The 100th Day of School, Elections, & the Cat in the Hat

Life in 1st grade has been very exciting the past two months! We've started learning long vowels in reading, which is equally exciting and terrifying. We had fun visiting 'Teacher Emily's Store' in math while learning about money and are currently in a really fun dinosaur unit in science. Third quarter - the longest of the four quarters - ends this week, which means some final exams and report cards are on the horizon! Take a look at the photos below to see some of the fun activities my students and I have done this quarter.

Some of my students making their old women/men craftivity and accompanying writing project. We had a really, really exciting day on the 100th day of school in early February. I'd been playing up the 100th day of school since August and boy did it deliver. It was probably my favorite day of school so far! It's really incredible to see how far all of my students have come the past 7 months and that day was a chance for me to reflect on how my students have grown and how I've grown as a teacher.

Wearing our super cool 100 glasses.

A 'write the room' activity for ay and ai words. My students love being active, so they walked around the classroom reading different ay and ai words and sorting them into the correct columns. This activity was a real success and I'm going to do it again with other vowel digraphs and vowel pairs!

John Ehsa (my student's uncle) ran for an FSM Congressional seat and while he sadly didn't win, my students were very excited that they got John Ehsa pencils and pencil cases! 

Dr. Seuss's birthday was last week and thanks to Jennie Lorensen and the teachers of Delta Kappa Gamma we got to celebrate with our very own Cat in the Hat hats and new Dr. Seuss books to read! The students were so excited to have their very own hat and loved having a few new books in the classroom.

I'm doing my best to instill a love of learning and literature in these little students' lives. I'm so grateful for the hundreds of books that have been sent to our classroom so far! If you ever find yourself with children's books on your hands that you don't need anymore, know that they would be very loved here in Pohnpei. 

One last story before I head to bed for the night: I knew to expect the unexpected coming to teach in a developing country, but I never imagined that I would be pantsed by a student. Lo and behold, last week I found myself with my skirt down to my knees after a student tripped and in an attempt to steady herself, grabbed onto my skirt. Clearly she didn't calculate her weight versus my loose elastic waistband! Thankfully we always wear basketball shorts under our skirts, but the situation provided much comic relief for me and my class.

Stay tuned next week for a post on generosity and compassion! My 6-year-old students often fulfill the call to "love your neighbor as yourself" better than I do. I'm so thankful for their sweet hearts, enthusiasm, and how they show me so much grace as I try my best to be a better teacher for them each and everyday.

A (Sun)day in the Life

Now that you've learned what it's like at my host family (see last post if you missed it) I wanted to give you my Sunday morning walk-to-church tour! In Pohnpei, Sundays are for church. Most stores are closed except for one major grocery store and a few container stores. There are lots of churches in town, with many denominations represented, and the same is true all over the island. After church, most families rest at home. The long lost art of Sunday Sabbaths is alive and well here. 

Sunday mornings are quiet in the JV house, so I'm normally the only one up when I don my muumuu and leave the apartment around 8:45. I walk past the local parish, often admiring muumuus and fabrics as I pass the families just getting out of the Pohnpeian mass. After passing the church I walk down this gravel road

and turn left to go up toward the J-House. Sometimes I'll come to the J-House early if I'm doing a load of laundry to get it started, enjoy breakfast, then throw the clothes in the dryer before heading to the church I call home here - Pacific Mission Fellowship.

I walk straight down the gravel J-House driveway (the building on the left is the 8th grade classroom at PCS)

and turn right onto this road.

I keep walking on this road for about 5 minutes, passing INS (a grocery store) a few container stores, and some houses. There's some pig pens on one family's property, so I'm guaranteed a nice whiff of pig/feces, along with a few oinks, as I pass. The slabs of sidewalk aren't always sturdy (leaving you cement surfing to try to keep your balance if one end dips down), so sometimes I brave the sidewalks but other times just walk on the road.

Next comes a left turn onto this street below.

There's a nice church on the right hand side

and finally I come to the fork in the road. I take a  right at the fork, after first admiring Ferny Perman's sign to vote for him in the upcoming election. (Can you see it there amidst all the trees?) The elections are tomorrow for Congress and from the Congressmen they'll choose the President who'll serve for the next four years. The current Present has served two terms, so he's not eligible again. But I did see him at the doctor's office in January! So that was exciting. But anyways, after I make a right at the fork

there's a nice hill to walk up. 

