April 17th
As I went to bed last night, I read through Luke 4 (the text we will be studying on Friday). It dawned on me (and probably because I heard it somewhere else before) that the devil was tempting Christ to take the shortcut to His ministry on earth. Because Christ was "made in the likeness of men," He would feel the weaknesses of the flesh - fatigue, pain, hunger. The first temptation was to avoid these by changing the stones to bread for nourishment. Christ's purpose for being in the flesh was not to live His life conveniently without suffering, but to live by and according to the Word of God, ultimately fulfilling the Word. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Christ came in the flesh to inherit a kingdom. The second temptation (as listed by Luke) is to skip the rest of His life on earth and receive "all the kingdoms of the world" in a moment. Yet Christ, consistent with His first statement (that man lives according to God's Word) can not use evil means, though the end would still be accomplished. In a final attempt, the devil attacks the very heart of the gospel. He tempts Christ to avoid the cross. How many men, in their inability to face the wrath of God, have taken their own lives trying to escape? Yet Christ can not. In order to redeem His people, He must be forsaken, He must bear the full punishment for sin, and die on a cross.
As Christ could not avoid weakness, though He was the Son of God, I must not expect to live conveniently, but live with a full view of my shortcomings, walking in the strength of the Lord.
As Christ could not implement evil means to fulfill the Father's will, so I must look to the Father for His guidance moment by moment that I might not fall prey to any of my own schemes.
As Christ could not escape the suffering and shame ordained for Him, so I can not expect any less; I must be ready to endure the cross with a thankful heart that I am not forsaken.
This morning my fourth grade class was much better. We had a one problem test, completed the overview for two lessons, and I explained how they could receive partial credit on their homework by showing their work. I notice that this class does much better when I can keep the lesson moving (which is challenging when I have to talk over so much noise. Need to pray about teaching the lesson more creatively for this group). After class I called up one of the students and asked her if she had given her homework to specific individuals (each one had the exact same answers). She confirmed my suspicions for all of the boys, but when I asked about her best friend, she looked down and denied that she'd cheated. I wasn't sure how to proceed, but in the same moment, the friend came up, put her hand on her friends shoulder, and told me that she copied! Amazement and gratitude to God filled my heart in the same second. I thanked her for telling the truth and when I graded the homework, gave her 100%, making a note on her paper that the truth is more important than getting the right answers.
My 3rd grade art class was not up to their usual standard of behavior. I hope it is because there is a holiday tomorrow and they are antsy to have a day off. During the half hour lunch break, I read a story in one of the fourth grade classrooms. I handed out invitations to both classes and told them they could bring their food and eat while they listened. About ten students trickled in and out of the room during the break. I think most wanted to make a good impression, but I had three who were really attentive and asked me questions afterwards. I am reading "Little Pilgrim's Progress," but not sure if there will be enough time to finish before the school year ends.
My 12:15 class was pretty good. They can't run through material as quickly (even the "good" students need to have things repeated), but more of them have started to turn in homework and are showing ALL their work! Cheating has also subsided. Spent an hour after class in the teacher lounge grading papers and encouraged to see the progress. One of my quiet students was just starting to come out of his shell in my art class, when I switched to teaching math. I was afraid that he would retreat again, but today he actually turned in his homework and seems to understand more than I thought! He has some learning disabilities and troubles at home, but is very sweet and responds to my eye contact.
It seems appropriate that today would be my 100th day of being here. It would not be difficult to list at least 100 blessings that God has showered on me lately. I really feel how much I don't deserve them. His goodness far exceeds what I can ever imagine. Though I depend on Him for everything - strength to live in Christ, hope to persevere, light to understand - He graciously meets my needs, and gives me extra besides.
At 3, Mary, Julie and I went to Buhar City. It is a store on the other side of town that has a lot of dishes and cookware for better prices than we can find in the market. Next door is a market called "TeamMart" where we also found some good deals on food. The latest craze on our team is Magnum Infinity. It is dark chocolate ice cream covered in a dark chocolate shell. We each got one for the ride home - delicious, but really rich! After we unloaded our purchases we all went to Jovia for dinner (John, Dan and Henry too). We saw some friends from fellowship there (a funny coincidence), then enjoyed curry chicken and the Jovia Spec (I think they meant "Special"). Mary wanted to find something for Henry to sit upright in, so we went to a few baby stores on the way home.
April 18th:
"...of making many books there is no end." This verse runs through my mind nearly every time I sit down to update the blog. Sometimes it is helpful to release my thoughts on "paper," but other times I feel like I run through the same itinerary over and over again. There was no school today, so perhaps I feel a little purposeless.
Regardless, it was a busy day. We went to the governor's house at 11am. One of the governor's sons had posted something inappropriate on his Facebook, and Andy and John talked to the principal about it. The principal phoned the mother, who promptly invited the entire team over to their house as a way of reconciliation. Andy and John tried to explain that we were not upset or took it personally, but simply wanted the son to realize that some things are not appropriate. All to no avail. The principal picked us up at 10:30am and we were off to the governor's mansion. (I didn't have to come, but was curious to see what it would be like.) As we walked up the steps, it was apparent that this was no ordinary house. Two caged birds greeted us on the patio. The patio was mostly overtaken by an inset fountain, but was also furnished with a shaded wicker bench and some potted plants. As we stepped into the house, I involuntarily sucked in my breath. The white couches were gilded with silver and rhinestones. (Lisa and Andy both reached for Zander who had started to clamber onto one.) The walls were covered floor to ceiling with elegant wallpaper and the room was carefully arranged with attractive furniture. The governor was out of town, but his two wives hosted us. We stayed for a little over half an hour. During that time we were given pieces of candy, water, coffee, and at the end, a variety of sweet cakes. The student's mother made sure to tell us in a variety of ways that no harm was meant. John and Andy (through the principal who translated for us) responded accordingly until there was nothing left to say. There is no sense of "I am sorry. It won't happen again." in this culture. Everything must be round about so that in the end, everyone is absolved. As we left, the family gave Zander a two-seater tricycle as a gift. He was thrilled!
Lisa and I went to the market afterwards to buy clothes for Zephie and Zander and gifts to take back to the States. I always enjoy going with Lisa since we shop almost identically. While Lisa went into one stall, I stopped in at the one next door. I took awhile looking for things and was worried she would've moved on by the time I came out. Nope! She was still shopping too! Because we're both pretty thorough, it's nice to go out together.
When I got home, I did my laundry, grated a block of cheese, and made some thank-you cards. I haven't had to cook too much lately, but I did make some yummy pasta for dinner tonight. I boiled the noddles, then added sausage (80% chicken and 20% beef), parmesan-like cheese, and a little bit of spinach. It almost tasted like one of our family recipes back home! It was good to feel productive.
Around 7pm, Stacy and I took the neighbor kids to Geli Park for ice cream. The youngest is about Jaden's age. He held my hand the entire time - I didn't realize how much I missed having a little hand tucked into mine!
