Paid In Full...AGAIN!

I am speechless, ecstatic, overjoyed, amazed, grateful, and humbled!  

My trip back to Zambia is now paid in full...AGAIN! Thank you to each and everyone of you who donated and/or prayed for me.  I could not have done it without your support.  I was so worried about raising the funds this time around since I just had to raise funds 6 months ago, it is tax season, and all of the world catastrophes that are so in need right now.  We were really getting down to the wire when I started feeling worried and discouraged. 

I had actually started turning down money because I didn't want to take it if I wasn't going to be able to go. I wanted to put it all on our credit card and just worry about the details later but given the fact that we are trying to get out of debt I just couldn't reside myself to believing that was what God wanted.  I finally just prayed that if it wasn't in God's will I was okay with that but that I needed clarity so I could be confident in my decision.  I was really worried about letting down those who had already donated.  

I was a phone call away from canceling my trip when Grandma encouraged me to send out one last email explaining the situation just in case everyone didn't read through the newsletter (which I am so guilty of) or forgot.  Taking in her wisdom I sent out the email, threw my hands up and said, "Okay God. It's yours.  Whatever your will is I will be okay. " In 2 days the money tripled and kept coming in.  Some generous souls even called me over to pick up their spare change that ended up being over $500!!! Brings a new meaning to "Every penny counts!" Well, there was my clarity! How could I deny that?   God is so good and so amazing!  

We ended up still being a little short (about $1100) but I had my clarity so we decided to bite the bullet and put up the rest.  I knew I would have to work it off but that would be a small price to pay.  

Little did I know what God had in store...On Sunday after church another generous soul who I barely knew came up and asked how much I was short.  I told her and she proceeded to ask for a pen.  She then wrote me a check for the amount! When I saw what it said I boo-hooed like a baby, hugged her neck, asked if she was sure, and thanked her over and over!  She said God had laid it on her heart and I just couldn't believe it!  I am FOREVER GRATEFUL! 

God has his way and his time but silly me for doubting him for one second.  It was never that I thought He couldn't do it.  I just wasn't sure it was in His plans this time around.  I mean, sometimes even when we want to do good things God has different plans. I L-O-V-E when He reveals His plans!

Please continue to pray for me as I prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for my trip.  I will leave June 23rd.  Oh, and pray for JB as he gets to spend another 10 days with our precious little ones.  My pride wants me to say that it was so rough on JB and he bowed at my feet when I came home last time...but truthfully he is just as good a dad as I am a mom and he figured it all out just fine.  He even...hold your breath...cleaned the whole house and then some! Go ahead and say some more prayers for him this time around just in case the kids decide to tie him up or swing from the ceiling fans :).

Speaking of the kids...

I am not hiding them from you.  I promise.  JT broke my first camera, then I broke the 2nd one in Africa, and now our computer is fried thanks to the tornado that blew through Monday morning.  I have lots of them to share with you.  JT is getting super smart and Kate is actually growing an inch or 2!

Speaking of Tornado...

Don't worry we are all okay.  We had quite a bit of damage to the house, backyard and roof.  Not good considering our house is on the market :(.

Kate's Surgery

Say a big prayer for our little princess as she heads into surgery tomorrow.  She will have her adnoids removed and they will do some work on her turbinades.  She has so many issues with allergies and her sinuses so we are praying that these procedures will give her some relief and some much better sleep!  She is scheduled to go in at 10:45 am.  It will only be a day surgery.


Little missy is a little scared as any 4 year old would be.  She gets to wear her favorite pj's, take her Kiki (blanket), and her twin doll also named Kate.  Please pray that the Lord comforts her fears.


We will let you know how it all goes.


Hallelujah for SPRING BREAK next week!

Camp Life

 

Camp Life Here I Come!!!

I am so excited and ready for Camp Life this summer!  What is Camp Life you ask?  Camp Life is in Zambia every year during our summer months (their winter).  Kids from all over Lusaka, Zambia are bused in to attend Camp Life at the summit each week.  Think of it as an all summer long Vacation Bible School with a new group of kids and volunteers each week.  I will leave June 23rd and return on July 3rd.  

If you have been reading my blog you know all about my journey to Zambia over Thanksgiving this past year and you also know that my heart longs for the children of Zambia.  I don't know why God chose Zambia for me but HE did and I must obey him and go.  I have no clue what HE has in store for me there or if HE will keep sending me back, but if HE does I will go and go and go. 

Can you imagine going to a foreign country where Satan has such a strong hold and sharing Jesus for an entire week?  It may be the only time some of them ever hear HIS name.  It makes me excited!  I get to see them in Heaven some day and live an eternal life with them.

