What on earth is happening to our Children?

My heart cries out to the young boys and girls of this age. It cries out to the new generation that is being raised up every day.
unless we step up in raising young sisters, daughters, nieces, or cousins...brothers, nephews, and sons, any boy or girl that might ever cross our path, to become Godly women and men in this confused and conflicted culture then there won't be any much hope left of having fine young men and women in the future.

It's sad enough and growing concern that many girls are being molded, influenced, and in many cases, damaged, and lied to by a false world view. If we don't teach them the Truth, then the media, the society, and this twisted culture that is doing every thing to crush the truth, beauty, innocence, and purity, will lead them astray. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) I have come to learn that when we sow the seeds and we surrender them completely to God, He is faithful and can be trusted to make them grow and produce good fruits. I have always had a hard time letting them go because I wasn't sure what the future held for them and how their lives would turn out like. Would they still remember what I taught them? will they be able to stand firm on the truth in hard day? or will they be swept away and fall away?
My eyes has been opened to the sovereign hand of a Mighty God who alone is able to save and teach His own. I may not know what tomorrow hold for them, but I know the one who holds it quietly assure me: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver. 
 Lay a firm foundation now while you still can, give them back to God, and he will do what you are unable to do for them, insight and out of sight, the Lord is faithful to take care...don't wait for the world's media to do it for you, because all it does is steal, kill and destroy.
Never tell the Lord that they are still too young, because the day I told the Lord that in my early teens He gave me Jeremiah 1:7   I was amazed to find out that God hears us even when we grumble silently! and that He wanted to use me at such an early age.  :)

The older I get, the more I realize that the key to raising children is laying a firm foundation and praying for them every day. God can be trusted to do the rest.

A New Season...back to school!

                                                                     Second Term...

 I like the idea of starting all new again. I like the idea of getting a second chance when ever  I miss up once or twice. I love the fact that God offers us a  clean slate every day to start all new with him with out keeping a record of our yesterday's mistakes. 
Every time I open my eyes early in the morning there are surely days that I don't feel like putting my feet on the ground at all. I have to say that there is nothing else that fully revives my soul than to hear the Holy Spirit saying to me in those moments:
" He's mercies is new every morning" Lamentation 3:3
"This is the day that the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24
 Well, It's a new season and the Lord has given us a new term. A fresh start both of us as teachers and our students. School started on Tuesday and all our children are back at school. The holiday was long indeed but it was good because everyone had a chance to rest, think, and unplug. And we were all able to start all new again.
The children were super excited to be back at school. There were hundreds of stories to tell. Every one wanted to tell their story at the same time! loads of hugs, sweet word of encouragement, and new resolutions resolving to work hard and change. The holiday was filled with great excitements, adventures, parties, family reunions, but also the lost of family members. Despite all the hard times they faced during the holiday, the kids are still excited to start all new again. That has been a ray of hope to me.

Looking forward...

I am really excited about this term! I am excited to see and also find out what the Lord has in plan for us in this new term. I am excited to see God at work, His hand in every step of the way and every area of our lives. I am hoping to see more change and new growth in all our children's lives. We are praying for New hearts and New mind sets that only God can give. We are praying for guidance and strength for the journey ahead of us. To learn to trust, depend, and to fully surrender our children to the Lord, knowing that what ever He has started in their lives He alone will bring it to a full completion as long as we are faithful in sowing,teaching, and serving both Him and them in all He has called us to do here.
I am honestly really excited to take up another adventure with my kids. I pray to cherish and appreciate every moment with them because once a day is gone, is gone forever. I hope to love every moment and see the Lord in both the storms and the peace.

                                          

  A poem for Africa Day by the gr. 5s


AFRICA DAY

Africa, the land of wonders
Let us all unite and celebrate this day.
Every where they go, O'
May they see the sons
and the great daughters of Africa

May they see the brown Sahara
And the beauty of the green fields.
The Victoria Falls, the Great Zambezi
and the Zulu dancers.
O' Africa, the wild desert flower.
You alone are the black African pearl.
In unity, your rainbow Nations stands as one!

Last Day of school... finnished strong!

