Today is the third day of classes at NOE for me. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays i have one class in the morning and three in the evening, all four of these classes are kids in their second year of English. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays i have 2 classes in the evening, one is primary English and the other is teaching the kids that are coming to portland next year about American culture. On Wednesdays i also help out with Exploradores, or the Mexican version of Kids Klub.
When i started teaching, i wasn't nervous at all. I have taught swim classes for years so teaching isn't new to me. However, in the classroom i felt very different. For every class, except the exchange group where Spanish is not allowed, i have to speak in Spanish at least part of the time. it is stretching me like crazy. I am worried that the kids won't respect me because they see me struggling in front of them. I pray that they will still respect me and desire to learn from me even when i make mistakes. I told them they could laugh at me when i make a mistake in Spanish, so they all enjoy that.
I also told them that they get to be my teachers as well, so they like the idea of that. I do too, i love to learn and i love to teach, so i love it even more when i can do both of those things at the same time!
It has been really cool to use my 10 minute walk to NOE as time for prayer for my classes, and then to feel God's presence in my classroom. Yesterday, the first time i taught the primary kids, i was scared to death!!! These kids have about the equivalent of a year's worth of English, so how can they understand me if i am only speaking in English??? but God provided. He allowed me to teach in Spanish and English, in Spanish with many words i did not know that i knew, and he also provided a girl in my class who is willing to help translate what i say to the rest of the kids.
My experiences here are showing me how much i LOVE teaching!!!! This is something i want to do for the rest of my life!!! There is NO doubt at all in my mind about that!!!
*Thank you for all the prayers about my family situation. Shortly after writing that last blog i had a 3-hour conversation with my family. We took turns expressing frustrations, reviewing rules, and letting them get to know me because before that they literally knew almost nothing about me. That conversation has made life here, since then, much easier for me. I pray that it will continue to get easier and that i will continue to become a part of this family.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Learning the Ropes the Hard Way
Learning new things is never easy and here in Morelia that is still true. I have officially been here almost 6 weeks and i am still learning new things every day about Mexican culture. Every day things shock or surprise me, i do something wrong, or try something different. And all of these have been quickly adding up to my realization about how far away from home i really am.
Last week i was given a verbal list from my family here about all the things i was doing wrong. All things that in the states are completely appropriate and part of my every day life, but here, they are causing tension in the home i am staying in. I had to quickly make a decision about how much i am going to adapt to this culture. With some words of wisdom from several people i came to this conclusion:
I am going to try to adapt to this CULTURE and the new things in it as much as possible. This will involve changing a lot of habits i have had for a long time. It is going to take a long time, because i have had most of these habits my entire life, but hopefully i will be able to adjust. HOWEVER, the ONLY reason i am changing who I AM is if God wants me to. HE will show me how he wants me to grow and develop as a person here, and he is the only person i am going to change who i am for. People here may want me to act a certain way, but if that's not who i am, then i'm not going to do it.
I will give you an example. One of the things that i am doing "wrong" here is keeping the door to my bedroom closed. My family feels like it is cutting me off from them, like i am living in my own little world instead of in theirs. I have 2 responses to this. 1) The family is rarely here, so my door IS open most of the time, they just never see it. and 2) the only time they are home, they are in their rooms doing homework (the mom is in school too) or on the computer outside my room doing homework. I keep my door closed then because i am constantly listening to music and don't want it to distract them.
Little misunderstandings like this are tearing me apart. I have been a people pleaser my entire life. I constantly strive my hardest to keep the people around me happy and to make sure they are proud of me. Here that has changed dramatically. The kids at NOE know me, because they see me working, having fun, and doing all kinds of things with them. But my family only sees me in my down time, when i'm not out with the kids. And they hold me to a standard that i can't always achieve because i don't know what is right and wrong here. God is showing me that my family's standards matter, and i should try to achieve them, but that HIS standards are what TRULY matter!!!
He is showing me that my work here is at NOE, with those kids, and impacting their lives. That i can't let the things happening at my house effect my work here. I am here to do HIS work for these incredible kids, to give them my heart and everything else i have for HIS glory, and that is what i need to be focusing on.
