Some Blood. Mostly Sweat and Tears.

Amber is a missionary in Pnom Penh, Cambodia.  

 

Sometimes all you need is someone to truthfully look you right in the eyes, straight down to your soul, and say that they believe in you.

We are currently learning the books of the Bible in class. Each week I have assigned the students ten new books to memorize along with their weekly memory verse. In order to mildly shake up our somewhat monotonous routine, this week I wrote the new ten books onto the whiteboard in cursive. Every so often I have brought out handwriting worksheets to let the kids practice and they usually want to kill me for doing so; they think writing anything in English is already hard enough. However, I typically choose to counteract their complaints by explaining to them that learning new things may be challenging, but inevitably good for them.

One of my 4^th grade boys was almost in tears today as he looked up at my cursive handwriting on the whiteboard. “Cha, it is easy for you and very difficult for me!” he yelled out in desperation, hoping that I would change my mind over this assignment. The poor boy looked so hopelessly hopeless. I could not help but chuckle inside over his seemingly unnecessary tears, not to be condescending, but only because I know that he has some of the most beautiful handwriting in the class.

I knew he would continue to complain if I just ignored his appeals. So, I then got down to his level, kneeling down in front of his desk. I looked right into his teary, brown eyes and said, “You can do this, I know you can.” He quickly pleaded, “No Cha, I cannot at all!” I made a face of disbelief at him, and I think he understood that I was not going to change the assignment for him. I asked again, still kneeling down in front of him, to please try. I stayed there for a few minutes at his desk until he finally put his pencil to the paper and slowly wrote out….E….s….t…h….e….r. In between each letter he would look up at me; I am still really not sure as to why he did this other than to feel my support. He finished the last loop on the “r” and I gave him the biggest smile I could and said one word: perfect. He all of a sudden lit up with confidence; his previous tears now made his eyes sparkle.  “See, I knew you could do it,” I said.

I walked away from Serey Reach’s desk and watched him from mine as he quickly finished his assignment close to perfection. This was such a simple moment, and yet it burned so deep into my heart. I could not help but see myself in my student. So many times throughout the past five months I have found myself in tears, screaming and pleading for an easier assignment. I picture God up there, chuckling inside over MY seemingly unnecessary tears, not to be condescending, but because He knows I can do it. Just like my student, I am constantly in search and search and search for affirmation from every direction…and maybe that is selfish of me…but maybe it is also just human.

It is hard being here, I struggle…but today someone truthfully looked right into MY teary, brown eyes, straight into my soul, and said that they believed in me…and I felt like that was enough to let me know that God is not leaving me out to dry here in stifling Cambodia. He’s working away; He’s working through Alex’s and my own literal blood, sweat, and tears and in the end I’m thankful for my assignment because after all, learning and experiencing new things may be challenging but it is inevitably good for me.

For those of you who actually read this, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your prayers and support because those things are what keep us going.

Much love from Cambodia.

-Amber

Pohnpei Musings

WWU's school newspaper, the Collegian, is running a feature next week on Student Missions.  We asked students to answer some FAQs about being an SM.  This response is from Tracy, who is currently teaching in Pohnpei.  

The Pohnpei missionaries: Tracy is in the purple shirt second from right.

 

1.  What has surprised you most about being a student missionary?
 

What I learn about my own cultured, while learning about theirs.

2. What is challenging about being a student missionary?

Everything! Grading, teaching, living!

3. What has helped you overcome these challenges?

I know we hear it all the time, but praying and reading my bible. But it is also absolutely necessary to talk to people more experienced then you as well!
 

4. Where have you seen God working in your experience there?
 

In my students, island family, the principle's family, the church and the other SMs!
 

5. Why did you want to be a student missionary?
 

Many reasons: mostly because I felt God had lead me to the point I was at, showing me that yes he did want me to go.
 

6. What do you miss the most about home?
 

Food, people and spending those quiet moments with my family.
 

7. What is the purpose of a student missionary, to you?
 

To share your experience of being with God.
 

8. Do you feel you have made a difference in the lives of those around you in your mission post? (For returned 

SMs, where do you see you made the greatest difference?)
 

Yes though some days it is hard to see how. Somehow God uses me though even through my imperfections.
 

9. Does the world still need student missionaries? If so, why?
 

Of Course! It is good to have younger people serving.

Shame On Me

Sarah Wart served as a Student Missionary in Comayagua, Honduras fall of 2011 to summer of 2012.

  

Yes, it is true. I have been very bad about posting these last few weeks. I guess not much has happened that is different from before. I returned back to Honduras after a week home with renewed hope for the second half of my 10 month stay. Honestly, I was glad to be back. I really do like Honduras...it's just teaching that sometimes makes me second guess my choice.

Naomi (my second grader) won first place at the 'festival de cancion"

School started back in full swing three weeks ago and we all plunged right back into the thick of it. The start of school brought with it stress, worry, and frustration, but also something new...confidence and even enjoyment mixed with a little humor. I can already tell that these last 5 months (almost 4 now) are going to go by so fast. We have already had another set of parent teacher meetings and a singing concert for the students.
I'm growing as a teacher. New ideas are always entering my mind. I try to find fun and easy ways in which to teach my students all about gravity, motion, the story of Noah and the Ark, and life skills like sharing, listening, and respecting people. I am starting to feel that these life skills are much more important than the topics at hand. I don't just want to leave my students with a little bit of knowledge to help them with their next year of school. No, I want to leave them with a new character, a better character, one that will improve their lives and, inadvertently, the lives of others.
I am trying to build deeper relationships with my students in 11th and 8th grade, as well as my 2nd graders, before my time here comes to an end. Having relationships with the students here helps me feel like I'm actually a part of something. Some days I lose sight of my purpose and have to really think and pray in order to get back on track. God is amazing though. He always brings little things to my attention that speak to me and remind me that I'm not only here for me; I'm here for them and for God. I hope to keep you better posted as the weeks become fewer in number. Sadly, my camera is acting up so I am relying on others for photos. Blessings.

