RECAP
I have realized that from the time I left Canada to now I have left some gaps in my blogging so I am going to do a quick recap of some of my summer events up until now.
July 13 - Sold my car. Goodbye Molly II
July 28 - Visit Dallas Barnhartvale Baptist Church and shared about my ministry with TeachBeyond and CISP and what the Renfrews would be doing when they came.
July 29 - Given the OK by my member care team that I could depart to the field - I was at 68% of my monthly support but including one time gifts I was good for the year so I prepared to leave, having faith that God would provide for my years to come.
August 6 - 7 Depart Canada and arrive in Prague - smooth flights and everything arrived
August 8 - 22 - Prep classroom - mop, clean, dust, gather furniture, sort boxes
August 9 - Got word that I gained a few new donors and was up to 83% PRAISE THE LORD
August 23 - Took a day off and had a final holiday before school (see previous post about holidaying)
August 26 - 30 - Staff training week - R&R arrived bringing with them 4 suitcases loaded down with needed supplies and helped to get my classroom into shape. Thank you to all who helped donate funds, supplies and prayed for this team; they were a HUGE blessing to me and our staff.
August 31- September 1 - Play tourist with R&R - Went to the zoo, explored and enjoyed Prague life
September 2 - School open house - Show off the school to the families
September 3 - Last minute prep
September 4 - First day of school!
Our first week and a half of school has been very busy, as we settle into new routines, adjust to a new building and a new group of students. I hope to post pictures of my kids very soon.
Praise God!
~ For my continued monthly support, currently at 83%
~ My appointment at the Visa office went smoothly and I now have my VISA good until May 2015!
~ For safe arrival with all my luggage and the arrival of one of my flatmates
~ For a great class of students 4/5 are learning English
Please Pray!!
~ For our new flatmate as she strives to raise her needed support. She is currently now at 80% of her needed support and needs to raise at least another 10% before she can come to Prague. Please Pray for the Lord’s provision for Kate and that she will have all that she needs soon.
A little R&R
I was blessed immensely by the help, support and hard work of this small team. I am so thankful for parents who give of their time and resources and set aside their fears to come serve the Lord and help their daughter. They did everything from stamp, organize and label books to hanging poster board strips and building a sandbox. They really did get a little taste of what it is like to live and work in Prague. Whether it was trying to find washers that would fit the pins on a door or buy a monthly transit pass, they had their adventures learning how the Prague life works for a foreigner. They got pretty good at finding their way around and I was able to leave them to their own devices their second week here when they got to explore the country on their own.
Exploring Prague Castle
Exploring Český Krumlov and Karlštejn
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| Brunch at Radost |
We got to meet up with our dear friend Aneta who worked at Davison's one summer
(affectionately known to some as Czech 1)
Back to School
This year brings me back to my first year teaching CISP. Once again I have a small class with only 5 students. However, these 5 all come from different countries and each speaks a different native language! They are from Brasil, South Korea, Holland, Italy and the USA. In January we are expecting a new family from Russia who will have a student in grade two bringing my numbers and nationalities to 6 :)
Although it is a challenge to teach such a diverse group of learners it is exciting to see them grow and develop their new language skills. People ask how do I do it? I have learned to be creative and sometimes that means having a class consisting of dramatic charades and pictionary!
It is the little things that bring you joy and some things extend beyond common words: hugs, smiles, and above all laughter. I think my moment of the week was when my little Italian, who has a very small vocabulary and is afraid to say anything, pulled out all my connect links during playtime and made a chain that stretched from one side of the classroom to the other. When she completed her little task she surveyed her handiwork and announced with great gusto TA-DAH! For one who barely spoke a word above a whisper all week this was a mighty accomplishment and made me laugh. Some sentiments extend through many language barriers.
Please continue to pray for this small group as they overcome fears of being in a new language and culture. Pray that the gospel will become planted in their hearts and that I will be able to teach with wisdom and understanding and meet the needs of these little ones.
