Annie Dieselberg, one of NightLight’s founders, posted this update on her Facebook today:

Another woman came to apply for work today. She wants to quit working nights so she can raise her three kids. She left her husband because of his drug and gambling addiction. Tears came to her eyes when she said, “they’ve lost their daddy; I don’t want them to lose their mom.” Hired on faith. Where are the jewelry sales these days? that part that has to get out of faith and into action – but how? Spread the word.

Is this story a tear-jerker?

Well, the reality is that her story is not unique.

I met almost one hundred women at NightLight, and many more still in the bars, with stories very similar to this young woman.

Women just muddling along trying to do their best.

Women working simply so that their children can hopefully get a better education and have a better life.

The reality is, my friends, that if this woman’s story tugged at your heart, you would be unbearably broken under the weight of the stories of the other thousands of women working in the Nana area.

Just because you haven’t met them, you don’t know their names and you haven’t heard their stories doesn’t make them any less real.

When a girl is strong enough to seek escape, humbled enough to beg for a job, it is hard to even consider turning her down.

And yet, the reality is that without sales, NightLight is unable to provide salaries for their workers, and is therefore unable to continue hiring new women in search of new life.

It’s that simple.

You buy jewelry.

A girl is offered a new chance at life.

Just because you haven’t met them, you don’t know their names and you haven’t heard their stories doesn’t make them any less real.

You can have a direct impact on the life of a very real and beautiful person on the other side of the world right now.

By purchasing NightLight jewelry, you are contributing directly to the salaries of the women who work there now, and those who will hopefully be joining them in the very near future.

You can find the NightLight store online here.

Please.

Make a difference today.

Just because you haven’t met them, you don’t know their names and you haven’t heard their stories doesn’t make them any less real.

The father of two kids in my classes (gr5 and gr1) had a massive stroke last night and the whole family could really use some prayer. Evidently he’s completely paralyzed on the left side right now. Please pray for his health, his wife and the three kids. Thanks.

I attended a Bible study group awhile ago that addressed the issue of the authority of Scripture, which led to a little discussion about whether all Scripture is really completely and authentically of God, or whether there is some room for human error, etc.

My own view is that there is definitely a need to understand the historical context and the purpose of writing (prophecy versus history, for example, and history versus parable), but I do not believe that discredits the validity of Scripture in any way. Every inconsistency that I’ve heard people bicker about can easily be explained by further understanding the context of both ‘offending’ instances. For example, people tend to think the Gospels are a chronological biography of Jesus and then think inconsistencies between them are errors, when in fact the Gospels are structured by the authors as theological interpretations of Jesus’ life (e.g. John 20:31). They were never intended to be read as diaries or biographies.

With regard to human error, my Bible (NIV) is quick to point out in a footnote where there was any possible variance in translation (and it is never of great doctrinal significance), and the original text was, I believe, copied perfectly and preserved exponentially more times than other works that are accepted as credible, such as Homer’s Iliad.

I have no clue where I got all of this from, except that I’m pretty sure it’s what we talked about at our dinner table while Dad was in seminary for his degrees. He came home and told us what he learned, and I tried my best to remember it… J

All that is to say that I think (and that’s a thoughtful “think”, not an opinionated “think”) that one must be very, very careful before saying that “not all of the Bible is necessarily perfect”, simply because the implication is that somehow you are the one deciding what is acceptable and what is a mistake.

That’s not a gamble I’m willing to take.

If I really believe that what I believe is really true (a nod to the Truth Project for that phrase), then how could I ever have the courage (audacity?) to select for myself what portion of God’s Word that he said was good is valid and which portion is to be written off (or undervalued)?

Wouldn’t that, by default, make me greater than God?

Seriously.

That’s where the logic leaves you.

God’s response to this, I humbly suggest, would likely sound something like Job 38-41.

Perhaps one might suggest that while one can’t point out exactly what isn’t right in the Bible, it is wise (even “spiritual”?) to suggest that one always allow for the possibility that there is an error.

