Folks- I’ve officially “made it” through my first term. Why is “made it” in quotes, you ask? Well- mostly because I’m still trying to figure out what that means.

Did I survive? Well obviously, I’m sitting here on a bed in an air bnb with some ladies on staff- that means I’m alive, and survive is usually contrasted with death… so, I guess I survived. What can I say?

As I reflect on what I’ve “made it” through, it’s hard to even nail down one thing.

Transitioning

I’ve successfully fed myself for five months. I’ve navigated the in’s and out’s of gathering groceries through the various different methods of getting food. I’ve made friends who are becoming family here on campus- people who yell my name as they walk past my house, and let themselves in for a chat when they see me sitting on my couch scrolling social media on my phone. I’ve begun to create rhythms and routines, slowly learning bits and pieces of Kenyan culture along the way.

Teaching

I’ve successfully juggled three sections of regular chemistry and one section of AP- both more and less than what I taught at my previous school. I navigated lesson planning with a new curriculum, and squeezing the same curriculum into shorter class periods. I wrote new final exams, tests, quizzes, and homework assignments. I read a new textbook, and organized a new classroom. I’ve learned to love working with my lab tech Michael and all he does to set up my labs for me, slowly learning bits and pieces of RVA culture along the way.

Living

I’ve walked into new situations and taken on new responsibilities- cafo duty, Sunday School teacher, dorm cover and more. Each of these things has created opportunities for relationship building with my students, moments to hear from them about their day to day struggles, the good and hard that happens back home, or the boy that is cute/annoying/amazing/obnoxious- well, you know, a boy. I’ve spent hours sitting on the couch in the KUW lounge, listening to girls blow off steam as they commiserate about stats class, or work out that English paper they’ve been procrastinating for two weeks due tomorrow. I’ve wandered the halls of their dorm checking to make sure they’ve done their dorm jobs for the day as I give their dorm parents rest, slowly learning bits and pieces of dorm living culture along the way.

Growing

But all of those are things “I’ve” done. And that isn’t true. I couldn’t have done any of it on my own- I still can’t. The days I try to walk through this life in my own strength are the days I flop in my bed exhausted, and wake up no more rested than I was only a few short hours before. When I try to do it on my own, I drink way too much coffee filled with milk and sugar to make it palatable, and turn to TV shows or movies in an attempt to calm my stress filled mind. I’m better some days than others, remembering to choose to live on the Lord’s strength instead of my own, and I’m still growing, “polay-polay”, swahili for a little bit at a time.

A friend of mine was telling me just today about a funeral of a dear family friend she attended where they said in the Eulogy, “He lived a series of unextraordinary days that led to an extraordinary life.” When she shared that with me, it struck a chord for how I feel this term has gone. The day-to-day grind feels unextraordinary as I prep lessons, meals, or Sunday School plans. But as I reflect on the term as a whole, it is an extraordinary thing that has happened. In the midst of the day to day, there are some moments that felt more extraordinary, that can’t happen without love and support in the day to day.

One of the girls in my Sunday School got baptized this term. Her testimony of the Lord’s grace and kindness in her life, through her parents faithful witness, through her time in past years at RVA, all leading to a decision to publicly share her faith by choosing to be baptized melted my heart. I only cried a little.

On multicultural day, we held a parade, celebrating the passport countries of the vast array of students here on campus. It was a powerful experience, to see people of so many nations gathered together in one place, all for the purpose of glorifying God. It was a neat way to open the door for conversations about where my students are from, the ministry their families engage in, where they call home.

Senior store days had a festival feel in the air- our seniors working hard to provide a vast array of concessions for a day of intramural sports. Giving them valuable work experience, senior stores provides the opportunity for the students to take ownership of something as they lead their peers in the role of manager, and a place to learn to advocate for themselves as they present their ideas to the adults in charge. It was so fun debriefing with some students both before and after their first and second “stores” weekend to hear how things were going and what they were learning about in order to do their jobs well.

My favorite Sundays were the services where worship happened in the home language of the students leading. We had Swahili, Korean, and Portuguese services this term. As we preached through the sermon on the mount, Mr. Kim blessed us by sharing from the section of scripture that speaks to the judgement we cast on others. He worked with his Tae-Kwon-Do Discipleship club to cultivate a drama of sorts where the students shared the hearts of people in many different roles here on campus, and the judgement we cast on others others. Each person then hung the “plank from their own eye” that had been hanging around their neck on the cross. As he wrapped up sharing, the powerful display of breaking the planks left the students and staff alike pondering the judgements we pass on those around us and the power of the cross to overcome the pride in our own hearts.

Moments of impact with individual students are hard to fully express, though they are the moments I live for. I loved when two kiddos sat on the counters in my classroom for over an hour as I finished setting up my lab for the next day, chatting about everything under the sun. I loved sitting by students as we watched the football (soccer) game, sharing about their families. I loved going to Koinonia (Sunday night student led service) and supporting a student dear to my heart as she shared about struggles she’s gone through and how the Lord has met her in that- but more than that, I loved watching her peers respond to her message and reach out to her for support in their own struggles. I loved sitting on the couches in the dorm, hearing a students life story, because, how else would you choose to procrastinate your homework? I loved sitting in the discomfort of difficult dorm-parent interactions with a student, encouraging them in how to have respectful conversations, and hearing how the students roommate has helped them grow in those very same relationships. I loved my late-night (7pm) study sessions with my AP kids before a test, munching on cookies while conversations slowly diverged from Chem to life. I loved the Korean words that get scribbled on my whiteboard, and asking students what it means, laughing together as they give me mini-Korean lessons.

I pray that as I slowly learn bits and pieces of different cultures, activities and life here at RVA, the Lord would use these unextraordinary days to build through me an extraordinary impact for His kingdom here on earth. I’m thankful for a few weeks of rest as even now I’m thinking about the prep work looming for another term of teaching. I’m so thankful for the love and support of those around me, and look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store today, tomorrow and next week as the unextraordinary days come together to create an extraordinary term.

Prayer Points

• Please pray for time of rest, both physically and spiritually, both for myself and my students who are away, that we would be able to spend extra time in the Lords word over this brief time of reprieve.
• Please pray that I can balance rest with preparing for a new term with increased responsibilities in some respects, and in decision making for what extra-curricular activities to engage in as we start a new term.
• Please pray for my time of transition as I feel walls of culture shock setting and a gamut of emotions that follows as I am here longer and longer, especially with the holiday season approaching.
• Please pray for continued relationship building with my students upon their return that would lead to the moments I love- the times I can speak truth into their lives, hearing about more than the day to day, creating opportunities to point them towards Christ in the midst daily unextraordinary life.

Keep scrolling to enjoy some photos that I just think are fun from the term 🙂