It's been a long time since I've posted on here, so I figure it's about time to get people updated (just in case anyone's still checking back here!).
I find myself losing track of time pretty easily. Back in the fall/early winter when my parents said they'd be coming to visit me at the end of March, I thought that seemed like quite a ways away. Now it's come and gone, and I've already started to wonder if I was just imagining my parents being here. Although, there's some good evidence of it -- my refrigerator is still organized (thanks mom!), I've got iced tea around (thanks for the idea, dad!), and my parents have a blog of their time here (http://hillguineatrip.blogspot.com/).
Those of you who get my newsletter will get to read all about the tortilla business that's been launched from my front porch. It started probably 4-5 weeks ago, and every Tuesday, about 100 tortillas are made. If for some reason you're reading this and don't get my newsletter (but want to), let me know, and I'll send you a copy, so you can read more about it.
School is 3 weeks away from ending. Can you believe it?! I have a hard time with it myself. Only three weeks left of teaching science, computers, PE, and photography before my students are FREE for the summer. Many of them are heading back to the States or their respective home countries for home assignment, so it's soon going to be quite a bit quieter around the mission center.
I've been learning a lot recently about the importance of community and the importance of time alone with God. You'd think those 2 things would clash, but if things are working right, I think it can actually be beautiful.
One thing that I've really appreciated during my time here in Guinea has been the community of missionaries surrounding me. This is the first time since I started college (just a few years ago, right?) that I've really felt like I've been in community with people older and younger than me. Let's face it, in college you're generally surrounded by people your age +/- a couple years. I even managed to plug into a church there that was primarily college students.
Then in Midland, I found another group of people my age. The church has people of all ages, of course, but I tended to maintain my little bubble of familiarity with the people in my age category.
Here, I didn't have that "luxury." In fact, since my roommate left at the end of December, I've been left as the only one in my age category. In some ways I miss the fellowship of other people my age, but in other ways, I *love* the fellowship of people older and younger than me. There's a lot of wisdom shared among the missionaries who have been here for any length of time. There's a lot of childlike faith shared among the kids. The older kids look out for the younger ones and each other and even random teachers who aren't their age at all.
A couple prayer requests:
* A smooth end to the school year and a good transition for those who are heading home. For most of the kids here, Guinea is their life and their "home" country is a bit of a strange place. Pray that they are able to feel at home there, too.
* My wrist. In one of my fellowshipping moments with the high schoolers (i.e. playing soccer), I managed to fall on my hand and mildly sprain my wrist. I'm not very good at taking care of it, either, so pray that I am reminded to give it some rest and let it heal.
* My friend Muffy who just had surgery to remove her gall bladder. She's up in Dakar (Senegal) right now, hanging out for the beginning of the recovery process. Pray that recovery continues to go well and that she and her husband Ev have safe travel on their way back here.
Thanks! :) Let me know how I can be praying for you.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
January update
Greetings from Guinea! Hope you're doing well wherever you are reading this blog.
School's in full swing here at the mission school; we're on week three of the new semester, and it's keeping me busy, trying to prepare for my classes. I'm currently teaching a middle school life science class, a high school elective: Photography & Digital Media (co-teaching), elementary & 7-12 Phys Ed. They're all very different classes, and I'm finding that I probably spend more time getting ready for each class than actually teaching it, except maybe in the case of PE. For the middle/high school group, I get to teach volleyball for six weeks, so that's been fun since it's one of my favorite sports. I've been trying to dredge my memory for some of the drills we did back in my high school volleyball days.
The Photography and Digital Media class is probably my favorite, mostly because we get to play around with pictures on the computer. So far, I've had the students learning a program called Gimp or Gimpshop, which is similar to Photoshop but is open-source and therefore free to use. We've been working on learning the selection tools, so the first project was a virtual Mr. Potato Head, where the students practiced cutting out eyes, ears, mouths, etc, and pasting them onto a potato. That's resulted in some very interesting (kind of scary) potatoes as finished products.