Things here are so different. Some of it i like, and some of it i hate, but all of it is my life right now, and i have to embrace it as best as i can.
Please be praying for me in these next few weeks that i can continue to adjust to the different way of life here and that the people i am around will be patient and realize that this is hard for me.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Teaching about Strength, sharing about God's, NOT my Own
Last night i had the privilege to teach the Bible study at NOE and a group of about 20 kids were crammed into 1 small classroom to hear me speak. When Juan asked me to share, 2 or 3 weeks ago, i had just finished writing my blog on strength. He told me to pray and ask God what i should share about. After a lot of prayer and reflection, i realized that i was supposed to teach about strength. In the last 2 months SO much has happened in my life dealing with strength, and so much of it had to do with my journey to them, that i felt it was what i HAD to share about.
God helped make the process very easy for me. i spent several days using concordances and searching through my Bible finding verses i had read about strength. i then looked for verses i could use that related to the story i was going to tell. I decided to share both about my sudden trip to the hospital 2 months ago and my flights here because those experiences forever changed my perspective on strength, and where my strength TRULY comes from.
As i was sharing i felt really encouraged, a lot of the kids laughed at my jokes, well they laughed when juan talked because he was translating for me, and they seemed to be listening really well when i was saying the stuff that mattered. Afterwards i got a great response!!!! Several people came up to me and told me how good it was and how much they enjoyed it. However, three people encouraged me very much:
*One person shared with me how she has a similar problem and whenever she hears stories about how other people deal with it, she is really encouraged.
*One person told me that he had a similar thing with his heart. A problem that at first the doctors weren't sure what it was. But he repeated something (in Spanish) that i had said in my lesson that almost brought me to tears. he said, "God has the strength and that's all that matters."
*And another person that really encouraged me is one of my close friends down here who told me that he had a similar scare like i did. He felt the same way i used to, that he was strong, and that his strength was his own, not God's. But he was mugged 2 months ago, and his view on strength changed dramatically. He said he was really encouraged by what i said and that made me really happy.
All in all the lesson went really well, i feel like God gave me the words to get the message across that he wanted. I'm so glad my story helped make an impact, but ALL the glory goes to God, because he gave me the words to speak, i was just opening and closing my mouth.
Please be praying for my continuing ministry here. Juan is going to do a Bible study based on the Driven life, and then at the end is going to teach all the kids how to drive (because it isn't as common for teenagers here.) After he finishes that i am going to be teaching a similar type lesson on our thirst for God and how water is used int he Bible. At the end i am going to teach the kids how to swim (because a LOT of them don't know how). Please be praying for us as we prepare for these lessons. Pray that the kids will enjoy it, that they will be open to it, and that not only the practical things, but the spiritual things in the lesson will change their lives forever.
God helped make the process very easy for me. i spent several days using concordances and searching through my Bible finding verses i had read about strength. i then looked for verses i could use that related to the story i was going to tell. I decided to share both about my sudden trip to the hospital 2 months ago and my flights here because those experiences forever changed my perspective on strength, and where my strength TRULY comes from.
As i was sharing i felt really encouraged, a lot of the kids laughed at my jokes, well they laughed when juan talked because he was translating for me, and they seemed to be listening really well when i was saying the stuff that mattered. Afterwards i got a great response!!!! Several people came up to me and told me how good it was and how much they enjoyed it. However, three people encouraged me very much:
*One person shared with me how she has a similar problem and whenever she hears stories about how other people deal with it, she is really encouraged.
*One person told me that he had a similar thing with his heart. A problem that at first the doctors weren't sure what it was. But he repeated something (in Spanish) that i had said in my lesson that almost brought me to tears. he said, "God has the strength and that's all that matters."
*And another person that really encouraged me is one of my close friends down here who told me that he had a similar scare like i did. He felt the same way i used to, that he was strong, and that his strength was his own, not God's. But he was mugged 2 months ago, and his view on strength changed dramatically. He said he was really encouraged by what i said and that made me really happy.
