Pile up

Why is it that when tough things happen they seem to always pile up on top of each other.

I think it all started a couple of weeks ago when I was leaving on a trip and was working really hard to get all my sub plans done and then in the midst of it found out that my grandmother had passed away.  It wasn't a total shock, but it still surprises you when anyone from your family passes and I was sad that I couldn't be there to say my final good bye.
But after that it just seemed as if thing after thing started to happen and I got worked up about each one.  I'm pretty good when it comes to stress, in fact most of the time, I thrive off of stress and I do really well when there's a little bit of pressure.  But you can only take so much.
This week I was finishing up report cards and grading kids work when an unexpected phone call happened...my cat Tooly, whom I've grown up with for 14 years passed away last night.  Thank goodness for good friends like my friend Wendy! She understood my sadness and even shed a few tears with me :)
I know that a lot of people would say there are a lot worse things that could happen then having a cat die, but after having built up all this emotion the past couple weeks and the fact that Tooly was something special and truly was an answer to little 9 and 11 year old Meg and Hannah's prayer, I just feel tired.
It's also a feeling so far from home, family and loved ones during the holiday season.  I love skyping my family especially when they're with my extended family, but every time I feel like it tugs at my heart strings a little more.  I love them to death and know that I am so lucky to have the technology to instantly communicate with them, but it doesn't make it any easier.
I'm in need of a break.  I only have three days of school left, but I could use some prayers. I know that God is in control, but it just seems like things at home are changing faster and faster and less and less is staying "normal".  I am ready to do whatever it is God is calling me to do, but today I need a little more help from him.....

...and I want to remember these two lovely ladies that I loved.

My grandma Beebe (1926-2012)

and my kitty.  She was the shape of pear, but I sure loved that pear. (1998-2012)

Rest in peace you two. Love you lots.

Little People Little Letters

Being in elementary can be really hard.  Not only do you have to get up early and go to school every day but there is math to be figured out, stories to be written, books to be read, and lots and LOTS of learning.  It can be streeeeesssful....so much so that I received this little letter from a couple of giggling little second graders.  The little laughs made my afternoon :)

I'm pretty sure my fourth grade girls had no idea what they were doing, but I politely informed them that the second graders had a collection going on and they would like the fourth grade to try and resist from moving it around. haha so funny

Where are you Christmas?...

After living in the Philippines for almost three years now I have grown accustomed to celebrating christmas almost 4 months out of the year.  As soon as September 1st hits the malls start playing the christmas spirit and the count down begins to the big day.  I can't imagine a life without Christmas, the day in which we take time to remember the birth of our Lord.

Recently I was able to attend a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  It was an amazing experience where I was able to learn so much and meet so many other people who shared a heart for the international teaching.  The conference however just happened to land smack dab on top of Thanksgiving.  I was dissappointed about missing this delicious holiday but I thought, what the hey, I'm always up for new experiences and I've been wanting to go to a conference where I would be able to meet with other teachers from around the southeast Asia area.

I have visited Thailand before and absolutely loved it, but this time I was met by a different experience.  It was still beautiful and the people were friendly the culture was as colorful as I first remembered it, but there was something missing. I went throughout the week trying to figure out what it was that was missing.  I thought perhaps it was the fact that I totally missed thanksgiving and went along my day as if it were nothing more than an ordinary Thursday.  But as the day came and went this strange feeling remained.  I couldn't shake it.  Finally one day as I as talking with my good friend Becca we realized there wasn't any signs of Christmas.  No decorations, no music, no special sales, no nativity scenes, and no churches.  As I walked around the city I realized that apart from good ol' Starbucks there was no sign of such a significant holiday.  But this isn't a significant holiday to someone who strives for enlightenment.  Why would a country that is soaked in idolism and tradition be interested in a Christ's birth?

