#christmasincambo

Once again, it's been awhile...

When you live in a culture that is so radically different from your own, there is never a shortage of things to process and blog about, but for some reason I seem to find it difficult to actually sit down and figure out how to put into words what I want to say.  Then, by the time I do eventually sit down and write, I am overwhelmed by the amount of "updating" I feel I need to do.  So today instead of a list of detailed updates about everything that's gone on over the last few months, I'm going to free myself of that pressure and just write what's on my heart today. If you want to see what I've been up to, photos on facebook capture the bulk of it... except for my daily interactions with my precious (but sometimes crazy/hyper/mischievous) students... which I guess IS why I'm here in the first place! ;)  

This Christmas was beyond strange. It was beautiful in its own way, but that doesn't change the fact that it was weird! For my whole life I've lived in a place in which the "indicators" of the Christmas season are endless... snow, freezing cold, jackets, christmas lights on houses, candy canes, carols playing at shopping centres, Christmas-y smells, Christmas movies on TV, the season of advent at church, etc...   Here in Cambo, some of those indicators are suprisingly still present, like some Christmas decorations at more "Western" coffeeshops and stores, but many indicators are nowhere to be found. For the past few weeks, my roommates and friends have been saying to each other, "It just doesn't FEEL like December" or "It can't possibly be Christmas so soon when it's still so hot out!" but it didn't matter how many times we said those words, Christmas still came and went, even here in hot Cambo. Fun fact - this is the coldest season of the year in Cambodia, and I am presently sitting in a coffeeshop wearing a sweater! ... The only reason I'm wearing a sweater though is because this coffeeshop is wonderfully air-conditioned and when you don't have many opportunities to wear sweaters, you take advantage when you can! It is still, by my standards, HOT outside, and I was sweating this morning in my tank top and shorts, but to the Cambodians, this kind of weather (in the mid to high twenties) is perfect for heavy winter coats, hats, and gloves. I sweat FOR THEM when they drive by me on their motos all bundled up, but they seem perfectly content!

The only snowflakes I saw this year...

... Snowflakes continued. 

Juliann and I took a lovely trip to Kep, a town about 4 hours away by bus, and then spent one day on Rabbit Island. Beautiful beach!!

The irony of Juliann sitting in front on the full-speed fan on Christmas morning. 

It was a huge blessing this Christmas to have a full house of people, includng my dear friend Juliann who came across the world to spend Christmas with me, and two other visitors. I loved having Juliann here and getting to introduce her to my "new" way of life - driving her around on the moto, eating Cambodian food (I HAD to give her the chance to try tarantula!), taking part in a super fun Cambodian cooking class, doing another traditional Khmer photoshoot (so much makeup, but such an experience!), teaching her a few phrases in Khmer, having her with me at school and introducing her to my students... My worlds collided and it was just so special to have a friend here who knew me way before coming here. I feel like I've known the people here for a lot longer than 6 months, but when I think about it, it's strange that there is no one here who knows me beyond that timeframe. Doing life together in Cambodia certainly has a way of bringing people together, and I feel so blessed that I have found such community (really, family) here, in the people I live and work with. I definitely missed being with my own family and relatives this Christmas, and it's hard to be so far away when there are a lot of exciting things going on in their lives, but it was special to Skype with them on my Christmas morning. I can't wait to see everyone again in just over 150 days (May 29th is my last day of school - my flights will soon be booked)!!! 

At our Cambodian cooking class, with our instructor "Lucky Two" - that was his real name, no joke.