You should come too and you can... just go here (click on the word "here").  Maybe God has called you too but there are 1000 obstacles in your way like $$$, family, job, time, obedience.  Nobody understands all of that better than I do...TRUST ME.  Just remember that God can do anything so all you have to do is pray and believe.

I can't believe that it is already time for fundraising again!  God provided for me before and I have no doubt that he will do it again.  God is actually pretty cool.  When due dates arrived for my trip last time God would give me what I needed at the very last moment.  He likes to challenge me and stretch me.  HE'S God.  He gets to do that kind of stuff. He strengthened my FAITH.

My deposit of $1000 is due by the end of the month and I already have $500!  I serve an awesome GOD!  The remaining $3300 is due in April. That's a grand total of $4300!!!  Sounds crazy, but I ain't scared!  My God is mighty and HE provides.

You think you are just giving me $$$.  Guess what?  Your financial support could actually be sending someone to the Kingdom of Heaven!  Pretty cool huh?  Some of you will choose to support me financially or through prayer.  I NEED BOTH!  Pray for me!  It means just as much if not more than every penny I raise.

If God has lead you to support me on this trip you can mail a check to...

Family Legacy Missions International

5005 W. Royal Lane, Suite 252

Irving, TX 75063

*Put my name on the "notes" line of your check. 

P.S. My name is Amber Brewer :)

OR

Donate online...

https://donate.familylegacy.com/

*Put my name in the participants box.

Disclaimer:

Your support is guaranteed to change a life.  

Can you handle that?

Day 7- Out in the elements

What can I say??? I'm a  strugg-ler at the moment.  JT is sick.  Still.  Haven't had a full night's sleep in 2 weeks.  I know, I know.  Quit my moaning and groaning right?  "You're a mom. That's life."  I KNOW.  Did I mention that I haven't been getting enough sleep?  I need sleep. Ask my husband. He wishes I were getting more sleep too.  You only have to listen to me on the blog a time or 2 a week.  He has to listen to me every-stinkin-day.  He's over it.  Honestly, so am I.  Now I'm getting sick.  We're going to the dr. tomorrow.  Did you read my last post about what happened last time I took JT to the dr ??? Let's all have a moment of silence and pray for my day tomorrow.  It's a rare day off...praise the Lord...God bless Dr. Martin Luther King...May God rest his soul...Amen.  I NEED this day off and I prefer for it to be a drama free and vomit free day. Seriously, let's pause.

And all God's people said...AMEN.

Ok.  I'm better now.

Day 7-
On day 7 I was able to visit my next school.  I had been expecting the same set up as I had seen in the days before.  I was a bit surprised when we pulled up to the school.  This school was how shall I say this...out in the elements.  There was no wall or gate around the school.  It was smack dab out in the middle of the neighborhood, area, region, slum.  Whatever you want to call it.  I will admit my first thought was, "Will we be safe?"  I definitely paid more attention to my surroundings (my Dad and Pawpaw taught me well).  I stepped off of the the bus and to my surprise I didn't feel scared.  Remember- I am a very fearful person.  My fears have kept me from doing many things in life.  I had peace.  Thanks God, Big Man Upstairs, Supreme One, Holy On High, Sir, Dude, Mr. Boss Man. 

The neighbors stared but they smiled too.  The kids were ecstatic!  We were the entertainment for the day and we were blessed. 

The school was a house (a completed house) and the windows had bars but the actual windows were open for air. And flies.  I had to mention those.  I'll tell you more later.  Children from the "neighborhood" (again, I use that term loosely) who were not students would come and watch through the bars on the windows.

Again, I was very impressed with how the teachers were applying everything they learned in training.  I need a whole post just about all of the teachers.  Wait...I think I did a few of those in the beginning.   They are AMAZING!  They do what they do everyday with nothing because they have been given servants hearts.  Their reward will be in Heaven.


One of the other American teachers sponsors a girl in the school.  When we arrived she was disappointed because the girl was not there.  We received word that she had stopped coming.  It was a bit discouraging.  Another student took the "administrator" to where the girl was staying.  Remember...no streets, no house numbers, no organized neighborhoods, no rhyme, no reason, only word of mouth. That's how they navigate 'round those parts. Ironic,  I just taught my kids a lesson today on how to use a compass rose and streets to find things.  Another reminder of how lessons are not universal.  There's a whole other world out there. 


