Yep...it's the First Day Of SCHOOL!!!!! :)

They define the word; Adorable!

                


 School officially started today!  :)  :)
  New faces ( adorably cute) and old faces (the best of the best)!
  It was really an exciting day for all of us as we welcomed both our new and old students back to school this morning. Some how the one month summer break suddenly felt like a whole year. Surely there is no pain quite like missing someone that you dearly love and long to see. But when you finally do get to see them again, some times you can't help it but the following will happen; scream, hug,...repeat! then bask in the glow of each others' faces and maybe you might even find yourself speaking a little bit faster than normally humans do.   :)   I admit that I am totally guilty of all of that...especially this morning. My students too. It is hard to explain. In fact it is complicated!
But it is the best feeling in the world when you see this faces after such a long time.

I am really happy and it is a great honor to let you know that (first of all, I have a new student in my class and his name is Peter) and I have moved on to the next grade with my previous grade 5s. It is honestly an answered prayer for both of us. I really felt the need to spend as much time as I can with them one more year because I felt like I haven't invested enough into their lives last year. Last year was the beginning of everything and there is so much to do before we can send them out in to different high schools around the city. I pray-fully hope to invest more into their lives this year as much as I can or as much as God allows me to because I know ( and I am trying not to worry) that there will come a time when they will have to move on to the next grades without me.

They come back once in a while, but it’s never the same. - See more at: http://simplehomeschool.net/foundation/#sthash.as21UwQa.dpuf

 Considering all those we have send out: They do come back once in a while, but it's never the same for everyone. And some hardly come back. Apparently "life happens" and so it does. This is our window of opportunity to build a strong foundation that will support them for the rest of their lives just as many people did when we were younger. So please do keep them in your prayers as you read this blog and not only them but also the rest of the school and the staff members.
   

2016: Gr. 6

CHS' Team Building!

Community Hope School's Staff members

 
We went down to the YWAM base for our staffs' team building. It was a great way to start off the year as a team. A great way to cast vision and learn more about each other. Team buildings are always fun and interesting. Fun in away that it challenges you to do things that are normally out of your comfort zones and interesting, because you get to learn knew things about your team-mates and also about yourself. I found it really fun and mind blowing having to answer some of the most important questions by doing an activity or by working out a solution to a challenge as a team. This process taught us how important a strong foundation is in every thing we will ever hope to build in life. Communication and team work are as essential . The bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 4:12  that:
Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
This was really a great reminder that we need each for strength, support, encouragement, and love if we ever hope to go any where in life. We are called to be apart of a body not to go through life as lone rangers. The beauty of the body is this; it is made up of many different parts that performs different functions but those parts are all equally important. Those parts makes up the body. I realize that if you ever want something to work you have to be intentional about everything especially in the moments that you don't feel like it. You have to chose to love, accept, and acknowledge with respect other people who are completely different from you. And the most amazing thing is when you chose to love through Christ as a team there is unity. You learn to work together by having one mind and one driven purpose. It creates the most wonderful picture when different people with different gifts and different characters work together towards the same goal in what ever areas they feel called to by encouraging and complementing each other as one. 
Concerning loving people that are different from you, Paul Washer raise this question:  

How can you learn unconditional love if you’re married to a woman who meets all your conditions?
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/895946

How can you learn unconditional love if you’re married to a woman who meets all your conditions?
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/895946

How can you learn unconditional love if you’re married to a woman who meets all your conditions?
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/895946

How can you learn unconditional love if people met all the conditions?
How would you ever learn mercy, patience, long-suffering, heart-felt compassion if people never failed you? if they were never difficult with you?
If they never sinned against you? If they were never slow to acknowledge their sin or ask for forgiveness?
How would you ever learn grace, to pour out your favor on someone who did not deserve it, if you were with someone who was always deserving of all good things? Do you see that?
  The main purpose is that through this,  you become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
 
 Working as a team or as a body this truth is essential and that is the one thing that I have learned today. We are different but we are all part of the same body as a school.

How can you learn unconditional love if you’re married to a woman who meets all your conditions?
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/895946

Kid’s Art and the Glory of God

I thought I should share this because this is one of the people I ever came across who truly understand what Art is all about. Someone who understands that Art is more than just a pencil forming lines and shapes! Art reveals the Artist's heart and mind to the world; it gives you more information about the "creator" behind the master piece and it tells you what that person is truly passionate about.
Art is not a waste of time and it is more than just coloring in pretty pictures. Art is meant to point us back to the creator. It reveals he's beauty and it shows us that he is good because all that he has ever made is good!
You get to perceive the world in new ways, find hidden patterns, and understand it's true purposes when you begin to look at all things through the eyes of the one who created it. The source of all things who is GOD!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...boom!..The first Artist spoke everything in to existence.
I always say; the heavens are a canvas board. That is where all the breathe taking sunsets, sunrise, and starry nights takes place. Painted and brushed across the sky in the most indescribable way.