The Christmas season is always busy and it was no different here. One moment that has not left my mind, though, was a simple comment made by one of my grade 4s. I bought my students small gifts (bracelets for the girls and toy geckos filled with sand for the boys) and wrapped them up with little cards for each of them. I wasn't sure how impressed they would be, but it filled me with joy to see their faces light up with excitement as they tore the wrapping paper open. One of my girls came up to me afterwards and said, "Ms. Alyssa, this was the best Christmas ever, because my family doesn't celebrate Christmas at home!" I was so humbled. In my mind, I knew that many of my students don't come from families who celebrate Christmas, but to hear her say those words made it real. It also brought me such joy this season to be able to remind these kids (and for some, to teach for the first time) about the true reason for Christmas. I am so thankful that my job gives me that freedom - I know I wouldn't find that freedom everywhere in the world.  Here in Cambodia, Christmas is just another day for the majority. For kids that go to public school, December 25th is just another school day! Blows my mind. But for the Cambodians who know and love Jesus, celebrating his birth is a joy-filled celebration! On Christmas Eve, Juliann and I (and our roomies) went to our church's candlelight service, and got to sing carols with the Cambodians - in English for us, and Khmer for them. This Christmas, I'm grateful beyond words that Jesus is not limited to a certain people group or language. 2000 years ago, God became flesh, Immanuel, God with us - that's ALL of us. And in the simplicity of what was #christmasincambo, He was here, even though the snow was not.  I'll close with the question I've asked myself (and struggled through, if I'm honest) this Christmas... is His presence enough for me?

Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXOP7aQeqQ

Christmas Eve candlelight service at Water of Life church.

It's been awhile...

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I last wrote on this blog! Overall, time seems to fly SO fast here, even though sometimes the school days feel long.

For those who missed it, I wrote a blogpost for an online magazine called Boundless and they published it last month! It was really exciting for me to get published on the site and I even got a few comments and messages from people I've never met who said that it had encouraged them. I love that It blows my mind that God could use my experiences to encourage others.  I'm so thankful for the ways He uses each of us, even when we feel we don't have much to give.
Here's my post :)  https://community.focusonthefamily.com/b/boundless/archive/2014/09/26/your-turn-even-if-i-never-see-the-fruit.aspx

Things have been so busy here ever since school started. We taught for 7 straight weeks and then had the opportunity to go to Koh Rong on a wonderful, refreshing, and rejuvenating 3-day trip. Koh Rong is an island off the coast of Cambodia, and it was paradise.

After vacation, it was a struggle to adjust back to the routine of school, as I guess it always is. My students provide little moments of joy for me each day though, and it is those moments that make this job worthwhile. To keep things realistic here, they also provide for me little moments of challenge or frustration each day... Sometimes they just decide they are in the mood to talk and not to listen, and I frequently have to stop and wait for them to settle down so I can communicate the instructions to them. I guess it means they are engaged and excited though, so I'll take what I can get :)

In topic (which is basically social studies/science/miscellaneous), we are currently studying "Materials" and last week we did an interesting activity about what clothing is made of and where it comes from. Each student brought in a piece of clothing and we did a tally chart to track which continent their piece came from. They were surprised to see that out of 21 pieces of clothing, 18 came from somewhere in Asia! When I asked them why they thought that was the case, most of them said it was because they live in Asia so of course that's where their clothes came from! They didn't fully understand as I tried to explain that the results would probably be similar if I did the same activity with a Canadian class. It led into an interesting discussion about factory workers, and different salaries in different countries. One of the reasons I love teaching is to be able to help open my students' perspectives on the world, so it was a neat conversation to have with them. They are only in grade 4, but they are old enough to be challenged to think critically. It's really cool to watch their eyes widen as they consider something they've never thought about before :)

Please excuse the messy writing... and the dirty board!

Two of my friends (Karen and Tash) and I are taking Khmer lessons together each Saturday for an hour an a half. Our instructor is a precious man (thanks for the recommendation, Rachel!), probably about 50 years old, who has lived in Cambodia his whole life. This past week, we heard some of his life story. He lived through the Khmer Rouge, a very dark time in Cambodia's history, and at a very young age, he was forced out of his city and separated from his family. We felt really honoured that he would share those times with us - we could tell that even now it's hard for him to talk about.

As for our lessons, let me just say, Khmer is NOT an easy language to learn, and even the basics are a huge challenge to grasp. It's a pretty hilarious sight to see as we stumble through our simple sentences, saying things like "I drink coffee with sugar" and "Can I please have the bill", but we're hoping that by the end of 2 years here, we will at least be conversationally fluent. It makes SUCH a difference to be able to speak the language and will do wonders at helping us get out of the "western tourist stereotype." One amusing thing from this past week is that we learned that the Khmer word for "map" is "panties" (pronounced "pawn-tease")!  Also, the word you use when speaking to an older man is "Puu" (which means Uncle). So if we need to direct a tuktuk driver who doesn't know where he is going, we will attempt not to laugh as we say, "Puu mien panties te?" (Do you have a map?)

