Inside the World of Dioramas

In Science class, we have been learning about different animals. We have been studying lots of different animals and the students were then able to pick one animal they would like to research more about. Eileigh picked Red Foxes and Hannah picked Elephants. It was exciting to see them so energized and wanting to research about their animal. They did research on the internet and in Encyclopedias. They did a great job gathering up information. After that, they created their plan for how they would design their dioramas. Then they used their research and plan to create a habitat. They were very thorough and added the correct environment, climate and food available so their animal can survive. Then, they created their animal while paying close attention to the little details of their animal. Of course, once it was all created and done, they presented their dioramas to the other class and then to their families. It was really great to see how enthusiastic the girls were with their research projects. They did a great job! This project included Science skills, Geography skills,  Reading skills, Writing skills, Research skills, Art skills, and Oral Language/Presentation skills. Wow! It was a well rounded academic experience.

I couldn't help but think of how awesome our God is. How He created all the animals so perfectly on earth. It amazes me to think of how beautiful animals are and yet each species of animals is so unique and special.

Genesis 1:24-25
And God said, " Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind". And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Children are Blessings from God!

I have been spending much of my time in Ouagadougou surrounding myself with children. I have jumped back into teaching dance classes again. Also, I have been back into a normal routine teaching regular school (2nd/3rd grade class). It has been amazing to see how much progress the girls have made so far this year! I am so thankful that God has given me a caring heart for children. I really enjoy working with children everyday. Thank you Lord for blessing me by giving me the opportunity to work with children in West Africa.

 

I have also been to the orphanage again to spend time with the children and babies there as well.

When I was leaving this last time, one of the children held my hand and did not want me to go....

she kept pulling me back towards the orphanage doors.

 It breaks my heart...if I could, I would adopt all of them.

 

 

 

Lastly, today I went to a Bible Dedication service for the Fulani people.

This was in celebration of the New Testament getting finished with translation in the Fulfulde language.This is a great reminder to me of why I am out here! I am teaching missionary children while their parents are translating the Bible for people who do not have the Bible in their heart language. Wow! I kept thinking while I was at the dedication service that so many more people will come to Christ now that there is a Bible in their own language. I also thought of how much more Christians will grow deeper in faith now that they can read the Bible in their own language on a regular basis. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to attend the dedication service.

Thank you Lord, for giving me the opportunity to serve in West Africa and thank you to all of the people who have joined in partnership with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life as a Missionary Kid

So, after working closely with Missionary families and kids I have seen many things that are quite different for the life of a Missionary Kid living in Africa when compared to life of a kid living in the USA.

Today, one of my students was very eager to show me her new "play house" to me. Naturally, I flashed back to when I was growing up in the USA, I had a "play house kitchen" and I remember it well. It had a refrigerator that opened where I stored my pretend food (that looked very real but was made out of plastic). The kid kitchen I played in had a pretend stove and sink and cabinets. I spent many hours playing in that "play kitchen" with my sisters. So, I was excited to see my student's "play house" as well.

She told me to follow her to the back of the house and pointed to a creation she made out of a storage bin, cardboard, a metal door and a few other items. She said, "this is my play house". She was very proud of her work. She pointed to the large rectangle and said, "this is my refrigerator" and opened it  and started taking her "pretend made food" out of it. She made cookies and cake out of bottle caps, dirt and flower petals. I found it to be very creative!

After some thought, I realized that even though it may look different, she still plays "house" like I did when I was a little girl. And she has fun doing it! It was then that I realized kids will be kids no matter where they live, no matter what culture or race.... kids will always have the creative, play side to them. And even if their environment equips them with less or different supplies, they will find ways to adapt and to have fun with what they have. It really opened my eyes to see the "happiness" in her childhood life as a missionary kid. It also reminded me of how special Missionary Kids are and my reason for why God has sent me here to serve. I am thankful that I have the ability to touch her life this year. Thank you, God, for giving me this opportunity to meet her, step into her world (her world as a Missionary Kid), and teach her school this year!

Check out the pictures:

Christmas in Mali

The Top Ten Blessings I Received While Being Sick

Here are the Top Ten blessings I received from God while I was sick the last three weeks with malaria, infection and adrenal insufficiency:

10. God never left my side. He spoke to me and comforted me. I spent intimate time with Him. He instructed me when to go to the doctor/hospital and get additional help. He was always there with me.

9. God brought my mom and I closer in relationship during the time of illness. We had several great conversations together on the phone during some of my real "low points".

8. God supplied help through my roommates, friends and missionaries here in Ouaga to get me things I need, bring me places I needed to go and translate with the doctors to communicate health concerns.

