April 29th and 30th: Dedication to the Unobserved

Monday, April 29th and Tuesday, April 30th:

The last two days have looked fairly similar with one grade taking a quiz and the other working on two math lessons. I've had a lot of schoolwork in the afternoons - writing finals, answer keys, grading quizzes, and planning out the last few weeks of class (only fourteen days of school!) The days are getting warmer ... we've already turned on the A/C!

I wanted to dedicate this post to a couple people in my life here that I don't often mention, but who are extremely significant in the operation of the schools and who make my life just that much happier - the janitors of the school. They are the first to arrive, picking up after all the students who throw their trash on the floor; they prepare the school for large events and keep up with maintenance; and then they are the last ones to leave each day, making sure all the classrooms are ready for school to begin again.

This lady taught me some of my first Assyrian words. She reminds me of a "dorm mom" for the female teachers - she keeps up on the all the gossip and knows how everyone is doing.

Shamon likes to test my Assyrian, greeting me every day and grinning happily when I give the correct response. I often see him outside my classrooms, picking up trash and sweeping away the dirt. He always smiles and waves and I'm pretty sure he's checking to make sure my students are behaving for me. If he catches a kid outside of class, he'll be sure to scold the student and send him back to me.

There are several other janitors and a couple cooks who keep the students supplied with "finger chips" (french fries) and "kentucky" (chicken nuggets). Even though my interactions with them are brief and fairly routine, these people are an important part of each day and I'm thankful for their smiling faces.

April 27th and 28th: Willing to Lose

Saturday, April 27th:

I heard some hard news from Dad last night ... as I prayed about it, my groanings were turned into praises. I found myself glorifying God for Who He is, that despite the circumstances He is the Same, He is King forever and ever. I only mention this because it was an answer to prayer. A couple months ago I had asked the Lord to teach me to "glory in tribulations," to know that trials work "patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope." As I prayed over this current tribulation, my heart was filled with the love of God and the hope I have in Him.

This morning Hannah and I helped out at the soccer clinic.

Sixth through eighth grades:

Learning to shield, by protecting our "tails" :)

In the afternoon I worked on grading and got some housework done. A pretty quiet evening...

Sunday, April 28th:

After the "long" weekend, everyone was a little noisier than usual, but we still had good discussions about our verse for the day, "Love is patient and kind." We talked about examples of when we need to be patient with those we love (i.e. Mom is making dinner and we are hungry; we want to go somewhere but our sibling is taking a long time to get ready.) It was interesting to hear the stories that the students shared ... which provided an opportunity to challenge them to check their impatience and show love to their families.

Classroom management isn't always easy, but I am amazed and grateful to see that during our discussions about love, the students are particularly attentive and well behaved. They are also quick to remember! I am always a little surprised to discover which students remember specific verses.

One of my sixth graders lost a tooth during class! He threw it away; and upon seeing my look of concern, explained, "Miss, we are not like Americans. I will not show it to my parents." :) I love that they are learning to build bridges across our cultures ... there are so many ways they may use this skill one day!

Hannah and I walked home from school. With our finals due in a few days, I have a lot of schoolwork lately. I was able to enter HW grades, calculate students' current phase averages (and two projected averages - one if they complete all HW and another if they don't do any of it), write the fifth grade final, and prepare for tomorrow before Skyping with my family.

Lisa sent me updates on Andy's game. They lost, but it was close all the way to the end... we trust that despite the losses, the team will have gained through Andy's example and will want to know more of the love that brings him here.

As I prepared to go to bed, I read this thought from Amy Carmichael that articulated my desire for this year. May God take away the "I" that I see choking all of my thoughts, words, and deeds!

"It is only as we look and look and look that we really see. And the more we know of the object we are looking at, the more we see in it ... How much are we willing to lose, that we may know, and so be able to see? It is the I in you and me that blinds our eyes. The loss of I - that I may know Him, see Him with new clearness in creation ... even in souls that are unlovable and unbeautiful. May the Lord grant this to us all. I want more and more to see His goodness and His beauty. Not vaguely, nor just from time to time. I want to see Him truly, continually, in His work, in those who love Him, in His Book, in Himself."

April 25th and 26th: Science Fair and a Break in Erbil

Had to share this cute pic from a Skype call the other day:

Another side note: I bought eggs on Wednesday and they actually came in a carton! Normally we get our eggs in a plastic egg or by the flat. Duhok is moving up in the world...

Thursday, April 25th:
Today was the science fair / art show at school. It was quite the production!