To close, here are a few funny things I found when reading my students' writing books this weekend (I give them writing prompts every day, so I'll start with those)...

- "If I could hangout with two famous people, I want to hangout with Selena Gomez and Helen Keller because they are both girls and are kind, also good." (haha, most random combination ever!)
- "If I was a principal for a day, I would fire all the teachers and make the children my slaves. For the teachers, they will buy me food and coffee. The job that the children will have is to bring me all their work and they will start doing science when they are two years old."
- "If I could go to the moon for a day, I will die because in moon there is no air. In moon, it's so so cold. If we splash water, it will freeze in the sky."

Some of their similes (comparing two things using "like" or "as", just as a refresher, haha!):
- "A rat is as dirty as a trash left out of the sun for a month."
-  "If you have a rat at your house you are fancy like the king." (really?!) - "My class is so noisy, like an annoying orange. (Didn't quite get the point... What's an annoying orange?!) But my teacher is as nice as a humble person." (yay! points for me!)
- "Jesus is as real as my parents." (Amen, girl!) - "Money is as rare as an orca."
- "My brother is as strong as a sumo wrestler."
- "Miss Alyssa is as beautiful as a peacock, standing like a status, walking around the pond, and get back home for food." LOL
- "My mother is like a sea. If she is angry, she is like a big wave sea. If she smiles, she is like the quiet sea."
- "A puppy is as cute as a cute eye" (huh?)

Thanks for reading, friends!

Getting to know my students...

Here's a drawing of our class courtesy of one of my students :)

I've officially survived two weeks of school!  And without shedding one tear... which is quite the improvement from last year when I was thrown into my first job of teaching grade 3. I think it helps to know that I was able to do it last year (somehow!), and that little bit of confidence (and a lot of prayer for energy!) has been getting me through.

First day of school view from right outside my class (T.A.s are greeting the students!)

I really love my students. Each one of them has found a way into my heart already, and the school year is just beginning. Their personalities, interests, laughs, smiles, and cute accents fill me with joy! The days are VERY busy and my schedule is full. Each day, my roommates and I come home and crash... (we are seriously all in bed by 9 at the latest!) and I feel like I have just ran a marathon, even though I have no idea what that really feels like ;)  So the job is tiring, draining at times, and takes a lot out of me... but it is also SO rewarding to be able to build relationships with these precious kids and staff, and to see my students learn and get excited about what we're doing in class. They have given me some cute/funny drawings and little gifts (small chocolates or Cambodian treats), and each time I smile, knowing that my students are happy and feel safe and loved at school.

Gifts from my students: Cambodian treat and a Ferrero Rocher... beautiful combo.

On the first few days of school, I had all my students fill in a survey so I could get to know them a bit better, and some of their answers are seriously heartwarming and/or hilarious (and a few might have gotten a little lost in translation...). Here are some for you to enjoy! I hope you appreciate them as much as I did. I can't really post pictures of my students, but I can still give you an insight into the cute ways that they think and speak, so I guess that's the next best thing :) My comments are in italics.

1. What I like most about school is... 
- The teachers are kind to us (yay!)

- When we have party

- Reading books, because it is calm

- Fun ideas and nice friend

2. What I like least about school is...

- Don't have break

- Try hard

- We have P.E. only on Fridays

- Nothing (yay!)
- Lunch food (I've actually enjoyed it most days!)

3. I am really good at...

- Dodgeball

- Basketball and all sport (confident kid...)

- My friend

4. I may need some extra help with...

- A friend (hmmm... I think he meant his friend could help him? He definitely has friends, don't worry)

- Money and coins names (very specific! And interesting because Cambodia doesn't have coins... only paper money)

- Frome teacher

- Wordsearches (haha, really, of all things?) 

5. My favourite book is... (and why?)

- Every book, because I like book

- Gorilla, because it is cool and have picture

- The Bible book, because we can learn about God 

- Chalet web, because it is a chapter book (Charlotte's Web? haha)

- Wimpy Kid, because it's funny

- Challote Wed, because it has a cute character!