As a Father of a couple of kids 6 and under I am frequently given gifts. These gifts are precious and priceless works of art. My children will spend significant time to go and get their paper and crayons to make me a picture. Then they run to me with the picture in hand and simply say, “Here Daddy, I made this.” I hold it up and admire it. Often I will ask questions and they answer in surprising detail about their intentions with their marks. There is no question: they made this artwork with intentionality. They want to share it with me.
I have been studying the book of Genesis lately and was struck with the parallel in creation. The Bible repeatedly says in chapter 1 that what God made was good. God looks at what he made with approval. It is good. He also wants to share its goodness. Psalm 19 tells us that the creation declares God’s glory. It is pouring forth speech about him as the glorious Creator of everything.
Without reducing the infinite glory of what we see in God’s creation, I feel that the illustration of what children are doing helps to communicate what we see in God’s work. God is sharing what he made while he delights in it. Further, he is inviting others to come and behold it and enter into his joy in its stunning beauty. The child, as an image bearer, is unwittingly reflecting something of their Creator’s work. They are joyfully sharing what they have made and inviting us to enter into their joy by agreeing with them about its goodness.
We might look past what kids are doing as simply developmental but I believe there is something devotional to observe as well. All creation, including children, are declaring his glory. Speech is being poured out. Do you see the Creator’s handiwork in the creativity of the children? It will provoke your worship. It has mine.

by Erik Raymond  

Stepping in to the New Year!

   

It was surely a great and delightful relief to get away from the heat of the north and to cool off by the beach in Swakopmund. The raging sea, the sun rises, the desert and best of all the sun sets!...it was spectacular! with a company of awesome friends I couldn't ask for more.
Sitting there by the beach and just trying to extend my eyes as far as they could see it intrigued me to think that the same God who spoke that massive raging seas in to existence is the very same God who's hands formed me. A tiny grain of sand compared to that glorious ocean yet he gives me value by choosing to love me more. I found it hard to grasp but that didn't change the fact that it was still true.
    

                                              The heavens declare the glory of God;
                  the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;
                  night after night they reveal knowledge.They have no speech, they use no words;
                   no sound is heard from them.Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
                   their words to the ends of the world.

      This verse was more real to me than ever because I had all the evidence right there before my very own eyes!

 Another best part about this short vacation was the ability to do, see, and experience new things. Like hiking Dune 7 for the first time, Sand boarding, and seeing hundreds of fireworks exploding in to the night sky and turning in to the most beautiful and colorful lights I have ever seen. It was a sight that I still greatly cherish! A awesome way to start of the New Year.
 

hanging with friends up on the dunes

Sand boarding( Still can't believe I did it!)

Happy New Year!!1

Dune 7

Merry Christmas!!!

            It's really hard to explain this day in a few words, but if I have to sum it all up I would say that this was the best day ever! every moment of it. It was really amazing!
I thank God for a place that I can call home and people that I can call family.
This was our thanksgiving day. It was a great reminder of God's unfailing love and greatest gift unto us. It was a joyous celebration of God's goodness!

Summer Camp 2015

It was packed. Busy. challenging and exhausting. But it was also fun, awesome, and interesting!
We had round about 300 young people from over the country which makes it always interesting and I took with me two of my students (Chanteline and Indepensia) and my youngest sister (Fiyo). The schedule was basically the same as last year. We were all divided up into four teams as soon as we arrived: yellow, green,blue, and red. I was in red team the first day and then I became an orange cap the next, which were all the leaders. I shared a conference hall with 23 girls and anther woman who was also one of the leaders.Throughout the week teams took part in different activities like soccer, volleyball, and netball.They compete against each other for the 3 trophies; the Sport trophy, Spirit trophy, and the Bible Quiz trophy.
On the final night the yellow team took the Bible trophy. The Blue team took the Sport trophy and the Green team took the Spirit trophy which is more based on character, serving and a good attitude.
All the sports, the cheers and the games were amazing, but more than that one of the things that caught my attention was the brokenness, rejection and the Identity crisis in some of these youth, especially the ones they brought in from the streets. There were 4 boys and among  them was a 13 year old girl named Jane. Really beautiful with light brown eyes. She didn't speak much not even on the different occasions that I have approached her. But I was able to connect the dots and get a glimpse of her life according to what she said and quietly observing her in a distance. Being there was really a challenge for her, something outside her comfort zone and she didn't really liked it nor enjoyed it that much especially the first few days but she agreed that it was good for her.

The first few days were indeed  hard and a great challenge for me too,
mostly being a leader and also having to share a room with 23 teens who came from different back grounds,raised differently and have different beliefs.
I spend some nights awake and praying...it was a challenge. Something outside my comfort zone. Some how I could relate to Jane, at first none of us really enjoyed the situation we were in but as days went by we kind of started to grow into it. I realized that some times we need trials, challenges and a different environment in order to move out of our comfort zones and grow. Some times we need to be pressed from both sides in order to truly know the conditions of our hearts because sometimes it helps to expose the pride,self-righteousness and selfishness. Which if acknowledged, brings us to our knees in repentance and surrender. That is what the camp did for most of these young people and for me personally.   

Grace and Queen

I look "cool" is the word

Swimming time

Sports

The Sport trophy: Blue team member

The Spirit trophy: Green team members

Final moments