A project from fifth grade:

Invisible fire:

Thirsty candle:

I was in charge of monitoring 5B. Everyone arrived at 8:30am to set up their projects, then parents arrived around 10:30am for the fair. Unfortunately, it didn't take two hours to get projects ready, so students had to sit in the classroom and wait. I played "I Spy" and coached my kids on how to present their projects. A couple of the boys ran out of matches (even though they'd been warned not to play with them in case that very thing should happen!) (And yes, I know, matches in school?! We do what we can and try to make sure the kids don't get hurt...) When the parents arrived it was fun to watch my students explain the science behind their experiments (a couple of the boys kept looking to me to make sure they got it right) :) I kept thinking about one year ago and the many times I left 5B ready to burst into tears. We've weathered a lot together and it is such a blessing to see how far they've come.

At 12pm, Lisa picked up Hannah and me so we could head down to Erbil for Andy's game. Lisa drove the first half and I took over for the second part (which was crazy and fun at the same time!) We made good time and arrived just at the end of the first quarter. Hannah taxied to our teammates' house to visit with them while Lisa and I watched the game. The guys played one of their better games, but the reffing was pretty bad. We lost by 4 points :( Their last game will be on Sunday (which I will miss since it is in a city that is 7 hours away. Andy and Lisa will stay in Erbil and leave from there.)

The team bus ... saying goodbye to Zander:

After the game, we went to dinner at Dal's Burger. The burgers were made with real beef, and the restaurant even had a play place for the kids!

Went back to our teammates' house for a fun evening, just hanging out.

Friday, April 26th:

This morning the ladies (less kids, thanks to the guys!) went out for coffee and parfaits at Second Cup. We sat outside, enjoying the nice weather and each other's company.

We picked up pizzas and brought them back to the guys, and then headed back out (I know, the guys were good sports and did a lot of babysitting!) We went to Langa (Erbil's secondhand market) and bought some shoes and 1000 ID shirts.

At 4pm, Hannah and I taxied back to Duhok. We arrived just as the sun was setting:

It was fun to get out of Duhok and "live it up" - from burgers to Blizzards to bargain hunting, it was refreshing to do something different. I was thankful for some time away where we didn't feel quite so foreign. Definitely an energizing weekend that got me ready to come back to life in Duhok.

Mary saved us some broccoli cheddar soup and bread bowls so we didn't have to cook anything when we got home. Nice! Got to Skype with Dad in the evening before going to bed.

April 23rd and 24th: Genuine Love and a Trip to the Gely

Tuesday, April 23rd:

Another good day for applications. When I walked into 6B I was met with a chorus of, "Oh, phew! Miss Helen, you're here. We LOVE you, Miss Helen. You've saved us!" I discovered that they'd been punished and were writing out portions of their literature book. They were supposed to write out an entire chapter or write until I arrived, whichever came first. Obviously, my arrival was their release from torture. Interestingly enough, our verse for the day was, "let love be genuine." I explained what genuine meant and then asked them how they would know if love was genuine. It was an encouragement to hear them quote some of our earlier verses. "It will be in deed and in truth, not in word and talk" and "real love will lay down its life for its friends" and again, "love will build up." Then we gave examples of fake love - love that loves for its own sake and not for the sake of others. I asked them about their love for me that morning - was it real? or was it simply because I'd "saved" them from punishment? (As an answer, I received a thank you note, a Snickers and a Twix during the break.) :)

Hannah and I were able to walk home, but within a half hour it started pouring rain and I could even hear thunder from my room. I spent the afternoon grading and booking my final flights home.

Wednesday, April 24th:

Everyone was excited about the science fair today ... I've had lighters, eggs, buckets of water, tea bags, and light bulbs circulating in my classes for the past 3 weeks. I'll be thankful when the students finally present their projects tomorrow.

The fifth grade lesson was about adding decimal points to whole numbers in order to add and subtract them to decimal numbers. In 5A I turned the lesson into a game and had students play "pin the decimal point on the whole number." They really got into it and couldn't wait until it was their turn (of course I made them answer math problems in between turns.) ;)

Our verse for today was, "if anyone loves God, he is known by God." It was a good reminder that God sees the heart and knows those who truly love Him ... it was also a comfort for me to think that God really knows all about me, especially when so few here know me well. 