- The Magic Treehouse, because I read it a lot so I begin to really like it

- "Thank went you get something", because it tells us to learn about it (huh?)

6. Three words I would use to describe myself are:
- Kind, ?, ? (we might need to work a bit on adjectives...)-  I'm 9 years old, my birthday is on March 20, I like school

- Curious, shy, sleepy

- I have two moles on the right cheek, happy, kind

- Kind, talk with my friend, lazy (haha! At least he admits it)

- Wise, honest, secure (This girl is so precious)

- Smart, fast, good sport

- Mom and her family because we movie to Canada (for real, this kid's Dad lives in Canada!)

- Nice, good, tiny (this was kind of funny because this kid isn't really too tiny at all)
- I like chocolate, puppies, and friends 

- Fearless, shy, not really friendly (so not true about this kid!)

7. In my free time, I like to participate in the following activities...

- Site and watch TV and play game

- Draw a picture

- I play with my baby brother

- Card game like Uno

- Is draws

8. The following languages are spoken at home...
- Korea language

- English, Chinese and Khmer (multilingual families! so cool)

9. My preferred place to sit in the classroom is...

- Any wear

- Right here (right where?)

- Far from the air conedichaner  (haha it amazes me that these kids get cold in class... mostly when I'm drenched with sweat)

- Out of the air conditioner

- In front of air-con (haha!)

- I can sit aniwar in cass

10. I live with (which family members)... 

- Mom, Dad, brother, Me, Anti, Pets

- Mom, Dad, small sister, big sister

- Mom, Dad, grandma, grandpa, Aunty, other grandma, brother, 2 sisters (a full house!)

11. Something I want my teacher to know about me is... 

- I'm from Cambodia!!

- Where my house is (interesting...)

- I love to read Bible

- When I am sick (?) 

- That I live next to the school

- I live here 10 years when I was 2 months I come here

- I like to stay home alone and along in my room (fair enough, and impressive that he recognizes so early on that he is more introverted than extraverted)

- Today is my brother's birthday!

- I will try to do my best in all the attivites

- I am special 

- Nothing

- My health (huh?) 

- I like to speak Korean

- I'm a kid and I like swimming the most (Thanks for telling me you're a kid! haha!) 
- I want to change the day of my birth (sorry... can't help you with that one!)

The craziness that is lunch at Asian Hope

Random origami piano made by my student

Random fun fact: Coffee is SO strong here and makes me feel like I'm going to fly every time I drink it (I've pretty much decided I can't drink it, haha!)

I hope that made you smile! Thanks for reading! And thanks for your prayers :)

One week and one day

I have officially been here for more than a week now, and have been meaning to sit down and write a post. The issue is that each time I put it off, there is more and more to write and I figure it will be like that for awhile since EVERYTHING is new and it seems like practically each moment of life here is interesting in one way or another.

Let me start off by saying, it has been a wonderful week. As you probably know by now, moving to Cambodia has been a dream for me for awhile, and it still hasn't fully set in that this is my new home. The other day, Karen and Anna (2 of my 3 roomies, my third roomie arrives this week) and I went to tour the Royal Palace where the King of Cambodia lives (although we couldn't actually go as far as where he lives for obvious reasons) and we met a Canadian and Australian who are both doing some travelling around this part of the world. The Australian looked shocked when he asked us how long we are here and we said, "We actually live here" so we specified that we are here for 2 years and his shock didn't wear off... "Two years.. wow, that's a big commitment", he said. It's funny how in some moments, 2 years does feel like it's going to be a long time, but in other moments, I feel like it's going to fly by.

The Royal Palace

Thanks for all your prayers, especially when it came to flying over here. I spent a night in Hong Kong because of a delayed flight but that actually turned out to be such a neat experience so everything worked out! My luggage also arrived untampered and on time.

We finally got wireless internet installed in our house on Friday, so it is nice not to have to walk to a cafe whenever we want to be connected to the outside world. On a positive note, there are many cafes around our area of town and most of them have free wifi. Internet plans on phones are also super cheap - $5 a month for 3.5 GB of data! A million times cheaper than Canada.