Since my classes range from the morning hours (life science) to about 5:15pm (for PE), it's been harder for me to find time to get away from the mission center as much, so my primary interaction with Guineans has come through people stopping by my porch. There are two girls that I've probably mentioned before who like to come by to sit and talk or drink tea or eat dinner together. We've also been playing cards -- mostly Go Fish since that's all my limited French (and their limited card-playing skills) can handle right now. A couple weeks ago, one of the other missionaries went through a brief discussion of the gospel with them in French, and they seemed to be interested and listening, but I'm not sure how much of it completely sunk in, since French isn't their first language, and they don't usually sit still for long. You can pray for my interactions with them, that I am able to show them Christ's love for them even though I can't really speak their language.
That's a quick update of what's been happening here. Write me a message or comment on the post or whatever to let me know what you've been up to lately! God bless!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's December already?!
I've now officially lived in Guinea longer than any other country besides the US. Actually, I'm at about the 2 and a half month mark, which is about a month longer than any other country I've been to with my family.
The first semester at the mission school is coming to an end this week, finishing off with a grand finale of midterms and class Christmas celebrations. My teaching job is basically done for this term, since my class was an elective and doesn't require an exam. My high school student finished off the term with a well-written Python project to emulate an interface for a media player, and he even asked me if I could come up with things for him to do to continue practicing Python scripting over the break and into next semester. The two middle schoolers finished off their typing -- Phil claims speeds upwards of 58 wpm, but I think it's only maintained for the first few words of the "home row" lesson. Overall, though, I'd say their typing has improved, as well as their programming skills in Scratch. I find myself getting excited when I give the guys an idea of what to add to their latest game, and they're able to think through what it requires and add it in themselves.
Other than teaching, my other computer responsibilities are going relatively well. I've even had people bringing me other small electronics (a cd player and a travel DVD player) to fix -- I think it's probably from telling too many people how exciting it was to open up a Macbook a week or two ago to do a DVD extraction.
In non-computer-related news, I've recently had some cool opportunities to interact with the local Landuma people. Carol, one of the missionaries here, has started doing Bible lessons with a lady in a nearby village, so when she needed someone to go with her one night, I volunteered to go along. Although I don't understand any of the lesson since it's in Landuma, it's still a lot of fun to try to interact with the people, and to see them listening intently to the lesson. After the initial trip out there, the next time I came prepared with some candy for the little kids and a camera to take their pictures. They love having their picture taken, especially if you let them see what they look like, so I have a lot of pictures of kids making funny faces.
Some prayer requests for this week:
* A trip to Conakry this weekend. Jen and I are going to go along to the airport with Martha, who's flying back to Colombia for a few weeks, so we'll be traveling down to Conakry on Saturday and coming back to the mission center Monday morning. Pray for safe travel there and back and for Martha's travel home.
* Field conference. Every year around this time, everyone who's part of New Tribes in Guinea congregates at the mission center here for a time of encouragement, sharing, and fellowship. Pray for the safe travel of everyone who doesn't already live here, including some people flying in from the US and Canada to help out. Also pray for the conference, that it can be a good time of learning and that everyone can finish feeling refreshed and encouraged.
* Health. For the last month or so, it seems like there have been a lot of different bugs going around and various people getting sick, so please pray that everyone can return back to full health, especially in time for conference.
The first semester at the mission school is coming to an end this week, finishing off with a grand finale of midterms and class Christmas celebrations. My teaching job is basically done for this term, since my class was an elective and doesn't require an exam. My high school student finished off the term with a well-written Python project to emulate an interface for a media player, and he even asked me if I could come up with things for him to do to continue practicing Python scripting over the break and into next semester. The two middle schoolers finished off their typing -- Phil claims speeds upwards of 58 wpm, but I think it's only maintained for the first few words of the "home row" lesson. Overall, though, I'd say their typing has improved, as well as their programming skills in Scratch. I find myself getting excited when I give the guys an idea of what to add to their latest game, and they're able to think through what it requires and add it in themselves.
Other than teaching, my other computer responsibilities are going relatively well. I've even had people bringing me other small electronics (a cd player and a travel DVD player) to fix -- I think it's probably from telling too many people how exciting it was to open up a Macbook a week or two ago to do a DVD extraction.
In non-computer-related news, I've recently had some cool opportunities to interact with the local Landuma people. Carol, one of the missionaries here, has started doing Bible lessons with a lady in a nearby village, so when she needed someone to go with her one night, I volunteered to go along. Although I don't understand any of the lesson since it's in Landuma, it's still a lot of fun to try to interact with the people, and to see them listening intently to the lesson. After the initial trip out there, the next time I came prepared with some candy for the little kids and a camera to take their pictures. They love having their picture taken, especially if you let them see what they look like, so I have a lot of pictures of kids making funny faces.
