Sabbath Afternoons

Here in Chuuk I have the privilege to be part of a program called "branch Sabbath school." Almost every Sabbath at 4 pm my group and I walk to a nearby house. There, we find several children waiting for us. We go inside a church member's home and we do a program for the kids. The kids are all different ages and do not speak or understand English very well. Despite not being able to understand us the kids come and love it!
We start by singing songs with the, then we have prayer (in which they repeat what we say). We continue singing our high energy action songs and then come to our Bible story. This last Sabbath I told the story of baby Moses. I tried hard to use my hands to describe things I was saying and to use small words that they would understand. Next we give them a coloring sheet that has to do with the day's story. We often color with them or sing Chuukese songs with them as they color.
Each week we give them a memory verse to memorize and if they have all the little "memory verse slips" at the end then they "graduate." When they graduate they get a special prize (we don't know what this is going to be yet).


We end the program with a few more songs, another prayer, and passing out a small snack! When we ask these kids to line up for their snack it is the cutest thing ever. They all want to be in front, so, the line is SUPER squished!I have to admit, that I already have a favorite kid her name is OneFirst, and she is adorable. She is the ONLY blonde Chuukese girl I have EVER seen. I may or may not be envious of her amazingly tan skin!





This experience, that started about 2 months ago, was my first time inside the average Chuukese home. I knew that our SM apartments were considered "luxurious" by the student (often time they will ask to come into our apartment during lunch just to sit on our couch). The average home is 1 large room. It is encircled by windows that have bars over them and some have small swivel windows that can help keep rain out. The roofs are nailed down steel panels. If you can see in the picture where there are boxes on a small table, that is everything they own. There are a few other things that they hang from their roof, but that is the extent of what they have.

They sleep on mats that they pile up during the day. The other picture is of their kitchen. they have a small propane stove they use and as you can see, not much else. This house happens to be Right by the ocean, it has a beautiful view. Homes will usually have their own out house a little ways from their house. It is made out of steel panels and looks to me that it could easily be tipped over.
This last week, Typhoon Bopha was suppose to hit Chuuk. The last time they had a typhoon here was 2002, and it apparently did a lot of damage. They have to worry about flooding and mud slides, which can be very dangerous. The missionaries and I would have been perfectly safe, but not all the locals would have. Not only would there be no refuge from the rain, but high winds would easily rip their roofs and out houses apart. The typhoon, thankfully, stopped moving and changed directions, completely missing Chuuk. Although, other islands are now in danger, we are thankful for God's protection over Chuuk.

A Chuukese Wedding

This last Sunday I had the privilege to attend a Chuukese wedding here at our SDA church. Chuukese weddings are much like weddings in America but there are a few things that are very different.
The teachers were in charge of making enough cupcakes to feed about 200 people! Let's just say that Saturday night was filled with LOTS of cake mix! We also were in charge of decorations, which we also worked on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
After much hard work the church was transformed into wedding worthy looks. The wedding, which was scheduled for 12 PM, started at 1:30. The church was ABSOLUTELY packed. People lined the windows outside just to watch the ceremony. Luckily, some of us SMs were able to get a seat inside.
The wedding started with the entrance of important people, family member, adorable flower girls and Bible bearers, and the usual groomsmen and bridesmaids. One thing they did differently is they had the groomsmen come in first and line up. Then as the bridesmaids walked in they, the groomsmen, met them half way, gave them a flower, and escorted them to their spots.
It was then the brides time to walk in (in which no one stood up, which was really different to me). Her father escorted her half way where the groom came and met her with a flower. As they reached the front of the church the groomsmen pulled out a couch for them to sit on (definitely going down at my wedding) during the message. The message was given in both Chuukese and English. Vows were exchanged, a special Chuukese song was organized (on the spot), and the bride and groom exited the church.
The reception was in a tent outside in the parking lot. Chuukese culture includes a lot of food. Full course meals with LOTS of rice, chicken, bread fruit, and of course cupcakes were given out to everyone. The wedding ended about an hour and a half to two hours later.










Some other cultural differences between here and America is that people are not to show affection around their parents. No kissing, hand holding, or any affection was showed during the wedding. In normal, day to day life this is also true. It is also very rude to ask any one besides the bride or groom information about the wedding, or to just simply talk about it around or with them. Even if it is the mother of the bride, you are not to ask. Overall it was a very beautiful wedding!

Car wash!!

Each year the SDA high school puts on a Bible retreat for the high school students. From the way the students talk about it, they look forward to it every year! The Student Association for this year is trying to raise money so that the Bible retreat is free for all the students (they usually have to pay for food). So, during one of our holidays they organized a car wash!