They ended up finding the girl and bringing her to school.  As soon as she walked in you could see it.  Her head was low, there was a heavy weight around her.  She DID NOT want to be there.  She was virtually silent.  She would not make eye contact.  I don't know her full story but try to imagine all of the atrocities I have told you all about.  Any one of those things would be enough to shake a persons soul.  Was it Satan with a grip???  I'm not sure.  It was painful to see.  Physically she was there but truly, she was NOT there.  She was a teenager so I tried to think of teenagers here in the States.  What teenager wants to go to school???  Maybe school was just as much a drag for her.  I reviewed my surroundings.  I had to be honest with myself.  There was no sugar coating it.  One look at her and I knew she was fighting many battles inside.  I wonder about her.  What happened to her.  If she has been to school since that day. If she knows Christ. I didn't take a photo.  It didn't feel right.


We continued on with our testing for the day and unfortunately it wasn't much different than the day before.  The ability to read was a luxury.  One of the things I liked most about the testing was that I got to put a face with the name.  I got to conversate with the kids.  Well, kinda.  Some of them weren't exactly prepared to talk to the red head from Texas who talked real fast and smiled way to much. I can be a bit overwhelming.  I get it.  Someone was excited to talk to me.  Guess what her name was???  Her name was Kate and she smiled like me.  I told her my daughters name was Kate and she hugged me and said she wished she was my Kate.  Sniffle. Tear.  I wish she was too.  I could have 2 Kate's in the same house.  I mean come on...it's not like they would have the same name and be twins. I don't think it would be too confusing.

I also got to teach some lessons.  This was a challenging day for me as a teacher.  I was stretched mentally.  My first lesson was fractions with teenagers.  Let me set this scene up for ya'll...I have taught pre-k, kinder and 2nd grade.  Our fractions are minimal.  They wanted me to teach improper fractions.  Ummm come again?  You say what??? I mean I don't want to imply that I am less intelligent and I did pass college Business Calculus after the 2nd time and all but math ain't my thang. Math makes you think and remember stuff.  Let's just say I like literature, I like to imagine, to create, to feel, to express to ponder.  If ya'll haven't noticed that about me yet you must not read my chapters long posts therefore you must not be reading this.  So back to improper fractions.  What are those again??? You know...like a bizzillion over 1/2 a bizzilion.  Ok. Got it. 


First, I wanted to review with them and make sure they understood fractions to begin with.  In the teaching world we call it "assessing prior knowledge."  "Everyone know what pizza is?."  No.  "What about pie?" No. I had to think quick.  Luckily I had a yellow notepad with me so I gave them all 2 pieces of paper.  We folded and made fractions with the paper.  Not bad. Now we were on to improper fractions.  Umm yikes.  I could have just written numbers on the board but just looking at numbers can be confusing even for a teacher like myself.  I imagine I am not the only one whose brain works this way.  If my boss is reading I am sure she is taking mental note to NEVER EVER allow me to teach math above 2nd grade.  I had to get creative.  Good thing my brain is not lacking in the creative juices department.  The class had students with a wide variety of ages because they test into a grade.  There was a really tall kid and a really short kid.  I called them up to the front.  I told the short kid to get on the tall kids back.  No problem.  Proper fraction. Then I told the tall kid to get on the short kids back.  Laughs. Giggles. Problem.  And thus I visually demonstrated improper fractions as I wiped the sweat from my brow due to all of the work my brain had to actually do.

On to the next class...
The next class was the "littles".  It was a class of kinder, 1st and 2nd graders.  Teaching this class was a struggle even for a well seasoned "littles" teacher like myself.  First, there was a wide range of knowledge, learning abilities, ages, and languages.  Their teacher was trying to translate for me but that proposed an issue in itself.  Depending on where in Zambia they are from it is possible that they may speak different dialects.  This teacher in particular travels 30 miles by bike each day to come and teach her students.  Her dialect is different from theirs.  Add a teacher speaking a different dialect to translating for a teacher who speaks the Texas version of English and you might end up with a mess.  Not to mention I was teaching a lesson on money and I hadn't quite learned all of the conversions for Kwacha.  The layout was helpful to the teacher but I am afraid the lesson was a loss for the kids.  Rest assured they did enjoy watching me teach them.  I mean literally "watching".  At the end of the lesson a little girl (who was smart as a whip I might add)  whispered something to the teacher and the teacher began to laugh.  Being a nosey rosey I asked what she said.  Here is her response so you can all laugh as well... "She said she do not understand you English but she think you hair is prettiest she ever seen." End quote.  Glad she got something out of the day.

