Yes, it's holidays. Just one week off school, but a very welcome break, especially as the hot season continues, and the rainy season has not yet started. Sometimes we wish for a storm, just to cool things off, but then we think about what it would do to the access roads into and out of the school and we decide we'll be content to wait a little longer.
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week are the official Khmer New Year holidays, so I'm anticipating something of an exodus from Phnom Penh. This is the holiday when most people seem to head out to the provinces, and the streets of Phnom Penh are somewhat quieter. That can be good, in that there tend to be less traffic jams, or it can be not so good, because the young and reckless drivers see the open roads as a chance to go faster! Either way, I'll continue to be cautious.
Today has been a delightful day in some ways. I have not left my house all day, but have enjoyed relaxing, catching up with family and friends on Skype, playing Scrabble on Facebook, reading, and watching a couple of episodes of "Numbers". Tomorrow I will need to do some music practice, since I'm playing for the afternoon service at ICF, and there are some songs that I'm not really familiar with. I'll do some work on them, and then trust God with the final outcome.
Do I have other plans for the holidays? Well, sort of. I'm going to head out to the school at least 3 mornings, hopefully with a friend, to start the day with a swim, and then do some grading and planning in air-conditioned comfort. Since there will be very few people around, I'm allowed to run the air-conditioner in the classroom, even though I'll be the only one there! Of course, this can only happen if we actually have electricity, so I'm hoping and praying that we do. The electricity is useful for planning too, so that I can use the computer.
Apart from that I've got plans to meet an acquaintance for lunch on Tuesday, and have been invited to a barbecue next Friday with some families from the school, so it won't all be work. Might also invite some other friends over for a movie one evening.
For those who are wondering what's happening in relation to the future, there is no news at this stage. I continue to hold on to the fact that God is faithful, and that He has good plans for me, and trust that He will show those plans to me in time for me to make the necessary arrangements.
OK. I've got time for one more episode of Numbers before I head to bed! Good night all. Karen
10 April 2010
01 April 2010
Easter is here - but it doesn't seem like it!
I haven't seen any Easter Eggs, or Hot Cross Buns, and I have to teach school tomorrow. In fact we're doing testing. It just does not seem right. I "should" be rising early for a Good Friday service, and then enjoying a four day weekend. Alas, this is not to be. I seriously doubt that I will see any Easter Eggs, although it's not totally impossible, and after all, that's not what Easter is really about anyway.
Actually, technology and electricity permitting I will see some Easter Eggs, when I show my students Veggie Tales "An Easter Carol" tomorrow afternoon. That's the plan anyway, but I think I'd better have a Plan B as well, just in case we are out of electricity again.
So what's happening in my corner of the world. At school the 4th grade students started their SAT testing today, and that went well. We were done by 10.20am, and we didn't lose power until 10.30am. God is good. It's really hard, as the days continue to get hotter, and without air-conditioning it becomes really hard for the kids to concentrate. This afternoon I took them down to the playground to get out of the classroom, and that was OK to a certain extent, but with PE & swimming classes going on around them, the students are easily distracted.
On the job front I'm still waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for God to show me where He plans for me to be next year. I'm doing OK most of the time, but it's not easy. I continue to work on surrendering to Him daily, and trusting Him with my future. I've submitted the second part of an application to an organisation of Christian International Schools, and know they have contacted people for references, so I'm waiting to see what comes of that. I also had a chat with an Aussie missionary here in Cambodia earlier this week who is looking for a teacher for an "outpost" of HOPE, but they really need someone with Early Childhood training. Not my area at all. God has a plan, and He will show it to me in His time. Meanwhile He's definitely helping me to learn to trust Him more, and to be patient for His timing.
My latest "fun" activity has been the discovery of Scrabble on Facebook. I had a great game tonight, playing two seven-letter words, one of which crossed two double-word score spaces! Yes! Love it. Will have to discipline myself there. Still, life can't all be work. Fun times are important too!
Well, that's it for the first day in April 2010. I hope and pray that all who read this have a blessed Easter time as they remember our Lord's sacrifice and triumph. Jesus is Alive!
Actually, technology and electricity permitting I will see some Easter Eggs, when I show my students Veggie Tales "An Easter Carol" tomorrow afternoon. That's the plan anyway, but I think I'd better have a Plan B as well, just in case we are out of electricity again.