And now I ask, why?

If you really believed that what was in the Bible was true, then there is no way you could qualify that with a caveat of any sort. It’s completely illogical.

You can’t completely believe something, while simultaneously allowing for it to be potentially untrue. It’s impossible, and also makes any belief in any of it completely pointless; if some of it could be untrue, why not all of it? Why bother believing (or pretending to believe) something that may or may not be worth it in the end? It’s pointless. It’s not active belief, but passive toleration.

And if one believes that one can point out exactly what is true and untrue, then we’re back to one elevating oneself to the position of God.

And that’s certainly not a position I’d like to have. Especially if there really is a God on whose toes I’d be stepping!

I believe that the only logical views of Scripture are to either believe in the complete accuracy of the original text (and trust the translations, which have proven themselves, and their footnotes), or to throw the whole book out completely. To do anything else places me in the deciding role of God, and that, I know, cannot be right.

Once one accepts the full validity of Scripture, it is possible to learn so much about God from it. When you find inconsistencies, and you know God to be both constant and unchanging, then you dig deeper. You research; you ask questions to people and to God; you go in assuming in full confidence that God is God, and he obviously meant to reveal an aspect of himself through this, and that is when you start to see a more full and complete picture of God’s character, when you start to discover absolutely awesome things about who he is.

If there are things in the Bible that don’t make sense or seem hard to believe, I think that should actually be quite a reassurance! God is so infinitely bigger than me, and his ways are so awesomely different and above my own ways, and that is exactly how it should be!

I don’t WANT to worship a god who’s only as small as my imagination.

A god small enough to make sense to me is not worth my worship and adoration.

A god big enough to confuse me and leave me humbled in my littleness is exactly the God I can bow before and humbly offer myself. To whom else could I entrust my everything, even the eternal state of my soul?

It isn’t easy, but when I don’t understand the way God works, or what God says or does in the Bible, I thank God (literally!) that his ways are beyond my own.

So, do I believe in a complete literal interpretation of the Bible? No. It wasn’t written that way. It is still of utmost importance to study the Bible and understand the text as it was meant to be understood.

However, I believe that needs to be done carefully and prayerfully, and NOT independently! And the results should never lead to the discounting of Scripture that is God-breathed in its entirety, despite the fact that God graciously allowed human hands the privilege of recording it.

You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
Job 42:3

Well, I think I’m certainly overdue for a decent update on how things are going, so hopefully this will make up for lost time…

I think the last thing I posted about was getting ready to go to the Leprosy Hospital (and then the poem after that). So, the Leprosy Hospital event turned out really well. I had a great time, and bought lots of handmade crafts (fundraiser). Most (all?) were made by people with disabilities, and I enjoyed having a fun way to support their efforts (like buying NightLight jewelry – a great way to support people making the effort to pull their lives together).

We went on a hike up a hill to find a view – and I almost didn’t make it up! I could walk for hours and hours on end flat, but up? Oh dear! Here’s a picture of me once I made it to the top.

And here’s a picture of us along the way.

The next day, we went to church in the morning. I’ve decided to become a “regular” at the International Church nearby and am quite enjoying the services there. They’ve got several people filling in until the new pastor gets here in March, and they are just phenomenal. They are putting together a photo album with personal introductions for the new pastor, and I’ll get my picture taken for that sometime this month. I really enjoy the socializing time afterward, too; there is always yummy chia (which is like the milky masala tea you get on the streets in India) available, and so many new people to meet! Generally speaking, a bunch of us all go out for lunch after service, which is also lots of fun. I can’t believe how many restaurants there are here – ones I would never go in by myself, but when someone tells you they are okay, then you go and find out they are actually really great.