It made me realize though just how blessed I am to be serving in a country where Christmas has such significance.  It's true there may be times when it gets lost in the hustle and bustle, but at least it is present.  I am honored to celebrate such a day in which my Savior humbled himself to my level and desired to be one of us.  Immanuel, God is with us.  This season I am reminding myself of the reason for our celebration.

Becca and I sending off a Thai lantern.  It just so happened that it was the Loy Krathong Festival.

A few good women.

Blessed by these two ladies...enormously.  It was so fun to have mom and Hannah come visit and hang out with me in my world over here in southeast Asia.  My mom has been here once before but it was really cool for my sister to be able to come out.  She was affectionately called "the clone" at Faith Academy.  Many people had to take a second look when she was walking by.

*notice my mom's "crazy socks" (they got be apart of our crazy sock day)

At the American Cemetery

Even a little relaxing by the pool!

High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel

Then I forced my mom to hike the smallest active volcano in the world. Though it doesn't seem small when your hiking in 90+ heat with 80% humidity.  They were troopers...notice the sweat marks mmmm

Taal is a small volcano within a larger volcano.

Looking back at what we accomplished. Not only is the trail dusty but its hot a littered with horse poo.

So blessed to have them here.  I think I wore them out by the time they left, at least I know I was exhausted.  Things have gotten back to normal, but it is always hard when family comes and leaves.  Looking forward to seeing them again in 7 months.  Praying that the holidays are warm and joyful instead of feelings of homesickness.  Can't wait to celebrate thanksgiving and christmas in the cold again.

Happy Halloween!

It was a fun Halloween in 4th grade this year.  I think the longer I am away from the states the more I miss the fun of dressing up and being silly for Halloween.  And this year we were blessed with a couple of very special guests :)

the most attractive 4th grade teacher...not boasting or anything

The kids came into class with some "spooky" music and a "creepy" teacher welcoming them into the classroom.

After reading "The Teacher from the Black Lagoon" we started right away on our little craft project that I had my mom and sister lead them in.

Jack-o-Lanterns are hard to come by in the PI so we made due with some cute little satsumas.  Not only were they totally cute, but my room smelled like citrus ;)

the end product

A fun day with Miss Cosper, Miss Cosper and Mrs. Cosper :)

Discipline

If any of you know me, you'll know that discipline is not one of my strongest attributes.  I am rather laid back and can so easily go with the flow that being disciplined feels somewhat unnatural to me.  However discipline is not only good for us but it is commanded to us as well. Hebrews 11:12 tells us that "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

It may seem silly, but I really did find myself this year unhappy with the way I was living my life and my spiritual and physical well-being.  I was challenged to make a change, to get disciplined, no matter how hard and uncomfortable it would be.

So I made some changes and started working out consistently.  I wasn't doing anything crazy or making any huge changes, but just getting myself out there and running or a dvd in the morning.  I found myself fighting it with every fiber of my being though.  There were times when I would run and I would literally be standing there in the middle of the road deciding whether I would keep going farther or turning around and heading back home.  Other times I would be laying in bed trying to decide if I was going to wake up that extra half hour and sweat my little puddles or sleep and catch a few extra zzz's.  

But it was not only in the physical training but in the spiritual training as well.  And unfortunately I found this so much harder.  I am not someone who would normally choose to sit by myself and read or journal, but I have learned through out my life that a quiet time with the Lord is good and healthy.  Like my physical training there were times when I would sit in my room with my Bible in my lap trying to decide whether I was going to read it or not.  To admit this and talk about it is actually quite embarrassing! I wish it was something that came naturally and that I loved to do.  But at first it was something that I had to literally train myself to do.  But the more I spend time and the more consistently I am in the word the more I do crave it and truly love it.

I wish I could tell you that I have it all figured out now, and that I am in the best shape I've ever been in while my relationship is the deepest its ever been, but that would simply not be true.  Instead I'm writing to tell you about my work in progress, and the small achievements I have made.

my room mate and I before our 5k run

a group of friends after we accomplished our 5k
*photo credit to Mr. Gregory

Fighting Spiders

It has become the recent fad in my class to "fight spiders". I can almost here all of my Seattle hippie friends groan thinking, "What about animals' rights?"...well relax, its just a spider.

