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).