7. God blessed me with amazing stories from friends in Colorado and NJ who shared their experiences of their past with me as a way to see God's hand in difficult times.

6. God connected me with an amazing doctor from Switzerland who was able to diagnose my adrenal insufficiency and get me started on the medication I need to stay alive.

5. God supplied a medication to me that I can't get in Africa. The doctor's daughter came here to Ouaga from Switzerland and was able to bring the medication I needed and said it was free.

4. God delivered packages to me from friends back home in the states at the perfect time to raise my spirit and help encourage me to feel better soon.

3. God scheduled and timed everything perfectly so my students did not have to miss three weeks of school. There is an ICO school program in Ouaga three times per year for two weeks each time. This is an opportunity where students can come together and learn in a social classroom setting. Even though I was sick and couldn't teach, my students were able to attend the ICO school and still get school for two weeks. If ICO wasn't happening at that time....there would be no replacement teacher for me and the students would have been without a teacher for all that time.

2. God sent down a rain storm in the middle of the night and told me it was "healing rain" for me. It was special. It doesn't rain in December in Ouaga so this was a rare episode of rain. Yet, I believe it was a gift from God. Ever since that night, I have had a strong sense of peace and I have been getting better and gaining strength each day forward.

1. God has used this time to speak to me and to answer specific questions I have been praying about for awhile. He has used this "alone" time to allow me to see things from His view and to hear what He wants me to hear. He has shaped me to who I am and I am forever changed because of it.

Praise God!

He Gives Me Strength

Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

After being sick with malaria leading to an infection leading to complications with my adrenal glands, tonight is the first night in 12 days that I can stand without immediately getting dizzy and feeling like I am going to faint. I owe it all to Jesus! Praise Him!

It all started with Malaria

It all started with Malaria- or so I thought

The day before Thanksgiving, my whole body ached from head to toe. Fever came at 4pm and disappeared by morning. I laid in bed feeling miserable, useless and full of moans and groans. This continued the next day (Thanksgiving Day) as well. By Friday, I thought I should be starting to feel better, yet it was the opposite. My fever didn’t go away in the morning and instead, it kept going up. My aches kept increasing as well. I put on my Christian worship music again and was lying in bed worshiping God when I heard him tell me I needed to go to see a doctor. At that time, I checked my body temp and it was 102.5 so I got up and stumbled to my roommate’s room to ask her to bring me to the clinic.

Arriving at the clinic, they took my temperature to find my fever at 103.5. They admitted me to the hospital at that point. I was so “out of it” at that point that all I cared about was having a place to lay down. They took some blood and started deciding which tests to do. I remember at one point they read my heart beats (like an EKG) but this machine looked like it was from the 1940’s. It had clamps like a car charger which they put on my ankles and wrists. Then, it had 8 suction cups they put on my chest. Then, it read my heart and printed out a paper. It took about 4 minutes and then the car charging 1940 looking machine was removed from me and rolled out of my room. By this time, blood results came back showing I had some sort of infection. My white blood cell count was way off and my kidneys were not functioning properly. They proceeded with more tests like a sonogram and a chest x-ray yet no findings were revealed.

At this point, it was revealed that I’d be staying the night in the hospital. I was still achy, tired, coughing, feverish, stomach hurt and didn’t have an appetite at all. That night, I turned on the television to see Men in Black in French, and a church service in English singing a song that my church Crossroads sang often (the song was titled Adonai). After flipping through a few more channels of African dancing and drumming and singing, I dosed off. Yet, I woke up in the middle of the night to my body shivering and teeth clattering as my fever rose. Then, I’d wake again to a puddle of sweat. The night time was the hardest and worst experiences for me during the sickness. I got to the point where I dreaded going to sleep. I would pray for God to keep me up because I was too scared to fall asleep. I didn’t want to fall asleep only to awaken to some horrible fever. It was the worst way to awaken from a deep sleep. Well, that was until, I woke up in the middle of the night the next night with extreme pain in my abdomen. The doctors gave me medicine for that….I guess they saw how much pain I was in so they gave me strong stuff. This medicine was so strong that I became delirious and had hallucinations from it. I kept thinking I was going to die. That was the scariest night I had.

There is a lot to be thankful for. During this sickness, I realized that many people in Africa get very ill (just like I was) but they don’t have money for clinics, doctors, medicine). I also realized how thankful I was to be at the clinic I was at. I had wonderful doctors and nurses taking care of me. They did a fabulous job. I also had a wonderful support team from the missionaries and friends out here. They visited me and brought me food, dvd’s, snacks, etc. I felt truly loved from my new friends. I was amazed at how thoughtful they were to come see me and bring me things to help my visit in the hospital a more enjoyable one. I am truly thankful.