But recently my boys have gotten into this thing where they fight their spiders to the death, and it sounds all climatic and exciting, but really the kids just put the spiders into a container and watch them raise their legs and may take a quick bite at each other.  Really its an anti-climatic event, but the boys love it, THE FIGHT OF THEIR LIVES!!!

Then I found out that one of the boys in my class was the one supplying the spiders.  He would bring them to school in a container with little sections marked off for each individual spider.  Then he would sell them for 5 pesos each (roughly .001 of a dollar, so basically he's making bank).  So I'm walking around at recess and I'm like whatever, you can do it as long as I never see a spider in my class.

As I send my kids out packing there is always this one little guy who takes forever to pack up his stuff and I'm trying to hurry him along so I can be on my way and getting all my work done.  As he leaves for his cubby outside our classroom I notice there is a little paperclip box on top of the cubbies that looks suspiciously like mine....so I pick it up to examine it and ask him, "Hey buddy, where did you get this little box, is this mine?"
As he is bent into his backpack, without even looking up, he casually says, "No that's my spider."
A short gasp and a moment of freak out and little spidy went flying down the flight of stairs right outside our classroom.
My little kiddo hears my gasp and looks up in surprise and with a pinch of panic in his voice he shouts, "MY SPIDER!!" and darts down the stairs yelling at people to watch out for his spider.  As he's running after his prized fighter I'm yelling after him, "I'm sorry buddy! I'm so so sorry!"
No worries though the little guy was ok and my little 4th grader was all smiles.  He now knows he can scare me with any of his fighting spiders.

Oh boy.

Unity among us

I feel like since I've gotten back to the Philippines its been not stop going.  Driving here, driving there, getting together with people, meetings, classroom prep, and kids kids kids.  It's been good, but man by every weekend I feel worn out!

This week though, thankfully, we have a three day weekend and I'm enjoying the quiet peace of my home and spending time with good friends.  The Lord has truly blessed me this year.  When I was preparing for my return to the Phils this year I wasn't sure what it would look like with a loss of some of my really good friends, my senior girls bible study gone and graduated and a new tough class to whip into shape. And to be perfectly honest I was feeling quite dry in my daily walk with the Lord.  I didn't feel like I was learning anything or being challenged.  I've been praying that God would work in my life that  I would seek the motivation that I lack in my quiet times and that I would see Him work in my life somehow somewhere. I knew that God would answer these prayers, but I just find it really hard to blog or write when I'm feeling like this.  Everything seems shallow.

So as I was on our all staff retreat earlier this year one of our senior staff members, who has been here for over 50 years, reminded us that God has granted us a huge blessing of unity at our school.  We have over 20 countries represented in our school and most of us coming from different denominational backgrounds and yet there is a huge sense of unity on our campus. The fact that we can come together and work together for the greater purpose is a beautiful picture.  God's kingdom is so much greater than denomination!

Then I went to my monday night Bible study and as we began studying 1 Peter 1 I was again encouraged with the differences in my own Bible study and yet how we can still come together and talk about our beliefs and what is fundamentally true.  That Christ loves us and has died for those who have sinned.  Our unity comes in that we all fall into that category and we have all been called to worship Him with our lives here in the Phils.

Love our God and all that He has in store for us. Please pray that God continues to work in my life and the lives of these missionaries here in the Philippines. They are a beautiful picture of the body of Christ! 

Rain rain rain...

I feel like I understand Noah a little it more...its been raining here everyday since I've arrived three weeks ago. But tonight was a first for me.

I was on my way to bible study when I came up to a GIGANTIC puddle (actually it was a overflowing creek), but I thought my car would be able to make it...unfortunately I know nothing about cars.  Luckily or merely by the Lord's graciousness I made it through the puddle and made it to my friends house, but by the time I got there it was barely moving and found out my study was canceled.  