                                              

  Just before we say good bye;
Today marked the end of our first term, a break from school for a whole month and a few days
 ( unbelievable!!) but many kids are super excited about it and some of them are not so happy which I can totally relate too, but hey, we all need a break in life. So in this final week we thought we could do something useful and productive, which to my surprise the kids really loved and were willing to fully take part without a single complain! Cleaning up the school's surroundings. Which was really fun and awesome I have to say. We really enjoyed it!
 We had our last Chapel today and finally finished off with a movie based on a book they have been reading( the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett)
The months and days flew by quickly, it has been hard and it has fun. I wouldn't trade a single day or moment we had together for any thing better at all. I got the chance to know every one of my children individually and worked on a close relationship with each an everyone of them. Like I said probably for the tenth time now; they are like treasure boxes, full of wonderful gifts and awesome surprises. You won't know what's inside until it's opened up and you have the choice either to accept and learn to appropriate those gifts and surprises or simply reject them and walk away. I took the risk and chose to accept them in hope that I would  grow in love with them. And I did. I chose love, because love is a choice and they chose to love me in return beyond my wildest dreams and prayers! I look back and when I see what we have gone through within the few months past, I realized that they have been a great blessing into my life than I have been in their. All I can say in amazement is that: God is gracious and God is GOOD!
 They say; it's not really about how you started off but much more importantly, how you finish. And I praise the Lord because I can say with a thankful heart that we finished strong and we ended off the term very well.   :)



Not to forget: The Special reward of Servant-hood in the first Term goes to these amazing young men who have lead by example in serving others faithfully and joyfully.
                                                         Shaun and Anderson.

                                                   

                                                         Let's clean the environment

                                                                       Last Chapel

                                                  Movie: The secret Garden

Christ...The Greatest Gift.

He was wounded, crushed, and died for our sins

(drawing by Otniel)

Remember the cross

God's greatest gift unto us...John 3:16

( Chapel time with Caroline)

Receiving the Samaritan boxes

Happy Easter!!!

A surprise gift from Caleb.

Radical Love...

I don't only want to share this as any amazing testimony but I also want to put it up as a great reminder of the radical love of God and the love my children showed me today.

Today started off just like one of those amazing energetic days...then I suddenly fell sick and before I knew it I was in one of the school's sick bed. Pain, headache, and cold. The children didn't know I was sick, until break time came and they started looking for me. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was someone's face not more than 10cm away from mine. As always Josephine (my guardian) Angel found me. She always does, no matter where I am in the school building and honestly, it scares me some times!, but more than that; she is my sun shine. She always knows how to brighten up my day no matter how sad I may feel or be.     :)
And she was there, and now worried when I told her that I was not feeling well and I just needed an hour or two of rest, then I can be back on my feet again. Then she left, a few second later she came back wondering if I needed a glass of water. I said no. And then she left again. I was just about to close my eyes and then half of the class showed up. I assured everyone that I was okay and I just needed a few minute of rest. Then they where all gone. Few seconds later, I didn't even pull my covers up, Caleb showed up, asking if he can bring me a glass of water, I said no and thanked him. But a few minutes later he brought me one anyways!

I fell a sleep for five minutes or ten and when I woke up the pain was suddenly gone. It felt really strange because I knew that for a whole hour and a few minutes my body was in pain and then suddenly the pain just seemed to to disappear...strange...I know, right!?

So I jumped out of the sick bed and I went to teach my Art classes which I thought I will not be able to teach today at all. But I did, with no pain at all! I Kept checking for signs to see if I was really okay and honestly I was.


So what happened...

Few hours later I got back to my home class at the end of the day in order to have lunch with my kids and the first thing I received as I entered the classroom, was a prayer letter!!
Nodesha wrote a prayer letter to me and to God, asking the Lord to make me feel well. And she pleaded over and over again in her letter to the Lord that he would please heal me.

All I could do was just stare in amazement!
I said to her: " Wow, Nodesha! No wonder the pain was suddenly gone. God heard your prayers!"
I said it lightly but I meant it deeply.

And surely He did.   Over and over again as I walked out of that classroom to start my day, I can always hear their voices in the background screaming out how much they love me. Yes, I do whole heartedly receive it some times, but sometimes I have to admit and say that I tend to take it lightly.
But today, their radical love for me was proven in just the most simplest ways yet so significant.  I am reminded of how many times I take God's love for me so lightly. I read that God loves me, and I know that He loves me, yet the question is do I always believe it to be true?
Honestly, not always. But the truth is God loves us. He loves me, whether I feel it or not. The good news is that His love for us never change and is way much more radical than any human's love could ever be. We can never ask God to prove his love for us because He has already proven His love in no way any human being could ever come close. His love is real and unconditional. And He continues to pour out that same love to us through the very things and people around us, the love I have for my children and the great love they have for me is just a tiny glimpse of God's love for us.
I am truly and beyond words could ever express blessed to have theses children in my life. Every day there is something new to learn from them. Every day there is something to laugh about and truly appreciate. Every day is never like the day before!