This week, my roomies and I have been exploring the city and getting our bearings. We have eaten some delicious Khmer (pronounced Kuh-Mye) food, visited the Phnom Penh riverside, visited the Royal Palace, had dinner and coffee dates with new friends, toured both campuses of our school (Asian Hope International School) as well as Logos (another school run by the Asian Hope organization), had many tuktuk rides around the city, went to two different churches (today and last Sunday), navigated our way through the amazing and chaotic Russian Market, learned a little Khmer (including numbers up to about 30), and explored the new AEON mall (just opened a few weeks ago). Let me just say, that mall is CRAZY. I never expected anything like that would be in Cambodia. The mall has lots of designer stores with clothes too expensive for me to afford, and it feels like another world compared to the run down houses and little markets right across the street. I guess as in most developing countries, the contrast between the rich and poor here is quite drastic, and that discrepancy is quite unsettling to see. Last night, as we were riding on a tuktuk going back home at dusk, Phnom Penh nightlife was starting to come out. Seeing so many girls/young women wearing so little clothing and standing at the doors of "Karaoke Bars" and "Massage Parlours" (often brothels in 'disguise') left the three of us with a heavy feeling in the pit of our stomachs. Although it has been fun to explore this beautiful city, we cannot ignore the brokenness that is here or pretend that life is wonderful for all who live here. The desperation is real. So for those of you who pray, please do keep praying for this beautiful nation... that they would find freedom from the bondage that is here and that we would have opportunities to build relationships with these beautiful people and share from our hearts about the hope and peace that we have found in Jesus. I am completely and totally aware that their backgrounds and beliefs are different, and do not in any way want to push or preach, but a large population of the people in this country have never even heard anything about Jesus... so how could I not share about the difference He has made in my life?  Isn't the freedom to choose really only freedom if you know about the options?

New teacher orientation starts tomorrow and then all-teacher orientation starts the week after. Our classes officially start August 5th. Although I know it will be overwhelming at times, I am really looking forward to a full 2 weeks of training and prepping for the school year, and then getting to meet my students on August 5th :)  

Thanks for reading, friends!

Mixed feelings are expected, right?

I've been meaning to write a blogpost for awhile now... I guess what's been stopping me from actually getting to it has been the fact that my thoughts & feelings lately seem so jumbled and mixed.  Every time I think about moving to Cambodia (in just 23 days!), I feel a surge of adrenaline rush through me - a mix of incredible excitement and joy, but at the same time fear, apprehension and concern, not really having a clue what to expect.

I think another reason for my fear and concern lately has to do with the teaching role I will be stepping into. It will be my first full year of teaching my own class, from the first day of school to the last, and I feel the weight of that responsibility. Doubt creeps in as I wonder if I will be able to do it...

Will my students listen to me?  
Will I be able to plan lessons for each day that are engaging and that my students can connect with? 
How will I deal with the conflicts that arise among my students or even the staff I will be working with? 
Will I be able to handle the heat that I've heard is at times almost suffocating? 
Will I be able to find that balance of being firm and consistent with my students, but also kind, caring and patient?  

It doesn't help that lately I've had some really, really challenging days of supply teaching... days when I am incredibly relieved when I hear the final bell; days when, if I'm honest, I question whether or not teaching is for me. Other teachers at those schools encourage me, saying that those groups of kids really are challenging, and I'm not the first supply teacher to struggle with managing them, but still, I find it really hard to get past the dominant thought that runs through my head at the end of those challenging days... "Maybe, you don't really have what it takes to be a teacher, Alyssa."  Of course, this is a scary thought when I am fully aware that I'm moving away from everything I know in a matter of weeks, specifically to fill the role of teacher, for twenty young Cambodian children (more on my class list later!).

The other day though, as I was reading from a book about teaching (trying to prepare myself for what I know in theory I can't really prepare for!), something dawned on me that I hadn't really thought much about before...

Teaching is all about relationships.