Some prayer requests for this week:
* A trip to Conakry this weekend. Jen and I are going to go along to the airport with Martha, who's flying back to Colombia for a few weeks, so we'll be traveling down to Conakry on Saturday and coming back to the mission center Monday morning. Pray for safe travel there and back and for Martha's travel home.
* Field conference. Every year around this time, everyone who's part of New Tribes in Guinea congregates at the mission center here for a time of encouragement, sharing, and fellowship. Pray for the safe travel of everyone who doesn't already live here, including some people flying in from the US and Canada to help out. Also pray for the conference, that it can be a good time of learning and that everyone can finish feeling refreshed and encouraged.
* Health. For the last month or so, it seems like there have been a lot of different bugs going around and various people getting sick, so please pray that everyone can return back to full health, especially in time for conference.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Greater Than...
... 2 months.
I was going to post something big at the 2 month mark, but I realized today that it's already the 21st, so I missed my chance. Time's fun when you're having flies! (I'm NOT actually eating flies, in case any of you think that being a missionary in Africa turns me into an insect eater).
My daily schedule is becoming more of a routine all the time, while at the same time, it becomes less and less a routine. I now have a better feeling for what it's like when the full-time missionaries talk about the various hats they where, filling in as needed. I might start out the day as a teacher planning a computer lesson, turn into a computer consultant at some point as I get drafted to answer questions about adding to the store inventory, become a student for my French class, back to being a teacher to when it's time for my class, switch to being the pied piper as my posse of 4 and 5 year olds follows me around, back to computer consultant when I find out the server's lost power and needs to be started up and configured again, athlete when I join the high schoolers for a game of soccer, musician when I'm asked to play guitar for the dorm's devotion time, writer when it comes time to update my blog.
Every once in a while, things like substitute 1st grade math teacher or phys ed instructor or amateur filmographer or chef or lifter of kids into trees get thrown into the mix. I'm enjoying my new-found busyness but trying to make sure I don't lose sight of opportunities to just sit at God's feet and hang out with Him for a while.
Some things you can pray about:
* Teachers for the next school year. With a few families going on furlough, there may be a lack of high school teachers. If people aren't able to fill in, the high school students will either have to be homeschooled (which isn't always a real possibility) or sent elsewhere, which makes it tough on both them and their parents.
* General health for everyone on the field here. We've recently seen a few bugs going around, and hot weather and being sick just don't seem to go well together. You can especially pray for my roommate Jen who's been fighting something for quite a while now and still isn't sure exactly what it is.
* A good close to the semester. School here starts at the beginning of August, so the first semester ends at the beginning of December, just in time for field conference. Pray that the students will continue to be motivated for the last couple of weeks, that projects and lesson plans and everything can wrap up well, and that students and teachers don't feel overwhelmed with work.
* The Landuma church and some cool opportunities to teach people about the gospel. Although the Landuma church is pretty small right now, I recently heard of a family in a village nearby that is so excited about the bible lessons, that they constantly can't wait to hear the next one. That's a rare thing here in Guinea as people often care too much about persecution that may come with being associated with believers, so pray that the excitement over the teaching continues and that they're able to get through all of the lessons.
As usual, thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. I've had many things to praise God for since I've been here because of your diligent prayers! Drop me a line if there's anything you'd like me to pray for in return.
I was going to post something big at the 2 month mark, but I realized today that it's already the 21st, so I missed my chance. Time's fun when you're having flies! (I'm NOT actually eating flies, in case any of you think that being a missionary in Africa turns me into an insect eater).
My daily schedule is becoming more of a routine all the time, while at the same time, it becomes less and less a routine. I now have a better feeling for what it's like when the full-time missionaries talk about the various hats they where, filling in as needed. I might start out the day as a teacher planning a computer lesson, turn into a computer consultant at some point as I get drafted to answer questions about adding to the store inventory, become a student for my French class, back to being a teacher to when it's time for my class, switch to being the pied piper as my posse of 4 and 5 year olds follows me around, back to computer consultant when I find out the server's lost power and needs to be started up and configured again, athlete when I join the high schoolers for a game of soccer, musician when I'm asked to play guitar for the dorm's devotion time, writer when it comes time to update my blog.
