Hi I'm still alive

Hi!

I know I haven’t written in so long( my mom won’t let me forget) love you mama lol. So I will give a brief catch up. I have met the prince of Pohnpei…then he got arrested for trying to cheat us out of our money and disturbing the peace. I must say it was very entertaining. I have seen the famous Nan Mandol. Nan Mandol is the ancient royal city and burial grounds. It was pretty cool. I climbed the ruins and could see so far. It was really beautiful. Speaking of beautiful I also got to hike sokehs ridge. While up there I could see all the different areas of the island and some surrounding reefs. The hike up was so hard because the altitude changed( I think) and it was straight uphill the whole time. A couple weekends ago we went to an exclusive undeveloped outer island called Ant. There were no toilets or  huts or anything to be honest. It was just us, the jungle, and a beautiful ocean. I spent Sabbath on a floaty  being drifted along the shore. It gave me some time to rest and reconnect with God. I’m not going to lie, lately I have needed to be reminded why I’m here. I don’t regret coming at all; I just don’t see any rewards for my work. Like I came here to share God’s love and let people know that He’s the most important. I don’t feel like I have done that. Praise the Lord my time here isn’t over, but at the same time I pray God will help me make it through.

                A couple weeks ago All the Islands were having an evangelist series. There were meetings being held all over Pohnpei. I got to go to a couple of different sites. It was really cool to see the hungry souls and pray for them. One meeting I went to was pretty far into the middle of Pohnpei. The meeting was being held at a family meeting house. When we pulled into the driveway  it seemed a little poor but not too much different than other places. When I walked inside I was shocked. It was a one room, open window, dirt floor, completely concrete building. I felt like I was in a hole in the wall. As the room began to fill I recognized a lot of the faces. The slide show was being projected on a white sheet on the back wall. Then I realized that behind that sheet was a very small room where someone was living. A hole inside the hole. The floor was moist because the house was so close to the water and the tide had flooded it. As I sat there feeling strangely overwhelmed by my surroundings, Mrs. Kathy walked in like an angle of light. Mrs. Kathy is an older lady in the church. She is a widow of an American who came in the 60’s to build the main road. She doesn’t stand out in anyway ,except for the fact that she is already planted in my heart. She is one of the dearest friends I have here. Kathy showed me that this meeting room wasn’t a poor man’s home it was a place rooted  in and by family. It was ,in its own way, a sanctuary.  

Pictures from our first camping trip on Black Coral Island

 no tents. Hammocks only!

 the sunset

 the best pic

 there were tons of starfish

 Roommates!

 this clam shell was 2times the size of my foot

Wednesday Night
"God please don't let my birthday come tomorrow! I'm so miserable here and i don't want to spend my birthday this way. Its not fair that all the people that are suppose to be supporting me are just as far away as you are! I feel so alone. It's not fair that You aren't here with me right now; God, You should be here telling me i'm going to be ok, that i'm not going to be this crazy forever, that i'm not really crazy at all! I just want to go home I'm so tired!"

Thursday Morning
"Ok, God, I'll try today to not let anyone know how miserable I really am. I'll just put on a smile. Please, just let me make it through this day alive."

As soon as I finished that prayer my roommate Emily asked me if I wanted Pancakes or eggs for breakfast (as a SM you can only have one lol). I didn't go to worship that morning because I needed more time to convence myself that I could make it through the day. All of my morning classes went pretty well nothing unusual happened. At lunch I called my grandma! It was so great to talk to her because I was really missing my family and she made me laugh by talking about the good ol days lol. I had no idea that this would be the turning point of my day. (Bell rings) " ok, Grandma I have to go teach"  As I walked into my class room I noticed that all my students where there already. My first thought: "Am I late?" I asked them all to go ahead and take their seats so we could get started. They all looked at each other and then some one counted to 3. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS JACKSON..... this is when one of the student pulled a homemade angel-shaped chocolate cake  from her desk and another student brought out a Gallon of ice cream....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!   I was speechless. I almost cried.The rest of the period was spent with us eating and all of them taking turns to sing to me. One boy even made me a rap! When the dismissal bell rang the next class rushed in with another cake and hugs and smiles. After school some girls cleaned my classroom AND MY APARTMENT! I couldn't stop smiling it was just too much. I went for a run and watched the sunset( while doing some crunches on a hill lol) When I returned to my apartment my other roommate Christina told me that there was going to be a suprise party for me in just a few minutes so i needed to shower fast lol. She couldn't keep it to herself any longer. There were waffles, more ice cream, laughs, stories, birthday wishes, and even a long awaited chick flick. Once again, I almost cried.
Thursday Night
"O Father, my heart is overflowed with love. Undeserved love. I didn't expect anything for my birthday. To be honest I didn't have enough faith to expect anything, and yet You gave me so much. Thank You for leaving no room for me to doubt Your love or presence here with me."