It’s been hard to be disconnected from my friends and family and partners back home during this time. I know people are praying for me and I am thankful for their dedication and care. It has also been hard for me to lean on other people. I think it is part of my roots as a “Jersey girl”. I am very independent and it is hard to depend on other people to take care of me. It is also hard for me to slow down and rest. I am always on the go and now I am being forced to slow down.

Well, now I am home from the hospital. My infection is decreasing. My appetite is increasing. I am taking antibiotics and I have a follow up appointment tomorrow at the doctors. The source of the infection was never found so it still is not clear as to where the infection came from. My pain is a lot less than what it was 6 days ago and my fever is gone. My energy level is still extremely low. My appetite still is not back to normal yet. My ears have been ringing like crazy. My coughing varies from bad to okay throughout the day. I am still resting. It is hard to sit still and rest.

Anyone who knows me knows how hard it is for me to stay put in one place for any duration of time. Yet, even though I am back home from the hospital, I am not physically able yet to return to my normal lifestyle. I am much too weak right now. This has been a challenge for me. I am bored out of my mind. And even though I probably lost 10 pounds from being sick and not eating, I feel like I have gained 20 pounds from lying around so much and not being active. I feel unproductive right now. I know God is using this time to heal my body more. I know I need to be patient, yet it is hard.

After staying in the hospital for 4 days, my hospital bill came to about $800 in US dollars. Pretty amazing when you think about how much it would have been in the states. Yet, that is still more money than I planned to spend now. So, I am feeling a little stressed financially as well.

Please pray for me to have continued healing. Please pray that the antibiotics the doctors sent me home with will continue to decrease the infection and the infection would not return. Please pray that my appetite will reappear fully and I will be able to eat regularly again soon. Please pray that my stomach, back and neck pains will decrease and entirely go away. Please pray for my cough and my chest to be cleared up fully. Please pray for my energy levels to increase and for me to rest and not “over do it” until my body can handle it. Please pray for continued rest and healing. Please pray for continued wisdom for the doctors to know if they should do any further tests, follow up treatments or prescribe any additional medication. Please pray for the finances to be worked out so I am not stressed about the $800 unexpected hospital bill.

I am so thankful for all of the support, help and prayers. Thank you! Please continue to pray for me. I am in better shape but I am not back to normal yet. I have a little road left of recovery and I am just hoping it is a smooth and somewhat quick one. Praise God that I am home from the hospital. Praise God that I am no longer having a fever. Praise God that I am no longer experiencing extreme pain. God is amazing. He is my comforter and my healer. I am so thankful for all the blessings God has brought into my life. I have learned to praise God through the good times and the bad times. This is the first time in my life that I sang out praises to His holy name while lying sick in a hospital bed. Praise God that He listens to our fears, our pain and our suffering. He takes it away. He answers prayers and heals our bodies.

As I write this, my head is still foggy and my mind is fuzzy. My left arm has numerous places of bruises from needles and my right hand is still remarkably sore from where the IV was. My stomach has this tingling of pain that radiates to the back still and my body feels run down. I feel like my body just came out of a traumatic and intense storm. It feels battered and beaten up. It feels trampled on. It feels like it’s been over worked. My mind feels spent as well. I feel as if I came close to death a few times during the night time and my mind is still recovering from the glimpses of fear I thought during those low points. I ask myself if I will ever return back to my normal self? Or has this experience changed my life forever? Has this changed the way I see the world? Has this changed my views of life? I think it is too early to determine that due to the fact that my mind is surrounded and soaked in what feels like fuzzy static.

So, during these (what I hope will be) last laps of my illness, I hold onto the hope that I will recover fully and completely in God’s timing. I also hope that I hear what God wants me to hear during this time. I hope that I can look back to this and see God’s hand upon me during this experience. I hope to remember to praise Him always through the good times and the tough times. Whether I am feeling good or bad, I need to praise God for He deserves my praise! I need to remember to be thankful for what I have, for the blessings in my life and the people God has placed in my life. I need to remember to slow down and take care of myself. I hope that I never get malaria again. I also hope to never get an infection like this one again. They were both miserable experiences. Yet, I am still here. I am still alive. God has kept me alive because he has a plan and a purpose for me. I need to trust Him for everything. And even if I were to endure this again, God will be with me every second again. And I will praise him again.

Well, that is all for now. May God bless you all. I will talk to you soon. Thank you again for your prayers.