It always gets my heart beating pretty good. By this point I normally have a thin layer of sweat all over my body, depending how bright the sun is, and am dreaming of the air con inside PMF.

And voila! Pacific Mission Fellowship. It kind of looks like a space station or observatory (I should have taken a picture closer up! It was a hot day and I was distracted by the desire to get inside as quick as possible).

Pacific Mission Fellowship (PMF) is a ministry of the larger organization called Pacific Mission Aviation (PMA). PMA has many ministries in islands all over Micronesia and the Philippines, including aviation services, a medical ship, orphanages, churches, and a radio station. The founders of PMA are the late Edmund Kalau and his wife Elizabeth, who were the first Protestant missionaries in Palau and Yap (another island in the Federated States of Micronesia). Edmund and Elizabeth had three children, one of whom went to Biola and is now the Pastor of PMF. Nob (the pastor) and Sylvia (his wife, born and raised in California, Chico State alum) have been incredibly welcoming to me. They've raised three children here in Pohnpei and it has been really great spending extra time at the church, whether that be coming by in the evening to workout at the women's workout group or staying after church to talk and play with their puppies (aptly named Moses and Pharaoh). Elizabeth (who most call Oma, because she and her husband are German and came over from Germany to be missionaries) is in her 80s and moved from Guam to live here with Nob and Sylvia about a year ago after her husband died. Oma often joins the ladies when we workout and does her own routine of kicks and punches.

I've never felt so welcomed by any church body in my life. And not just the first Sunday when I was new, but every single Sunday, I'm greeted with a rounds of smiles and handshakes and hugs and how are you's. People know by now that I don't have a car, so after the service they're always making sure I have a ride home or am ok walking. This church is an incredible group of believers that I am blessed to be a part of. Check out their website if you want to learn more about their ministries! 

http://www.pmapacific.org/index.php

The pictures below are from a church baptism a few weeks ago. We all met at Nihco Marine Park, hung out, watched some baptisms, and had a potluck.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday! And a million thank yous for reading this, supporting me, and being here with me in Micronesia. It makes all the difference. Here's to a new month, the end of third quarter, and lots of island fun!

A Weekend in the Life of My Host Family

Hello, friends and family! It has been far too long since I've blogged, and for that I apologize. I have many things to share, so be on the lookout for about a post a week this next month or two!

Back to my original intention of this post - sharing a little bit about a normal weekend at my host family! About once a month, I find my way to the other side of Pohnpei and spend a weekend with my host parents, host siblings, and lots of host nieces and nephews. Every time I visit there are always a few new faces around. I'm never quite sure how they're related, but I just roll with it and smile.

[To get to my host family I go from Kolonia (right by the airport at the top of the map) all the way to Wone on the south side of the island.]

Friday:
4:15 pm - Leave Kolonia to hitchhike to Wone. We'd never hitchhiked to our host family before, but Kristin and I had been itching to try it. So we packed our bags and just started walking.
4:47 pm - We get our first ride! Saed, a doctor teaching at the med school on-island, picks us up. We learn that he was born in Iran, raised in the US, and worked as a doctor in Belize and Mexico before coming here to teach about 6 months ago.
5:02 pm - Saed drops us off in Palikir. We start walking the shady, coconut tree lined road.
5:34 pm - Kristin's host family drives by and gives us a ride the rest of the way.
6:20 pm - I arrive at my host family to find all my family gone at a fundraiser, except one who stayed back in case I arrived. I grab my book, relax, and start reading!
9:30 pm - My host family arrives home from the fundraiser. They give me a local skirt they bought, as well as bags of mango and some leftover donuts.
10:00 pm - A very late dinner (normally we're all asleep by this time) of rice and spam, along with some good conversations with my Nono (host mom).
11:00 pm - bedtime. I have my own room here, where my family lays out a mat and some blankets for me to sleep on. The rest of the family spreads out in twos or threes and sleeps on mats in other rooms.