Hannah and I enjoyed a sunny walk home and then I went on the roof to read. After I came down, Hannah and I made Alfredo and pasta for a late lunch, chatting over our meal. At 4, I walked to the orphanage. One of the girls told me that she'd had a dream that I was going to come today! In America we don't think much of dreams, but oftentimes dreams are very significant here as a means God uses to reveal Himself. I was thankful that she'd been thinking of me and prayed that my time with them would be a blessing. The last couple times, the girls have observed their time of prayer just as I've arrived. Today they asked me how I pray (do I cross myself?) and I explained that I talk to God with my eyes closed. They also asked when I pray and I told them that I don't pray at set times, but that I like to and want to pray to God many times throughout the day. As we talked about other things, one of the girls went to the head teacher and asked if I could take them to the Gely (Duhok Dam). The head teacher called the director for permission and then told me I could take the girls (I had no idea this conversation was going on. In broken English, it was communicated that I'd be taking the girls rather than asking if I'd like to take them.) I was happy to go, but extremely nervous as this is the first time the teachers have indicated that they trust me. I was admonished several times to "be careful," "to come back on time," "don't be late," and again, "be VERY careful." Gulp.

The girls were so thankful to get out. They changed out of their house clothes and we were off. As we walked, they held my hand and told me how nice it was to be with me. I tried to relax and enjoy the walk ... but I couldn't help realizing the responsibility of taking five teenage girls out in public. I'm used to being stared at, but I worried about the girls' reputation being seen with me. They didn't seem to mind or think anything of it, laughing and smiling the entire way. A couple times they would put me on the inside to make sure I didn't get run over by a car, which was very sweet as I thought I was the one supposed to be taking care of them! I told them they were like my five daughters and of course that brought even more smiles.

We walked around the little park at the Gely, bought some chips and then headed back. It took us 45 minutes to get there and I was worried about getting the girls back on time. They weren't too worried, but I've started to catch on to how things works here ... make excuses to the American who doesn't understand the language, have fun now, apologize later (and I knew who would be taking the heat for it!) They wouldn't have meant anything by it, but I knew that this was sort of a trial run to see if the orphanage could trust me. As we started back, one of the girls had a blister on her heel and couldn't walk very fast. Knowing we weren't going to make it, I called Lisa for a huge favor. She graciously dropped what she was doing and came to pick us up. We made it through the door right at 6pm. It was apparent that the teacher was very pleased and repeated again and again, "Bashe, bashe" or "good, good." Phew! I think I passed the test, but of course I won't know for sure until the next visit...

Lisa drove me back to their place where the rest of the team had already gathered for dessert and our Skype call.

April 21st and 22nd: In the Shadow of Your Wings I Will Sing for Joy

Sunday, April 21st:

Today was a really good day in school. The kind of day I'd like to bottle up and put on my desk so I'll remember why I love living here and teaching my students...

First a funny story. I was introducing our lesson for the day - "What does symmetry mean?" I know they learned this last year, so I wasn't surprised when someone raised their hand fairly quickly. However, the answer I received was very unexpected - "Miss, it is the place where they bury people." A pause as I sucked in my breath and held back the laughter that wanted to bubble out ... I didn't trust myself not to laugh and ended up writing the difference between the two words on the board - SYMMETRY not CEMETERY.

As we moved on to the next chapter about applications of division, we had a real-life application of our verse for the day - "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." In 6B, some of the students were bragging about how they already understood our math lesson. I paused and asked them what our verse meant. We discussed the difference between being puffed up (filled with air) and building up. 6B loves drama, so we did a role-play. Three students came up to the front of the room - one was a student, another was knowledge, and the third was love. As the student told "knowledge" something he'd just learned, "knowledge" interrupted, "I know, I know. I learned that back in kindergarten." When the student repeated what he'd learned to "love," "love" replied with words of encouragement and asked more questions about the subject. We talked about how the student felt after each scenario and the rest of the class eagerly agreed that they'd rather talk to "love" than to "knowledge." [This was encouraging to me as I've been feeling a bit beat down by people who know everything. I needed to be reminded that God's love builds us up so we can minister to those people, not argue back or feel offended ... still need to work on this though.]

In 6A, the role play wasn't staged. One of the first-grade teachers came in to deliver letters from the administration. As she read the names aloud, she mispronounced one of the students' names. The class erupted in laughter. After she left, I scolded the students for treating a visitor so poorly (hospitality is important in this culture and I try to remind the students that the classroom is their home ... they need to treat teachers, administrators, and other students in the same way they would treat someone who enters their home.) Then I talked to the class about our verse for the day. After explaining what it meant, I asked the students if they thought the teacher felt loved when she left. At the end of class, the students wrote apology letters to the teacher. When I handed her the notes in the teacher room, I was a bit surprised by her reaction (though it made sense as I reflected on it). She bristled and became rather defensive, telling me it wasn't necessary. She really didn't care about what the students had done. I hurried to explain that I didn't think she had been offended, but that I wanted the students to learn that they shouldn't treat others disrespectfully. I told her that we had been talking about love and it was the perfect opportunity to teach them what love looks like. After she read the letters, I assured her once again that I wasn't trying to shame her by having the students apologize, but that they were learning to love others. She seemed satisfied and even read the letters aloud to another teacher, translating what I had said to her. I was praying the entire time and afterwards thanked the Lord for a double-opportunity to demonstrate love.