Every once in a while, things like substitute 1st grade math teacher or phys ed instructor or amateur filmographer or chef or lifter of kids into trees get thrown into the mix. I'm enjoying my new-found busyness but trying to make sure I don't lose sight of opportunities to just sit at God's feet and hang out with Him for a while.
Some things you can pray about:
* Teachers for the next school year. With a few families going on furlough, there may be a lack of high school teachers. If people aren't able to fill in, the high school students will either have to be homeschooled (which isn't always a real possibility) or sent elsewhere, which makes it tough on both them and their parents.
* General health for everyone on the field here. We've recently seen a few bugs going around, and hot weather and being sick just don't seem to go well together. You can especially pray for my roommate Jen who's been fighting something for quite a while now and still isn't sure exactly what it is.
* A good close to the semester. School here starts at the beginning of August, so the first semester ends at the beginning of December, just in time for field conference. Pray that the students will continue to be motivated for the last couple of weeks, that projects and lesson plans and everything can wrap up well, and that students and teachers don't feel overwhelmed with work.
* The Landuma church and some cool opportunities to teach people about the gospel. Although the Landuma church is pretty small right now, I recently heard of a family in a village nearby that is so excited about the bible lessons, that they constantly can't wait to hear the next one. That's a rare thing here in Guinea as people often care too much about persecution that may come with being associated with believers, so pray that the excitement over the teaching continues and that they're able to get through all of the lessons.
As usual, thank you for all of your prayers and thoughts. I've had many things to praise God for since I've been here because of your diligent prayers! Drop me a line if there's anything you'd like me to pray for in return.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Guinea-style Thanksgiving
I'm losing track of what week this is as far as how long I've been here. I do know that in another 10 days, it'll have been 2 months. At times it's hard to believe it's almost been that long, and at other times, I feel like this is home.
We had a Thanksgiving celebration today at the mission center. Since we have some Canadians, some Americans, and some people who don't even have a Thanksgiving (Columbian, Brasilians, etc), we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving somewhere between the Canadian and American versions. It was a fun day starting with a football game in the morning, big meal at 2, dessert at 5, and some ultimate frisbee and volleyball (and/or a movie) to finish it off. Overall, it was a great day, and a good reminder of all the things I have to be thankful for.
This week was a bit of a different schedule due to Thanksgiving today (the school had the day off) and Day of Prayer on Monday. Actually, I'd like to invite you to participate in Day of Prayer next time -- it's the first Monday of every month. On that day, New Tribers all over the world get together and pray for various things going on wherever they are, other missionaries around the world, friends who have needs, or whatever comes up. It's a good time of getting together for some corporate prayer, and I think it's cool that they take some time out of the day to do it, although it meant I didn't have my computer class.
Computer class is going well. As I continue to teach Colton various things in Python, I keep finding that I have to scramble a bit to stay ahead. He catches on pretty quickly! Meanwhile, the Middle School boys are doing well with their typing, but they both seem to really enjoy programming in Scratch. I've been working with them on a game that involves a character at the bottom of the screen catching a character that repeatedly falls from the top of the screen. As the score goes up, the falling character goes faster, and if the one at the bottom doesn't catch him, they lose a life. It's great because there are all kinds of programming concepts that go into it, but at the same time, the students get excited because they're creating a computer game.
On another note, I heard this morning that there's propane in Guinea! So far, we were able to get 21 bottles filled down in Conakry, so now we just have to figure out how to get them back here to our village and how to get the rest filled, but I think everyone's relieved to be able to avoid permanently cooking over fires. That's definitely a praise for a lot of people -- God is good!
We had a Thanksgiving celebration today at the mission center. Since we have some Canadians, some Americans, and some people who don't even have a Thanksgiving (Columbian, Brasilians, etc), we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving somewhere between the Canadian and American versions. It was a fun day starting with a football game in the morning, big meal at 2, dessert at 5, and some ultimate frisbee and volleyball (and/or a movie) to finish it off. Overall, it was a great day, and a good reminder of all the things I have to be thankful for.
