What?? Its Almost February

That is really what i'm screaming. I can't believe that i've been here for almost 6 months. Time really flies when you're having fun. I do believe that. I really have to say that it has been the best and most stressful 6 months of my 23 years on this earth. I mean...this is has been a great experience. I'm so thankful that God has chosen me to be His vessel in this dry and thirsty land. Which right now is really dry. We are constantly praying for rain. It needs to rain very badly because these are the months that we get the most rain to sustain us for the entire year. It hasn't rained since Christmas and January is usually the coldest and wettest month. We are really asking God to open the floodgates of heaven. Its actually has been kinda bittersweet because i'm not really a fan of the cold so its been really warm and i've been enjoying too much...all the while trying to keep in the back of my mind that we desperately need it to rain. 

Jen and I at a basketball game

This month as really flown by so quickly. It seemed just last week that i cut my finger and now the stitches have been taken out and its healing very quickly. Praise the Lord. I've got back all my mobility and now just praying for minimal scaring. I just keep a band-aid on it now to prevent any dirt from entering it! So i'm on the road to recovery. Yeah!! Also..this month seems like the month of new friends. We have been having more and more random people stop by the school to help out. So there are always new people to meet an

d new faces to greet. I've also gotten to know this group of people from PAIDIA, an aid organization, and have been having a blast getting to know them. They are are mix of foreign workers and Arabs...so i now have a diverse group of friends. They are also trying to teach me how to Arabic dance, which has been super fun.  Also..every Friday a group of girls meet up to eat and just have fellowship. Its been so enjoyable and relaxing. Sometimes we seemed surrounded by guys so it is quiet nice to have girl time. 

Learning how to Arabic dance. :)

This has been a kinda trying week when it comes to one student. One of my 6th graders has anger issues that we've been trying to deal with this entire year. By the end of last semester it had gotten better, but he is on a roll again. He is a very intelligent boy, actually probably the smartest kid in the class. The problem is that he doesnt apply himself. He is too worried about who he can beat up or about how to get others in trouble that he doesn't care about his grades. I was so excited because he was beginning to care. He was beginning to try and then he just started falling through the cracks again. He is an instigator. He starts stuff to get a reaction out of the other students. Most of the students are scared of him b/c if they dont take his side he will beat them up. He is your classic bully. I've been praying and asking God to give me paitence with him...especially this week, but Satan creeped in. Yesterday he was up out of his seat and was playing with another kid. I told him to sit down and the girl who's desk he was beside told him as well...and what did he do to her?? Hit her! Right in the face! I'm so glad that God gave me the patience to deal with him. Usually i would have freaked-out and probably yelled at him, but instead i calmly told him that he was in trouble. That you do not hit girls. This is his second offense in hitting a girl. And got another teacher to talk with him. Ultimately he got suspended because he really has a problem hitting people and i'm very strict especially about a boy hitting a girl!! He also lies about everything. Even things that dont matter. Please do pray for this student. Things we do for him doesn't seem to help. He has massive family problems and now he is just so numb to everything. Only God can change this little boy's heart. I'm at a loss of what to do anymore so please pray for me for guidance that only God can give! I just want to have a cooperating classroom and he makes that so difficult. 

On a happier note...i think i have finally found a church-body to be a part of. Its is King of Kings in Jerusalem. I am getting fed there and feel like it would be a congregation that i could really get involved with. I've asked God that if this is the place that He wants me to be at that He will make transportation available. There is a Dutch family that goes there from here. So i've been praying that He'll open the doors. I really enjoy their worship and the word that they deliver. Its been so refreshing and uplifting. I thank God for giving me this opportunity to connect with other believers on the other side of this wall. 

With the new addition to the teaching staff, Mr. Garrett has come great ideas for the school and dreams for the next years. Garrett has such a passion for God and God is giving him so many great visions for this school. He has started writing a proposal to get other organizations on board to help with funding and suppling this school.  Surprisingly, Mr. Ross has given it the go ahead. THANK YOU LORD!! He is now coming up with a group of teachers to collaborate on the project so that we will eventually be able to present it to congregations and businesses. I'm so excited about this proposal. Its actually even given me new dreams for this school and this organization as a whole. I'm not really sure how long God has called me here for (right now i know another year), but however long it is i know that He'll work everything out. Because of this new proposal i'm praying and asking God if there may be a need for a Public Relations person. Someone to go around to churches and businesses to show what God is doing in this school and raise support. Thats actually something that really isnt too strong right now. It would not only be a way to raise support but also just to show other believers the incredible things that God is doing in the lives of the Palestinians. It would be something that I would really enjoy doing. I love speaking to people and I could share personal experiences because i have been a teacher here. It could be a great thing for the school. I've just been dreaming a lot lately about my future and the future of this school. Both are ordained by God and both are destined for good...Jer. 29:11. Truly, God is good and worthy to be praised.