Saturday:
8:30 am - I'm the last one asleep in my house and Elora, my host niece, wakes me up.
9:00 am - Breakfast (rice, ramen, and papaya).
9:30 am - Hang out with Elora and her two cousins Jasmine and Natasha. We take pictures on their tablet and play Candy Crush and Fruit Slice (yes, even here in the villages!).
10:15 am - Walk to the river so the girls can swim. I can confidently say I'm very popular in the girl 6 - 11 category. They giggled and giggled at each other as we walked to the river and laughed as they sprayed each other with water. I couldn't help stealing glances at them as I read on the rocks, thinking about how good girl friends are the best, and feeling so thankful for mine.
10:45 am - Start walking back from the river. We run to Sarah (a PCV, Peace Corps Volunteer) who lives nearby. Sarah walks home with us and waits as I grab my things to go to the ocean to swim with her and some other volunteers. My Nono insists that Elora (age 9) comes with me as my bodyguard (even though I'm going to be out with four other adult volunteers). I roll with it.
11:30 am - Sarah, Elora, and I arrive at Kristin's host family, where Kristin, Aidee (PCV), and Erin (PCV) are hanging out.
12:05 pm - We all walk up the hill to Kristin's house, where her host mom has made rice and ramen for lunch.
12:41 pm - Walk to Rohi. Stop at Aidee's host family so she can grab something, add another child to our group so Elora isn't alone, and walk.
1:51 pm - Arrive at a quiet bit of ocean surrounded by mangrove trees (no sandy white beaches on this island!) and happily jump in.
3:05 pm - Leave the water to trek back to Aidee's house.
3:25 pm - Shower in the river at Aidee's. The cold, crisp water of this shady river was a little slice of heaven after setting all sweaty walking again.
3:45 pm - Enjoy some drinking coconuts that Aidee's mom prepared for us (using the machete herself to open them, of course).
4:14 pm - Start the walk back to my host family, slowly saying goodbye as people reach their houses.
5:01 pm - Elora and I say goodbye to Erin, the last PCV still walking, and veer off the main road to our house.
5:15 pm - Changes clothes, put my wet clothes on the line to dry, plop in front of the fan, and read.
8:00 pm - My Nono summons me to the table for dinner (rice, spam, bananas, taro, and breadfruit). Start planning my parent's visit with my host dad.
8:30 pm - Wash my face and brush my teeth. Finish the 370-page book I was only about 50 pages into yesterday.
9:02 pm - Elora and I listen to "Let it Go" on my iPod and have a nice sing-along moment before bed.
9:05 pm - Sleep!

Sunday:
8:30 am - Wake up, get ready for church.
9:00 am - Breakfast (rice and fried spam).
9:30 am - Church at the local parish. My host father is a deacon, so we live right next door to Christ the King Church. Father Dave, the Jesuit priest on island, came this Sunday to say Mass. He's in his 60s and is fluent in Pohnpeian!
10:45 am - Drive back to Kolonia with Father Dave after mass.

Every weekend in Wone is different and this one included a lot of excitement, walking, and spending time with friends. Combine that with plenty of time to read and some good conversations with my family and I was a happy camper!

Advent, Christmas, and a Cat

We have a cat. I’ve never owned a cat before, but here I am, quarter-mother of a furry, feisty feline. ‘Own’ is a loosely defined term here, just like the Ponhpeian definition of a ‘pet’ is an animal you name and feed scraps to if it guards your house in return. By ‘own’ I mean we give our cat some attention and let her rub up on our legs when we come home. We don’t feed her, but for some reason she keeps showing up every morning, eying us lazily as we open the door. 

We named her Lady, pronounced Lay-day (think heavy southern drawl). A name = emotional investment and attachment. There’s no turning back now, folks. We love Lady and Lady loves us in return. Isn’t that what life’s all about? All Lady wants is a little love and attention, a few scratches and the peace of mind that she has four friends she can come home to that will care about her and not mistreat her (which is often the case for most pets here). Isn’t that what we all want? Someone to rub our belly and love on us?

The past few weeks have been filled with a whole lot of love and (figurative) belly rubs as we, four tired teachers, enjoyed our Christmas vacation. December was a wonderful whirlwind of advent and parties and singing and decorating and celebrating Jesus in tropical, humid fashion. The day school got out (December 19^th) we opened the Pohnpei JVC Bed & Breakfast (aka our apartment) to two fellow JV’s from Chuuk here to coach their team in the high school basketball tournament, as well as Kristin’s sister, and Mer’s boyfriend. Between hostessing and hospitality duties, I’ve read 2 books, cooked, watched Christmas movies and generally slowed down the pace of my days. Slow feels good. Most of my days teaching are a whirlwind as I spin from one subject to the next, opening this and explaining that and keeping the energy in the productive-yet-excited zone. Christmas break was the perfectly-slow-and-quiet-zone with some action thrown in. A Christmas Eve sunrise hike, complete with mimosas and a killer view of the island/ocean. Cheering for the high school basketball team. Showing our visitors around our favorite shops in Kolonia. Eating homemade noodles in perfectly creamy sauce at Nett Ramen. Waterfalls, lots of time at church and many, many games of Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan. Belly rubs and back scratches for us all.

