On Sabbath afternoon, us Student Missionaries went to the beach to relax and spend some time in God's creation. And what a peaceful way to do that! I spent a lot of time wading in the water and looking into its depths. I began asking God what he could teach me about himself through the ocean. If anyone knows me very well, you'd know that I have a great fear of deep water, so swimming out into the farthest parts of the ocean isn't quite my idea of a happy adventure. I thought about it for awhile and realized the ocean can tell me a lot about God- He is powerful, vast, filled with beautiful and amazing things that can only be found if searched for, dangerous, and inviting. Just like the ocean, he invites us to come to Him and jump into His immense love. He wants us to begin an adventure with Him, one that requires effort and all of our strength, but in the end is so worth all the work. And yes, He is dangerous. What He calls us to isn't always easy or simple, most of the time the best things He calls us to are challenges that are meant to help us grow- and that's not easy. And I think that's why it can be so scary- it takes work, and sometimes it's hard to trust when you feel like your drowning or you can't see the land yet. But I am so thankful that He calls me anyway, even though He knows I am fearful. God provides the strength and life and courage that I need, and that is what gets me to the other side. Praise God for the beautiful ocean He created that tells me so much of Him and His character.
After a while at the beach, we began walking back through the small back roads and villages there. We saw a volleyball game going on, and I could tell that Meghan and Mauricio wanted to go play with them. I, on the other hand, do not really enjoy sports that much and do NOT feel comfortable joining a game that I can barely even play. We fetched the ball for them when it went into the gutter, and they asked if we wanted to come and play with them for the next game. Of course, they said yes- and I grudgingly decided to stay with these two crazies. Suddenly I noticed that there were a group of children nearby, and, well, although I don't enjoy sports or swimming in deep water, I DO enjoy children!! I introduced myself to the kids and asked all their names in tetum. They were giggling and laughing and saying things about the "Malay" who kept talking to them(Malay means foreigner here). I laughed and asked them how old they all were. They were so adorable and friendly! Eventually they started playing games and so I watched and then asked if they could teach me the games. The girls were very shy, but helped me try the games anyway! It was so fun! By the end of the volleyball games (which could have lasted a while, I wasn't paying attention to them!) I had a baby in my lap, a child braiding my hair, and a circle of children sitting, holding my hands and teaching me more local games in Tetum. I cannot express how soothing this was to my soul- these adorable children had officially accepted me as their friend, even though we don't speak the same language or share the same heritage, and that made my heart sing. I learned about 4 new games yesterday, and can't wait to go back and try playing them again!! Praise God for teaching me lessons about His amazing love and joy through children and the ocean! What a fulfilling and bright day. Until next time, Miss McEddy
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After giving my children a coloring page to do and handing out all my normal crayons and twisting crayons, I found that one of the plastic parts to my twisting crayons was missing. I thought little of it and continued arranging. I went on to the next subject and was bellowing over the crowd of miniature sweaty humans, when one of my students came up to me. "Teacher, teacher!!!", he yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling, showing me his half-mutilated notebook with a few scribbles on it. I helped him for a while when I heard a "crunch crunch" coming from his mouth. It was NOT lunch time. And that did not sound like food. I held out my hand in front of him and asked him to spit it out. Can you guess what it was? It was the half chewed, slimy, and sticky piece to my twisting crayon. Well, I found it! Several minutes of class passed and he came running back to me, grabbed my hand, and slid a few more slimy pieces of plastic into it. I wish I could say that these kind of occurrences were seldom, but that would not be true.
There are some sticky experiences that are definitely more enjoyable though, like when a random child ran up to me yelling, "Teacher, teacher!!!", and handing me something in a plastic pouch. "Teacher, it's very tasty. Try it!" Seriously the most delicious sticky sweet rice stuff wrapped inside of a banana leaf. Us SM's found some in the market and immediately bought a whole bunch, which ended up having banana inside of them as well. Even more amazing! Such delicious foods here. I can't even! I love my kids. I really do! They are the most rambunctious, talented, loving, and challenging kids I've ever met. They've given me a run for my money, and have kept me on my toes every single day. Just trying to get by is really not an option, which is a great and terrible thing all in one. I work so hard for these kids, which makes any difficult day (which most days are) hard on me. I am putting my all into this, exhausting myself and loving with all that I've got so that these young people can learn of Someone who loves them beyond anything that the can imagine! I guess it makes sense that I've lost most of my voice now, so croaking to my students to sit down and look at the board doesn't work too well anymore. I called to one of my students who was being noisy today, and it turned out sounding like some kind of bird was dying- VERY LOUDLY. The expression on my student's face was priceless though, which makes it all worth it. Do you remember the sticky situation I was talking about at the beginning? Well, later that day my missing putty for putting up posters was handed back to me, with a big smile on his face, and it was sticky. Not sure I needed that putty as much as I first had thought. I decided I could go a while with tape instead. When I lost a piece to the filtered water dispenser, now you can understand why I immediately went to him and checked his mouth for any pieces. To my surprise, there was nothing in there!! Sometimes, kids surprise you. Like every day! My favorites are sweaty, snotty, happy children hugs. They are seriously the best! I love getting mobbed when kids first arrive at school or when they realize that their teacher is at church too. God has definitely blessed me with an amazing challenge, and a fun adventure of figuring out more about myself as well as who He is. Pray for Timor Leste, the others who work here at the mission, my children, and I as we continue on this crazy-awesome-difficult journey of a year. Love to all! Till next time, Miss McEddy :) |
AuthorI am an elementary education major and am in love with Jesus Christ. I want to serve Him as best as I can, which has lead me to this missions experience. I also love painting and drawing, cooking, crafting, and spending time with people I love. I grew up living in a whole bunch of different places as a child, so the airplane is a place I feel comfortable. Archives
February 2017
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