April Showers Bring May Flowers

In my last update I spoke about the nice sunshine! Today, as I look out my window it's raining again. The sun is missing from the sky. Rain is such an important commodity here, so I'm not complaining!  I know all these rainy April days will lead to colorful May days! I think I enjoy spring so much because it's a new beginning. The old/cold is over and the bring/new has come. It's like when we meet Christ for the first time. We're cold, dark, dreary hearted, but when we let him in, He makes us into new creatures. That's so wonderful!


Boys and Girls Varsity basketball teams place 1st place in all of Hem in a recent tournament. 12th grader Ibrahim  was named star athlete in all of the WB!

Things here have been go, go, go. We did have a long weekend 2 weeks ago. I took a weekend off and then the next one was teacher in service day. I got no work done. I intended to relax again. Instead, my roommates and I spent quality time together. We relaxed and enjoyed each others company. It was nice to spend quality time together, since we have such little time left.

A couple of weeks ago, my students had given up! They were doing poorly on their work and tests. It was really discouraging. I gave them a, couple, million of little pep talks and they seem to be doing better. They all recently passed their spelling test with 80s and above, so they will have a small "field trip" day. I'm so excited. George and Steve have drastically improved in spelling! I've been amazed! God is good! I hope that they all will continue to fly high and excel.

Saturday was my first week back to Al Beit Jr. in a couple of weeks. We all had a blast. About a month ago, Koko, a 9th grader, had the idea of making a trivia game for the kids to play. It was fantastic! Koko did a great job leading the game and interacting with the student. They had a wonderful time. This week, I'm so excited because Heba (11th grade student) will be sharing her testimony with the younger students. I can't wait to see what God has in store through her sharing. God has been doing big things in her life, and she wants to help others see what He can do for them as well. Also, at the end of the month we'll have our Spring Fling Carnival. I hope to make many parts of it student lead. One 8th grader is already making
a scavenger hunt for the event.
Hopefully, the students will take it, own it, and be proud of their work!

I recently hosted a small girl's night at my house. One girl doesn't have her mother and has been dealing with issues of not having her around. I wanted to hopefully be an influence on her. She also invited a friend. We made cookies, watched A Little Princess, and just hung out. I really hope they enjoyed their time. I pray that God used that time to really encourage those little girls and know that they are loved.

Please continue to pray for all of us here. Most of us are unsure what next year(s) will look like. We're all just trying to live in the moment and listen to God's leading. Also, pray for all spots to be met for next year. We basically need an entire new staff of teachers and God is already providing. Finally, a building. There is not enough space here to hold all the students that are entering the school. Please pray for divine guidance on what do with this situation and for the means necessary to have our own building.