Somehow I got through 4 months of teaching my own class last fall. There were many challenging moments and days for sure, but with lots of prayer, God was my strength. He allowed me to build some wonderful relationships with my students; relationships that resulted in tears for me as well as for them on my last day. Students connect the best with teachers that they feel safe and comfortable with. Teachers who can laugh with their students. Teachers who genuinely care.  With supply teaching, especially when you are only with a specific class for one day (or even a half of a day!) those relationships cannot really be built.  When you are a supply teacher, I think it's easy to get disillusioned with teaching as a career. There are pros to supply teaching for sure, like being able to leave at the final bell, not having to write report cards, or deal with potentially difficult parents, but unless you are able to supply teach for the same class again and again, you miss out on what I believe is the best part of teaching - the relationships. Relationships with students in which you have an opportunity to really get to know them as people, as well as relationships within the staff community.

On that note, I received my class list by email a few weeks ago. It is still subject to change, but at the moment I have 8 girls and 12 boys in my class... meaning 20 opportunities to build unique relationships with my students! I am genuinely looking forward to meeting them all, as well as learning how to properly pronounce their names. Almost all of their last names have between 3 and 6 letters, whereas their first names range from 4 to 14 letters. I wonder if nicknames are a thing in Cambo!?  I may need to quickly find some for a few of them... starting with "Chamchakrayut", "Darathanavuth" and "Sireynorrian"!

For you teaching folk who want to read some more blog posts I've been enjoying lately, here are a few:

http://ibeforeennui11.blogspot.ca/2013/09/and-it-didnt-even-have-poision-or-razor.html (I'm totally going to have my students fill out a survey! Her students' answers are hilarious.)

http://www.loveteachblog.com/2013/05/the-top-ten-things-i-wish-id-known-as.html  (This one will come in handy for sure!)

Even in those moments when I feel overwhelmed and scared, God gives me a peace that surpasses my understanding. I am reminded that He has led me this far and is not going to let me fail. He has a lot of work to do in me as I learn what it means to really trust Him... I have a feeling it will be a life-long journey.

Zechariah 4:6 - "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." 
I am thankful for the promise that He will work through me even when I don't feel the least bit mighty or powerful.

Around the World in 80 Days! (The countdown is on!)

No, I will not be travelling around the world for 80 days, but in exactly 80 days from today, I will be stepping onto a plane and travelling for an entire day to arrive in my new home on the other side of the world!  It still blows my mind.

When I tell people I am moving to Cambodia, the reactions are mixed, as I would expect. Sometimes I get, "Um... where in the world is Cambodia?", sometimes I get, "Is it safe there??, sometimes I get, "You are leaving the Ottawa school board?!", and sometimes people aren't too sure what to say. 

Most of the time, though, I get a lot of encouragement and support - people who are excited about the way that God has led me to step out in faith, and people who are looking forward to following my journey and "living vicariously through me".  Your support and your prayers mean more than you know, friends!  I am going to be needing a lot of both of those things as I continue making preparations to go, as well as preparing my heart for what's to come (as much as that is possible), so please keep them coming!

Tonight, I had the opportunity to Skype with one of my future roommates who will also be moving to Cambodia in July.  She actually took a trip to Cambodia on her Spring Break this past week with one of her friends, so it was exciting to hear about her experiences there!  She got to explore our future neighbourhood, see where we will be living, and visit the school where we will be teaching.  I feel so thankful to have been able to Skype with all three of my roommates already, as well as communicate through Facebook and email, and I am very much looking forward to meeting them in person!  God has provided in countless ways already, and it is a wonderful feeling to see Him already answering my prayers for a "family"(community) in Cambodia, through the beginnings of these new friendships. 

This is one of the pictures my future roomie took this past week.... our future house! :) 

Just to throw it out there... 

I know that the readers of my blog will come from all backgrounds and beliefs, and I understand that not everyone will agree with everything I write or even be interested in reading some of what I write because of its "spiritual" content, and that is totally okay with me! If you're not happy with what I'm writing, of course you can choose not to read it. But, I also hope that, if you do choose to read it, you will be encouraged by the stories I share - stories about what God is doing in my heart, and also what He will do through me as I seek to serve Him in my role as teacher to some beautiful children (I already know they will be beautiful!) across the world, all of whom matter BIG TIME to Him! 

On that note, this past week, I was supply teaching in a grade one class and I overheard an interesting debate between two students. It went something like this:

Student A: "This Friday is Easter."