This week was a bit of a different schedule due to Thanksgiving today (the school had the day off) and Day of Prayer on Monday. Actually, I'd like to invite you to participate in Day of Prayer next time -- it's the first Monday of every month. On that day, New Tribers all over the world get together and pray for various things going on wherever they are, other missionaries around the world, friends who have needs, or whatever comes up. It's a good time of getting together for some corporate prayer, and I think it's cool that they take some time out of the day to do it, although it meant I didn't have my computer class.
Computer class is going well. As I continue to teach Colton various things in Python, I keep finding that I have to scramble a bit to stay ahead. He catches on pretty quickly! Meanwhile, the Middle School boys are doing well with their typing, but they both seem to really enjoy programming in Scratch. I've been working with them on a game that involves a character at the bottom of the screen catching a character that repeatedly falls from the top of the screen. As the score goes up, the falling character goes faster, and if the one at the bottom doesn't catch him, they lose a life. It's great because there are all kinds of programming concepts that go into it, but at the same time, the students get excited because they're creating a computer game.
On another note, I heard this morning that there's propane in Guinea! So far, we were able to get 21 bottles filled down in Conakry, so now we just have to figure out how to get them back here to our village and how to get the rest filled, but I think everyone's relieved to be able to avoid permanently cooking over fires. That's definitely a praise for a lot of people -- God is good!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Guinean Life As Usual
Oct 27, 2008
Well, it's been a little over a month now, and Guinea's feeling more like home. Teaching my one class continues to be enjoyable, and it's great having students who are interested in the subject and even like to work on projects outside of class, although that aspect of it makes me have to work harder to keep a step ahead.
The past week gave me a few opportunities to do some computer "surgery." I've always thought that if being a doctor is analogous to doing computer tech support except with a living patient who doesn't have a "restart" button, then count me out. Actually, count me out of the health profession anyway since I don't do well with blood. Computers are a bit easier because usually the worst that can happen is you have to (1) restart, (2) reload the machine from scratch (a little time-consuming but not the end of the world), or (3) order new parts, which gets a little tricky in Guinea since the mail system isn't really reliable. I had the potential for all 3 of these cases this week, but ended up saving one computer from being reloaded. Another computer needs a new video card, so you can pray for a way to get that shipped over here successfully, whether through the mail or via someone coming for a conference or to visit or something.
I've also had a chance to have some more interaction with the Guineans in the village where the mission center is located. Although my French and Landuma are both lacking, the little bit of French that I get from sitting in on my roommate's class has definitely been helpful for basic communication. Hand and arms motion help, too. There are a couple girls (twins) who have latched on to Jen and I, I think because we're the newest people here and closer than some in age to them. I would say they are about 14 or 15 years old, and it amazes me how they can at times seem older than their years (when they show us methods to improve our fire-cooking skills) and how at other times, they seem like little kids. This week they came over with their school books, and we saw a little peek into their level of schooling, which isn't very high for their age. We also saw how excited they were over paper and markers for drawing pictures and the few stickers that we gave them. I think a lot of these kids kind of miss out on some of the things that we would consider a pretty basic part of our childhood.
Some things you can pray about...
* We're short on propane here, which makes cooking a little interesting. Jen and I have been borrowing a neighbor's tank for the past couple of weeks, but we try to use it sparingly and cook over a fire more often. We were blessed yesterday to receive a new tank that came down from Senegal, so pray that we will use it wisely, that we will have good opportunities to share our blessing with those who are also running low on propane, and that there will soon be more propane in Guinea so people can fill up their tanks. Also, pray that we can continue to improve our fire-cooking skills. :)
* Pray for the AFLC (African Leadership Conference) being held here in Guinea, that the teaching and times of worship can be good and energizing for the people attending. Also pray for the people who are doing everything behind the scenes to make it a success and for their health as they run around trying to make sure things are ready to go.
* Start praying for teachers next year here at the school. A couple of families who do a lot at the school, especially high school level, are going to be on furlough, so there may be a shortage of people able to teach high school subjects. If you're interested, ask me about the Associate Program and how you can be a part, to serve over here for a year or two.
* Continue to pray for the tribal believers, that they can endure persecution from their families and the people in their villages and continue to want to be fed from the word of God.
Thanks for your prayers and for checking in on me. Hope you're all doing well, and feel free to drop me an email or call me through skype sometime.
