Check out the pictures from the end of our school year and where I'm at now:)
My girls ended the year in the pool doing water sports. This is water soccer and they needed another player, so I joined in. Talk about a workout.
My girls ended the year in the pool doing water sports. This is water soccer and they needed another player, so I joined in. Talk about a workout.
Chillin in the pool between classes.
Having a little fun with the inner tubes.
One of my roles at Faith is a boarding home sitter, so once a month I house/student sit for the boarding home parents. I ended the year with a fun evening with my girls. We had Vietnamese wraps (or see through tacos as I call them) and it was the perfect representation of how I am always trying new foods at the dorms.
A faith student favorite is Tim Tams and especially Tim Tam Slams. Basically you bite a corner off the Tim Tam and bite the opposite corner. You then sip a hot drink (coffee in the picture below) until it is soft and eat the whole thing. I have to say that I might be addicted. So so good and I highly recommend it. A fun way to end the year with my sweet dormies.
Had the pleasure of seeing several of our students get baptized after school one afternoon. It's so cool to see what God is doing in the community. Continue to pray for the spiritual growth of our students.
After we did our end of the year academic awards, we had a time to pray over all the staff that were leaving. My dear friend Whitley who is also my co-adviser for the freshman class was in this group. The freshman all circled around her and it was a teary eyed moment and the first of many tears shed over friends leaving.
This guy randomly decided to join weights class. He is a Tokay which is a type of very large gecko. Gorgeous.
Our high school end of the year party featured some fun events including this water ball called Water Zorbing. I thought it looked like fun and learned that its quite hard. I spent more time falling down than standing up once I got onto top of the water.
One of the other events was the mechanical bull. My pride got the best of me as I assumed I could do well since I was from Texas. Let's just say I had a headache for awhile after that.
Some friends got to visit Buffalo Wild Wings for my friend Drew's birthday. It was a nice taste of home and a fun night out as we had such a small amount of time left together.
My final class day with my girls was a water fight of sorts. Each student got shaving cream on their head and the opposite team was supposed to try and knock the water off their heads with their water cup. This turned into an all out war and somehow....I became the final target. I am not sure how that worked out but I should have guessed:)
I'm going to miss this class of sophomores since they are now done with PE. What a great class.
There are some days when I feel like eating lunch outside or my colleagues abandon me for prep or meetings and I eat lunch with this crowd in this spot. What a fun year it was and many good conversations were had. Everything from silly inside jokes to how God's grace meets with hard times.
Our good friend and colleague Becca is leaving faith after graduating from faith and working there for a number of years. She has been a sweet friend to me and a big sister in a time when I really needed one. We threw her a surprise going away party and wished her no luck (in hopes that she would return). This transient community is amazing but very hard.
The next goodbye dinner was for Whitley (second to the left). What a sweet friend she has been and someone I clicked with immediately. Ask anyone and they would know that we have been inseparable this year and she was my high school department friend. So thankful for her and sad to see her go.
Graduation came and it was a teary eyed ceremony for many as our beloved seniors finished up and left us. What an incredible group this is. All I could think of was how in a few short years, my freshman will be here. Amazing.
Speaking of my freshman.....what an incredible group they are and they have grown so much as a class in the last year. Pray for continued unity and direction as a class.
The singles all went out and did Jeepney karaoke as our final night together. This was the last day of school and my last day in country. Let's just say it was a whirlwind of a day. We wrapped up school and then went on this whirlwind trip of loud music and lots of singing. I am so thankful for these people and the family they have become to me. Several faces won't be back next year but many will be and for that I am grateful.
I got off that jeepney, went to bed, and then got up early in the morning and flew to the states. These lovely ladies (and Sarah behind the camera) greeted me......
And then tackled me.....
What an encouragement these girls have been to me. They have helped make the transition of living overseas much easier. What a blessing the Church can be. Thank You Lord. Continue to pray for me as I transition to life overseas while figuring out relationships from afar.
What an encouragement these girls have been to me. They have helped make the transition of living overseas much easier. What a blessing the Church can be. Thank You Lord. Continue to pray for me as I transition to life overseas while figuring out relationships from afar.
Part of the reason for hurrying home was to be in the wedding of my sweet sweet friend Maria. She married my long time friend Tim and what a beautiful wedding it was. We posed for fun pictures, cried through the ceremony, and danced the night away. It is so special to be home for these moments when I normally miss so many. Pray for Maria and Tim as they begin their life together as husband and wife.
The next week, my baby brother Cody graduated from high school at Churchill. We got the bottom four siblings in town for the graduation. We are all adults now! So fun and so proud of him for graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Came in the door and noticed right away that my dad hung my newly acquired longhorns. My grandparents downsized and since I was set to inherit them, I ended up with them early. They would be pretty hard to ship to the Philippines, so my parents are going to showcase them for me for now. They look pretty good huh?
I am back in the states for another month or so and am support raising and spending time with family and friends. What a blessing this time has been and the hugs have been amazing and missed. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. The end of the year was such a whirlwind and all the sudden I was home and had said a ton of goodbyes (to way more than I talked about in this blog as well). There is work to be done over break, but also rest and recouping for next school year. Hello Texas!