Haiku

This week in Ms. Alex's 5th grade class was poetry week. We learned about limericks, cinquain, free verse, and haiku poems.  I enjoyed teaching it much more than I expected.  You gotta love a kid's expression when you tell them that not all poems rhyme, and you would have loved my face when I asked for descriptive words and my kids came up with the words "awesome, cool, and fun!"  Think kids, think! haha

I personally didn't remember all the rules to writing haiku poems, so I had to do a little reading.  Let me fill you in.  A Haiku is a three lined poem made of 17 syllables- 5 in the first line, 7 in the second line, and 5 also in the last line. These poems are mostly about nature and the seasons.  I loved how a writer began to explain the inspiration behind these poems.  He explained that we experience "haiku moments" throughout our lives. Theses moments are small, almost missed experiences that happen in the hustle and bustle of life.  In a haiku moment you might experience a dragon fly landing on a flower petal or the smell of rain after an afternoon shower.  Whatever the moment is like, it takes your breath away.

I love this!  "haiku moments" are happening around us all the time.  We just have to look for them.  I have heard these moments called God-sightings, and I believe that is exactly what they are.  We read a free verse poem called Miracles, written by Walt Whitman this week.  He described a similar experiences.  The poem explains anything can be a miracle...the glance of a stranger, the grass underfoot, the smell of popcorn.  It just depends on how you see it.

So my prayer for us is this: that we see the "haiku moments" or the 'God-sightings" or the everyday miracles lying around us...They're everywhere, just waiting for us to experience them. Through these miracles God is expressing His character.  He desires to show us His love and compassion.  May we have eyes to see.

I'll finish with my Haiku moment this week....

Lightning crashes down.

The roar of heaven resounds

and all stand amazed.

I pray that you are in awe of the miracles around you.

Just a couple Photos

Ankot rides!  My favorite transportation in Bandung!
Squishing is key!

If you want to come and visit this beautiful place
just come and let me know!

Field Trip to the Observatory!

Found a beautiful spot on a motor bike adventure!

The Good, Bad, and the Funny

Hey Everyone,

     It’s late so that means that it’s time for me to write.  It seems to be the only time that I am inspired to write.  School has kept my bedtime pretty early so sorry for the dry-spell in writing.  Anyway…

     So much has happened since the last time I wrote…many firsts.  I lead my first field trip a couple weeks ago.  I took my kids to an observatory.  It was really neat to discover and learn about God’s great creation with my kids.  Last weekend I rode a motor bike for the first time.  A friend let me borrow hers and it was so fun exploring places that I had never seen.  I played piano during worship for the first time during out morning staff devotions. Pretty nervous but we made it through.   Sent home my first set of report cards and in the last two days I have completed my first set of parent teacher conferences.   God is allowing me to have so many great experiences.  He is so good.

The teachers dressed up as Magic School Bus characters
on Story Book Day!

     I really enjoy teaching.  My kids are so wonderful.  We have come to that point of the year when we all make each other laugh and I can just give them a look and they know that they have gone too far. (Not yet an evil eye I’m sure, but not the crazy eye some of you are thinking of.)  I  love being able to laugh with them as I make up silly examples or as they laugh at me as I dance around the classroom while they diligently work on their math problems.  It’s been really fun. 

       We particularly get a lot of laughs out of the vocabulary challenge that they have every day.  I give the students a new vocabulary word every day.  We talk through it, understand it, and give examples.  Then throughout the day they can score points by using the word in context during classroom discussions.  They try so hard and all the kids are so excited when someone scores a point.  They run up to me after their break time exclaiming “Rio was very generous today during snack time.  He gave me some chips.”  Or they use the word incorrectly and sound silly doing it. 

     Another dynamic of my class that makes things interesting is the boy/girl dynamic.  Oh 5^th grade.  My principal encouraged me to have the boys and girls work together more frequently during the school day to encourage unity rather than division between the genders.  It is hilarious to watch them squirm when they have to mix up at lunch or in line.  (They might not notice how well they actually interact when they all hang out together, but I do!)   

Life here is great but it’s not perfect, that’s for sure. 

     I am struggling to learn Bahasa Indonesia.  Now the term struggling should mean that I am striving with great energy to learn something that is very hard for me.  I believe that would be the correct meaning/use of the word struggling.  What I really mean is: I thought learning a new language would be as easy as getting wet in the rain, but I was WRONG.  (Silly me)  Please pray that I would love the local people well enough to be disciplined to learn the language that they speak. 

     Second, please pray for another 5^th grade girl to join my class.  My class has three girls in it.  Two of those girls are best friends and as you can imagine that leaves one of my girls without a friend.  Please pray that God would move in the hearts of the two “best friends” and that Sung Ha would feel loved and accepted by the other girls.  It breaks my heart to see her ostracized the way that she often is.  Please pray over that situation. 

     Lastly, pray for me please.  Something that I have been asking God over the past year or so, is that nothing would satisfy me except Him.  I had almost forgotten this prayer until I found myself feeling that way a couple weeks ago; nothing was satisfying.  Teaching had become monotonous, life had become monotonous, and I was just going through the motions.  He reminded me in this time that I had prayed for this very thing to happen to me.  We are so often distracted by nice things, a good meal/dessert (if you’re me), good movies, hanging out with friends, ect, that we don’t desire the greatest thing: God.  I am finding that I am only finding my joy when I am satisfied in Jesus.  Please pray that I would desire Christ above all things.  God has entrusted 8 students to me and has placed me in a community to love.  I want to give them everything that I have but I cannot do that unless what I am giving them is Christ.  Please pray that I would wake up every morning desiring Him. 

     Miss you all.  I wish I could visit you right now but I've got school on Monday. J Love you all.