In the evening, I Skyped with the family (less Dad who was in Atlanta) and enjoyed a popcorn dinner with Hannah.

Monday, April 22nd:

The students took tests today, so there wasn't much out of the ordinary. (It was also a rainy, wet, muddy day, so might as well not talk about the weather...) I had a lot of grading to do when I got home and then we went over to John and Mary's for team time. John read sections of Scripture that focused on the Lord as our All in all. I was encouraged as it reminded me of my goal for this year. John read from Psalm 73 which has my key verse for both last year and this year's goal. "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart (2012 - consciously walking in the strength of the Lord) and my portion forever" (2013 - delighting in the Lord.) I've had a couple opportunities in the past week to talk about/be reminded of my goal for this year. It is refreshing to review what God has been teaching me and see how He is bringing me along in my walk with Him.

Andy picked up a package at the post office from Sarah. It was filled with the goodies we miss from home and can't get here - Parmesan cheese for Mary, gummy fruit snacks for Zander, b@con bits, Cadbury eggs, pictures, and taco seasoning. It was a bittersweet moment as the memories came flooding back. Thankful to be remembered and to be reminded of how much this year has brought!

Trip to Istanbul (October 2012)

Saying goodbye (February 2013)

After team time we went to dinner at Cali Cafe,  then I came back home and finished grading.

The evening devotional by Spurgeon was comforting - God is the almighty Watcher, the sleepless Guardian, a faithful Friend. We need not fear the darkness (whether it is the darkness of the enemy, the watches of the night or merely the shadow of His wings).

Psalm 63:

"my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶ when I remember you upon my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help,
    and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."

April 19th and 20th: Life Lessons and Soccer

Friday, April 19th:
Fellowship was good this morning. We are starting a new study in 1 Peter and spent our time reading through all five chapters. As I learn about delighting in the Lord, my focus when reading Scripture has shifted. While the passages about trials and suffering are familiar, I've noticed that the verses following direct the reader to "being" before "doing" (I tend to jump right into "doing," trying to fix the problem and figure out the reason for the suffering). Peter reminds us to "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" and "rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy." The phrase, "happy are you" also appears several times. Only when I am rejoicing in Christ and His work can I "do" those things that I ought, as I ought.

After I taxied home, I read for a little bit on the roof, then took a nap. Listened to a sermon and enjoyed a quiet day of rest. In the evening, we went over to Andy and Lisa's for some team down-time. Andy had just gotten back from an important meeting about their future here with basketball ... it was a long, hard meeting, but ended well. We got the run-down and were encouraged to see God giving us favor with the people here. As we enjoyed one another's company, we savored expensive chocolates (a gift from one of Andy's basketball players) and decaf coffee, then later Skittles, cheese curls (closest thing we have to Cheetos), and Starbursts.

Saturday, April 20th:
This morning I went to the soccer clinic for CSM students (the same one I went to last spring). Each session, we focus on a specific soccer skill and relate it with a life lesson. Last Saturday's focus was passing or serving others. Throughout the week the players are supposed to practice the soccer skill and apply the life lesson in some way.

With my fifth graders:

Sixth through eighth getting instructions on ball control (life lesson: self-control)

We began with several drills, then played a match for the last half hour. It felt good to run and get some cardio in!

After the clinic, I went to Andy and Lisa's for some time on the roof. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a slight breeze and pleasant enough to walk home afterwards. I read, took a nap, finished grading, and then caught up on a few emails. Mom was online, so we got to chat on Facebook for awhile too! Definitely feeling sore ... hopefully that means I'll sleep well!

April 17th and 18th: A Ray of Sunshine in a Dark Place

Wednesday, April 17th:
I spent the morning sewing (it is fun to have a project to keep me busy!) Then Hannah made pancakes and we enjoyed a leisurely late breakfast together. After coffee, I went over to my friend, "Julie's" house and caught up on the latest happenings. While I was there, her littlest daughter (she's almost two) said my name ... "Helen" isn't always easy, so I asked her if she could say "Sissy." The little boy coached her, "Say, S-i-see." And out it came, "Sissy!" It was nice to be called Sissy again ... I haven't heard it since Caleb was here. We'll see if she remembers it the next time I see her. "Julie" gave me a ride home as she took one of her neighbors to see Andy for physical therapy. I rode in the back seat with her little boy (4) which helped fill my need for some "brother" time.

