Africa Night

The International school had an Africa Night. I accidently showed up at rehearsal earlier this week and so I assumed that it was going to be similar to a school assembly or presentation.  I saw some of the younger kids playing drums and dancing with their parents and teachers helping them.  What I actually encountered on Friday was so much more.  First off it was HUGE.  They had venders selling things and an outside stage put up.  There were not just elementary students there to perform but several intense musicians and dancers brought in to show what dance and song sounded like in the focus country: Senegal.  Also there was an African fashion show and a skit and food from all over Africa!  I had a great time trying some food from Senegal, seeing a ton of the youth, and watching some pretty awesome African dance.

Sorry that the pictures are not so great, it was dark, dusty, and I was using my little camera.  :)

Softball Tournament!

This weekend ISO (the international school) hosted a softball tournament.  I spent all weekend watching the youth and some parents play softball!  It was so much fun.  

The softball field as ISO - with grass and everything!

Some of the youth at the tournament

Me and Robbie

Oh to be a teenager

I love teenagers so much – which is good since my job is working with them.  Its just, that sometimes I feel like I was so lucky.  Or maybe I think I am lucky now because I survived middle school and high school.  But I don’t remember it being that hard.  I know that in middle school it started out pretty rough but I honestly feel that once I got past that stage…oh wait – I just entered into another one after that.  Okay – maybe I wasn’t so lucky after all.  But I do know that through it all I KNEW what I needed to be and who I was – I knew that I needed God and I knew that I was his child.  That was the easy part for me.  What makes me so sad is how it’s not so easy for most teens to remember that.  In all of my experiences God came out the victor and I knew he would be.  Even when things were hard – I knew God was in control.  Why?  Why was it so easy for me and is so difficult for them?  I dont know why but I do know that I am here now and God has called me to these particular teenagers and so I will try to do what I can with what I have been given.  

Everyday I have been reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers.  For the most part it has been very good.  Sometimes I am not entirely in agreement with him but usually he says something that challenges me all day long.  This morning was interesting. 

“The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other peoples souls until they learn to feed on God.  They must drain you completely – to the very last drop.  But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted.  Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you.  You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God.  We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for him.” 

Whoa.  This was huge for me this morning because it brought so much more to why I myself must be grounded in the Lord.  I mean, most of these teens don’t know what they are doing every single day.  I am a leader to the student leaders and to the rest of the youth group – and some of these students do not know how to draw on the life of Christ, they do that through me.  Which is scary and overwhelming and is a huge responsibility.  That is why it is so important that I am continually being filled with the Spirit and letting the overflow from that pour out on those who are not quite there yet. 

Oh pray for me and them!

life is still happening

The past week has been a blur, I'm not sure how things go so fast.  For example – every 2 weeks I change my contacts for new ones (I know so random) but today is the day for new contacts and I honestly feel like I just changed them yesterday.  Not to mention how fast 5 months has flown by.  Seriously how is this happening?

The SFR is over and our visitors have returned home, or on to the next field – they left us with some encouragement and ideas for the future.  For me, my job has changed slightly – but really its God answering more prayers.  Crazy.  Envision is still developing so much and I am some what of a trial run because I am the first intern to come here under that role.  Praise the Lord I always have the youth as the job I cannot take my eyes off – but there are some exciting things that I will be picking up.  They have asked me to help more with teams that come in and Envision is hoping to send more interns out and would like me to be a host and to help them transition into being here.  So if you are interesting in coming to Burkina for any amount of time – 2 weeks or 2 months…or longer – come!  Ill help you (and I could sure use you in the youth group – especially some guys). J  Our field is going to shrink drastically this summer because 3 missionaries will be going home for their year in the States.  The Ouaga team will literally be 5 missionaries – it will be a huge transition but I am excited for the responsibility. 

This week has been quieter for me because several of the youth headed to Ghana for MUN (model United Nations).  Three of my llamas – Kari, Robbie, and Micah all headed down so that changed youth group quite a bit.  I had to pray about the jealousy I felt for them going – they all got to go to the beach and play in the ocean!  And Kari told me she went to a real MALL!  Okay so I am still a little jealous.  I am certainly going to see if they will need a chaperone for next year!

Youth group went well last night though – I separated the boys and girls and we looked at verses of who God is and compared that to who we think God is.  I ended with bringing everyone together for a few minutes and said that how we perceive God is not reality because he is SO much more than we can understand.  But how God perceives us is reality, even if we don’t see ourselves like it – we are still children of God.  I know there are a few in the youth group that don’t know Jesus so after I read John 1:12 – I invited anyone to talk to me at any time if they want to see themselves as a child of Jesus and just invited them to believe.  No one talked to me afterwards but I'm praying that what they got from small groups and my little invitation well stick with them for a while. 

This week I also subbed for third grade – oh man was that hard.  I have a new appreciation for all the elementary teachers out there.  I also know why I am not one J I just couldn’t get them to be quiet.  It was so hard!  I also have no idea if they learned anything from me.  After school the elementary principle asked if they scared me off – I told her no (for some stupid reason) but really I don’t know if I can do it again.  I think Ill stick to the teenagers. 

Last Sunday I went – for the first time – to church by myself!  I drove all the way out to Ouaga 2000 where the Clousers lead a small church.  Steve Clouser gave the sermon in French and I understood more than I have yet!  It was so exciting!  I still cant speak French but man I am starting to understand so much. 

Lastly – Brandon Heath came out with a new cd last month called Leaving Eden – I would highly recommend it.  

Oh also - its starting to get hot...

A post for Kandice

She graciously pointed out I haven’t blogged in a week – ish.

Speaking of ish – I read a children’s book called Ish when I subbed for third grade this week.  It was actually a very cute book and I feel like I could relate to it.  It just talked about how this little boy whos brother made fun of his drawings but his sister loved his drawings and said that they were kind of like what he had hoped they would be.  She said that his picture of a vase was vase-ish.  I feel like often times I am in the ish category.  I'm learning as a go and things turn out kind of like they should be (although I'm not entirely sure anyone knows how they should be).  Youth group is youth group – ish, my French is French – ish J and so on…  things look different here for many reasons.  I'm the only leader, I am new, its hard balancing middle school and high school, French is sooo HARD, really I could go on an on.  But the book ended with the boy continuing to draw and paint and write and appreciating the beauty of ish.  And for me, really I just need to keep going, keep learning, keep following and listening to the Lord, because its his opinion that matters and what the world says things should look like – God sees differently.