All in all the lesson went really well, i feel like God gave me the words to get the message across that he wanted. I'm so glad my story helped make an impact, but ALL the glory goes to God, because he gave me the words to speak, i was just opening and closing my mouth.
Please be praying for my continuing ministry here. Juan is going to do a Bible study based on the Driven life, and then at the end is going to teach all the kids how to drive (because it isn't as common for teenagers here.) After he finishes that i am going to be teaching a similar type lesson on our thirst for God and how water is used int he Bible. At the end i am going to teach the kids how to swim (because a LOT of them don't know how). Please be praying for us as we prepare for these lessons. Pray that the kids will enjoy it, that they will be open to it, and that not only the practical things, but the spiritual things in the lesson will change their lives forever.
Friday, September 2, 2011
NOE's Impact
I awoke this morning at 5:40 to the sound of people's excited voices. i was startled and disoriented until i remembered that i hadn't slept in my bedroom (so it wasn't weird that i was hearing about 100 voices). I realized that i was still in the van at NOE, where i had only gotten about 2 hours of sleep, but had been since 5 o'clock int he afternoon yesterday. Yes, for those who like mind puzzles, you figured it out, i spent the night at NOE.
When Luis/Brian Overcast got to NOE at 6 am he saw me and said, "wow, you stayed all night???" I said, "Si, por la experiencia." (Yes, for the experience.)
Let me explain. Today and Monday are the biggest days at NOE because it is registration for the year. In the past i have experienced registration for high school as waking up and getting ready at 6 am to stand in line when the doors opened at 7. The wait wasn't too long, i was with my friends, and the whole process was over by 9 am. This registration was ENTIRELY different!!!!!
I arrived at NOE at 12:15 yesterday to help finish cleaning out the classrooms. i saw a family sitting outside and thought nothing of it (it is very common because there is shade by NOE so families are often there in the afternoon.) However at 3:00 when Erick and i left, there were 5 families. That was a little weird. Erick turned to me and said, "they are waiting in line for registration." I said, "but registration is tomorrow, at 9 am!!!" And he said, "yes, but people want their spot, so they wait ad spend the night here in the ark and then get their numbers tomorrow morning." i was ASTONISHED!!! It was about 20 hours before registration and there were already 5 families waiting.
I went back at 5 with Erick to NOE to be briefed on the schedule for registration. They have it organized really well so that it only takes a family about 5 minutes to be completely registered for classes at NOE. I decided that i wanted to spend the night at NOE, to experience what these families go through to ensure that their children have a place there. When we went outside after the meeting at 6, there were now about 10 families. We hung out there for a while and i found out that several of my friends were going to spend the night too. Even though they were already guaranteed a spot because of their level of English, their younger siblings were not, so they came with them. I got my stuff from my house at 7:15 and then stayed at NOE.
We had a blast!!!!! I brought henna tattoos and had my laptop with me so the kids were enjoying my music. I also now have a fan, a little girl named Katzumi who is probably about 8 years old. She stared at me for about 2 hours and then finally got the courage to come up and talk to me while i was with Erick. She couldn't stop smiling because she was using broken English and i was using broken Spanish, but the communication went really well. She hung out with us, watched me give henna tattoos, and listened to em sing to the songs on my laptop, she wanted me to sing Selena Gomez, but i didn't have any, so i played a Justin Beiber song just for her.
The energy coming from our group was the only energy in the room. Most of the adults were sitting in chairs reading or talking quietly to each other. It was moving to see the commitment these people have to their children, and the hope for a better future for them. Some of our group left, and things started winding down around 2 am when we all went to the van. We spread out and listened to music for about another 2 hours because the lights were on in NOE so it was really hard to go to sleep. I kept looking out the window and seeing people falling asleep in their chairs. I imagined how uncomfortable they must be, because i was uncomfortable and i was sleeping in a van! That was at least carpeted!
Then at around 5:40 i was woken up by people getting excited. Luis/Brian comes at 6 so families were getting in order so they could receive their numbers. When Luis got there everyone was silent while he talked and explained the process. Everyone was given a number and the approximate time that number would be called. They were instructed to be there early though, or they may get skipped. The families all left and Luis took me home to get some much needed rest.
