What a Community!

What a community of people that are around me. This past week I have had my own version of Thanksgiving. The first one without my family. Three other Americans, the people around us and myself, had a great feast of food and laughs this Saturday. There were a total of 13 of us that came together to give thanks. It was great to see some other volunteers that I have not seen since I left the states four months ago. We were able to cook everything that we have never cooked before and it was eatable! That's something to be proud of!!!!
As my family back home had their Thanksgiving on Thursday. One of my cousins and I have been talking on skype and thought that it would be good to talk to other members of my family that are not so technology inclined as we are. It was great to see some of my family that I have not really talked to or seen since I have left!!
This past week has been a bit hard for me, missing my family and the community of people that I have back home. It is something that has not left my mind at all this week; all of the little things that I would be doing with my friends and family. This year I just have to create my own version of family and community. As volunteers this year have heard several times it is not wrong, it is just different. That is very true and a good way to look at things! Something to look at many different matters with and not just this one.
I have got all of my children assigned at the moment. I now have a total of 20 children that I teach. I just hope that this week I will be able to take all of my children at both schools. This past week I try ed to, but was unable to do so with them not being in class at the time that I could take them, or they were out sick. I just hope that I will have better luck this week.
Some of my children that I will be taking this next week for the first or second time are so wanting to come and work with us at Springboard. It is so encouraging to have such a positive work environment. I like to see results in the work that I do and I can see that in children and truly in the ones that I teach. I just hope that they continue to see all of the great things that I see in each of them to continue what they are doing and growing in all that they do.
Tonight was a great night out for a Sunday service. My two housemates and I went to St. Paul's to the Advent service. It was a wonderful service to see. I have never been in St. Paul's before. It was an experience that I would do over again, so that I can just stare at the ceiling. It does sound a bit funny, but it is just a sight to see. The service was so emotional and inspiring. It was so enjoyable to see everything and experience a service in such a wonderful church.

New Day

What a day can do for a person.... Today has been a long one for me. I was able to take 5 of my children today. A joy to start teaching a new one. How the child responds to things differently and what makes the child smile.
Working in the new school has been great! The school staff and other people that I am working with are great to have around. As I continue to grow in the relationships that I have here and what God has sent me to do while I am here. It is just a matter of giving everything that I have to Him. He is the one that can help me, encourage me and support me when ever I need it and how ever I need it. It is good to know that He is here 24 7 for us when we need anything. We just have to take it to Him!!
A lot to think about with the people back home and how they are doing. It is something different to be on the other sided of the world and hear how things are back home and you are unable to help or change anything. You almost feel just helpless.

Pick up your cross and fallow me.

When I woke up this morning I had this in my head. "Pick up your cross and fallow me." Over the past few days my household has been having several talks about churches around here and what things are like for us here and how they are different from home. We all understand that things will not be like home here, but we look for a bit of home when we attend a church. Durring this time it has made me really think about what differences there are and what I believe. Questions that ask about what my faith really is and where I am going with it. All of this has made me LOVE my church back home even more then what I did before. Not that I don't like things here, but the community has changed and the little things that to me make a service more interesting and enjoyable to take part in the service.

Today we had an enjoyable lunch. We were invited to a coordinators house to have lunch and go to her church. I must say that it was really worth going. This coordinator has such an open love for the things around here and so welcoming. Such a lovely lady! We were served a wonderful British meal. Chicken, salad, potatoes and pudding were served. I must say that I could have ate the hole pan of pudding; it was GREAT!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is a great fun day of gathering with the people that have now become my family here. Today is Matthias Birthday now 19 years old. We are having people that we work with come and close friends. What a wonderful feeling of community.

Today I started my new school!! YEAH! A very welcoming school, to springboard. They have been on a waiting list for 4 years now, and are happy to see results with children that we are going to have. All of the children are so excited about coming and want to learn. It is such an amazing feeling that we have with the schools and children. We will not be teaching children for a few weeks yet. As we still have to test them and see where the kids are at and what ones we will take on.

Testing

Today I was about to test 4 kids that I might be teaching through out the year! Was good to see that I will be getting more children and that there are more minds to fill with more information!! Some of the kids were from 1st grade. They are located on the lowest floor so I got my work out for the day going up and down stairs. Was good to test my endurance! Many of the kids when I went to go and get them were asking if they could come with me. All of the kids think that it is so much fun to come and spend time with us. It is good to see that drive in them to enjoy what we are doing when we are teaching them new things to fill their minds.
Tonight I also had a good discussion with my housemate about learning problems and language difficulties. It was good to see what another person that is doing the same thing that I am; to see it in their prospective. As I enjoy talking about our children and what we learn and teach from them. It is such a wonderful feeling to have unlike any others!
Tomorrow I will be doing more testing, but at my new school!!!

Long Time!

Sorry its been a while. This past week was half term and had the week off!! Lots of relaxing! Also allot of sight seeing. Where did we go this week? Well Matthias went back to Germany for the week, so it was just Judit and I. We went to Tate modern and the British Museum. From the two of them, we decided that we all can become famous artists! Some of the pieces were how should I put this? Well I would be able to create something to go in there and I could pass for a great artist. Though it was fun and now I can say that I have been there; but not something that I would do again. We also went to go and see several churches that were built by the same man that built St. Paul's. As some were destroyed by the great fire and not in the best condition. They were all some what different and interesting to see. The man that built these churches (I can't remember his name) he made 38 churches with in like a few miles of each other. Later this week, Judit had some friends come to stay with us; and they are here until next Wednesday. The four of us went out to see the main parts of London, the big tourist sights: Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Horse Gard's, Buckingham and St. James park. All of these sights I had seen. Some new things that I was able to see were: Chapter House, Wellington Arch, Apsley House and today we went to Greenwich. At Greenwich they have the zero latitude and longitude line. It goes through the park there. The park has a beautiful view of the city and a large area. This I think would be better to see in the spring when everything is in bloom.
This week I also found out more info about my new school that I will be working at. I think that it is one of the smaller schools that Springboard works with, because there are 15 children what will come to work with us. The largest school has like 70-90 kids that we work with. Any way it is in East London, and I get to start there this coming Tuesday. I will be testing the kids to see where they are and if they need our help, or where we need to start working with them.
The week before I left for half term, I had to say good bye to the children that I had at Brockley. It was hard, but I think that God had been preparing me for what is to come at the end of the year. Its hard to leave the relationships that I had worked on for only a few months and to think about leaving ones that I have worked on over a year with a child. Sad to think of, but reality has to set in sometime.
The past couple of weeks a lady that I have been working with has been having some family problems with her children and the police. It was very powerful to see what the power of prayer has done in her life and what kind of things come from prayer!!!!