School

This week, I officially started to teach English at Destiny Institute. It is a small school, I make the 3rd teacher, and what a time I had of it. We would start every day with the "pledges", where we would pledge to the Bible, to the Christian flag, and they would pledge to the Indonesian flag as I stood politely by. Then we would spend half an hour singing, mostly praise songs that made the children laugh, but we always ended the singing with worship. (It helps that the worship leader is one of the teachers =) ) After that the older kids would separate from the younger kids, and we would have devotion time. It is a different characteristic each week, and the schedule is three Bible stories Mon-Wed, Thursday the teacher gives an example from their own life and then Friday the kids give their own examples.

From 9-10 the children work in their own cubicle, and the teachers (including me) go around and help them with any questions that they have. During this time I have mostly been employed by helping with pronunciation. Then there is a break for juice, and then we work until lunch at noon. After lunch is where I am beginning a speaking class. It is a half an hour time when we generally play games that get the children to speak in English, games like Simon says, or a game where you have to list everything in your lunch bag, but the things on the list must go from A to Z (ex. I have an Apple in my bag, then the next person says "I have an apple and a bouncy ball in my bag" etc.) During the times that I am not busy teaching, I have been studying Indonesian, I figure that it is probably as good of a time as any.

As for life here at the compound, this week I got up Mon Wed and Fri to join the prayer at 5am, although it is difficult with the language barrier, my friend Melda (who is teaching me Indonesian) has been kind enough to come along and translate for me, although she is not a morning person. I have discovered that I love the early mornings here, it is so quiet and beautiful, and yet it is so bursting with life. The students here all head from the prayer to their chores, so everywhere you go there are students working and they often sing to themselves as they do. 

When I get back from school, I have a few hours to myself in which to do any praying or reading or whatever it is that I need to do. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this time! Then, we get on with the evening schedule, which can be anything from English classes here at the compound, a concert, a meeting, or dinner in Salatega.

I think that this whole thing has been just as good for me as it has been for them. The work has not been particularly hard, the days have not been too long, the sleep I get has been sufficient, but it seems that I am completely worn out. There is just something about being in a new place that has drained me. I have only been here for a few weeks, and it seems as though I have been here forever. There is so much that needs done, and sometimes I feel that I am not the person to do it, but then I remember that I was invited here, that God picked me to be the one to come and teach. He has been so amazing, every time that I feel down or lonely, or insufficient, something happens, I read a scripture that says exactly what I needed it to, or someone says something that reminds me why I am here. So I guess that you could say that it is one more way that I am in school, for the Lord is ever teaching me to trust him. To lean completely on Him, and to let Him do with me as He pleases, and I am learning that often times, what He wants is what I want too.