Student B: "Noooo it's notttt... Easter isn't until SUNDAY."

Student A: "But this Friday is called Easter Friday!"

So I decided to jump in...

Me: "Actually, it's technically called "Good Friday."

Student C: "Ya, I heard that somebody died on that day; right?"

Me: "Yep, the reason is it called Good Friday is because Jesus died on that day, a long, long time ago"

[I know some of you might have issues with me saying that in a public school... but the way I see it is that the student asked, and if a student has a question and I have an answer, why wouldn't I tell them? Good Friday is the only day in our calendar year that is still only about Jesus.]

Student A: "Well, why is it called Good Friday if he died? That doesn't sound very good to me."

That's a good question, isn't it?  A question worth considering. Sometimes it is children who ask the best questions - unfiltered and thought-provoking, making us stop in our tracks. I knew the answer to her question, but what made me stop in my tracks was the reminder that this is not just a question that a grade one student is asking. It is one of many questions that people all around the world are asking at this time of year... if Jesus was God, why did He allow himself to die?  Couldn't He have saved himself from the torment that was afflicted on him?  If Jesus did actually die, why is the day we remember His death not the absolute worst day ever for Christians, as opposed to a day of great hope, a truly good Friday?  

According to the Bible, Jesus did die over 2000 years ago, and we remember his death every Good Friday, but his death was only good because He rose again from the dead, three days later (which we celebrate on Easter Sunday).  He took on the sin of the world and died in the most brutal way possible, but then defeated death, so we don't have to fear it anymore.  Without the belief that Jesus rose from the dead, the Christian faith doesn't mean much (1st Corinthians 15:13-14 - "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ was not raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.")  - the resurrection makes all the difference!

I won't say anymore about that, but I'll let Matt Maher sum it up as he does best:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mXeA0G_xKc 

Happy Easter, Friends!  

Follow-up -- Why in the world (of all places in the world) am I heading to Cambodia? :)

My desire to teach goes back further than I can remember, and I would say the same thing about my desire to teach overseas, in places where education is limited.  My mom says I told her when I was in high school that the reason I wanted to become a teacher was because teaching was a career that I could use anywhere in the world. I knew that teaching is all about building relationships with the kids you teach, and it is a unique opportunity to be able to directly impact lives. Because I am a Christian and am living my life for God, I believe this desire (or calling) to teach overseas is something He has placed in me, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement to finally be pursuing this dream. I can't wait to see how He might use me to show my students how much He loves and values them and it's my prayer that in teaching them and loving them, they might discover His incredible purposes for their lives as well.

Back to the "why Cambodia" of my story...
Four years ago, I heard Angela Harris, a missionary sent out by the Metropolitan Bible Church (my home church), speak about her experiences teaching at Logos International School (affiliated with Asian Hope, www.asianhope.org).  I had recently returned from serving in Uganda and through that experience, my desire had grown for serving overseas long-term in the future, and my heart had been deeply affected. Something about that talk Angela gave drew me in, and I found myself thinking at the end of the presentation, "One day, I would love to teach there, or somewhere with an organization that has a similar focus." I loved that Asian Hope works with Cambodia's vulnerable children, providing education as a preventative measure in a sense, to help protect these children from the dark realities that affect so many in developing countries (i.e. extreme poverty, human trafficking, child labour, etc.). Their desire is that these children will become Cambodia's future leaders, influencing their home communities in a positive and transformative way.  I spoke with Angela after the presentation and added her on Facebook that day.

Throughout the next four years, I never forgot about Asian Hope. When people asked me where I wanted to teach one day, I would tell them that I was interested in teaching overseas, and if they asked me where, I would often say "Maybe somewhere in Africa, or a developing country somewhere", but I never really said, "Cambodia" even though I feel like I knew even then that that's where my heart was drawn. I think I was scared to say Cambodia, because I felt silly saying it... I felt like it was such a random place to want to go, and if people asked "Why Cambodia?", I would have nothing to say in response.  But I couldn't deny that every time I heard a presentation about Cambodia or I found out that someone I knew had gone there, I was so interested to learn more.  It almost confused me because I didn't know why I was so drawn to it!  I had never been there, and the only person I knew who had ever taught there was Angela (and I didn't even know her well!).