Best Day Ever: Celebrating Kayla!

Joy unspeakable that won't go away.

Anderson, Beatrice, Kayla

 Today, we celebrated a New life, we witnessed a new beginning, Kayla's profession of her faith in Christ. I was deeply blessed, more than words could ever express in this world to be apart and  stand right there beside her. It's a joy, an unspeakable JOY, that will never go away!
When I reflect back to the awesome moments we had today, I can only see and testify the goodness and great love of  our God. I see God's hand over Kayla's life and I see a new creation in Christ Jesus. I see the Almighty God at work. He has started something that only He can and is able to bring to a full completion and I rejoice in Him, praying and trusting that the same way He has carried me all along as my Savior and my God, he will carry Kayla all the way.
I really love Isaiah 46:3-4( You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.) This is an amazing picture of God assuring and declaring His faithfulness to His people; the house of Israel. And I honestly believe that He is the same God today who will and is able to carry us to our graying years, not only physically but also into our Spiritual maturity. I know that as Kayla continues to grow in Christ she will have a bright and hopeful future ahead of her maybe, not in this world, but we are looking toward a better place, to His great rewards. I pray that she will forever be a faithful servant and a useful vessel in the Master's home.

The big moment!

Baptism

Buried with Christ in baptism

Raising to a New Life in Christ

This is to Kayla!

Indepensia and Kayla

Praise to the God who saves!

I don't know where to start, I am not sure how to put this deep joy in to simple words. All I can truly say is that I am blown away by God's gift of mercy and unconditional love for His people. Two  of my forever favorite stories in the bible is the story of the prodigal son and the woman caught in adultery. I can without any doubt fully relate to both of this stories as the prodigal son and as the sinful woman. I think we all can relate one way or another. What stands out the most for me about these two stories is that: when the son finally came to himself and decided to go back home to his father, the father ran to meet him! swept him off his feet, embraces him tightly, and kissed him. And in the story of the woman; Jesus refused to cast a stone but rather stooped down and offered this woman forgiveness, He forgives her and offers her a  new life. The great mercy and unconditional love extended to both is overwhelming! when in reality the son deserved nothing but rejection from the father and the woman deserved death...
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."


THE GOOD NEWS! The good news!...
The  greatest high light of my week and probably will be the greatest high light of this year though not yet at the end, is God's goodness and mercy of yesterday and today. Yesterday two of my girls come to Christ. First Kyla, who I have long waited for and believed that if she comes to Christ then God can use her to be an additional light and a living testimony to the rest of the class.  And not only in class but also at home. God brought me to a point where by I suddenly realized that I can give all the love these kids needs, and every thing they would ever want or need, but the greatest gift I can ever give them is Christ Himself. By God's boldness and strength, I chose to share the gospel constantly, pray, wait (which was the hard part  :) and trust that God was at work. And for sure God was at work. Like the farmer in Mark 4:26-28 who scattered the seeds on the ground; night and day the seeds sprouts and grows, but he don't understand how it happens, I couldn't see God fully at work until too, until Kayla finally took that step. And once that door swung open: another student (Chanteline) came up to me privately with the same desire. She wanted to let go of the old life and accept the new life in Christ. I couldn't contain the joy and I still can't!!
I am so happy!!!!!
God continued to touch and change hearts;  today one of my other student (Bibi) asked me if she could speak to me in private too, and right away I knew what was coming, she wanted and was ready to make that commitment .She said it's a decision she had been thinking about making for a long time, but she just didn't know how to go about it until today!
And I quote: " I know that to be a christian is not an easy thing, but I truly want to have Jesus in my life. I want to know him as my friend."
All I could do was to blink back the tears. And as I prayed with her I was reminded about John 6:37 "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

I found comfort and peace knowing that it's only by the father's love and grace that we each are able to come to Christ. And when we do come, like the father in the story of the prodigal son; He will never turn us away but joyfully accept, forgive, and gives us a clean slate if you will. We become a new creation in Him. (2Corin 5:17-19) What a joy to know that there will always be room in the father's home!
What a joy to know that he doesn't seek to save those who are "good" but rather those who are lost and helpless.
 Luke 15:7 " I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."