So. LET'SDOIT.
Eh hem. To begin this particular blog I will fill you in on a few of the fun and educational activities that Luke, Jo Jo, Micah and I have been doing...
Fun educational activity #1: We made a family tree! Wooo! I forgot to take pictures of this one... my bad.
Fun educational activity #2: We made newspapers! We still write articles in them about adventures we've had or books we've been reading!
Fun educational activity #3: We went on a photo scavenger hunt around the yard and watched a video on composition and using angles when taking pictures.
Fun educational activity #4: We made a tornado in a jar and we watched a video about storm chasers...
Fun educational activity #5: We learned about vikings and made shields... and our can of spray paint exploded...
The two secret weapons of fun and educational activities I have learned are: Pinterest and Prayer. Yep. The two P's. First prayer... then Pinterest... then prayer again.
Mmm okay. So after doing many fun and educational activities with the boys, I traveled up to the north of Madagascar with two other short term girls to help with the training of a new TIMO team. We did a kids' program while the parents did their training. The training was in Ambanza, but the team was going to be based in a village in Nosy Be, a smaller island of Madagascar. We flew into Nosy Be and then took a speed boat across, back to the mainland to get to Ambanza. We were there for a week, staying in a hotel. It was amazing how fast we connected with team members, we were all sad to say good bye to them.
When the training was over we were able to go with the team to the village for their welcome meal. There was a delicious meal all prepared for us with music and decorations. The president of the village spoke as well as a very well-respected man in the village. It was amazing to see how willing they were to welcome the team to their home; they explained that the team was welcome in any hut in the village. They also encouraged the team to speak with them even if they couldn't understand each other.
We went with the team members to move into their huts as well. It was a really moving experience to watch them cry as they were finally given their keys and were prayed over in their huts for the two years of ministry ahead. God's presence was truly felt.
After saying one last good bye to the team, we headed off to our four day vacation at a villa in Nosy Be. This was a complete switch over from where we had just been and it felt a little weird at first as we thought of the team with no running water or electricity. However, we had an amazing time visiting beautiful beaches, seeing lemurs and watching the sunset from the highest point on the island. It was a great retreat, break and fellowship time with the other girls. Also a good time to re-focus and spend some uninterrupted time with God.
It was back down to Toliara for me after a short night in Tana. It was comforting to get back and feel like I was coming home. The boys and Kara met me at the airport and I got four great welcome back hugs! The boys were on holiday from school so one day we went out surfing and I actually caught a pretty good wave! We also went fishing and snorkeling, and we sailed back around dinner time.
After that excursion, the Schafflers took me to a small fishing village called Sarodrano over the weekend. It was so beautiful! I got my own hut, which I quite enjoyed, and we sat by the water, ate fresh fish and lobster and got our faces painted with mud. It was another "I'd never trade that for anything" experience and at the end we sailed home! I got to stand on the outrigger to keep the boat balanced, which was awesome because the view of the water is great from out there!
English classes are going to start up and so Peter is going to teach me how to do some storying stuff with the students. That will be two nights out of the week, so it will be fun to see the things I learn there as well.
In addition to all of these things, I've felt God's calling to go to grad school for student affairs. One thing that I've realized through being here is how much I really loved the university experience and also how much I've missed it. I'm hoping to eventually work with university students either in admissions or career counseling. While this job wouldn't allow me direct ministry to students, my plan is to focus on building close relationships with students and work from that foundation.
WHOO. So. It's all happening at once. I definitely will be needing your amazing prayers for the months I have left.
Prayer request 1: Prayer for the Nosy Be team, that they would develop close relationships with the people and would trust God as they begin language learning and adapt to a new life.
Prayer request 2: That God would continue to give the creativity and tools I need to effectively teach the boys and that he'd give me patience and perseverance in language learning.
Prayer request 3: That I would know how to balance preparing for the things back home like the GRE exam and applying to grad schools, while staying focused on things here and making sure I'm paying attention to all the things God still has to teach me.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose Romans 8:28
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