I looked into Asian Hope around this time last year, knowing I would be graduating from my teaching program in a few months, but the doors weren't really opening at that time. I still had some debt from school, and I had been accepted onto the Occasional Teachers List with the Ottawa school board. Even though working on the supply list was never what I pictured myself doing when I graduated from school, I knew it was a wise thing to do in order to gain some teaching experience and pay off my debt. I prayed about it and since the door was open, I decided to move back home and work as a supply teacher in Ottawa for the year.  At the time, I had no idea what God had in store.  Two days before the school year started, I received a call asking me if I was interested in taking on a full-time grade 3 French Immersion class at an Ottawa school. I hardly even remembered applying for the position a few weeks earlier, because I never EVER expected I would actually get it!  They had exhausted their French list for long-term occasional positions, so they were starting to look at other options. I have a feeling they were pretty desperate because they didn't even ask me to interview!  I drove right to the school that day, saw the classroom that would soon be mine, was welcomed by the principal, and was told that I had one day (the next day) to set things up before the weekend and that classes started on Tuesday.  I was still in shock and overwhelmed, but I also felt a peace about it and knew that this teaching experience would be valuable and worth it.  It was!  I had 20 students, and even though it was crazy, I am so thankful I had that experience.  I taught them for 3 months, and then their teacher returned (she was finishing up a maternity leave) so I am currently supply teaching and loving the different kind of experience I am gaining through that.

This is getting long... way to go if you've read this far!  (Keep going, I'm almost done, haha!)
Through a series of circumstances, by the beginning of February 2014 I couldn't explain why but knew I was feeling more drawn to moving overseas than I've ever felt.  I decided to "look into opportunities", which ended up meaning applying to one random school in Africa (that seemed cool and had openings) and sending in my cover letter and resume to Asian Hope as I saw they had several openings on their website. Within two days, I had heard from Asian Hope. They were very interested in my application and wanted to interview me a week from then, for a position teaching grade 3/4 at Asian Hope International School!!  I had my Skype interview, and my references sent in their forms within the next few days.  Five days after my interview, I had received my offer through email, and as soon as I received it, I knew I was going to accept it.  I had been praying about it all along, and as I've said to a few people in explaining my story, God had flung open the doors this time.  I feel so much peace about moving to Cambodia and even though to most people it seems like a pretty sudden decision, to me it is something that has been on my heart for years and it just makes sense.

I will be teaching grade 3/4 (and conveniently, the limited teaching experience I have is in grade 3! God knew.)  My students will most likely all be from Cambodian families (from a variety of socio-economic situations) and the school operates a bilingual program of English and Khmer (the central Cambodian language), similarly to the way French Immersion is set up in Canada.  I cannot wait to move to Asia (even though I will dearly miss my family and friends), and I am so excited to meet my students and the other staff. I know that God has some amazing stuff planned and I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of it.   A special thanks to you who are reading this and to those who are (and have been) praying for me...  It means a lot to know that you're rooting for me and supporting me in this dream :)   I'm very much looking forward to seeing everything unfold!

Children matter!
--> Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me."

I'm Moving to Cambodia!

It's official!  I have accepted the offer I've received to teach grade 3/4 at Asian Hope International School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia!  I will be moving there in July, as the school year starts at the beginning of August. I still can't believe this is happening... It's a dream that's been in my heart for many years, and God has definitely opened the doors for me to make this dream a reality in only a few months. I cannot wait to see what's in store!

In other news, today I skated on the Rideau Canal for likely the last time this winter season since it is (FINALLY) starting to warm up a bit. As I was skating today, I had a strange thought... not only is this my last chance to skate on the Canal this year, but I won't be on the Canal next year or the year after either, since my contract at Asian Hope is 2 years. So, I made the most of it! :)  To be honest, these freezing cold 6-month-winters are one thing I don't think I'll miss much about living in Canada! But maybe absence will make my heart grow fonder??  I doubt it. 

Thanks for following my journey!  Please feel free to post any comments, and I will do my best to reply!  More information about this new adventure to come!