Luckily though in the Philippines my mechanic is on speed dial and is able to come out tomorrow to check it out.  And my lovely friend was able to take me home. so boo rain for flooding my car and for canceling bible study...at least I know that the Lord has promised to never destroy the earth, but no such promise was made towards my little Lance (my car).  

Heaven is for real...thank goodness

Please forgive my absence from blogging!  This summer has been a whirlwind traveling to four different countries, visiting family all along the west coast and spending time with my lovely church family!  I was only home for a few short weeks, but I think I have successfully packed in as much as I could have.

But with every great trip home there comes an end, and with endings we must say goodbye.  And oh how I have grown to loath the word "goodbye".  I feel like no matter where I am going and whatever I am doing I am always having to say goodbye to someone, and for someone who opens her heart fully it can be painful.

As this summer came to an end I began thinking about the daunting task of saying goodbye to friends, family, pets, even places and then thinking about the goodbyes I'll have to say in the future and I found myself overwhelmed and in tears.  Every time I find myself fighting the goodbyes my lovely mother reminds me that "just think that one day we will never have to say goodbye again".  As sweet as she may be when she says this trying to comfort me, it never seems to bring any comfort.  All I think is, "but I have to say goodbye NOW!"  But on my plane ride back to the Phils I read the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and it challenged me to think more deeply on what Heaven will really be like. It's a story about this young boy's experience, where he actually dies and has gone to heaven and then came back.  This story may or may not be real, but it definitely got me thinking about the beauty of our eternal life with Christ.  He loved me so much that He created a place where I can see both my birth family and Philippines family in the same place!  I also long for the day when I will be able to be in one place with all my loved ones from both past and present.  

A Glimpse of My Year

It has been an amazing year and its hard to imagine that we are done and already well into our summer!  I wanted to make sure that I posted this little video I made for my class.  It's a compilation of pictures and short clips of our school year!  You can see how much fun we had!




Although this year has been a blast, it has also had its challenges.  I was so blessed to have been able to work with these kids, and I believe that God taught me quite a bit through these kiddos.  I can't wait to see what happens next year.

Love,
M

Poetry

In 4th grade our last writing unit is Poetry, and while most of the kids cringe at the thought of writing poetry they all end up loving it!  Being able to express yourself in creatively choosing your words is an amazing ability.  I love how some of them describe things.

Here are a few that they wrote about yours truly... I would have never described myself this way, but it sure makes me smile:

Miss Cosper's delicate fingers remind me of the petals on a flower, and her long fragile legs are like the stems on the flower.
*I laughed out loud when I read that my legs were "long and fragile"

Miss Cosper's braveness reminds me of a police woman.  Running downhill to catch a robber.  Now Miss Cosper needs to catch 500 more robbers.

When I see Miss Cosper I see the bright big smile.  I smell the coffee that Miss Cosper drinks, it makes me smile all through the day.  they peaceful music touches my heart then I ask Miss Cosper whats the song, then I see her smile at me.

I love these kids.  Its going to be hard to say good bye!  God has done some great things in these kids hearts, and I pray that He continues to work in their lives in 5th grade.

