Monday was a sports competition day, so some kids from each grade went, and I was only left with 4 kids in my class ALL day! It was sweet though, obviously I could not teach, so we watched The Grinch and made snowflakes to decorate our classroom! They loved it, and I sure did too! It was a really fun day for me to be able to hang out with a few of my students and just have fun with them! I am starting to think that when I go back to the states, some sort of youth ministry, whether in a church or with YL, is where I want to be!
I have a hard time finding my balance with the kids….I know the way I am teaching works here, but it definitely would not work in the states just because of the lack of teacher-student relationship in the states. For example, here the teachers hang out with students very often, and it is completely encouraged! Today I am going to my triplet’s house (Josue, Melanio and Moises) to hang out and play video games, which would NEVER happen in the states, and the girls in my class come over just to hang and are always asking to hang out! The kids here seriously love to hang out with their teachers! I read this this week and it really spoke where I want my heart to be:
“Love is an urgent matter. Love is a daily, moment by moment matter and it has no regard for position. Treat people how you’d treat them if you knew it was their very last day to be alive. Speak to them the things that matter, things of life and truth, lovely, pure, holy and right. And leave each encounter with another as though it was your last. Work through conflict, forgive, reach out, encourage and receive. Love is always a matter of urgency. Let your mouth speak your last words first! Jesus is good. He desires good for you. He is the way truth and life. As we live, we have a model for how we too can live. Jesus was not idle, he worked diligently, but he knew rest. We can learn form that. Be a person who serves. Serve when it is easy, when it is hard and when it is seemingly impossible! Serve always. Be a person of compassion. Compassion moves one from noticing a need or crisis or hurt to act. Respond to your hearts cries of compassion for others. Be a person of justice. When the created world or any human being is being treated in a way that spits in the face of their value, fight to make it right. People are a reflection of the Creator, every single person is of value and needs to be fought for! The created world is the majestic creation of an Almighty Creator, when it is treated poorly it reflects the way we value the Creator himself. CARE ABOUT THINGS WIH YOUR ACTION!. As Cornell West say, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Be generous with your life, time, energy, resources and opinions of others! Above all: LOVE. Love with your mind, your heart, your soul, your strength, and your actions. Love well. Love all. Love with vengeance. Love stubbornly! Love fiercely. Love softly. Love completely. Love selflessly! LOVE LOVE LOVE. When you walk this way, you know rest, a kind that comes from one who is gentle and humble in heart. When you walk this way, you walk with Jesus. Oh isn’t He good! Imagine if we all lived in the way he set before us.”
SUCH an awesome challenge!
On a side note, so cute: one of my students, Claudil, told me this week that she has a huge crush on a boy in our class, Melanio!! SO funny. She was all upset because he was being mean to her, and I was like well….usually at this age, boys are mean to the girls they like!! At lunch she snuck a candy bar into his backpack:) precious!
A couple of my students made this picture for me, they said that it describes who I am, they are so sweet!!
Wednesday night, Natalie took Melissa and I for a moto ride to look at Christmas lights....we found one house that went all out with lights and the blow-up decorations, so we had to take some pictures:)
This morning, Julie-Anne and I FINALLY went on an adventure run! With her being in the states, and then both of us being sick, it has been forever! We took a new road by the river and went up in the mountains (some killer hills we definitely had to walk up, and even had a hard time even running back down!!)We saw some really sweet houses, and some complete shacks BUT they still had Christmas lights! The best part: for the first time in a VERY long time, we were in complete silence....without motos, people yelling, or loud music! Such a blessing!
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