Seeing With Different Eyes

Today I went  with a friend to the airport. I thought back to the first day I got here and how adventurous and appealing the island seemed that day. Now, some days it feels so confining and exclusive. In times like these I think back to what one of the local Americans told me. She said, " Whenever you see Sokehs Rock(the famous cliff here) remember how great God is and why He brought you here." Why He brought me here....I think it was/is for me to love. Sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.
      "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Amen, Praise God.

More Than Just An English Class

Hi again!!!!

So my first week as a teacher was so much fun. My ninth grade class seems to be really quite, but that might change with time. I’m excited to see how they do this year. The first day I asked them to write down a little information about themselves; I was surprised to see that some of the know as many as six languages and many of them want to be doctors and even Japanese movie stars =).  My sophomore English class is my literature class. This class is going to be the hardest for me, simply because it’s lit. Honestly I have no idea what to teach them. So far I have decided to focus on the different styles of writing that I want them to know and found stories and section that cover those styles. If anyone has any advice or ideas I am very open. My Junior class is going to be my favorite; if I picked favorites, that is. They are so filled with life and have so much humor packed into one class. I have enjoyed our few classes together. This is also the class that goes out of their way to say hello to me. Like one student came back by my classroom after school on Friday just to wish me a good weekend. Another Junior told me he would be looking for me at church and sure enough Sabbath morning there he was. Unfortunately  some of the junior thought it was a good idea to “cat call” me at lunch one day. I nipped it in the bud right away so hopefully it wont continue.  This past week in prayer meeting Chaplin Tim talked to us about correcting in love and being redemptive; this is how I’m striving to be with my students. Wither it “cat calling”, cheating or, not putting the right heading on their papers I want to them to know that I care about them and am willing to forgive. I just hope that this forgiveness isn’t seen as weakness.

                I know it’s only been half a week of school but already I’ve learned so much. I’ve seen that I can’t pack too much into one lesson because they aren’t college students they’re in high school. Notice that I didn’t say that they are in a third world high school. That’s something else that I’ve learned this week. If I think or allow the kid to think that they don’t have to work as hard because they are poor underprivileged third world country students  they will never reach their full potential. These students have been spoiled their whole lives, but it’s not their fault it’s the way of the island. Think about it, if no one was there to push you would you push yourself? If every aspect of your life was encouraged with laziness wouldn’t you bring that mentality with you to school? I was talking to a local on Friday night and she said that when she left the island to go to Southern( yay) she didn’t know how to participate in classroom discussions because no one had ever pushed her to think critically. This is what these kids are up against.  They are living on an island where no one thinks critically, where no one practices discernment. They have so many different things coming onto their island through TV and radio and if no one teaches them to discern what is good and bad or what’s wrong and right. Or if no one teaches them  to decide for themselves  or how to express and stand up for those decisions; what a poor poor future Pohnpei will have, what a poor poor future these students will have. I don’t want that for my students. I can’t just let them walk into that kind of future. 

                These reasons are why I will walk into that classroom every day. It’s no longer just English class. I want my students to know that they can use their brains to be more, that they can enjoy learning and searching and digging. I want them to know that there is more to life than simply what’s been told to them and even more than what they’ve read in text books. Most importantly I want them to know that God is real and that they can experience Him.

=) It’s good to wake up with purpose.

Lol ok, I’ll get off my soap box now =) Please pray for all of us teacher .

I love you all =)

Love,

Nikkie

Tuesday 8/16/11 = MY FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL!

It is 1 30 in the morning for me and I just finished lesson planning. O my goodness that is a lot of work! I want to be and should be in bed but I know my mom will be looking for this post lol.  TODAY WAS MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!  It was so exciting and crazy. I couldn’t sleep last night because I kept waiting for my alarm to go off lol. When It finally did I was hit with a truck load of emotions. I felt so honored to be able to teach these students and at the same time I was scared to death. I decided to have my morning devotions a little different ( to help calm my nerves). I read all the promises I could think of that talked about God walking with us and giving us strength and peace. I worked pretty well cause I walked out of my apartment only half crazy lol. I met all my student for the first class at the door. I showed them their assigned seats( I  know Assigned seating how lame lol) and I started class with a prayer. I’m pretty sure it was the only time in my life that I prayed to prayers at the same time. Out loud to the students I was thanking God of the day and that they all made it to class and other teacher stuff, but in my heart I was praying, “GOD HELP ME!”. We didn’t do too much in class today because it was a half day; so I just went over my syllabus. Time flew by and before I knew it I was dismissing them.( exhale) That was it, I DID IT! I made it through my first class.

                I guess no matter how old you get the first day at a new school is always scary =). Its so weird being on the other side; to have all those wondering eyes looking at you and wondering if they are taking in anything you are saying. At the end of it all I actually felt sad that the day was over. Once I realized I wouldn’t die, I actually liked teaching.