Well, it's been a little over a month now, and Guinea's feeling more like home. Teaching my one class continues to be enjoyable, and it's great having students who are interested in the subject and even like to work on projects outside of class, although that aspect of it makes me have to work harder to keep a step ahead.
The past week gave me a few opportunities to do some computer "surgery." I've always thought that if being a doctor is analogous to doing computer tech support except with a living patient who doesn't have a "restart" button, then count me out. Actually, count me out of the health profession anyway since I don't do well with blood. Computers are a bit easier because usually the worst that can happen is you have to (1) restart, (2) reload the machine from scratch (a little time-consuming but not the end of the world), or (3) order new parts, which gets a little tricky in Guinea since the mail system isn't really reliable. I had the potential for all 3 of these cases this week, but ended up saving one computer from being reloaded. Another computer needs a new video card, so you can pray for a way to get that shipped over here successfully, whether through the mail or via someone coming for a conference or to visit or something.
I've also had a chance to have some more interaction with the Guineans in the village where the mission center is located. Although my French and Landuma are both lacking, the little bit of French that I get from sitting in on my roommate's class has definitely been helpful for basic communication. Hand and arms motion help, too. There are a couple girls (twins) who have latched on to Jen and I, I think because we're the newest people here and closer than some in age to them. I would say they are about 14 or 15 years old, and it amazes me how they can at times seem older than their years (when they show us methods to improve our fire-cooking skills) and how at other times, they seem like little kids. This week they came over with their school books, and we saw a little peek into their level of schooling, which isn't very high for their age. We also saw how excited they were over paper and markers for drawing pictures and the few stickers that we gave them. I think a lot of these kids kind of miss out on some of the things that we would consider a pretty basic part of our childhood.
Some things you can pray about...
* We're short on propane here, which makes cooking a little interesting. Jen and I have been borrowing a neighbor's tank for the past couple of weeks, but we try to use it sparingly and cook over a fire more often. We were blessed yesterday to receive a new tank that came down from Senegal, so pray that we will use it wisely, that we will have good opportunities to share our blessing with those who are also running low on propane, and that there will soon be more propane in Guinea so people can fill up their tanks. Also, pray that we can continue to improve our fire-cooking skills. :)
* Pray for the AFLC (African Leadership Conference) being held here in Guinea, that the teaching and times of worship can be good and energizing for the people attending. Also pray for the people who are doing everything behind the scenes to make it a success and for their health as they run around trying to make sure things are ready to go.
* Start praying for teachers next year here at the school. A couple of families who do a lot at the school, especially high school level, are going to be on furlough, so there may be a shortage of people able to teach high school subjects. If you're interested, ask me about the Associate Program and how you can be a part, to serve over here for a year or two.
* Continue to pray for the tribal believers, that they can endure persecution from their families and the people in their villages and continue to want to be fed from the word of God.
Thanks for your prayers and for checking in on me. Hope you're all doing well, and feel free to drop me an email or call me through skype sometime.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
One month
As of yesterday, I've officially been in country for 1 month. Life here is starting to feel pretty normal, and I often find myself saying things as if I've been here for years: "Oh yeah, that's common for rainy season" or "We haven't been able to find that kind of cheese at the market for a long time" or "You'll get used to them stopping by and hanging out on your porch."
I started teaching this week. I only officially have one class that includes a couple of middle schoolers doing typing and a high school senior who wants to learn some programming. All three of them are really well-behaved, so sometimes I almost forget that there are two boys sitting in the corner typing away. The programming has been fun so far, and I think it'll be a good challenge for me to try to adapt the "curriculum" to the one student since he has an interest in a program that requires knowledge of Python (not the snake, the programming language). Speaking of snakes, I saw my first one yesterday, already killed by some of the other missionaries. Although at times I think it'd be fun to spot one live, I think for now, seeing it not so alive was a good way to be introduced. :)
I also got to do some substitute teaching for a teacher who was out sick for half the week. He normally teaches just about every class other than English and electives for the high school, so we split his classes among a few of the rest of us. I got to cover physics and algebra 2, and for some reason, I really enjoyed myself. I think part of it is that the students are really easy to work with -- most of the time they sit attentively taking notes, participating when I ask questions, asking me questions if they don't understand. I also got to lead chapel on Thursday with my guitar, which was also a lot of fun. It showed me I could use a little work on some of my guitar skills, but the kids chose some fun songs (Prince of Peace, All in All, Shout to the Lord, Hungry, etc) and did a good job singing along. We also spent some time talking about various things we've all been reading in the bible lately. One girl brought up the story of Ruth and her courage in following her mother-in-law and the true God; another boy talked about the prayer that Paul says in Philippians, that their "...love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..." Sometimes I wish we did more of that sort of thing spontaneously because a lot of times people see things in a way that I probably never would reading through the same passage.