So what's happening in my corner of the world. At school the 4th grade students started their SAT testing today, and that went well. We were done by 10.20am, and we didn't lose power until 10.30am. God is good. It's really hard, as the days continue to get hotter, and without air-conditioning it becomes really hard for the kids to concentrate. This afternoon I took them down to the playground to get out of the classroom, and that was OK to a certain extent, but with PE & swimming classes going on around them, the students are easily distracted.
On the job front I'm still waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for God to show me where He plans for me to be next year. I'm doing OK most of the time, but it's not easy. I continue to work on surrendering to Him daily, and trusting Him with my future. I've submitted the second part of an application to an organisation of Christian International Schools, and know they have contacted people for references, so I'm waiting to see what comes of that. I also had a chat with an Aussie missionary here in Cambodia earlier this week who is looking for a teacher for an "outpost" of HOPE, but they really need someone with Early Childhood training. Not my area at all. God has a plan, and He will show it to me in His time. Meanwhile He's definitely helping me to learn to trust Him more, and to be patient for His timing.
My latest "fun" activity has been the discovery of Scrabble on Facebook. I had a great game tonight, playing two seven-letter words, one of which crossed two double-word score spaces! Yes! Love it. Will have to discipline myself there. Still, life can't all be work. Fun times are important too!
Well, that's it for the first day in April 2010. I hope and pray that all who read this have a blessed Easter time as they remember our Lord's sacrifice and triumph. Jesus is Alive!
26 March 2010
Hooray - the week is over
It's Friday afternoon. The children have all gone, and the cleaner has come in to clean the room. It's not total peace, as the PA system announces the names of children for whom parents or drivers are waiting, and there's a basketball game due to start sometime shortly, but basically peace is beginning to settle on the school. Now is when I could turn the air-conditioner on, and not feel guilty, except that today I don't really need it! Yes! Some time in the early hours of this morning the heat gave way to thunderstorms, followed by rain. There have been just 3 degrees between today's minimum of 24 and the maximum of 27 at 3pm. Humidity has however not dropped below 83% all day. Thanks Lord for a cool day, and for the rain which settles the dust (and create's mud instead!!!).
So does this mean I'm free to relax? Well, maybe I can watch a movie tonight, but I do still have research reports to grade, and other assignments that need to be reviewed and/or graded. I also need to plan for the coming week. It will be an easy week to plan for, since we are going to do lots of "test preparation". Starting on Thursday next week, and continuing for about 5 days, the children will complete the Stanford Acheivement Test (SAT) for their grade level. The results of these standardised tests allow us to see how our students are doing in comparison to other international schools, other Christian schools, and simply how different classes are progressing. To give the children the best chance of doing well, I spend about a week working through practice tests with them, that have similar types of questions, and a similar answer form.
As well as doing this, I also need to spend some time completing some additional application forms for positions for next year. I know that God has good things planned for me, but unless I put in application forms, and keep making an effort to find another job, it will be very hard for Him to show me what that plan is. Unfortunately, writing applications is a very time-consuming process, and even though I have completed several now, every form seems to word the questions slightly differently, and so even though I have a lot of the thoughts down, they have to be worded so that they answer the question being asked.
Then on Sunday afternoon I will be leading worship at the ICF. The songs are chosen, but I still need to finalise how I am going to make these flow together so that they form a smooth time of worship of our great and wonderful God. Each time I lead worship, I pray that God will simply use me as His tool to lead others in a meaningful time of corporate worship. I pray this will happen on Sunday this week too!
It's Friday! Hooray! Now I'd better get down to those Research Reports and that planning.
So does this mean I'm free to relax? Well, maybe I can watch a movie tonight, but I do still have research reports to grade, and other assignments that need to be reviewed and/or graded. I also need to plan for the coming week. It will be an easy week to plan for, since we are going to do lots of "test preparation". Starting on Thursday next week, and continuing for about 5 days, the children will complete the Stanford Acheivement Test (SAT) for their grade level. The results of these standardised tests allow us to see how our students are doing in comparison to other international schools, other Christian schools, and simply how different classes are progressing. To give the children the best chance of doing well, I spend about a week working through practice tests with them, that have similar types of questions, and a similar answer form.