I want to say thank you to all of my teachers who put so much time into making lesson plans, making class interesting, giving me grace when I didn’t deserve it, grading, and loving me. I never realized how much you guys really did care. Thank you for being great examples.

Alright that’s all for now I need sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow =)

Love,

Nikkie

Ps. 139:10 Even there Your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with My victorious right hand.

Covered with Love

HI!!!!!!


They told us in all of our different orientation classes that their were a couple things that we could know would happen for sure. First you could garentee that you would get diarria. lol I know this is gross but it's so true almost everyone has gotten sick( except me). Second, it was a sure thing that we would get homesick. This one also has proven to be true. I didn't think it would happen so quickly. I think it was because once we got to the island most communication was stopped. Mom, I even missed you calling or texting me everyday. =)  I suppose the old saying it right, " Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
    Thankfully it only lasted for a couple days =). I know for sure that the main thing that has helped me is the love of the local people. Every time I'm around them I'm covered in love and in return it's so easy to love them back. On Sabbath night all the SM's had to tell their story of how we ended up in Pohnpei. The fast version of mine is, one day God placed a great desire in my heart to love people and to encourage them to want salvation. Then He gave me an outlet for that desire =). I'm overwhelmed by it all!
  A way the community loves and supports us is by adopting a sm into their family. Last night I was adopted. I know have a Pohnpei mother,Older brother, two sisters, two nieces, and a nephew. O my goodness, I love them already! 
    I know that my new family wont replace my family, but it is so nice to have them. If there is one thing that I have learned already on this journey, it is that God is so faithful in everything. 


Love You All!

The Beginning

 this is my first missionary bed

 At the top of Diamondhead

 Waikiki beach

 Arriving in the Hawaii airport

    Since I left working at summer camp I felt like all I kept doing was saying good-bye to people; I was getting quit tired of it. The day had finally come for me to actually leave and the only people left to say good-bye were my mom and sis. I knew these would be the hardest of them all. As I gave them last minute hugs the the airport I did not cry even though on the inside my heart was aching. I walked to my gate and just sat there. After about an hour the boarding for my plane began and is I walked the little hall I all of a sudden got a surge of energy and excitement I almost yelled "I'm going to Pohnpei", but I didn't instead I whispered it to myself with a small giggle.
         On the plane I sat beside a man who only looked up from his paper to say good morning. I had to stop myself from interrupting him to tell him how excited I was ; so i waited patiently for him to get tired of my squirming and ask me on his own...he never did. lol. When I got to Texas I was greeted by two other Southern students. We all chattered in excitement; it was nice to just say hi to friendly and understanding faces.  As we boarded our plane for Hawaii my one friend Sean was making his last good-bye phone call; I overheard him say, " This is it I'm boarding the plane. No turning back now!" I realized that he was right; there was no turning back. This was the beginning of the Adventure of my life!
      For those of you who have never been to Hawaii IT IS BEAUTIFUL. We were greeted in the airport with hugs and leys( the leys were very exciting because I had been holding my breath for one). On monday morning I woke up at 5 30 to go to the waikiki beach. I was alot of fun the water was amazing. On tuesday morning I woke up once again at 5 30 to go to Diamondhead for a hike. Diamondhead is an old volcano that is no longer active. It's alot of fun two. There is tunnel that you have to walk through on the hike; it wasn't my favorite part because it felt like there should be bats in it. My least favorite part about that tunnel though was the end. As soon as you exit the 'bat tunnel' you are standing at the bottom of 99 stairs lol. All the island SM's meet in Hawaii; they are all really great people. Please keep us all in your prayers.
    On Wednesday we headed for Pohnpei, but because Pohnpei is across the international date line we arrived on thursday afternoon. I'm not going to lie it was the longest day ever (we were up for 22 hours). That brings us to now =) I am in Pohnpei safe and sound. My appartment is a descent size. It has 2 bedrooms and thankfully there are only four of us living in it. We don't have everything we want or the luxuries we are use to but we do have everything we need. This afternoon we went to a waterfall 20 minutes away. As we drove deeper into the country of the island the house changed from simple homes with garages to tin, sometimes hut homes. I even saw a home that had only 3 walls. It really made me realize how blessed I am to have my apartment. Also as we were walking around we couldn't help but notice how people stare at us. My housemate Christina asked a local boy who was with us, " why is everyone looking at us like that?". He said they were looking at our fancy clothes, ( we were wearing t-shirts and boys swimming trunks from wal-mart) I have never felt so vain in my life. I thought all my close were unfashionable and cheap, but to the locals I'm fancy. Think about that when you get dressed in the morning or wake up in your enclosed house. Lesson Learned.
I know this post was supper long ( mama, I know you read the whole thing hahaha) hopefully my future posts will be smaller. =) Please continue to pray for me, I really want to be effective here. There is so much to do.
Love you all,
Nikkie