Happy 2015! Here begins the Year of Micro: all 365 days of 2015 will be spent in this country. Here’s to the infinite possibilities that a new year holds, to fresh starts, plenty of grace, and the knowledge that we have a place to go home to where we are loved and cherished.

Some pictures from December:

One of our two small Christmas trees!

We tried making ramen donuts for one of our community nights. I think we're all glad we did it, but wouldn't do it again.

The view from Sokehs Ridge

And, of course, Lady

4 Months and a Very Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 26th marked my 4-month anniversary on island. Woo! I have been living this life for four months. Sometimes it feels like four years and sometimes like four days, but I've learned by now that time has a paradoxical way of passing both quickly and slowly all at once. If I've learned anything my first 4-months on island it's this: show up. Everyday. Show up for every one of your students and every staff member and every student at PCS who is not in your class, but wants to talk or visit your classroom. I've learned that no matter how tired, overwhelmed, or sweaty I am, I have to put on my energetic teacher face and show up. Before I get out of bed in the morning I take a deep breath, move my palms face up, and say, "Morning, God. Here I am - alive - with another day to live. I don't know what this day might hold, but let's do it together. Whatever you need me to do, I am here. Just show me." Because with God, everyday is choose your own adventure. I can choose to trust and live and laugh and smile and be open to whatever the day might hold or I can choose the exact opposite. 

My good friend Taylor is currently a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, Africa, and sums up my thoughts on the normalcy of life perfectly. She says,

"I think it's easy to imagine that living in Africa is one great big adventure. It's not. Life itself is the adventure. Even in Botswana, there's still laundry to do and dishes to wash and things that don't go as planned. I'm striving to make some sort of positive impact while I'm here, but I'm certainly not doing anything heroic or newsworthy. And isn't that what we're all doing, wherever we are? As the things that used to be new and exciting start to become normal parts of life, I'm realizing that life itself--normal, everyday life-- is amazing. Adventure can be found in the sassy little kids who come over to tell me nonsensical stories and in the wandering livestock and in new sports and in the occasional latte. Because not all of life is movie-score-worthy, but it's the little moments that are beautiful and precious in the best possible way."

It's the little moments like giggling with my students while I watch them play at recess. Or helping some of my struggling little ones who just need a little more time to sit with material. It's seeing the beauty and innovation in the parachute Marlon made out of a plastic bag and empty water bottle. It's showing up, every single day, and saying that this normal day is going to count for something. Because our life is just a bunch of normal days woven together, and I want to weave hope and love and Jesus and joy into my students and into these days.

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Now onto a little pictorial walk through how we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Pohnpei!

It started with a big dinner on Wednesday night with the Jesuits, other priests, and the two orders of nuns on island. Father Dave (the sole Jesuit on island, in the far left side of the picture. He's from small town Louisiana and has lived here in Pohnpei for 40+ years. He's got a witty, dry sense of humor and, like any good Jesuit, enjoys to share the occasional alcoholic drink with us) made sure we had the all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings. The nuns were as sassy as ever and we had a grand old time.

Our shelves have been stocked with all sorts of pumpkin mixes and pumpkin flavored goods thanks to plenty of care packages, so on Thanksgiving morning we enjoyed pumpkin pancakes before heading off to school. We had a Thanksgiving mass service, then all of the Kinder-7th grade students went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. The 8th graders and teachers put together food baskets filled with local foods all the students had brought that morning from their land. We gave many baskets to the elderly relatives of PCS students and took a truck full of food to the hospital and jail.

At the hospital and jail we sang a few songs and led a short prayer service before shaking everyone's hands and saying "Happy Thanksgiving." The men in jail (there were maybe 20 of them) were so appreciative that we came and asked us to leave our prayer and song sheets behind so they could use them. At the hospital, patients pulled back the privacy curtains and someone in the isolation room cracked the door so they could hear us. It felt right to be giving back to the community, both in food and time, from our abundance.

Later on Thanksgiving afternoon Mer and I played an intense game of Ticket to Ride (one of our favorite hobbies while here - it's my new favorite board game) before starting to cook. We each made a dish and had a rather non-traditional dinner. The best part was Pohnpeian mashed potatoes: mashed bananas in coconut milk! After dinner we put the Pumpkin Dessert I'd made into Tupperware containers and headed off to the movies to see Hunger Games.