As well as doing this, I also need to spend some time completing some additional application forms for positions for next year. I know that God has good things planned for me, but unless I put in application forms, and keep making an effort to find another job, it will be very hard for Him to show me what that plan is. Unfortunately, writing applications is a very time-consuming process, and even though I have completed several now, every form seems to word the questions slightly differently, and so even though I have a lot of the thoughts down, they have to be worded so that they answer the question being asked.
Then on Sunday afternoon I will be leading worship at the ICF. The songs are chosen, but I still need to finalise how I am going to make these flow together so that they form a smooth time of worship of our great and wonderful God. Each time I lead worship, I pray that God will simply use me as His tool to lead others in a meaningful time of corporate worship. I pray this will happen on Sunday this week too!
It's Friday! Hooray! Now I'd better get down to those Research Reports and that planning.
25 March 2010
God will make a way
God will make a way, where there seems to be no way.
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide, hold me closely to his side,
with love and strength for each new day.
He will make a way, he will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness he'll lead me,
and rivers in the desert will I see;
heaven and earth will fade,
but his Word will still remain,
he will do something new today.
by Don Moen, Copyright 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music.
This song, together with the old hymn "I surrender all" were on my mind as I rode my moto across town to an interview at HOPE International School yesterday afternoon. I'd dashed home from school to have a shower and return my hair to it's normal state of chaos following Crazy Hair Day, and then headed down the dike road to the other Christian International School in Phnom Penh. God had blessed me with an opportunity to meet with the Director and the Secondary Principal. It was a good meeting, and I answered their sometimes challenging questions as openly and honestly as I could. I think the hardest question I got asked was "what are your strengths?". It's not because I don't have any, but more because I find it hard to "sell myself". At the end of the interview I had the opportunity to ask them what positions they were looking to fill that I might fit. As it turns out, there was no specific position, since they have recently filled or had staff extend to fill the positions they were previously looking to fill, but there are some possibilities that may open up, or may not. Whatever the outcome, I'm content to leave the situation there in God's hands. If it is God's will for me to stay on in Cambodia, then I know that He will provide the right position for me. I know I still have much to learn as a teacher, and that I need to continue to grow in my relationship with God, and as a person, but one thing I'm learning through all that has happened is that God is in control, and that I can trust Him to provide what I need, at just the right time, and in just the right way.
Well, that's it for the serious stuff. Here's a picture of some of my students and their crazy hair!
And the 4th grade winner was "Toothpaste girl"!
He works in ways we cannot see,
He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide, hold me closely to his side,
with love and strength for each new day.
He will make a way, he will make a way.
By a roadway in the wilderness he'll lead me,
and rivers in the desert will I see;
heaven and earth will fade,
but his Word will still remain,
he will do something new today.
by Don Moen, Copyright 1990 Integrity's Hosanna! Music.
Well, that's it for the serious stuff. Here's a picture of some of my students and their crazy hair!
And the 4th grade winner was "Toothpaste girl"!20 March 2010
The end of a long week
It has definitely been a long week. After achieving only a fraction of what I set out to last weekend, although I'm sure most of the things I did do were important, I had much to do to get the report cards finished on time. That meant some very late nights, and by Wednesday I was physically exhausted. I took a half day to catch up, and OK, I didn't get them done on time, but they were done in time for the students to take them home on Friday afternoon.
One highlight this week was receiving an acknowledgement of a preliminary application to the other main Christian International School here in Phnom Penh. This school has many more Aussies on staff than Logos (that wouldn't be hard) and teaches a different curriculum, which is more compatible with the Australian/NZ/British systems. They are looking for Elementary and Secondary school teachers, and so I put in a preliminary application last week. In the covering e-mail, I was very honest about why I'm leaving Logos, and was subsequently warned (not by anyone at that school) that maybe that wasn't a good idea. Despite the advice, I'm still glad I was open and honest about it, and I believe God has rewarded my honesty. My application and my honesty were acknowledged, and I was given the opportunity to submit a formal application if I believed that God led me to do so. I decided this was appropriate, and I'm now waiting to see what happens next. Hopefully an interview. I've also been invited to put in the second stage of an application to an organisation which recruits teachers for Christian schools in a number of countries around the world. It's an on-line application, and it will have to be done in one sitting, so I'm holding off until I've got a little more planning and preparation done for the coming week before I get down to doing that one.
