Pictures from Poland

Krakow, Poland

Because of Hungary's 1848 Revolution celebration, ICSB gave us 2 days off creating a 4 day weekend. The roomies and I decided to make use of this time to get away. We drove to Krakow, Poland for rest and relaxation. I think we got both. The city was quaint and walkable. The history is fantastic. The food was also quite yummy. These pictures represent a few of the sites we took in. Krakow was not the biggest or the most exciting city I've ever been to, but it certainly was worth the visit. Beautiful and scenic, the city allowed us sleep while also giving us the chance to broaden our cultural horizons. I'll keep moving...I'll keep posting pictures...Spring Break is only a week away!

The end of March nears

Darling Readers,
Thanks for your prayers!! God has definitely been working amidst the Hungarian authorities because visas are being issued! Three teachers returned from the states this past week! We're still missing one and will be sending at least one more off tomorrow. We're not completely back to full strength, but God has provided for every position the school has needed covered. It is wonderful to be a part of this community and to witness God's hand at work.

My classes are going well. We're finishing up the novel- Huckleberry Finn- in 11th grade and the play- Antigone- in 9th. These units have gone over pretty well. But, I've got to admit, I have a lot to learn about teaching a novel. It's not as easy as I thought it would be. But, it challenged me to look beyond what I'm comfortable teaching. It has encouraged me to seek new ways to present material and keep the class involved.

This past weekend my roomates and I took a short trip to Krakow. We had a 4 day week because of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, so the girls and I decided to drive to Poland. I'll post pictures and comments by the end of the week.

Upcoming events include:

• Parent/Teacher Conferences- always a prayer request
• ICEC Teacher Conference over Spring Break (we leave next Friday). I'm really excited about this opportunity to gather with Christian teachers from all over Europe in the central location of Kandern, Germany. I'll be seeing some girls I met at my EFCA conference again, and I'll be gaining insight into Christian education. This conference only happens once every 3 years so I am blessed to go this year.

Until the next time I have to write...may God bless you as you seek his will in order that you may glorify him to the greatest extent.

Prayer Petitions

Things have settled down around school- at least for a day. It seems that there is never a dull moment in the life of a school, thus there is never a dull moment in the life of a teacher (except perhaps when grading papers). Please read the following list of prayer requests...these are the ways you can be praying for our school and me personally! I appreciate all the prayers you've offered on my behalf thus far- it's comforting to have people petitioning God for my ministry.

1. Many teachers are gone because of visa issues. None have yet returned. Two more may be leaving closer to spring break. Please pray that classes are covered, visas are issued, and teacher return quickly!!
2. Planning! I need to work on my long-term planning. This will probably be a prayer request for the rest of my life...I'm not a futuristic person. But, for the benefit of my students and my sanity- I need to get a grasp on what the upcoming months look like for my classes. Please pray that I will be diligent in this task.
3. I have so much on my plate as I plan to return to ICSB next year. Please pray that the process of reapplying to the EFCA international mission would go smoothly and quickly. Please pray that I would be persistent and diligent in maintaining and establishing contacts for support next year. It also looks as if I may have to travel to Washington DC in order to apply for a visa renewal and to Minneapolis for a few days of mission training. So, as I plan for the summer, please pray I'll have wisdom.
4. I recently spent a week at the Jackson's house because the parents were traveling. In a week I'll have the opportunity to stay with the Bullock children as their parents are gone. While it is a lot of work to be a parent for a week, it's also a great learning experience because I get to see my students outside of the classroom. I'm able to observe their interaction with their siblings. I have gained new perspectives on my students from these experiences, pray that God will continue to use these times to build relstionships beyond the classroom.

Thanks again for all your prayers...they mean more to me than you can possibly know.

We've got spirit yes we do!

Spirit Week

Spirit Week was a lot of fun! I had a great time dressing up each day- although I admit that all my 'costumes' we're not always amazing. But, Cash day I dressed as June Carter, Superhero day I wore blue and red for Superman, Twin day I dressed as my roomie Allison the PE teacher and Spirit day I definitely wore my GREEN! I'm meant to be at ICSB- green's my favorite color!

As normally goes, the girls were much more involved in the dressing up than the guys. Most of the pictures include my 9th grade girls, but there is one of a group of guys from 11th grade. I only let students participate in picture taking if they were cool enough to have spirit. So, here's a glimpse into the life of ICSB during spirit week!