Reposted from Sarah's blog,   http://wartster-in-honduras.blogspot.com/

It Just Doesn't Feel Right...

 

Tanzi is currently serving as a Student Missionary in Nairobi, Africa.  

It’s Christmas time and it doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t even seem like we should be near December at all. I wear short sleeves and flip flops, my watch tan is increasingly vibrant, and my family isn’t anywhere near. This summer seems to never end (this isn’t really a bad thing) and when I hear Christmas music my heart seems “two sizes too small”; I just can’t seem to muster up the festivity. When I see our homemade snowflakes in the windows they seem like they are leftover decorations from months ago that no one bothered to take down. Even the anticipation for Christmas break feels more like the cravings just before summer break starts.

Some have said that the holidays are one of the hardest times of the year for SMs. My stubborn side of me testifies that this is not true. I have an amazing support system back in the States and everyone here is exceptional. I have everything I really need and my life here is nearly like walking through the “wardrobe in the spar-ooom”. I know I’m not homesick, but I do miss some things. That’s allowed, right? I miss the freezing cold, breath-seeing nights when wearing scarves and gloves are a must, I miss the Christmas lights hung up everywhere and all the holiday decorations, I miss the crisp clean mornings and all the holiday festivities (tree-lightings, cookie bakings, Victorian Christmases, and even the sweaters), but most of all I miss venturing to see my family. Today when I went into town I heard Christmas music for the first time that I hadn’t actually turned on and I realized for a split second that it is actually Christmas time here in Kenya. The feeling was so uncomfortable and I quickly left Nakumatt. It didn’t seem right.

Maybe break will make things more right for me; I’m a little drained, especially since I’ve been teaching for four straight months. However, I love my kids so much and I know that in two days I will miss them dearly, but I’m ready for a break. Along with mentally being able to refresh over the holiday, there is the freedom that will come too. Freedom to make my own food, freedom to just walk into town and get up when I want, freedom to not spend my nights in the computer lab, and freedom to just do “something exciting I guess.” I need this break, but I hope that somehow it will start feeling more like Christmas. I know it won’t be the same by far, but I do have things to look forward to and I’m still having a blast soaking up Kenya.

Post Reprinted from Tanzi's blog,  http://tanzinkenya.tumblr.com/

Daniel

Katie is currently serving as an SM at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Meet Daniel, my second grade African Soul twin.

Alright, so I know we shouldn’t have favorites and I really do love all of my children, but I can’t lie, there is a special place in my heart for this kid.

Daniel is crazy, energetic, unfocused, talkative and a whole lot like what I imagine myself to have been at his age. I remember standing in my parent’s bathroom as a child practicing contorting my faces into all sorts of strange looks, thinking that if I didn’t do this my face would be stuck in one position forever. Not a day goes by where Daniel does not bust out one of his adorably ridiculous faces. Daniel is not in my homeroom, I only teach him Social Studies and math but those eighty minutes of joy a day are some of my favorites.

Last night, at the Christmas concert as the 2^nd-8^th graders got up to perform two songs, I made my way to the front row to take pictures. As I sat down, Daniel gave me a look that signaled a mix of terror and embarrassment as if he was thinking “NO! Put the camera down! Don’t do it!” as his eyes bugged out of his head. I lost it; I started laughing and did not stop until their two songs were over. Every time I looked at him during that performance it started all over again, he was trying so hard to hold it together and doing a much better job at it than me. I found him after the program and told him he did a good job and that he made me laugh and I couldn't stop, “I know” he said “I was afraid to laugh with you.”

This is the child who always somehow gets hit in the head at recess by a passing swing or trampled two seconds into running laps in PE, the one who cheers for pictures of bugs in his book and pretends to be snoring during Social Studies.

About a week ago, Daniel got detention two days in a row (sometimes he has a hard time focusing), for detention in the elementary they have to do all the after school chores, a very effective punishment. Well, on his second day I came in and saw him once again filing everyone’s papers and said “Daniel, why are you always in detention?”

 “I don’t know” he replied.

 “You don’t know? Well, are your parents happy about this?”

“I don’t tell them! They like to be happy.”

One of the classes I teach Daniel is math. When everyone else is busy at work on their homework, Daniel is still only half way through the subtraction problem on number one. I know he knows how to do the work but he is too busy singing and talking to himself that he just can’t get anywhere. Sometimes I have him come up to my desk and make him do a few so I can watch his steps…

“Alright Daniel what is the next step?”
“I add the ones, the 9 and the 7.”

“ok, and what does that equal?”

“6..”

I give him a knowing look and he makes a face.

“teen” he adds a few seconds later, grinning ear to ear knowing for a second I thought he got it wrong.

Anyone who knows Daniel would know that there is just something wonderful about him. His happiness is contagious. There have been days where I just wanted to do anything but explain to the second graders what the constitution is or force our way through another story problem. But then Daniel tells me that Mother Nature is George Washington’s wife, and all is right with the world.

As this year continues I have to remind myself to take a moment to smile, relax and enjoy these children and this job. I want to maintain or find some of Daniels joy and spunk, his uninhibited love for life.

 I always wondered if there would be kids who would just steal my heart, ones that I seriously considered putting in my suitcase to take home with me kinda kids. Turns out his name is Daniel and he has stolen my heart.