I walked part of the way home to look for a few things and enjoy the nice weather (everything is really clear after yesterday's yucky rain ... of course everyone has had to wash their cars.) Despite a couple rude remarks, it was a nice walk.

I got some grading done before Hannah and I made brownie batter pancakes for our team dinner. We went over to Nelson's around 5:30 and enjoyed Mary's tasty Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with a Ramen Noodle salad (made by Lisa). Afterwards, Hannah and I put caramel sauce and apple slices between two pancakes to make little dessert sandwiches (Hannah's idea). They were really good and everyone wanted seconds!

After dinner, I went over to Andy and Lisa's for the Skype call. Andy had practice, so Lisa and I had some girl time. I helped put Zander to bed (more "brother" time) then we had our conference Skype call. Andy got home around 10pm. We ended up looking at old pics from 2003/2004 (that was 10 years ago - I can't believe it!!!) then Lisa took me home around 11pm.

Thursday, April 18th:
Happy Birthday Dad!

Today was our school picnic. I got all dressed up this morning and then taxied to school around 8:30. The teachers organized the students onto buses and then we were off!

Some of my sixth grade boys:

Waiting to be directed to their bus:

Our picnic spot was beautiful and the weather was amazing.

Here is one of my sixth graders dancing in the sunshine:

My sixth grade girls:

One of my students who actually likes math!

My fifth grade student and her mother made a huge pot of boorek because she knows how much I like it!

With my sixth graders (my dress was a gift from the student in the bottom right corner):

With the curriculum coordinator:

Playing games:

And eating food:

My fifth grade boys (they can't even stand still for a picture!)... though they are difficult at times, these guys have a special place in my heart.

 This student celebrated her New Year yesterday (she is from a minority religion here) and gave me an egg which they decorate to mark the occasion.

Picnics are all-day events filled with food and fun. I really enjoyed moving from group to group and visiting with them in a relaxed setting. A couple of them joked that I should give a math lesson and a few were upset that they forgot to bring their HW! :) I was able to have a really good conversation with one of my students ... she has had a hard life and sometimes feels that she shouldn't be alive right now. God has spared her life for a reason, and I am thankful she is one of my students!

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."

We left around 1:30pm as it started to look like rain (the school was going to stay until 4pm, rain or shine.) I was thankful to go home as my voice was getting raspy and I was starting to cough more. I spent the rest of the afternoon resting and baking goodies for tomorrow's fellowship.

April 15th and 16th: Just Daily Life

Monday, April 15th:
8:30am - 1:00pm at school
- Taught 5th grade a lesson and looked at the verse, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend."
- Gave 6th grade an open book quiz. (My throat is still hurting, so instead of answering questions, I let them use their books - it was a pretty hard quiz.)
- Had boorek that one of my students brought for me (she knows it is one of my favorite Kurdish foods.)

1:15 - 3:40pm at home
- Graded quizzes

4:00 - 5:30pm at Bishop's for Team Time
- Enjoyed our devotional outside, thinking about prayer

5:30 - 7:00 pm at Texas Chicken for Dinner
- Had spicy chicken tenders and a honey biscuit (those things are good!)

Tuesday, April 16th:
8:30am - 1:00pm at School
- Gave 5th grade an open book quiz, which went fairly well considering I've never given one before.
- Had a sandwich that one of my students gave me (they keep feeding me!), a Snickers bar that another student bought for me, and was given a new purse as a gift!
- Taught 6th grade two lessons and played some games with them.

1:15 - 3:30pm at Market:
- Went with a friend to the market. Helped her find her way around and introduced her to some new places - the art store, the candy section, and the second-hand market so she could buy a purse.

4:00 - 7:30pm at Home and out of the Dusty Rain
- Arrived home just as it started to really rain ... dirty rain.
- Spent the afternoon grading and sewing.

7:30 - 9:00pm at Nelson's for Apple Pie
- Went over to the Nelson's for a slice (well, two) of apple pie that Mary and Hannah had just baked. (I'm glad they didn't pull a 'little red hen' since I didn't help out at all!)

April 13th and 14th: Loving Others at the Snack Window

Saturday, April 13th:
Spent the morning at home ... trying to rest up and fight off this cold/flu/sore throat, but ended up being busier than I thought. I was able to take a nap and felt a little better afterwards.