At the end of the day or "knock off time" the students decided to hang around a little. The time we had with them after school was amazing and priceless.  We taught them all sorts of games like red rover and simon says.  They loved playing with us but we loved playing with them more.  They did not want to go home.  At one point I stopped to look around at all of their smiling and laughing faces.  I wondered how many of them would go home and endure pain and suffering.  You can't help but think about it.  You can put it in the back of your brain but it creeps back in. Kids who were not from the school came to join us too.  My favorite was a little baby about a year old.  His father was building a house across from the school and we had watched him mix and pour and set every block all day long.  I think I have already showed you this photo but by the end of the day this was his progress.  Not the whole thing.  Just the blocks you see baking in the sun.

As we were playing it began to rain.  All of the kids scattered.  Playtime was over.  At that point we realized our bus was over an hour late.  We hoped they had not forgotten us or there hadn't been a problem.  We waited and sure enough they arrived. If it weren't for my kids and my husband I might have liked to stay.

It was Thursday so that meant it was Thanksgiving day.  They don't celebrate our freedom in Zambia.  Go figure.  We went to the strip mall and had a meal at a restaurant (yes they had a few of those) which always feels weird to tell people but I must emphasize we weren't in the "bush".  The restaurant was called Mike's and it was the equivalent of a TGI Fridays.  They had American favorites with an English twist like cucumbers instead of pickles on a burger.  No turkey and dressing. Well kind.  One of the girls on the trip had a sister who sent this along with craisins and candy corn.

At the end of the evening we had a special trip that will take its very own post because we were probably the only ones who will to experience this particular event and it deserves its' own amazing post.  And that was a really long run-on sentence.  And I just started a sentence with "and".  Again.  Dangit.

Update:  
Since I began writing this post on Sunday evening it has now become Wednesday. We went to the dr. on Monday and JT has another ear infection.  He did cooperate. He did not vomit on me.  His nose did gush blood which he commenced to wipe all over his face and clothes. The first time he had a nose bleed I almost passed out.  I had to call my husband and his sister to ask what to do.  At school we have nurses for that bodily fluid stuff.  I did better this time.  I gave him some wipes so he could clean it up.  Kidding. Kinda.  Last night was our first night to sleep through the night in a few weeks.  Praise the Lord! See, your prayers are working even though you haven't prayed them yet.

Pardon This Interruption

Before I begin episode 7 in this series I feel that I must destress by venting to all who read my blog tell you about my Monday.  It is officially my supreme opinion that no work should be done on a Monday.  Nothing, nada, zip.  Mondays are dreadful, dreary, despicable, unproductive, miserable and accident prone. Nothing good can come from a Monday. Can you tell I'm teaching adjectives in class?

First, JT was running and he ran into a room that was dark where he proceeded to trip and fall right onto the edge of the bed.  He ended up with a gash above his eye.  I left work early to take him to the dr. My mother in law told me that he had a funny cough.  On the way to the dr. he began to bark like a seal (cough) and I was pretty sure I knew what that meant.

Once inside the dr. they took his temp and of course it was 101.  The dr. entered the room and asked JT if he could take a look at him to which my son gave the reply, "NOPE."  Just as plain as it could be.  He had the, "I'm not in the mood for you dude" attitude going on.  The dr. was amused and, of course he looked JT over anyway.  The gash above his eye could have used a few stitches, of course, but with or without stitches he would have a scar.  By that point it was technically too late for the stitches to do their full job anyways.  I could have had my sons face sewn up while he screamed and thrashed about like a mad man only to have him rip the stitches out when they were done because he was PO'd at us for doing them in the first place (yes, my son is like that) OR I could just let the butterfly bandages suffice.  I chose the latter...of course.

Next, the dr. heard the seal bark and proceeded to tell me that little man has croup, of course.  He sent us home with liquid steroids for him to take once he had a meal.  We went home and had a meal, of course.  I told him it was time to take some medicine to which he replied, "NOPE." I'm not a fan of his new word. I gave him the meds and he immediately proceeded to bulge his eyes and stick his fist down his throat to self induce vomit, of course.  I grabbed his hand and said, "Don't you dare!  Take a drink of juice quick!"  He replied with a projectile vomit that could give the exorcist chick a run for her money.  Have I mentioned my strong aversion to vomit and my immediate gag reflex???!!!  It was all I could do to turn my head and not return the favor.  I commenced to holler at Kate to grab some towels faster than the vomit that my son had just spewed all over me.  JT wasn't a fan of the little bit of vomit that had landed on him so he began to move about to which I responded, "DON'T MOVE!"  I covered it up hoping that the dog wouldn't try to eat it while we were in the bath tub. Don't act like your dog wouldn't jump at the chance to eat some regurgitated pizza and green beans.  No judging.

Once were all cleaned up he was all chipper...until of course he woke up every 1.5 hours ALL NIGHT LONG because he was coughing due to the fact he had vomited up all of the meds the good dr. had sent us home with.  That's okay because I got the last word in all of it when he got to return to the dr. today for more steroids...in shot form.  Sorry dude.  You made me do it.