One thing about having to write job applications is it really makes you think about where your priorities lie, and why you do what you do. This job may not pay a lot, but the non-financial rewards can be amazing. I'm continuing to work through issues, and this will take some time, but I know that God is in control, and that He is working in my life. He is breaking me, molding me, and making me into the person that He wants me to be. I pray that I will not forget the lessons of the last five weeks, but will grow as a result of them, and that I will continue to surrender daily, and even hourly to Him. I love you Lord!
Friday afternoon I decided that I'd done enough work this week, and invited two friends over to watch a movie with me. We shared fried rice, and then watched "Old Dogs". If you are looking for a great comedy movie that you can show to your teenagers (and even pre-teens) then this one is definitely OK. We laughed and laughed. I'm not going to tell you any more. You'll just have to get hold of it and watch it! Tonight I watched another movie (on my own this time) called "my sister's keeper", and while I won't say I enjoyed it, it was definitely a good movie. For teachers who are looking for a movie for high school students that raises moral and ethical issues, this one is definitely worth having a look at.
The weather here is hot and humid, and the rainy season hasn't started yet! We have been watching the slow progress of the installation of the transformer necessary to get an adequate electricity supply in to the school. It's definitely happening. Let's hope things keep progressing. It would be good to be able to teach in air-conditioned comfort again (although until Cambodia has enough power in it's grid there will still be load-sheddng at times).
The other major progress on the new campus this weekend has been the installation of rubber tiles under our playground equipment (swings, slides and climbing frames). We (several of the elementary teachers & definitely some of the parents) are praising God that this has happened. We're not sure whether it was going to happen this weekend anyway, or whether an accident after school one afternoon this week (which could have been a lot worse than it was - and it was definitely bad enough - praise God that He kept his hand on our student and that the injury that occurred wasn't worse) has resulted in it being fast-tracked. Whatever the reason, we are very happy that it is happening.
One highlight this week was receiving an acknowledgement of a preliminary application to the other main Christian International School here in Phnom Penh. This school has many more Aussies on staff than Logos (that wouldn't be hard) and teaches a different curriculum, which is more compatible with the Australian/NZ/British systems. They are looking for Elementary and Secondary school teachers, and so I put in a preliminary application last week. In the covering e-mail, I was very honest about why I'm leaving Logos, and was subsequently warned (not by anyone at that school) that maybe that wasn't a good idea. Despite the advice, I'm still glad I was open and honest about it, and I believe God has rewarded my honesty. My application and my honesty were acknowledged, and I was given the opportunity to submit a formal application if I believed that God led me to do so. I decided this was appropriate, and I'm now waiting to see what happens next. Hopefully an interview. I've also been invited to put in the second stage of an application to an organisation which recruits teachers for Christian schools in a number of countries around the world. It's an on-line application, and it will have to be done in one sitting, so I'm holding off until I've got a little more planning and preparation done for the coming week before I get down to doing that one.
One thing about having to write job applications is it really makes you think about where your priorities lie, and why you do what you do. This job may not pay a lot, but the non-financial rewards can be amazing. I'm continuing to work through issues, and this will take some time, but I know that God is in control, and that He is working in my life. He is breaking me, molding me, and making me into the person that He wants me to be. I pray that I will not forget the lessons of the last five weeks, but will grow as a result of them, and that I will continue to surrender daily, and even hourly to Him. I love you Lord!
Friday afternoon I decided that I'd done enough work this week, and invited two friends over to watch a movie with me. We shared fried rice, and then watched "Old Dogs". If you are looking for a great comedy movie that you can show to your teenagers (and even pre-teens) then this one is definitely OK. We laughed and laughed. I'm not going to tell you any more. You'll just have to get hold of it and watch it! Tonight I watched another movie (on my own this time) called "my sister's keeper", and while I won't say I enjoyed it, it was definitely a good movie. For teachers who are looking for a movie for high school students that raises moral and ethical issues, this one is definitely worth having a look at.
The weather here is hot and humid, and the rainy season hasn't started yet! We have been watching the slow progress of the installation of the transformer necessary to get an adequate electricity supply in to the school. It's definitely happening. Let's hope things keep progressing. It would be good to be able to teach in air-conditioned comfort again (although until Cambodia has enough power in it's grid there will still be load-sheddng at times).