On Tuesday, the Landuma village nearby had the Abram Cup soccer final, so a group of adults and high school students drove over to watch. We got rained on again, but well... that's pretty common for rainy season. ;) I spent much of the time there amusing the kids with my digital camera -- they love to be able to see themselves in the viewer after the picture's taken. You can see some of the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/kelseyAfrica. Afterwards, they gave us a round of speeches about the history of the school, the origins of the Abram Cup tournament, and a bunch of thank yous for coming, followed by another delicious meal. Sometimes I think that people in the US should learn from the Guineans on how to really show hospitality.
The Sheffield family gave me a ride out to another Landuma village with them on Sunday for the Landuma church service. I'm starting to get to the point where their songs stick in my head, even if I can't really understand what I'm singing. It's still cool to me to be able to worship God simultaneously in different languages. I think I usually take it for granted that God is omni-lingual, but it's actually really impressive, especially considering the fact that I still learn new English words every time I play Boggle, and that's supposed to be the language I know!
Thank you for your continued prayers while I'm here. For those of you hanging out where the leaves are multi-colored, enjoy them for me! :)
I started teaching this week. I only officially have one class that includes a couple of middle schoolers doing typing and a high school senior who wants to learn some programming. All three of them are really well-behaved, so sometimes I almost forget that there are two boys sitting in the corner typing away. The programming has been fun so far, and I think it'll be a good challenge for me to try to adapt the "curriculum" to the one student since he has an interest in a program that requires knowledge of Python (not the snake, the programming language). Speaking of snakes, I saw my first one yesterday, already killed by some of the other missionaries. Although at times I think it'd be fun to spot one live, I think for now, seeing it not so alive was a good way to be introduced. :)
I also got to do some substitute teaching for a teacher who was out sick for half the week. He normally teaches just about every class other than English and electives for the high school, so we split his classes among a few of the rest of us. I got to cover physics and algebra 2, and for some reason, I really enjoyed myself. I think part of it is that the students are really easy to work with -- most of the time they sit attentively taking notes, participating when I ask questions, asking me questions if they don't understand. I also got to lead chapel on Thursday with my guitar, which was also a lot of fun. It showed me I could use a little work on some of my guitar skills, but the kids chose some fun songs (Prince of Peace, All in All, Shout to the Lord, Hungry, etc) and did a good job singing along. We also spent some time talking about various things we've all been reading in the bible lately. One girl brought up the story of Ruth and her courage in following her mother-in-law and the true God; another boy talked about the prayer that Paul says in Philippians, that their "...love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..." Sometimes I wish we did more of that sort of thing spontaneously because a lot of times people see things in a way that I probably never would reading through the same passage.
On Tuesday, the Landuma village nearby had the Abram Cup soccer final, so a group of adults and high school students drove over to watch. We got rained on again, but well... that's pretty common for rainy season. ;) I spent much of the time there amusing the kids with my digital camera -- they love to be able to see themselves in the viewer after the picture's taken. You can see some of the pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/kelseyAfrica. Afterwards, they gave us a round of speeches about the history of the school, the origins of the Abram Cup tournament, and a bunch of thank yous for coming, followed by another delicious meal. Sometimes I think that people in the US should learn from the Guineans on how to really show hospitality.
The Sheffield family gave me a ride out to another Landuma village with them on Sunday for the Landuma church service. I'm starting to get to the point where their songs stick in my head, even if I can't really understand what I'm singing. It's still cool to me to be able to worship God simultaneously in different languages. I think I usually take it for granted that God is omni-lingual, but it's actually really impressive, especially considering the fact that I still learn new English words every time I play Boggle, and that's supposed to be the language I know!
Thank you for your continued prayers while I'm here. For those of you hanging out where the leaves are multi-colored, enjoy them for me! :)
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