In case you are wondering...
I didn't cry.
I didn't vomit.
I did call my husband to inform him of what HIS child had just done.
I did call my mom to tell her what my son, who is just like her son, had just done.
I did have a small glass of wine.
Not that it helped considering I woke up every 1.5 hours ALL NIGHT LONG.
Please feel sorry for us both.
Like REALLY sorry.
No, REALLY.

Day 6 Back in the classroom!

 First of all I need to send out many apologies for my blogging hiatus.  

People actually started asking me if I had deleted them from my blog list.  I was surprised that so many of you actually read my ramblings blog.  I had dinner with my girlfriends and one of them had been wanting to know all about my trip so I asked her if she had been reading the blog.  She said she hadn't had a chance so I started to think that if one of my BFF's hasn't been reading then who is???  You see I can call her out on here because I know she won't be reading this ;p. Maybe I am just writing for my own therapy pleasure. If that's the case, I'm cool with that. Do me a favor...if you do actually read this... click the link on the sidebar (right) to follow my blog. If you follow me you will get updates feed my need for positive reinforcement like a little puppy dog so you won't feel left behind. 

Rest assured peeps I did not delete any of you :).  It was the last week of school before the break,  JT had double ear infections, my house was STILL not decorated for Christmas, and not to mention all of the holiday celebrations I was running back and forth from.  Then, of course the holidays came and I was very happy to just be lazy sit and chill with family and friends.  The holidays came and went and then guess what??? A new year, somebody went out of town long term-AGAIN (if you read you know who I am talking about) and school started back for me and the kiddos.  I am into my week and surviving so I MUST get back to blogging before people unfriend me on FB because they think I have unfriended them on my blog ;).

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen have all left the building but don't worry because Day 6 is here to entertain you...

Before we went to the LCA's (Lifeway Christian Academy) we went to see what a community school looked like.  When we arrived I was stunned. Speechless.  Let me start with a little background info... First of all there is no "public" education system there.  They don't even bother "Waiting for Superman" cause he ain't comin.  The parents pay for the students to attend schools like this...

This visit was probably the most quiet any of us had been the entire trip.  I had to gather myself and pick my jaw up off of the floor.  It was a painful sight.  In case you can't tell from the pictures the room is dark and there is no light except for what comes from the little windows.  All of the children are crammed into one room.  My estimate would probably be 40-50 in one room.  1/2 of the students face one side of the room and the other 1/2 face the other side.  There is a chalk board on the wall.  The writing utensils were scarce and usually consisted of whatever they had found on the road. The paper (if any) was trash that they were writing on.

We were trying not to peer or gawk so we did leave them with some gifts.  There was a woman outside shouting at us to help them.  She would say over and over and over... "That is not a school.  Help us!" She meant that there was no quality, no standard, no hope.

We continued on and finally arrived at our LCA's.  My school had a cinder block wall all around it and a large metal gate.  The school was basically a decent sized house that had been purchased and turned into a school.  There were windows all around and it was bright.  Each room in the house served as a classroom.  Still a bit cramped, but much better than what we had just seen.  There were desks and white boards on the walls.  Materials were still a bit scarce but again, much better than what we had just seen.

The teachers were so excited to show us how they were using what they had learned in training!  They are such fast learners!  Needless to say I was VERY impressed with how they were using their new found knowledge.

After observing the teachers we began to help them with a head-start on testing their students reading skills. This process proved to be a bit discouraging.  After the first 5 students we noticed that most of them can't read words like a, do, the, be.  After testing all of the students I would say the average age that a student could read on some level was around 12 years old.

I can't imagine not being able to read until the age of 12.  So much great literature missed.  Such frustration. So overwhelming.  Where do you begin?

I have to say that I am excited to see how the kids come everyday, try hard, and give it their all inspite of the difficult road that awaits them.  They know they can't read.  They know that reading is important for their future.  They come.  They try.  Actions speak 1000 words.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to teach a lesson in each of the classrooms.  Can we just say humbled?  HUM to the BLED!  There. I just said it.  You see, I am a teacher and I think I can speak for all teachers when I say we get a bit frustrated when we don't have the materials we need to teach a lesson.  We feel unprepared and lost. We NEED our science kits, dry erase markers, Smartboards, computers, and various measurement devices.  Did I mention books??? I won't even go there.  I used to believe that a teachers world would stop spinning if she didn't have shelves and shelves of books.  Guess what?  I went to Zambia.  They had none of these things. Scratch that...each teacher had 1 dryerase marker that had been donated.  The world kept on a spinnin!  Yes sir-y...round and round and round.