In the evening, Andy and Lisa invited us over to watch the NCAA Championship. Andy's basketball team came over too and we introduced them to "walking tacos" (a popular concession-stand item in Iowa).

We enjoyed watching the game ... and of course analyzing Louisville and Michigan's game strategies to help Andy's team improve.

It was a late night (I didn't get home until 11pm) but it was worth it! How often can you watch basketball in Iraq?

Sunday, April 14th:
Back to school today. The kids were pretty talkative, and by the last class my throat was hurting. 6A was not very good at all and for the last 20 minutes they ended up working on their own. Our verse of the day was, "Love your neighbor as yourself." We gave examples of how we can do that practically ... there is a snack window here where the kids climb over each other to get their "meals" for the day. A lot of times I will see a group of first graders lined up and an older student will saunter up, reach over the heads of the little kids to grab the chips, soda, or candy bar that they want and then walk away. Loving ourselves means that make sure we have clothes to wear and food to eat, so one way we can love our neighbors is to take care of their physical needs too. I explained this to my fifth graders and pointed out that they could help the first graders get their snacks (some of them are too short to reach the window) instead of cutting in front of them.

A picture that Sarah took last fall

(the snack window is behind me and I am trying to organize the chaos into a line)

During the break, I walked by the window and there was one of my fifth graders pulling seniority on a couple little kids. I pulled him back from the window as another of my students walked by. He saw me scolding the first boy and commented, "Love your neighbor as yourself. Right, Miss?" Even if they aren't practicing what we're learning, at least they are remembering it!

After school I went to the market ... sometimes I leave and come back unscathed, but this time a couple rude comments were hurled in my direction, making the outing less enjoyable. I was encouraged on the way home as I remembered the devotion this morning about the burden Jesus carried - in addition to His physical pain, He bore the grief of ridicule and mockery. I wasn't feeling well and the stinging words just hurt that much more ... it was a small taste of what my Savior suffered for my account.

When I got home, I took a nap, then worked on a couple sewing projects. They are painting our apartment complex, so for a couple hours we had painters on our balcony. In keeping with cultural propriety, Hannah and I stayed in our rooms and left our front door open. Maintaining a good reputation is very important, but sometimes a burden too as we have to train ourselves to see through the eyes of the culture and second-guess everything we do.

In the evening I Skyped with my family. I had taken some medicine for my cold just before that and by the end of our Skype call, I was pretty drowsy ... it was good to talk with everyone though and I hope this means I'll sleep well (which hasn't happened for the last four nights).

April 11th and 12th: He Watches Over the Sojourners

Thursday, April 11th:

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." It was fun to ask the kids how many of them had been told that they look like a parent or close relative. "When we know someone well, we begin to look like them, right?" Their eyes lit up with understanding. "So why can we say that someone doesn't know God if they don't love others as themselves, or they don't love God with all their hearts, minds, and souls? ... Because God is love. If we know Him, we will look like Him. We learn math because we want to know God, we want to look like Him."

My throat was hurting, and it was hard to talk. When the kids found out I wasn't feeling well, they tried to be quiet and listen during the lesson. There was a scuffle in 5A between a boy and a girl, and he ended up punching in her in the face. When there is a fight between boys, the other boys in the class will usually step in and break them apart. This time, because a girl was involved, no one did anything. I ended up taking both outside and talking to them, then reporting it to the c.c. and another male teacher. Culturally, this was a difficult situation to navigate - as a woman there wasn't much I could say to the boy about hitting a girl. I hope the c.c. will be able to talk to him.

Hannah and I walked home, the weather is still beautiful right now (not too hot). Around 3, Nelson's and I went to Andy's basketball game. His team played hard, but turned the ball over to the other team a lot and ended up losing after a close game. (Lisa and I both ended up with stomach aches - we get way too into it and end up stressed!) After the game, we picked up Hannah for dinner at Cali Cafe. Went back to Andy and Lisa's for some down time.

Team pic on the roof!

Friday, April 12th:

In the taxi, on my way to fellowship, I couldn't help marveling at the clear blue sky and noticing that all the colors seemed more vivid. Roses hanging over the walls ... trees and grass covering the mountains in green ... the sun sparkling off the windows ...