So, Friday morning the high school advisers and a hand full of students hopped in our flat bed and headed out to town. We started setting up in front of the college on the island, but unfortunately we couldn't get the water hooked up right. So our second choice was to set up down the road. The downfall of this was we had to pay $50.00 just to use the spot. This wouldn't be so bad but we only charged a dollar per car!
The kids had great attitudes, however, and started at it. Many people drove by not interested at all, many cars took us up on our low priced offer, while others simply handed us money as a donation. The Chuukese people can be very giving people!!

Overall, we made about a $50.00 profit and the students had a lot of fun! The students were surprised to see me jump in and help, I think they expected the teachers to just sit there and watch them, but I'm much to ADD for that! I also got a pretty nice tan..err.. burn.

Conquerors

Life without a computer poses its difficulties. I have definitely learned the valuable lesson, more than once, that I can live without my laptop. We aren't sure if it is a bug or a hardware problem but it has attacked me TWICE! However, I am now equipped with a new laptop and have lots of things to update my blog on. Unfortunately another problem has come up, I have no idea where my camera is! Pray that it hasn't been stolen!!
Starting farther back and in the present, basketball has become the new exciting event at our school. We have both a guys and girls basketball team and they compete with the other high schools around the island. Currently The girls team is 2-0, and our guys are 3-4. This is a huge step up from year past they tell me!
I played basketball in high school my Junior and senior year. I loved it, but I was and never a pro at it. However, I was in the truck with Pedro (the guy's coach), on the way to the first guy's basketball game, and I asked him, curiously, who the girls' coach was. He then informed me that I in fact was the girls' coach. good to know!
Excited to have a new challenge, I found out who was on the team and started practices after school. Not all the players can come to practices, however, because they have to take the bus that leaves immediately after school. I soon found out who had played before, who had never played before, and what strengths and weaknesses the team had.
Our first game was against Xavior, which is the most "academic" and "prestigious" high school on the island. They even have an entry test in order to get in. Unfortunately we were told that the game was on Wednesday, when in fact it was on Tuesday. Tough break.
Our next gave was against Mizpah, at Chuuk high school's court. All day the girls were nervous slash excited. We started playing and were behind the whole game until the last quarter in which we shot ahead a good 6 points. Both teams were so excited that in between quarters team members and fans would go out and dance in the court, some even did flips and back hand springs. Some of my girls have basketball shoes, some of them play in socks, while others play bare foot, and some will even play in their skirts. We have professional refs who are suppose to show up, but when they don't e find temporary ones who may or may not REALLY know the rules. It was an amazing victory and my girls deserved it. They may not have a lot of experience but they are hard players. Our second game was against SCA, the catholic high school. We won 9 to 1.
Despite all the inconsistancies, games starting on "island time", and all the other things It is an exciting experience to be a part of both these student's academic and non academic lives. It has definitely helped me to get to know them better and love them more.

We are the lady Conquerors!! :D

The big TWO ZERO!

Birthdays are a very looked forward to event here at Chuuk SDA School. Mostly because of the amazing food we eat, and the HUGE cake we get, but also because we love to celebrate and be together.  This last Sabbath I turned twenty years old! It is for sure a birthday I will never forget!

                The tradition here at Chuuk SDA school is to first, wake the birthday person up in the morning by singing to them. I remember the first time they did this for the birthday person. All I remember thinking was it was way too early, people don’t even sound good this early, and why would the birthday girl/guy want to be woken up! However, it was the best way to wake up on my birthday. They all piled into our apartment and started singing. I then came outside and joined them and we had a worship, they sang happy birthday, and they all went around saying happy birthday wishes to me.    

Auntie Judy, the principal's wife and the sweetest woman in the world, always makes a special "birthday breakfast". She is an amazing cook so this tray is coveted by all (and yes that is nutella). 

   At church that day they made sure everyone knew it was my birthday, projecting it on the screen and singing to me at the very end. I am now, officially, the head of the primary Sabbath school class, so today I went and saw how it is usually done. Luckily, I just bought ukulele (my birthday gift to myself)  and it has come in handy in SO many ways. I was able to play for primary and do a special music for them, plus the high school students love it and are constantly stealing it from me so they can play. We, also, have a brand new American SM here in Chuuk! His name is Aaron and he is the 5^th grade teacher. So, at the beginning of Sabbath school I interviewed him in front of the church, we are super excited to have him here!!

                

The next big birthday tradition is a HUGE potluck the night of the birthday. So after sun down worship the power comes on at 6 and everyone starts cooking. We usually aim for about 7:30 for the potluck, which basically means between 8 or 8:30. The other teachers made me a special card with notes from everyone.