Now, on to my lesson...I prepared my lesson ahead of time because hello!!!! I am a teacher and that's how we roll.  Prepared...hahaha!  That's a funny word.  I had no idea how unprepared I was until I walked into that classroom.  I was teaching a lesson on the parts of a flower.  Book to introduce the topic? Nope. Video or picture from the internet to show various types of flowers? Nope.  How about a coloring sheet of a flower? Hahaha...I told a funny.  Alrighty then.  Hmmm...oh it is the rainy season so maybe there is a flower somewhere in all of this red dirt.  Let's go on a field trip! "With the Frizz? No way!" (I know some of you are scratching your heads right now so turn on PBS and watch Magic School Bus or Google the theme song). Anyhow, off we went and SCORE!  Yes indeedy...flowers on the side on the building!  We pulled up a couple and began our lesson.  I successfully taught them about the parts of a flower using nothing but a flower.  Huh...go figure.  I also taught them how to color with the petals of the flower by rubbing them on paper.  Remember...no crayons people.  I got skillz.  A little bit of my inner Bible woman came out.  They did use that stuff to make perfume and make-up ya know.

We left that day exhausted!  I was suddenly fully aware of the magnitude of work that needed to be done.  We were only the first.  We were merely laying the groundwork.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Amen?  Amen.

That evening we had the pleasure of traveling to the dr.'s house for dinner.  The "Dr." works for the CDC and is studying malaria in Zambia.  He has been there with his family for quite some time and they enjoy it very much.  Their home was impressive.  After the week we had I didn't think there were any "nice" homes in Zambia.  They lived in a row of houses that I believe house foreign dr.'s, business people etc.  There was a large reinforced iron gate and a wall surrounding their home.  When the gate opened we were met by an armed guard.  Once inside we were greeted with chips and salsa.  Oh yea, you read that correctly.  They knew how to greet some Texas folk.  We had a very nice and relaxing evening around the table sharing a Thanksgiving-esque meal.  The next day would be turkey day and we would still be in Zambia so they wanted us to  have some sort of meal that reminded us of home. UmmmUmmmUmmm...G-Double O-D GOOD!  It was hog heaven!  Okay maybe more like chicken heaven since we ate chicken and not ham.

Can you believe we did all of that in one day??? In Texas it feels like our days just fly by.  Before I know it another school year is gone or starting, my husbands a 30 something (I'm still a 20 something- just sayin), my princess is getting ready for Kindergarten and my baby isn't a baby anymore because he's 2 (Today in fact! Happy birthday baby J!).  When we were in Zambia it felt like the day just went on an on.  But in a good way.  I always felt like we had time to accomplish things.  It wasn't like when you go on vacation, go to sleep, wake up, and it's over.  "I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky" (thought I'd throw in a little Boys 2 Men) that God stretched those days out for us.  The best part was that I never had a watch or cell phone to keep time.    I didn't know what time it was and I didn't care.  Even if someone did have a watch we still didn't know what time it was because we kept confusing ourselves with Texas to England to Zambia in the Summer to Current Zambia time.


Tomorrow is a big day with JT's bday party.  Then Sunday is the Barney Live Birthday Bash! So what I am trying to say is don't worry.  I am not deleting you from my blog list.  I shall return on Monday.  If you read my blog that will give you time to read this novel of a post.  If you don't read my blog then it ain't no thang anyway.

Day 5 and Overdue

So JB keeps nagging me telling me that I need to do the next post.  I told him to chill out it was okay because even bloggers take the weekend off to go on dates with their husbands, Christmas shop with Grandma's, have dinner for Papaw's birthdays, share Zambia stories at church, and attend Kate's choir Christmas performance.  Then this morning he said, "You didn't blog again yesterday."  No dear, I did not.  I was at this not so important UIL competition that I am paid for with my team that has been practicing for months. Who by the way won 2nd and 5th place.  I haven't been busy or anything.
So, I decided that I better get back to blogging so the blog monitor my husband will stop bugging me politely reminding me that I have readers waiting to hear about the remainder of my trip.

Whose ready for day 5???

Day 5

What a blessing this day was!  This was the day I realized how fortunate I am to teach in America no matter how imperfect it is.

My turn was up on day 5.  That means that little ol' me stood up to teach a room full of Zambian teachers.  I basically did an entire lesson like they were children from beginning to end.   No one fell asleep, threw things at me, or protested that the little red-headed Texas teacher sit her caboose down.  When I first started, one teacher did raise her hand and ask me to talk slower.  Go figure. This was an issue for all of us the entire time.  We even had to remind each other with hand signals like we were air traffic control from the back of the room.  Apparently, we Texas folk talk real fast. I have been told that I have an extra thick accent, talk extra fast, and tend to have an extra high pitched voice.  Not to mention I talk...ALOT.  I have indeed mastered the art of talking really fast but with a loooong Texas draaaaw and the enthusiasm of a Kindergarten teacher on steroids (I was a Kindergarten teacher).