On Friday we had a half-day of school and a Talent Show in the evening. It was a night full of beautiful hula and singing! After the show ended we booked it out to one of the high schooler's houses. Maggie is half German, half American and her family invited us over for their Thanksgiving dinner Friday night. We got there late and the random assortment of friends were just starting dessert when we piled our plates high with turkey, gravy, stuffing, and the works. Maggie's German mother checked in on us partway through our meal and, upon seeing some empty beer cans, insisted we have more. We quickly learned that you can't tell a German that you don't want any more beer. They'll say, "that's stupid" and hand you another can.

We ended our 3 day Thanksgiving celebration together at a little table, talking about the good things and hard things and the way we want things to be for our students. It was a little dreaming and a little reality check as we hopped from topic to topic. There are so many things we don't know as outsiders and so many things we can't change. All we do know is that we have our two years to be here with these students. And we have the normal and yet adventuresome gift of today to do with it as we please.

Recent Happenings & Random Facts

October and November have been full of holidays, trips, and excitement! 

Hammock + beautiful waters

Black Coral: In October we went to a small picnic island called Black Coral! We took a little boat out to the island and along with the Peace Corp and World Teach volunteers, enjoyed a few days of relaxation and fun on our own private tropical island. What do you picture when you hear "private island?" If it's something like the following pictures, then it's not only in your head, but real life here in the Pacific!

So beautiful and picturesque. Crazy that this really exists and I get to experience it!

Fun with glowsticks!

The group

Men cutting the pig

Kamadipw: I experienced my first feast (kamadipw, pronounced comma-tip) a few weeks ago! It was Meredith's host grandfather's birthday (he's also a chief) so we got to experience the feast at the front of the nahs. Everyone is seated in the nahs based on their title/rank. As American guests, we were given a very high place of honor. Anyone who sits in the nahs (all the kids and some of the guests hangout outside the nahs) has to remain seated until the person with the highest title at the front stands up. Pohnpeians are champion sitters! We were given our place to sit, a plate of food, and hung out. We heard some speeches in Pohnpeian, got to dance a bit, saw a traditional sakau ceremony and the process of sakau being distributed according to a person's title. We were also presented with gifts to adorn our head and hair! They brought forward several huge pigs and dogs, which were cut into pieces before our eyes and distributed to the guests. Dog is considered a delicacy, so dog was only given to individuals with very high titles.

Britt and I after being rubbed down with coconut oil

Kristin and Mer

Visiting an old hotel called "The Village" after the feast

 Sue Ann: I have an incredible co-teacher three days a week!! Her name is Sue Ann and she is a postulate on her way to become a nun. She is Pohnpeian and finishing her teaching degree at College of Micronesia. But on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she and I get to teach together! It's a huge blessing to have another pair of hands and eyes around the classroom. We are able to differentiate our teaching (especially in reading) to reach the students at their level.

Sue Ann (left) with Sister Sophie (the religion teacher)

Another Month, Another Waterfall: While Rose, a friend teaching on Chuuk, was visiting we took a trip to the other side of the island to experience another waterfall! I think this one is my favorite so far!

Walking through the jungle to get to the waterfall

Mer and I!

Halloween: I played up Halloween so much with my 1st graders. We had lots of fun doing math, reading, and art projects all related to Halloween! On Halloween students were allowed to wear their costumes if they wanted to. We did math with Skittles, ate candy corn, and enjoyed celebrating! 

Enjoying candy corn for the first time

November Fun: Now that all of our Halloween decorations are gone, we had to decorate for the next holiday - Thanksgiving! We've spent a lot of time talking about the gifts that God has given us and having an attitude of thankfulness. We also learned the story of the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Native Americans. We did a very complicated Native American craft with an accompanying writing project. I was worried how they'd do with so many little pieces and kept playing up how complicated the project was. They did a great job and were so proud of the finished product!

Random Facts: I've been wanting to share some of the random cultural facts/happenings that I've become accustomed to over the past few months, so here goes!

-Driving: Sometimes when I drive, I dodge potholes like a Mario Kart driver. We never go above 40 kilometers per hour because you always have to be on pothole patrol. Most cars here are imported from the Philippines, so the driver is on the right side of the car and the front seat passenger on the left. The controls are also all reversed, so for the first few weeks when I tried to turn on the turn signal, the windshield wipers would go! Honking is also a very nice thing here. No one honks to be mean or aggressive, if I hear the tap of a horn it's just a friendly "hello" someone is saying to a friend or family member they see driving.