Auntie Judy, also, always gets a HUGE chocolate cake. The night continued with overeating, frosting fights, pictures, a movie at pastor’s, and card games. I opted for a card game and we busted out Dutch Blitse and Stephen taught us a new game. Just before the power went out that night I excitedly killed my first cockroach, it may or may not have just been a baby cockroach, but it was a HUGE victory for me, hello 20.

              

My birthday was fantastic. But more than that I have realized how blessed I am to be here with people I have grown to love and to be doing a job that I don’t always like, but wouldn't trade it for anything. Although I am far from home and far from the many people that I love and miss, God has definitely supplied me with new people to love and is teaching me to be thankful for all things. So, thank you all for your birthday wishes and for an amazing day!

My cute and creepy friends...

Someone once told me a story about a student missionary who woke up sleeping in her hammock because her leg had gone numb. She pulled her cover away from her leg and a snake had swallowed her leg up to her thigh. So, she cut it off (the snake, not her leg)  and went back to sleep. If that happened to me I would NEVER sleep again. Luckily,  The creatures I live do not have the ability of swallowing me.

The first creatures I live with, who is actually not creepy at all, is Guapa. Guapa is our puppy here in the compound. Sara, one other Philippino SMs took him from a student here at school. He's absolutely adorable and loves to play, bite, and play tug-a-war with anything including the skirt you are wearing. The name Guapa means "beautiful" in Tagalog.

Every where you look, whether you are at church, school, bathroom, room, kitchen, town, ANYWHERE you will see geckos. I happen to like them and think they are cute. Apparently there are HUGE lizards in Chuuk that they leash up, I have never seen one and hope to as long as it is ACTUALLY leashed up. There are also large frogs everywhere at night.

We have a rat problem in our apartment here in Chuuk. We have traps set up in each apartment and we caught one rat in the pastor's apartment. I like to secretly believe that it is the rat that occasionally wakes us up in our room at night. After catching the rat, and Guapa playing with it, they drowned it and then took it out and swung it around by its tail. I come from a family that catches mice, feeds them, hair dries them if needed, and takes them out to the country to let them free. Needless to say, it was a little scarring.

The next critter I live with is one of the most common and awful things to see. The Cockroaches here are HUGE. I wish this picture somehow showed how big it is. The biggest part of him is probably the size of a quarter. Cockroaches can live for a week, I think it is, without their heads, and can fly. The fact that they can fly terrifies me the worst. At first, when I got here, just seeing them ruined my appetite, they are SO gross. The other day I got done exercising and wanted to shower but there were two cockroaches in the shower. No one was home but me, so I valiantly got something to smash them with. However, I have a great fear of smashing bugs that make a crunching sound when you smash them. I CAN'T do it. So, I didn't shower.

The next critter I am about to mention is the most terrifying of all. I have dealt with my fair share of spiders in my day, but the one I saw here tops them all. This is a picture from google because I was too frightened to take a picture. I think however, if I remember correctly, that the spider was bigger, hairier, and I remember fangs, but I'm not 100% on that. It showed up in the bathroom the first time I saw it. I only used the bathroom when absolutley necessary! I learned soon, however, that all of a sudden not being able to see it and know where it is, is just as scary. Luckily, I haven't seen this spider again. Stephen however found it on his bed when he woke up, I told him to never tell me stories like that again, even if they are true. Although I haven't seen this guy in awhile, he visits me in my dreams often, or should I say nightmares?

I have a favorite time of day here in Chuuk. My favorite time of day is when the air conditioning comes on in the morning and I can once again pull my sheet over myself and feel cool and dry. LOVE IT. On Wednesday morning, however, I felt something running up my leg. This is normal for me to feel because there are ants and little spiders everywhere. So I reached down to brush it off only to feel it run up me leg faster! It then hit me that this guy had way to many legs to be an ant. I quickly sat up, promptly screamed, and moved back. The bug, which turned out to be a cockroach, then scurried down behind my bed.  Later that morning as I was getting ready in my room the cockroach reappeared on our room wall. This was the moment, I was going to do it, I was going to kill my first cockroach. I picked up the nearest Webster's Dictionary and stood there. Once again my fear of exoskeletons over took me. 

Luckily, my roommate Denden, grew up with cockroaches and played with them as a kid. So I went out to the kitchen, dictionary in hand, and asked her if she could come annihilate the cockroach. She, being the kind person she is, agreed and promptly came in to kill it. The cockroach rushed quickly behind our window frame and hasn't been seen since. 

