Some happenings since my last update.
Touch rugby is in full swing! We do a themed practice once a week and this particular week was crazy sock day! We love to keep things fun with "We wear pink" Wednesday, neon Friday, and Christmas day. These girls are so fun!
Our first game with my sweet varsity girls. We are improving and having a blast.
A tradition at Faith is that the varsity players have a night on the town as a bonding night. We went to dinner at Subway (a rarity here), did a picture scavenger hunt, and then went bowling.
Whitley and I got to visit a shelter for girl's that have been abused or raped. What an eye opening experience it was. These sweet girls have been through more than I'll ever know and yet they are the kindest kids you'll ever meet. They were excited to spend an afternoon with Teacher Taylor and Teacher Whitley (Titles are important in this culture). We colored, listened to them make music, and played board games. These girls all come from crazy backgrounds and many have been saved through this program. What an incredible thing they have going.
Because of the nature of the girl's background, many come in pregnant and have their babies while at the girl's home. We got to meet two of them and just marvel at how beautiful they are. It's amazing how something so beautiful can come from such a bad situation. Pray for these young young mom's who are usually around 14 years old. Pray that they learn to raise their children in a way that honors the Lord.
I got to be a chaperon for our high school banquet. I loved getting to see our students dressed up and looking so much older. We had a fantastic evening filled with music, laughs, and great food. Sadly, this is the best picture I got.
There are some advantages from living in the tropics. You see some amazing sights and this flower is no exception. I just had to share because it caught my attention. Sheer beauty. What a Creator we serve.
There is also a downside to living in the tropics, such as the diseases that you can get. The night of banquet I began to feel sick and was sick as a dog for a week. The next weekend it was confirmed that I did have Dengue Fever. Basically, the disease attacks everything, but the worst part is that it attacks your blood. Blood cells start dying and your platelet count drops dangerously low. Internal bleeding can happen in severe cases. The Lord was gracious with me and I had a mild case. I missed a week and half of work and am slowly gaining my energy back. Some people say it took them six months to feel a hundred percent again. I seem to be recovering faster, but am not even close to 100% yet. Pray for a full recovery of my energy. This picture is from the final stage of the Dengue. It is a rash and it's oh so fun! Thankful to be better and back at work! The other major downside is that now my roommate has it and another friend appears to have it as well. Pray for their recovery and that it stops spreading.
In the middle of being sick, I attempted to start a somewhat complicated unit with my PE 2 students. It was bowling, shuffleboard, and ping pong. I couldn't get it completely going before I got too sick to work and they played so much shuffleboard with their subs that they were begging to do something else. It's been fun to do a very outside the box unit with them. Who would have thought that I'd ever be teaching bowling to MKs in the Philippines!?
Keeping up with my family is always a challenge but one I have loved. I am enjoying pursuing those relationships more intentionally and I'm so thankful that my grandparents get to be a part of that. They have been involved in my life since day one and have loved me so well. I am so thankful for technology that allows me to hear from and occasionally see them. My Mamaw gets a shout out from her thanksgiving day facetime on Mom's phone. I don't always get to see her, but when I do, I see half of her. I love you!
Thanks for checking in and seeing a little bit about life here. We have two more full weeks of school before Christmas break. I can't believe the year is halfway over! My, how time flies! Pray for our very stressed students as they prepare for finals and that we all get some much needed rest on break.
Thanks for checking in and seeing a little bit about life here. We have two more full weeks of school before Christmas break. I can't believe the year is halfway over! My, how time flies! Pray for our very stressed students as they prepare for finals and that we all get some much needed rest on break.