Teaching outside the classroom

Sometimes as a teacher I have to decide what's more important...to finish reading and answering questions about chapter 6 or confronting a student about their sin.... this week I was faced with one of those decisions.
Kids coming back from their morning recess there are usually a few little arguments or conflicts that I have to help mediate, and most of the time I can figure it out in a minute or two (yea, I'm just that good).  But today a student came in and she told me that a boy in our class had yelled at her and pushed her.
This is where I need to stop and tell you that, now that I am the teacher I can tell exactly when a student is not telling me the entire story... I don't know how it is or where it comes from, but its true.  I remember when i was a student and thinking, "How in the world does my teacher know that?"... but this was one of those moments and I knew there was more to the story than what was being told.
So I sat her down and said you need to make sure that your telling me the entire truth, because if your not its going to be much worse.  I need to know if you're lying to me at all and not leaving anything out.  She assured me she wasn't, so I went to go grab the boys... this is when I am faced with the decision 1.)do I forget about it and come back later so we can finish reading the next chapter in our book and I can get some good discussions going in my reading groups, or 2.) do I confront this student and get to the bottom of this whole thing and use this out of the classroom opportunity to teach my student a lesson...something much greater than reading comprehension.
After talking to both kids and 5 witnesses, giving her more than enough opportunities to tell me the truth she continued to lie. The whole time I am praying, "God this girl's heart needs to break..it's so hard right now, please soften her heart so that she may see her sin."
After the boys left and I was talking to her privately I told her I wanted to believe her, but there was nothing that was proving her story to be true, and that's where God worked his power...she cried.
"Why are you crying?" I asked.
"I don't want to get in trouble!"
I told her I already saw a change in her, she came out an angry little girl who wouldn't look me in the eyes and tightly crossed arms...and now here she was crying struggling to find a way out.  She told me she was embarrassed to be crying and I told her I was the last person she needs to be embarrassed in front of... I cry ALL the time.  I told her I'd give her time to think about what she needs to do, and after probably another 15 minutes and two or three visits she was finally ready to tell the truth.
She felt soo much better after she had admitted she lied, she told me its just so hard when she knows she's done wrong, she just wants to take everyone down with her.  She said the temptations were too great.  Thats when I asked her, "when I asked you at the start, if there was any chance you weren't telling me the truth was there any part of you that said you just need to tell the truth?" She nodded yes and when I asked who that was she responded by saying, ".....me?"
"Nope, it wasn't you, cause you were the one who decided to lie...remember?"
"Oh yea...."
"Who lives in your heart and helps you to make right decisions?"
"...Jesus?"

Our God is greater and all powerful and yet he lives inside of us giving us the power to let go of the root of so many sins...pride.  To see my student let go of her pride was triumphant and a greater success than any reading grade or Math test.  We then talked about how the Spirit has been sent down to help us in those times of temptation to remind us of what we are supposed to do, to give us the power to die to ourselves and live a righteous life.

So yea... I may have not been able to help my students practice our reading comprehension today, but we learned about the Holy spirit and the sacrifice it takes for us to let our pride down and admit when we have done wrong.  I think it was a lesson worth learning.

Faith is...

A short promotional video.  Faith is... a great ministry to be a part of.

Special Lunch Date

I was able to have a special lunch date with a few of my girlies, and when asked what they wanted to do they asked if they could take pictures with my laptop. haha

I have really grown to love these kids.  Can't believe it's already been 9 months since we started this year. I thought I was in over my head, but now I'm sad to give them up to 5th grade :(

Praying for my next class though.  Praying that the transition goes well for my 4th graders now and my next year's class. They are all precious, but giving them up is one of the worst parts of being a teacher.

It's hot...

Today it was 94 degrees with a heat index of 104... This is the time of the year when you wake up with a thin layer of sweat, when I get a headache from lack of hydration, when you have to check your seat when you stand up to see if you've left a sweaty imprint on the chair, when you take one or two more showers a day to keep your self cool, when you have to reapply God's gift to all mankind, deodorant, and when I can't even think about cooking!

I remind myself that God has called me here and it is a blessing to work at such a wonderful school.  Also I need to take up swimming.

Emotionally Charged

One of my favorite parts of my saturday morning routines is my skype date with my youngest sister Clare.  She usually has something smart-alecky to say or just tells me about her life in Bible school (which I listen to with great nostalgia).   Clare's not one to sugar coat something or make something sound pretty.  She usually tells me how it is, which I love about her.

So this morning as usual Clare messaged me and said she was ready to talk and I told her I have to quickly jump in the shower, cause I've been crying and I feel nasty.  Let's be honest who wants to have a conversation when they have a runny nose and puffy, red, blotchy eyes (those are the worst).