I began thinking about the events of that morning and how I wasn't able to kill the cockroach myself, but had a friend who was more than willing to do it for me, to help me out. I think this compares to our lives spiritually. We all have "cockroaches" in our lives that we struggle with, whether it be sinful temptations, addictions, or other things that are hard to deal with. We often try to deal with them on our own, thinking that someday we will have the guts to crush them (even if they will make a crunching sound). When the time comes though we can't do it, and the "cockroach" lives on. Luckily we have a Father in heaven who is more than willing to pick up a Webster's dictionary and get the job done. God doesn't ask us to become perfect sinless people on out own, but with His and His strength only. Jesus Christ is my "cockroach" killer.

That's Miss O'Hare to you!

I am officially on my fourth week of teaching. It is an experience I will never forget I’m sure. Looking back, I can laugh at the fears I had on my first day.

Fear #1: These kids are going to have zero respect for me

Fear #2: Somehow they will figure out I’m barely older than them

Fear #3: Physical fights breaking out in the class room

Fear #4: Having students who are smarter than me 

Fear #5: Absolutely despising teaching these kids

First, let me walk you through the average day. I wake up at about 6am, when the power comes on. At 8 am we have staff worship and school starts at 8:30. I am the senior class adviser this year so I start off having a 15 minute worship with them every morning. Around 8:45, when I am supposed to go to my next class is when the students usually arrive. So after a very short worship and prayer I run off to teach Sophomore English. After our 45 minute periods I go off to teach Freshmen English. There is then a short 15 minute break and I then teach Senior English, followed by Junior Bible. We have a thirty minute lunch break which is followed by Junior US History, Senior US Government, and Junior English. School then ends at 3pm, in which the power goes off for three hours. So for the next three hours you find any possible way not to melt. The rest of the night is spent lesson planning, playing Uno, or ping pong. The power turns off at 10pm, in which almost everyone then goes to bed. 

Needless to say, when school starts there are no breaks to prepare for the next class, so you have to be prepared. There are chalk boards in every class room, I burn through about 6 or 7 sticks of chalk a day. To save on Toner we are asked to write all assignments on the board, not to mention there are not books, for any of the subjects I teach, that the students can use. There are 2 student books for both Us History and Government however. With this being said, the lectures I give are the only source of information these kids get for tests and quizzes. 

Each high school grade is completely different from the other. The seniors are SUPER chatty, amazing to have conversation with, but also very hard to lecture. They like to read out loud and for some reason they like government class. They are constantly moving their desks or moving to other desks, one of them always brings his guitar, and they are constantly doing their make up in class. I have the biggest problem with cell phone usage in this class, something I didn't think I would have to deal with when I came to Chuuk. 

The juniors are SUPER hard to have discussion with. There are only about three students who will speak up if I really push for it. I have a girl from Korea who cannot understand or speak English but she can read it. I also have a 28 year old who can't read, understand, or speak English. 

The sophomore class is a good class. They listen well and are very attentive. They will talk when I ask them too and are pretty good about telling me when they don't understand something. However, there are two girls in the class who understand and read English very poorly.

The freshmen class is a difficult one. There are different behavioral problems, but also their learning levels are ALL over the place. There are 4 girls and 2 boys who are exceptional students and what I am teaching them is way too easy. The other students have poor English skills and don't catch on very fast. What i am teaching them is much too hard. 

The biggest challenge I face is not wondering if the students respect me, getting them to listen, or worrying if they are smarter than me. The hardest thing is teaching in a way that ALL of the students can learn. It is a constant battle of whether to teach at grade level and let the slower students fail, but help the faster ones to succeed to their fullest potential, or teach a little lower so the slower students have a chance to catch on but halt new learning for the faster students. Neither seem fair to me. 

As far as my fears go, respect hasn't been a problem. The seniors guessed my age dead on, but I started wearing mascara again and now I’m officially two years older than I was before. Physical fights isn't a problem, however inappropriate girl and guy interaction has been. There are students who catch my mistakes but so far the material I am teaching is easy enough that I know it….. so far. Plus, I like these kids. Some days I can’t say I’m crazy about them, but I like them. As for teaching, I’m not sold on it, but I still have 9 more months to decide on that one.

Proverbs 3:26 says, “The Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught” Proverbs 3:26. This is the verse I claimed and still often do when I feel inadequate. More than that Philippians 4:13 has been my go to verse. There are days I wake up and I have no idea how I will teach what a pronoun is or how in the world to make US Government interesting. So every morning I pray and make sure God knows I can’t do any of this, but I know that He can through me. Somehow he even manages to make US History interesting….