All was well and the teachers completed their own lessons that we would get to see them try out in the classrooms in the coming days.  This was a challenge because they had to come up with ideas on how to complete these lessons with minimal materials.  No seriously, like NOTHING. And (ooh I just started a sentence with "and" like I tell my students to NEVER do) apparently they liked my teaching because everyone in my group asked me to teach a lesson in their classrooms after I observed them. Wait to hear what the students had to say about my talking.  It's a hoot!

After training was complete we presented the teachers in our groups with gift bags full of various items that were donated by other teachers, schools and companies here in America.  I have to say this was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  Megan (our leader) and Teddy (their leader) slowly pulled each item out of the bag to show them and I was suddenly transported to Oprah's Favorite Things Show. I mean they hooted and hollered and shouted "Praise the Lord", thank you thank you thank you like we were giving them all brand new houses and cars!  We gave them 1 package of crayola markers, notecards, rubberbands, 1 sharpie, 1 highlighter, a Dolch phrase test kit that we made, number strips for multiplication, a timer (see funny story at end of post), stickers, a teaching book, and a super cute bag to carry it all in.  It was crazy!  I mean they literally jumped up and down with excitement!  I have a cabinet at school full of those things that I complain about having to store.  Talk about blessing your heart and making a girl grateful.  I wanted to burst into tears of joy for them because I knew this was the equivalent of the Oprah Show for them.  Good thing the Oprah show is ending because I am pretty sure they would all pass out and go to be with the Lord in front of our very eyes if they ever went there.  Seriously folks, they were that excited!

 

The last thing they pulled out was a certificate in a frame that stated they had completed the 2 day Lifeway Leadership Institute.  It was like they got their freakin college diploma and were going on to that big high-rise office to make bookoos of bucks!  Megan and Teddy said, "Oh and look who signed your certificates..." a girl in my group jumped up and shouted, "JESUS!?" We all looked stunned for a minute and then burst into laughter. I said, "Umm no girl. We're connected but not THAT connected.  It was just Greer (the founder of Family Legacy)." I began to wonder...

"Do they think we are that close to the Lord?"

"I mean Jesus is my homeboy and we're tight and all but really?"

This was the first time that I felt like through example and through my career I was able to touch another life deeply with my faith.  It wasn't, "Hey let me talk to you about Jesus..." it was just through simply serving Christ.  I did however remind them of the verse Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."  Let me tell you how important this verse really is.  As a mother and teacher I have seen many children from many different walks of life and parental situations but no matter where they are from...

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

By Dorothy Law Nolte

and my own 2 cents (for what its worth)

If children live with YOU doing everything for them, they will learn to be lazy and dependent.

If children live without guidance, they will learn to wander the world with no direction forever.

If children live without discipline, they will not learn respect and obedience.

If children live without the word of the Lord, they will always have an empty place in their heart.

Amen.  That's my preachin for the day.

I have always known that God led me to teach but I have had a difficult time understanding why when I felt like I had so many other talents that he could have chosen to use.

Once upon a time I had decided I was going to be an attorney.  Real Estate law to be exact.  As a kid I told my grandparents and anyone who would listen that I was going to grow up, be an attorney and move to Malibu.  My Papa (Mom's dad) would say, "Don't you know that place is gonna fall off into the ocean?" I didn't care I just wanted the high life.  It was gonna be all about me!  Now, I'm not sayin all attorneys are selfish.  I do know a few with families and a few that are single and they all manage to be good giving people.  But those were not my intentions.  I was gonna be a royal pain in somebody's arse.

As I grew up I started to feel God's call.  I struggled immensely with what God was calling me to do and I refused to be obedient.  I was determined to do things my way.  I started noticing that every job opportunity that came my way had to do with children and teaching.  I loved kids but I didn't want to be a teacher.

When college time rolled around I decided to attend SMU over other schools because it was the prime place to be for a MEGA  career.  I had it all figured out.  I thought.

I decided to major in real estate finance and business.  I began my course work and I HATED EVERY MINUTE.  I freaked out!  How on earth would someone that likes to talk as much as I do be able to sit and read contracts and crunch numbers ALL DAY LONG???

UH OH... It must be the boy (JB). His dream of wanting to spend FOR-FREAKIN-EVER with me must be cloudin my brain up and makin it all domestic and stuff.  I can't focus with him around. OH HE HAS TO GO.