I wanted to go back this morning and watch the registration, but i woke up at 11:53 and it ended at 1 so i wasn't able to go. I was still happy though because i got to experience a big part of NOE that isn't often thought of. When Luis came to talk to the parents, one of the first things he said was that he appreciated their sacrifice. Sacrifice indeed!!! It is obvious that these families care a lot about their children. They want a bright future for them and they know that NOE can help provide that. NOE is making an impact and i am honored to be here and be a part of what God is doing though this INCREDIBLE ministry!!!
When Luis/Brian Overcast got to NOE at 6 am he saw me and said, "wow, you stayed all night???" I said, "Si, por la experiencia." (Yes, for the experience.)
Let me explain. Today and Monday are the biggest days at NOE because it is registration for the year. In the past i have experienced registration for high school as waking up and getting ready at 6 am to stand in line when the doors opened at 7. The wait wasn't too long, i was with my friends, and the whole process was over by 9 am. This registration was ENTIRELY different!!!!!
I arrived at NOE at 12:15 yesterday to help finish cleaning out the classrooms. i saw a family sitting outside and thought nothing of it (it is very common because there is shade by NOE so families are often there in the afternoon.) However at 3:00 when Erick and i left, there were 5 families. That was a little weird. Erick turned to me and said, "they are waiting in line for registration." I said, "but registration is tomorrow, at 9 am!!!" And he said, "yes, but people want their spot, so they wait ad spend the night here in the ark and then get their numbers tomorrow morning." i was ASTONISHED!!! It was about 20 hours before registration and there were already 5 families waiting.
I went back at 5 with Erick to NOE to be briefed on the schedule for registration. They have it organized really well so that it only takes a family about 5 minutes to be completely registered for classes at NOE. I decided that i wanted to spend the night at NOE, to experience what these families go through to ensure that their children have a place there. When we went outside after the meeting at 6, there were now about 10 families. We hung out there for a while and i found out that several of my friends were going to spend the night too. Even though they were already guaranteed a spot because of their level of English, their younger siblings were not, so they came with them. I got my stuff from my house at 7:15 and then stayed at NOE.
We had a blast!!!!! I brought henna tattoos and had my laptop with me so the kids were enjoying my music. I also now have a fan, a little girl named Katzumi who is probably about 8 years old. She stared at me for about 2 hours and then finally got the courage to come up and talk to me while i was with Erick. She couldn't stop smiling because she was using broken English and i was using broken Spanish, but the communication went really well. She hung out with us, watched me give henna tattoos, and listened to em sing to the songs on my laptop, she wanted me to sing Selena Gomez, but i didn't have any, so i played a Justin Beiber song just for her.
The energy coming from our group was the only energy in the room. Most of the adults were sitting in chairs reading or talking quietly to each other. It was moving to see the commitment these people have to their children, and the hope for a better future for them. Some of our group left, and things started winding down around 2 am when we all went to the van. We spread out and listened to music for about another 2 hours because the lights were on in NOE so it was really hard to go to sleep. I kept looking out the window and seeing people falling asleep in their chairs. I imagined how uncomfortable they must be, because i was uncomfortable and i was sleeping in a van! That was at least carpeted!
Then at around 5:40 i was woken up by people getting excited. Luis/Brian comes at 6 so families were getting in order so they could receive their numbers. When Luis got there everyone was silent while he talked and explained the process. Everyone was given a number and the approximate time that number would be called. They were instructed to be there early though, or they may get skipped. The families all left and Luis took me home to get some much needed rest.
I wanted to go back this morning and watch the registration, but i woke up at 11:53 and it ended at 1 so i wasn't able to go. I was still happy though because i got to experience a big part of NOE that isn't often thought of. When Luis came to talk to the parents, one of the first things he said was that he appreciated their sacrifice. Sacrifice indeed!!! It is obvious that these families care a lot about their children. They want a bright future for them and they know that NOE can help provide that. NOE is making an impact and i am honored to be here and be a part of what God is doing though this INCREDIBLE ministry!!!
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