Fellowship was encouraging this morning as we looked at Psalm 146. I've been meditating on? mulling over? memorizing? the verse, "rejoice in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." Verse 3 of Psalm 146 "put not your confidences in princes, in a son of man" reminded me of the same. Man is earthly and will return to the earth, our help is the God of Jacob (how amazing that He calls Himself the God of one known to be a "supplanter") and our hope is in the Lord. The rest of the Psalm reminds us why we can rejoice in our God - He looks after the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the bowed down, the righteous, the stranger (or sojourner or American living in a foreign land) :) the widow, and the fatherless. While we can not meet every need, we know that our God can and does ... meeting more than physical needs but reaching to the soul of man. Let us praise Him as long as we live!

I wasn't feeling very well when I got home and spent the rest of the day listening to a sermon, resting, and reading emails.

April 9th and 10th: Love In Deed

Tuesday, April 9th:

Another holiday! It feels strange to only go to school for two days at a time ... like the weekend and the work week have been reversed. Today was Baghdad Liberation day. I had a stack of grading to get done since yesterday was the last day to turn in late homework from the past two weeks. I let the students turn in their homework late, but the last day is always test day. (I realized at the end of Phase 1 that letting them turn in HW until the end of the phase was a REALLY bad idea!)

I was thankful for a day off to get all of the grading done. I also cleaned and worked out - it was a productive day and I didn't even have to get out of my pajamas!

Wednesday, April 10th:

I was able to have several good conversations about the verse of the day: "let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth." The students gave examples of people who do not love in their actions, but only say that they love others. It is neat to see how our previous verses are tying in ... when we love in deed and in truth, we love with all of our hearts, souls, and minds; and if we love God, we will keep His words (DO what He says). Again, this reminded us that we learn math because we love God. I encouraged the students to learn math not just so they can talk about it, but so they can use it (in deed) and understand (in truth).

One of the former teachers came to school to say hello today. She is very friendly and well-liked; it was good to see that she still felt "at home" with everyone. She greeted me with a hug right away and then presented me with three gifts that she bought specifically for me. I was really affected by her love for me, though we only knew each other a short time. I've thought of her often since she left and it was encouraging to see her, to know that we are remembered by the people we meet here.

At last year's school picnic

(she is the teacher on the right)

Hannah and I walked home ... it was much cooler today and ended up raining in the late afternoon. After lunch, I ended up taking a long nap. I think I'm coming down with something, which is odd since I just started taking an antibiotic a few days ago. I've had some pain in my throat for the last month and my doctor back home recommended that I take the antibiotics. Today my throat was really sore, and I slept as though my body was trying to recover. I hope the antibiotics kick in before the sore throat gets worse.

After I woke up, I graded today's homework papers, then got a couple projects done. We went over to John and Mary's for a conference Skype call (and enjoyed some homemade apple crisp from Mary's kitchen). A good talk with Dave and Lisa before heading for bed.

April 7th and 8th: Things Above

Sunday, April 7th:
I was glad to be teaching again today. The verse of the day - "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth" - reminded us that learning about math should never be more important than loving and learning about God. My fifth grade classes are doing really well. I was looking through pictures of them from last year and they have grown a lot. Physically, some of them are taller than me (I'm just glad they have to sit at their desks while I stand at the board); mentally, I see them diving deeper into concepts, asking better questions; and behaviorally, they are much more mature, responding to discipline and following instruction. In 6th grade we had a test, so we will talk about the verse of the day tomorrow. The test was identical to the quiz, so most of the students did really well. Disappointingly, 6A hadn't studied as much, so it took them longer to finish.

After school I went to the corner market for groceries then graded tests. Hannah made chicken curry and rice for dinner. My Skype call was canceled, so I ended up spending some time looking through my old pictures. I watched a couple video clips of Eithen when he was a baby - his first time rolling over, his first word "Sissy," lots of giggles, and his first belly scoot across the floor. While it made me miss him, the videos reminded me how thankful I am that the boys are in our lives now. God was very good to send me Eithen at a time when I needed him most, and when he needed me too.

Later in the evening, one of Hannah's students brought each of us a pizza and coke. She is a sweet student (I got to know her last year during the football clinic); she is always doing things to make us feel welcome here.

Monday, April 8th:
Another warm, sunny day (in the 80s according to Accuweather)! Fifth grade took their test today. 5B did fairly well, but I caught several students in 5A cheating. I'm not sure what happened - if they forgot to study and decided that morning that it would easier to cheat or if they always cheat and I happened to see more of it today. I was disappointed since the test wasn't very difficult and I always give them plenty of help.

Sixth grade enjoys talking about the verse of the day. We talked about the things on earth that we love - our families, food, ourselves, sleep, food, Facebook, friends, food (the boys kept bringing that one up). Math isn't necessarily "things above" but we discussed that we should learn math in order to set our minds and hearts on things above - things about God, heaven and eternity.

