The First Week

 What a week!  I’ve always loved Sabbath, but I appreciate it even more this week!  We got up early every day and had group devotions by 7:30. By 8 we started working.  I spent all the mornings working on my classroom and planning lessons.  I discovered I have no solutions manuals or a test booklet, the positive is they will be made specific for my class.  It is finally starting to look better! I cleaned it for 2 days, and then started decorating.  I’ve covered the bulletin boards with fabric, hung posters, and arranged everything.  It still needs some work but it’s starting to actually look like a classroom! In the afternoons Pamela, Sabrina, and I worked together on school projects like cleaning windows.  I’ve never been so hot in my life! I didn’t know it was possible, but I think I actually sweat while taking a cold shower.   I can’t wait to see the school when it’s finally ready, it will be very rewarding.  It looks like they will have to delay the start of school until next Monday, we are still waiting for some teachers to come, and praying for more. 

                Everyone here knows who we are.  It takes a bit to get used to.  People slow down and watch as they drive by the school, each store we go to the cashier asks if we’re the new teachers, and everyone waves as we drive by.  Town trips are fun and very long.  We go every Thursday and buy what we need for the week.  There is one large grocery store and several smaller ones spread out.  The selection is better than I expected, though somewhat unpredictable.  We found plenty of things to cook though!

                On Wednesday evening they told us we were going to prayer meeting at the church.  We loaded into the big white van and headed out, we made a couple stops along the way and by the time we got to the church we had loaded 12 kids bringing our number to 19! They were all so interested to find out about us and watch us.  On the drive back we sang with the kidsJ. Friday night we went to the church again for vespers, even more kids came this time so we had to take two vehicles.  We lead in singing with Andrea playing her ukulele and sang a special music.  Then we introduced ourselves and gave a devotional thought.  We are in charge of putting on vespers each Friday.  It was so nice to meet more of the kids; I even met a couple of my students.  On the drive back crabs were all over the road! They were huge!  They were crawling in swarms to the ocean we could see right off to our left.  They were squished all over the road too, poor things.  This morning we went to church for the first time! When I arrived I was asked to teach the primary/junior Sabbath school.  I went out on the porch and the kids sat all around me.  We sang songs and I read them a story.  They are all so sweet! We played a Bible game too, I’ll need to find some more resources for future lessons, I think I’m the official teacher for the year nowJ. The church service was beautiful. It wasn’t beautiful in the way we would describe at home, it was simple.  They called the men up to lead in hymns, the piano is one of the most out of tune pianos I have ever heard, and some people are singing in different keys; but it’s one of the most wonderful sounds I’ve ever heard! The people are so sincere.  The church was filled! People came from all over, even a lot of the outer islands.  We played with the kids a bit after church; they are so curious and remember our names so quickly! I was told I’m the pianist next week, I will definitely be better at the piano by the time I get home!

                We had our first cockroach sighting in our apartment this week, it was hilarious.  Not at the time… but I’m sure we were entertaining for our neighbors!  It ran across the floor, Sabrina screamed and yelled at me to kill it, I grabbed the Raid and sprayed but missed sadly.  So it ran towards me! Pamela then screamed and ran outside.  Those things run so fast! I screamed, ran backwards, and sprayed it until it finally died under the table.  We must be so entertaining! Those things are huge! I’m fine until it starts flying or running towards me, I’m sure I’ll be used to it soon.  God Bless from Yap!