Four Months Later...

A typically terrible but utterly expected picture of my fantastic class :-)

How is it possible did four months can sneak past me without me even noticing? It Seems completely unfathomable! I seem to have blinked and we are about to begin the 4th quarter of the year! A year of ups and downs and projects, new adventures and new challenges, and friends now preparing to leave that I seem to have just said hello to a few weeks ago and in all of the business, excitement, tears and laughter the time has completely gotten away from me.

So apologies to you, my friends, family, supporters, and stalkers (I KNOW you're out there random person who reads my blog in Serbia!) I apologize for not being as communicative as you merit and deserve and I offer this humble post in the vain attempt to catch you up on a few of the happenings here at ICSV and in my life. Clearly there is far to much to publish in great detail within a format any shorter than a novel, so I thought I'd focus on two big highlights of the year for this post and then work on slowly bringing you up to date in the next few blog updates.  Starting with...Guys and Dolls!

 

Highlight of the Fall / Winter? I directed my very first High School Musical! Now those of you who know me well know that I have been involved in musicals for a long time - 15 years this year actually - and the ins and outs of sets, costumes, acting, etc. are not exactly new. But directing a musical at ICSV? What a completely new and interesting challenge!  

We had a cast of about 25 kids involved in Guys and Dolls, and most of the leads were not American, in fact most of them did not speak English as their first language. If you know Guys and Dolls, you know that part of the humor is in the fact that the characters speak in a lot of old 1940's slang, and with nice New York accents. Thus, directing this play involved a LOT of ELL lessons afterwards (English Language) and practicing how to pronounce a good 75% of the words in the play. (Fun fact, it was a couple of months before the cast Understood did craps what Actually a dice game).  

But I have never had more fun on a show and while we did not have an actual stage ... and our backstage is  made ​​by hanging curtains ... and we were not sure we'd be able actually to turn lights on and off until the DAY OF the show ... and there are gigantic pillars in the middle of the room  that obscure half of the stage from view ... the whole process was a blast. I spent many nights exhausted, shed several tears, almost melted down once or twice, and was completely and thoroughly blessed by each and every one of these kids. Being a part of a ministry that can bring kids together from so many different backgrounds, being able to pour into amazing lives, and seeing God at work in all of them in different ways was completely humbling and I can not wait for next year's adventure!  

Another huge part of my year?  My fantastic students.  This year I have 17 students (one left in December though) representing 11 countries between them.  Several are MK's (missionary kids), some are UN kids, some are native Austrians (but culturally Ethiopian or Filipino).  Some are Protestant, some are Catholic, three are Muslim.  Some have lived here their whole life and some are just passing through.  But they're all my kids and I love them dearly.

5th grade field trip

If you receive prayer updates from me you'll already know that one of my students this year is unique due to his health situation.  This Venezuelan student has a rare degenerative genetic condition that creates a lot of challenges for him to overcome.  He's in 5th grade and is much smaller physically than his peers, uses a wheelchair, has limited use of his hands, can barely see due to severe cataracts, and suffers from chronic kidney stones.  My athletic students had to learn to adjust.  And so did I.  I've had to learn as a teacher how to make my strategies and lesson plans adaptable, and how to be inclusive and engaging to someone who doesn't fit into the "box" that is typical.

culture museum

But through all of these challenges I have grown so much and seen so much growth in my entire class (the student included!).  Just last month the student had a serious health scare and needed emergency surgery.  The whole class covered him in prayer, made cards and videos, and some visited him in the hospital.  I saw people in the school stepping up to help his family throughout the situation in ways that humbled me and showed me how just by loving someone and pouring time and support into them we can be a huge blessing.  His family has expressed so much joy and thanks for the community here at ICSV it's humbling.  I don't say that to brag on us, I say simply to broadcast the grace of God and the huge impact that allowing him to work through us can be to others.  I have doubted and worried about whether I could handle the new challenge as a teacher in huge ways.  And it is only through God's grace that I have been able to learn and be flexible.  And because of that I have grown and a family has been blessed.

That is the joy of ministry, being used by God to declare his words and spread his love to others.  Not through our own power, but through his grace and his hand on our lives.  May this work continue to grow in me and in this ministry and may others be blessed through it.  For this any frustration, sadness, challenge, or hardship is worth it.  The glory of God's kingdom :-)

More updates on the year to come!  Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer.  I am so thankful to you all!!
In Christ,

Amy

Camera friends ;-)

2nd Grader looking so cute she had  to be photographed!