OH YES...I was prepared to toss away the love of my life for a big fat career that I wouldn't even like.  The only man (other than my dad and grandpa's) on God's green earth that would ever be willing to put up with this crazy, bossy little red head.  I mean let's be real folks...most of the time I don't know which way is up because I am soooo ADHD,  I despise laundry, I can't cook, I spend too much money, I ALWAYS run late and did I mention I'm a bossy little heffer? He musta seen something in me that I didn't see in myself at the time. OR maybe he just thought I was hot and couldn't get past the physical attraction. Who knows.

I was gonna walk away from the love of my life, the best man I know, an amazing father just so I could make a little money that would still leave me empty and lost.  Thank goodness he was patient with me.  Thanks babe! Sorry, I don't mean to make you all jealous. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to put him on an unrealistic pedal stool and he certainly has his share of flaws, but any man who can put up with me deserves an award and some recognition. In the words of my father in law, "I could never be married to you." I laughed. He finished with, "You redecorate your house and make JB hang up 100 things every few months."  In my defense...it isn't that often and I'm working on being more content and less impulsive. Now before you all go "ahhh"...I'm not hatin on myself.  I'm just telling God's honest truth and after all HE is my creator and HE's supposed to know what HE's doin so HE's got a plan for all my flaws.

Anyhow I figured it all out and ended up graduating with a degree in psychology (which you can all clearly see I needed to figure myself out) and education.  And guess what?  I'm a teacher... and I talk all day long :)

Disclaimer:  I had a fabulous education but I do not recommend going to SMU to be a teacher.  Teachers make no money and SMU is expensive.  Just sayin.

So I say all this to tell you that God called me to be a teacher and even though I was determined to be disobedient HE is always in control.  You can take as many detours in life as you want but HE will always bring you back to HIS divine plan. Don't waste your time with your own plans.  They always lead to heartache and trouble. If I had never followed God's plan I would have missed all of the blessings that have walked through my classroom door year after year and I would have missed out on the biggest blessing of traveling to Zambia and serving. Oh, and my fabulous husband and awesome kids!

THE STORY OF THE TIMER...

While in Zambia we gave the teachers timers to work on time management.  I could totally live in Zambia because they don't worry about time.  JB will tell you that I have this issue.  If I am not at school I have no clue what time it is and I run on slow motion Amber time.  In fact Brad Paisley even made a country song about me but somebody musta forgotten to tell JB...

Waitin On a Woman

Sittin' on a bench at West Town Mall

He sat down in his overalls and asked me

You waitin' on a woman

I nodded yeah and said how 'bout you

He said son since nineteen fifty-two I've been

Waitin' on a woman

When I picked her up for our first date

I told her I'd be there at eight

And she came down the stairs at eight-thirty

She said I'm sorry that I took so long

Didn't like a thing that I tried on
But let me tell you son she sure looked pretty
Yeah she'll take her time but I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman

He said the wedding took a year to plan
You talk about an anxious man, I was nervous
Waitin' on a woman
And then he nudged my arm like old men do
And said, I'll say this about the honeymoon, it was worth it
Waitin' on a woman

And I don't guess we've been anywhere
She hasn't made us late I swear
Sometimes she does it just 'cause she can do it
Boy it's just a fact of life
It'll be the same with your young wife
Might as well go on and get used to it
She'll take her time 'cause you don't mind
Waitin' on a woman

I've read somewhere statistics show
The man's always the first to go
And that makes sense 'cause I know she won't be ready
So when it finally comes my time
And I get to the other side
I'll find myself a bench, if they've got any
I hope she takes her time, 'cause I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman

Honey, take your time, cause I don't mind
Waitin' on a woman.

I dream of the day that JB will say that last line to me.  I might be waitin a while.

For the first few nights we had a cook come and prepare our dinner in Zambia.  He ALWAYS showed up 2 hours late and by 7:00 we would start asking when it was gonna be ready.  He would say, "20 min."  At 8:00 we would ask again and again he would say, "20 min."  So by 9:00 we finally ate dinner...EVERY NIGHT.  Clay even started telling us, "Be ready in 5 min. and I don't mean 20 min." By the end of the week I asked a teacher what time knock off (get outta here) time was and she said, "About 20 min."  I finally said, "What's with all this 20 min. stuff?  What does that mean?"  She told me that 20 min. is like saying "later" kinda like we say "just 5 more min." when we really mean "in a little bit".  At that moment I decided the queen of late I could live in Zambia. From now on I'm tellin JB, "Just 20 more minutes dear."  It's not my fault he doesn't understand Zambian.