As I was writing up "hurts" and "helps" in 6B, one of the students turned on his classmate, yelling at him for "hurting" their row. Another student jumped in (faster than I could), "don't get angry with him, remember, 'love covers all sin.'" I was surprised and thankful at the same time.

6B enjoys writing in their math journals. Today they wrote about, "If I were one inch tall." Some of the students incorporated their understanding of math into the entry - "I would get twelve friends and then we would be one foot tall." But even if their entries are purely imaginary, I know they are starting to associate math with something enjoyable. Two students even told me after class, "Math is actually getting interesting" and "I'm start to like math ... well, at least a little."

6A was pretty talkative today. Usually they settle right in to listen to the lesson, but perhaps with the holiday coming up tomorrow it was a little harder to concentrate. After their class, I took my Snickers to the "garden" and watched my fifth graders play each other in a game "football" (soccer). I talked with teachers and enjoyed my 45 minutes (grading-less) until Hannah finished her last class. We walked home together, and sat down for some leftover pizza. We talked about college and our pre-Kurdistan lives. It is amazing to see how God providentially arranges events to bring people from around the world to a place like this.

I graded tests before we went over to John and Mary's for team time. John had us read through Colossians 3:1 - 4:5 and answer some questions. Ironically (providentially?) my question was, "is there a verse to memorize?" I had just given my students Colossians 3:2 to memorize. I was reminded how little I think of heaven and eternity (things above), which if we love, we ought to spend more time dwelling on. Andy answered the question, "Is there is a condition to be met?" And I was encouraged by the answer - to be "risen with Christ" and to be "the chosen of God." It was a good reminder that this is the only condition separating us from the world. It is nothing I've earned or deserve; it is the only way I am able to mortify the earthly things and put on meekness, kindness, humility, etc. Only after this condition is met can I "set my affections on things above and not on things on the earth." In light of this, we can ask for "doors to be opened" (Hannah's question, "Is there a prayer to repeat?") not among those who are deserving or knowledgeable or skilled, but among those who are chosen, those that He came for - the sick and the needy (and in my case, the cheaters and liars of 5A).

After team time we went to a new-to-us restaurant called Urfa Sofras, a Turkish style restaurant. The food was really good ... I even had a bite of steak! After we got home and Henry was in bed, Hannah and I went over to John and Mary's for a movie.

April 5th and 6th: Elite Eight and Starbox Pizza

Friday, April 5th:
There was a thunderstorm last night, which left the air dusty and thick this morning. For fellowship, I took a turn teaching the children. It was good to be back with everyone again since we hadn't met during the Nawroz holiday.

After fellowship, I listened to a sermon, read, and visited with Hannah. In the evening we went over to Andy and Lisa's to watch one of the Elite Eight games - Louisville vs Duke (yes, that was the game where Ware broke his leg... ugghhh). We had all-American tailgate food and enjoyed hanging out in a way that is foreign to this culture (no dancing or picnicking involved, just eating snack foods around the TV to watch college basketball)  :)

Andy, firing up the grill

Brownies, chips and dip, sliders with cheese ... tastes like home!

Party time!

Saturday, April 6th:

Hannah and I were out until 1am watching basketball and playing geography trivia games ... it was tough getting up, but we were needed as judges for the final phase of CSM's Got Talent, Duhok. We narrowed down eight contestants (our own Elite Eight) to these final three acts (and one back-up):

Guitarist playing Western-style songs (back-up), soloist singing Adele, actors performing a skit they wrote themselves, singer/drummer singing traditional Kurdish songs.

It was a fun variety of performances and hard to narrow it down to just three. These finalists will go on to Erbil where they will compete against contestants from the other two schools to win the CSM's Got Talent Kurdistan title. :)

Hannah and I taxied from school to Andy and Lisa's for some R&R while they were at fellowship. I went on the roof to get some sun, then graded quizzes and checked email. When Andy and Lisa got back, Mary came over and we decided to watch a TV show. After that, we hung out, doing our own thing (I finished grading) until dinnertime ... it was fun to look around and see everyone together without doing anything "organized" - just being us and doing our thing - a lot like family.

Blossoms in the Bishop's yard, reminding us that spring is here!

Zander loves this shirt ... I took a picture because I knew my mom would love it too!

Love this family <3

For dinner we went to Starbox Pizza

Lisa brought a pre-meal snack. Avocados are a rare find here!

Team dinner

After dinner we stopped for Magnum Infinity bars (Double Dark Chocolate) ... mmmmm! I Skyped with my family and got updates on the latest happenings at home, then entered my grades before heading for bed.