Anyway I was telling her about my week and how some things had really gotten me frustrated and ended up with me crying in my classroom while a friend awkwardly watched me from across the room, and then talking to my parents this morning and I started crying from feeling like the IRS was robbing me.  She started laughing at me and feeling quite shocked I asked, "what is so funny!"

Between laughs she asked me, "You have always been so emotionally charged Meg! One minute the world is so funny and the next you're crying."

Haha that is so true, not too long ago I actually made myself sick in a McDonald's bathroom from laughing too hard (fortunately this is not a common thing at all, but something must have been really funny, I honestly don't remember).

As we were reminiscing about funny times I have thought my world was crashing apart, it made me think about why God made me this way.  Why could God have possibly wanted me with my over-active tear ducts and a laugh that is way too loud?   I have no idea, but let's just say that I want to live my life to the fullest.  I'm not one to let a sad moment go by without a tear being shed or a joke pass me by without a burst of laughter.

My First Pie

Blogging has become difficult since my life here in the Phils seems to have less and less "firsts", but this week my roommate Kelli and I accomplished something I find a great feat in my book!  We baked our first Pie!!!

Our friend Luke's birthday was coming up and we were trying to think of something we could do to help make his day special.  Well, unfortunately one of the only and affordable and practical things I could do was attempt to make my first pie, but this to me is extremely intimidating since I am not a baker and a pie crust being one intimidating event I have yet to try.  However, for my friend, we had to try.

So Kelli and I home rushed home after school after doing our research on which pie to make and what recipe to use, and we starting carefully putting together our apple pie.

an hour and a half later and with lots of sweat and teamwork, this is what we got!  I must say I was very pleased!

this is what we did with our leftover supplies. yum

What's normal anymore?

There are many things that happen in my life here in the Philippines, and often times I forget that they aren't "normal" when compared to my life in the States.

Today in class some of my kids came up and told me that there was a gecko stuck in our classroom reading tent.  After going to investigate sure enough there was a fat little gecko hanging on the hanging sheets from our ceiling we like to call our "base camp".
I looked over to a couple of my kids and asked them, "would you please take him outside so he can be free and out of our way?"
So my student walks over with a tissue and grabs for the little gecko, and of course what happens next... his tail falls right off flailing on the floor.

So now I have one student with very scared and wiggly gecko and another with a still very much alive and literally swinging tail.  YUCK!

Both were quickly taken outside and exposed in their own ways, one in the trash and another in a corner in the hallway.

But as I was walking out of my classroom this afternoon I noticed a squished little gecko with no little tail...and now I feel a little bad for the guy.

Geckos (aka in the Phils as a Butiki) have become a part of my daily life.  They are not in anyway or form special and often times I find little gifts from them around my kitchen and in my sink.  But they keep the bugs away, and for that I am very grateful!  I would much rather have a Butiki running around my room than a big nasty June bug or moth.

a few things I miss

Living away from home I am surprised at some of the things that I have found myself missing.  These are definitely not in order, but they are a few things I was thinking about this week.

1. A Deli Bagel Sandwich...hard to find real bagels and good lunch meat here in the Phils.

2. Alderwood...I think I will always miss alderwood no matter where I end up.

3. This crazy fat cat Tooly... I miss snuggling with her on the couch.

4. These four fun people.

5. This is the view from my couch...I miss sitting here and talking with friends.

6. I'm a washingtonian for sure.... I miss moutain loop highway and picking random trails to hike.

7. No traffic

8. Being able to run to the store and finding exactly what you need...plus free parking.

Some Lovin from my Kiddos

Monday was my birthday.  Not a big one, nothing special about this one, but my fourth graders have succeeded in making me feel completely blessed.