The other major progress on the new campus this weekend has been the installation of rubber tiles under our playground equipment (swings, slides and climbing frames). We (several of the elementary teachers & definitely some of the parents) are praising God that this has happened. We're not sure whether it was going to happen this weekend anyway, or whether an accident after school one afternoon this week (which could have been a lot worse than it was - and it was definitely bad enough - praise God that He kept his hand on our student and that the injury that occurred wasn't worse) has resulted in it being fast-tracked. Whatever the reason, we are very happy that it is happening.
How to have happy students for the afternoon
Feed them chocolate icecream!
Trust me there was not much chocolate left in those bowls when some of the students were finished with them!
I was almost tempted to have some myself! The office staff enjoyed the left overs, but there wasn't much!
15 March 2010
God is truly at work
Since I last blogged last Thursday I have experienced God's work in my life in a very special way. On Friday evening, after I had been working through some of the reasons why I'm not returning to Logos next year, as well as having my formal evaluation by the elementary principal, and also being challeged greatly by a book that I was reading, I was feeling very down. I knew that I could not keep going under the burden that was pressing down on me, and so I sought the prayer support of three friends here in Cambodia. I sent a text message to one, and her immediate response was to pray that God would send someone to be with me. She just knew that I needed someone and wasn't able to come herself. As I was about to send the same message to a second friend, who I knew would pray, another number came up on my phone first, and I know now that it was God's prompting that resulted in me sending the message to another single lady here in Phnom Penh. This lady is part of the home group that meets in my place, and our friendship has been slowly growing over the past six months or so. Finally I sent the message to the third person, who was originally going to be the only other person I sent it to. Well, the second lady responded quickly with her own text message, and when she didn't quite like my reply, she phoned me, and told me that she would be over as soon as she could get there. We spent the evening together, and as she reached out to me, I was eventually able to reach out to God in complete brokenness. God showed me that evening that while He loves us to be fully surrendered to Him, and this is His desire for us, He still loves us, even when we want to be in control ourselves, and fail to trust Him fully with all aspects of our lives. I know that I'm still a work in progress, and that I need to consciously surrender each day to Him, but am once again secure in the knowledge that He loves me no matter what. In the words of a song by Russell Fragar that I enjoy singing:
"Before the world began You were on his mind.
And ev'ry tear you cry, is precious in his eyes.
Because of his great love He gave his only Son,
Everthing was done so you would come.
Nothing you can do, could make him love you more.
And nothing that you've done, could make him close the door.
Because of his great love He gave his only Son,
Everything was done so you would come.
Come to the Father;
Though your gift is small,
Broken hears, broken lives,
He will take them all.
The power of the Word
The power of his blood,
Everything was done so you would come."
© 1996 Russell Fragar/Hillsongs Australia
Since Friday night, I have had a peace about where God is leading me next, and while I'm still uncertain where that is, I'm learning to leave it in His hands. That doesn't mean I'm sitting back doing nothing - quite the opposite - I've put in more applications in the last two days than in the previous four weeks - but I have a greater confidence that He is in control. I'd still love to know what His next plans are for me, but I'm learning to surrender those to Him on a daily basis, and to leave them with Him.
Now I've got 17 more persuasive essays to grade this evening, so I had better get on with the job. Report cards are due by midnight Wednesday, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to get them done in time! No more procrastinating, blogging or facebook until they are done!
Karen
"Before the world began You were on his mind.
And ev'ry tear you cry, is precious in his eyes.
Because of his great love He gave his only Son,
Everthing was done so you would come.
Nothing you can do, could make him love you more.
And nothing that you've done, could make him close the door.
Because of his great love He gave his only Son,
Everything was done so you would come.
Come to the Father;
Though your gift is small,
Broken hears, broken lives,
He will take them all.
The power of the Word
The power of his blood,
Everything was done so you would come."
© 1996 Russell Fragar/Hillsongs Australia
Since Friday night, I have had a peace about where God is leading me next, and while I'm still uncertain where that is, I'm learning to leave it in His hands. That doesn't mean I'm sitting back doing nothing - quite the opposite - I've put in more applications in the last two days than in the previous four weeks - but I have a greater confidence that He is in control. I'd still love to know what His next plans are for me, but I'm learning to surrender those to Him on a daily basis, and to leave them with Him.
Now I've got 17 more persuasive essays to grade this evening, so I had better get on with the job. Report cards are due by midnight Wednesday, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to get them done in time! No more procrastinating, blogging or facebook until they are done!
Karen
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