Those awkward middle school years...

This past weekend my cousin and roommate, Ryan and Julia, held a lock in at their school for their middle school students. So, of course, who did they sign up to help chaperone? Me! So lovely of them. But I was excited! I love hanging out with kids, which is good because otherwise I should really into another profession. It was also fun because Julia, Ryan, and I actually went to middle school together and were in a lock in together in 5th grade. We've come full circle, awwww! :)
What made me nervous was when they asked me to give my testimony to the students.

Annnnd cue my stomach sinking to my feet. I talk in front of people all the time and I enjoy talking to people, but in front of all these kids? Like a formal/serious talk? And what would make my testimony anything special for them?

I couldn't not do it. I needed to. I thought back to when I was in middle school for some perspective on what I would want to hear from someone and it jogged up some not so great memories.

My middle school and early high school experience was not enjoyable. I was a unique and weird kid. I got teased, picked on, and left out on a daily basis. There were days I had to try my hardest to keep it together and then go home crying. I would walk into conversations where people were talking about me, read notes where people were discussing my actions, or even run into a group of people that were planning sleepovers or a get together where I was purposely being avoided and left out. There were pranks pulled on me that bring back tears to my eyes still today.

It's easy to say middle school was not my favorite time in life.

So that is what I talked about to those students. But more importantly I talked to them about how I was able to trust God and get through it all. I trusted He had a plan and a path for me. Then He sent me to Dordt College. The most fantastic years of my life! I made the most amazing friends and had the BEST time! I felt like I finally found where I belonged, people who loved the weird, crazy, unique me for being just that! It was the best. I was also able to mend a lot of those broken relationships from middle/high school and become great friends again. I have continued to trust God since then and He has blessed me for than I could even imagine, eventually sending me to Pittsburgh where I have been overwhelmingly blessed again! God's plans are better than we could ever imagine.

I ended with that and hoped and prayed that even if it was a message that only person listened to and took to heart, that God could use it for good.

When I finished, a girl came up to me with a question. She asked me how long it took me for forgive those who picked on me. I talked about it with her and my heart broke, because clearly she was asking for a reason. I discussed it with her and was thankful that God used my message for someone that needed it. The best part of it all of this though? This adorable 7th grade boy was waiting right behind this girl, ran up to me and said, "Yay for being weird!" gave me a high five, and then ran off. The best thing ever! Yay for being weird! And yay for growing up since middle school and for God being an awesome God and helping me to grow and change since those years and enabling me to learn from all those experiences. Would I ever want to go back? Absolutely not. But I can look back and realize God had a purpose for it all and a purpose for everything in life. A lesson not easily learned but very much worth learning.

10 years

This past year I have joined a women's Bible study, which has been a HUGE blessing in my life, I can't even begin to tell you. 2 months ago, at one of our meetings, one of the women asked the question:

"Where do you hope to be in 10 years?" 

Most of the ladies got a smile on their face and shared their hopes for their spouse, children, and aspiration for their careers. They went around the circle and I became more and more nervous as they got closer to me.

Where DO I want to be in 10 years? I'm not even sure where I'm going to be in 1 year! I mean, no one really knows the plan for their life. Clearly, God has our lives planned according to His will, but most of the women could give a rough estimate of what their life may be like.

Me? Not even a clue. What was my answer, you ask? It was a nervous sputter, something along the lines of, "I guess it would be nice to married!" I revert to humor when I get a bit flustered.

This question and some events in the past few weeks have really gotten me thinking about my future. I have absolutely no idea what is in store for me or where my life may be heading. This is equally terrifying and invigorating!

I have been a nervous wreck the past few weeks, dealing with things to do with the next year of my life. My fingers are chewed to bits...a terrible nervous habit of mine! Sorry, gross confession! The past few days, however, have been a reassurance for me about how phenomenal God truly is. He has shown to me His love and care for me through various means, be it a text from a friend, a sermon that was a spot on message, a phone call of amazing encouragement from another friend, and kind words from coworkers.

I share all this because I can feel God working in me, changing me, and pushing me to be better, to trust Him, and to not be scared of what the future holds, because He is holding it! I cannot tell you how fantastic I feel today, as if a weight has been lifted. Am I still a bit scared/nervous about change? Absolutely. I'm working on it though, with Christ right by my side.

So I am not worrying about 10 years from now. I am working on lesson plans for this week, hanging out with my roommate, and enjoying the beautiful sunset in the sky, placed there by our amazing God! 

Miss Ongna, the Hippo Hunter

Can I take a moment to brag a little? I have been bragging to my fellow teachers and my roommate, so why not just keep it going a bit and brag to you too!

My students finished up their 5 paragraph "essays" on Friday! 5 paragraphs! With indentation, proper punctuation, and introductory and concluding paragraphs. As they were writing and I was helping them edit, I was geeking out. I'm pretty sure they thought I was having a spazz attack because all I could keep saying was, "I am so excited!! You are doing so well! This is awesome!" There may have also been some excited hand motions in there...

The wonderful essays my students wrote!

I have worked on hitting writing hard this year because I think it is a completed neglected skill in today's world. 2nd grade is such a wonderful year because kids are just starting to be able to work on their own and are making that transition from learning to read to reading to learn. I look for ways to include a writing project in each of my subject areas.
My students this year have surprised me at how they have taken a project I have had in mind and done it 10 times better than I was anticipating, such as the essays! It is fun to get to see students develop through the year and go from barely being able to write 1 paragraph to writing multiple. I would also like to add on that these students' abilities to write so well comes not from me being a great teacher, but from them having a wonderful God-given gift to learn and show what they have learned in a most marvelous way! I am in no way bragging about my own abilities, only about my students'!

We have not only done more structured writing in school, but have done some fun writing times as well. I have this wonderful book that has the beginning of a silly story and the students need to finish it. My students love them and break out into cheers when I hand one out. The kids can spend 10 minutes writing and fill up the front and back of the paper. No complaints about that here! Here is a story one of my students wrote that even included me as a character. I guess that's the risk you run teaching young students...being included in a story as a hippo hunter! I think that may actually be illegal in real life...

Either way, this story started out with a boy and his family having problems with hippopotamuses in their house and the students takes it from there:

"One day a girl named Miss Ongna rang the doorbell. She said, "I'm here to destroy or get rid of that hippopotamus!" She went to the trap and took out some bait for it. Then snap! She was in the hippo's tummy. She went bang bang with her fists and gum trapped her. "No!" said Kirk. So Kirk got a fishing rod and for Miss Ongna out. The hippos then said goodbye and Miss Ongna was homeless, so she lived with the 2nd graders and they lived happily ever after! The End."