Came into my classroom Monday morning to a desk full of gifts, candy, and home made cards.  Tots presh ;)
Then at lunch, I ran out to grab some lunch at the cafeteria and when I returned 4 of my girls had a birthday cake with little lit candles and as I walked in they began singing the beloved Happy Birthday song.  I quickly blew out the candles and told the girls they probably shouldn't have lit the candles but it was very sweet of them to think of me!

We then had a lovely lunch together where they made me feel very special and loved.

These lovely ladies made my day:)

This is what a spoiled 4th grade teacher looks like.

Faith of a Mustard Seed

As some of you may know I teach elementary drama to 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.  It's been a fun and challenging experience.  Today was our last day of drama club and so we had a lot of things to finish up before our performance, so when I was walking down the hall and saw one of the 3rd graders I asked him, "Hey are you excited for drama today?" He gave me a big grin and replied, "Yes! But I forgot my costume, so my mom might bring it!"
"Oh," I said, "Did you call her and ask for it?"
He looked at me with kind of a confused expression on his face and said, "No, but this morning we prayed and so I think she'll bring it."

Ah to have the faith of an elementary student.  As I was retelling this story to one of my fellow teacher friends we laughed at the silliness of the boy's response, but as we talked about it more we were reminded of  a child-like faith, and I suddenly found myself wishing I had more faith in Christ just as this boy had in his mom.

I've been going through the process of making the decision for next year, and I need to have more faith.  God is faithful and He will always come through.  In Dueteronomy 7:9 it says that, " Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God."  He will be faithful to me, He will answer my prayers, and He will provide a way for me to continue my ministry here.  What a great reminder today that if God is calling me to Faith Academy next year then He will make it possible.  All the money and prayers will come I just need to have a more child-like faith in God.

My friends and family,

I am coming to you with a great prayer request.  As most of you know when I came out to Faith I came with a two year contract, promising them that I would stay for at least two years and teaching some amazing kids.  But I knew it was always a possibility that I stay a third year.  I have been praying about this so much and I would like you to please remember me in the next few months and pray about supporting me another year both financially and through prayer.

I know that this decision not only depends on God's will for me and what I want for myself, but also in what my supporters back home decide.  I have been so appreciative of all that you have given and done for me, and there is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for all the you have blessed me with.

I will be sure to keep you posted with any updates I get.  Please contact me if you have any words of wisdom or questions :)

Love,
Meg

Bag-o' Blessing

I have been back to school for a while now and I have to say I am loving being back in routine, but have been lazy with my blogging.  I had an amazing time home this Christmas spending time with my family.  It was bittersweet saying good bye, I'm going to miss them, but I am also so happy to be back where I am ministering to some amazing families.

I just wanted to let you know about an amazing opportunity our elementary school was able to participate in.  The last few weeks of school before break were filled with christmas decorations and antsy kids and teachers.  However, our beloved principal led us to participate in something much bigger and greater than any project or craft I could have made up in the classroom.

Almost all of my students parents are involved in some type of ministry around the Manila area. One in particular is involved in a ministry called HELP International.  The ministry is a rehab for drug addicts in the Manila area.  They have been able to help tons of people be set free from their addictions and get back on their feet.  As we got back to school it was so great to be able to see what we were able to be a part of.

As an elementary school we were challenged to fill bags with food, flip flops (the national footwear of choice), and a little candy as a holiday treat for those involved in the ministry.  It was such a great experience for the kids to be able to take part in and then when we got back from break we heard some of the stories of what a blessing these bags were to some.

As a little school of only 130 elementary students we were able to fill over 200 bags plus so much more.  The ministry was able to bless so many people on the streets with the bags and encourage them to continue to work towards a clean sober life with Jesus Christ as their Savior.

I pray that I would have even more opportunities to see the work that is being done through the families in my class.

funny math problem

I have my kids write their own math story problems all the time. Here's one that made me laugh.

Miss Cosper has 91 dogs in a huge bag.  She has to divide them into 8 bags of puppies.  How many puppies will be in each bag?


Yikes....hope they don't really think I would do this to dogs.