-Nonverbal Responses: In Pohnpei, you can respond 'yes' by saying yes or raising both your eyebrows. When I'm talking to a student one-on-one and ask a yes or no question, there's a good chance they'll choose to raise their eyebrows instead of say yes!

-Proper Greetings: Walking down the street in Pohnpei is never boring. It is culturally appropriate to say hello to everyone you meet, whether you know them or not (it's very rude if you don't acknowledge someone). So a trip to the grocery store will be filled with many nods of hello or the following greeting:
                                            Kaselehlia (hello to one person)
                                            Kaselehlia maing (hello to one person in a formal way)
                                            Kaselehlia maingko (hello to 2 or more people in a formal way)

-Cash Power: The power situation here is unlike any I've experienced. To buy power for your house, you go to a green drive-through window. You tell the person your house ID number, how much you want, and they give you a receipt with a really long number. Once back at your house, you go to the cash power box and enter the number in. Upon entering it successfully, a happy tune plays and a smiley face appears, along with how many units of cash power you have. If we forget to check our cash power meter and it runs out, which has happened a few times, we'll wake up in the morning sans power and have to go buy more. The generators that power the island are also turned off at different times throughout the day (I'm not sure why). So, an average of 3 school days per week there'll be a four hour chunk of time where we don't have any power. Luckily our rooms have plenty of open windows, so it doesn't affect us too much. Normally I'll just acknowledge, "oh, the power went out!" and we'll continue on in our lesson.

Thank you for going on this little tour of random facts about Pohnpei with me! I love being able to share my experience and this incredible culture and new way of life with so many of you.

On Letting People Love Me

            As a teacher, I spend my days helping 28 exuberant students fill their brains with knowledge. Most days include a generous helping of chaos and at times a sprinkling of tears, but 3:30 always manages to roll around and we’re all there, smiling, in one piece. My students see the world with a joy that is contagious. “Teacher Emily, a FLOWER. This is a FLOWER!” Besides soaking in their childlike awe and excitement, I witness their daily light bulb “aha!” moments when they realize that they actually can read that word or they can do that math problem.

            I had an “aha” moment the other day, too, while skyping with my parents some 5,500 miles and many oceans away. Before the conversation even began I could guarantee you that sometime, mid-conversation, my Dad was going to ask me, “Em, what can we do for you? How can we help you?” As sure as there'll be 90% humidity and sunshine in Pohnpei this week, my Dad will ask that question. As someone who would rather help others than ask others to help me, my brain immediate wants to say, “I’m great Dad, no help needed!” But, honestly, there’s not one ounce of truth to that statement. I’ve just moved to a foreign country thousands of miles away from my family. I am in my first year of teaching and I'm pulling together my own curriculum for a grade I've never taught before in a country I've never lived in. Lets face it, I need all the help I can get.

            In this particular conversation we chatted about my students and my weekend at my host family before the inevitable ‘how can we help you?’ question came up. And that’s when it happened - I had my light bulb moment. I may be the one physically in the FSM, but he and my Mom and so many others are playing just as important a role as I am. They love me and support me, which makes me able to teach and love my students. My parents? They get it. They are here with me. They are part of God’s plan by being so eager to hear my stories, pray for me, and send school supplies for my students. And it’s not just my parents but so many other friends and acquaintances sending everything from homemade jam (thank you Bertolucci's!) to cards, care packages, and letters sharing what they're doing in life and asking how I am. The fact that there are people out there willing to do that? Willing to pray and read my blog and walk through this teaching abroad journey with me? That is wild. That is the Church. That is community. And that is God incarnate.

            We were created by a community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:26 (“let us make man in our image”) and designed to walk through life in the same way. Even though I am on a tiny island in the North Pacific, God doesn’t ask me to be an island. He gives each of us many unique callings and missions throughout our lives, but he doesn’t expect us to do them alone. We can only fulfill these callings by leaning on the Holy Spirit and by letting people love us. By really letting myself soak in the support and encouragement that I’ve received since starting my JVC service, I am a better teacher, a better community mate, and am becoming more and more like the woman God made me to be. I am learning. Learning to be better at letting people love me and am finding that, in return, I am better able to love others.