That afternoon, Simon, Emily and I went over to someone’s house (they had power) and watched the first two sets of a big tennis match between a guy who is super fantastic and another guy who was trying to beat him. I was cheering for the second guy because he was from the UK (the other guy was Swiss) and I figured Canada was more closely tied to the UK than to Switzerland… The power cut out after the second set, and then it turned out that our guy lost. I actually quite enjoyed an afternoon of watching sport – which is interesting because although I would not usually describe myself as someone who enjoys watching sports events, every single time I ever have, I’ve really enjoyed it! Interesting… I’m just waiting til I watch my first football (soccer) match – with all of the people here, it’s inevitable I’ll see one eventually – and I’m looking forward to it! [Which is not to say that Canadians and Americans don’t like soccer, but seriously – it pales in comparison to hockey and football!]

Okay, we’re going to skip to the next weekend, and then go back and fill in the chunks about school last week and this week all together.

This Friday night, a bunch of us went down to a hotel open house that the librarian at school and her husband (I believe) are opening. We ate and hung out, and also looked at some artwork that Helena (who lives in the flat upstairs and teaches art at school) did. After that, we all went out bowling. Yep, bowling! Ten pin – which was quite a stretch for me! The bowling alley only had four lanes, and only three were working! :P I was awful, but I had a blast just hanging out with everyone.

On Saturday, I don’t remember what I did in the morning – I think I did some lesson planning or something to that effect. After lunch, Mike, Simon, Emily, Jordan and I all went on a long-ish hike to a gorge in our area. It was just beautiful (though the water was black and polluted…). Here is a picture from that walk.

After that, Emily, Peter, Simon and I went over to our friend Edwin’s house for dinner and some games. We had a great time, though we tried to play a new game that Peter brought and I think it was just not everyone’s cup of tea, if you know what I mean. I thought it was great that everyone gave it the good ol’ college try, but even I found it confusing at first, and I’m “used to” “that sort” of game. It was the same style of game as Killer Bunnies, Fightball, and a couple of other ones that we play at home. To be perfectly honest, I think if I were to play it again (and maybe at home with Harley and Marilyn!) it’d be easier to grasp. :P After that we played President – which I’ve discovered almost everyone knows, regardless of where they grew up, though by a variety of different names, many of which are unprintable! :P We always called it President growing up. Like how I had fun bowling regardless of the game itself, I just really have so much fun being with people…

Sunday brought another church service and another lunch out. Then, Michelle took Emily and I out shopping for fabric to get our kurtas, which was super fun! I love looking at fabric, and being able to BUY fabric is just that much million times better! I was going to get one full outfit, and then one or two more tops, but I found great deals and ended up with three full outfits – and all of the tops are such that I’ll wear them again in Canada. Then we stopped at the tailor’s and he’s going to sew up all the outfits this week. I’ll post pictures here when I finally get them. :) Lastly, we stopped at a coffee shop and I got a *real* iced tea (black tea with ice cubes), and carrot cake with real cream cheese icing (hard to find because it’s so expensive here)! The guys were out with a few other friends playing Ultimate Frizbee until quite late, so we all had dinner together quite late when they got home.

All in all, it was yet another good weekend in Kathmandu!

With regards to school, everything is going really well and I feel like I’m settling into a bit of a routine. I am really enjoying all of my classes. The students are just fantastic, and even when they’re not perfectly behaved, they are still just being kids, you know?

I did my first round of Parent/Teacher Interviews ever, and must say I really enjoyed the experience. The parents I met were really lovely people and I quite enjoyed my conversations with them. At this point, because I don’t know too much about the students, the interview was more about the parents telling me about their child – what they wanted me to know, what their concerns were, etc. I found it quite informative, and it really helped me to understand the students better.

I’m working hard at getting the hang of my grade 1 class. I’m teaching them one period of math everyday. This is the furthest outside of my “comfort zone” of teaching I’ve ever been, but I have purposed in my heart to learn as much as I can from this experience. It seems like every day I leave the classroom with another new idea to try the next day – something to tweak, something spontaneous that worked well that I want to try again, etc. The learning curve is quite steep, but it’s been quite beneficial, so far.

I’m settling nicely into the more routine classes I do with the grade 6s (math and literacy). I’m enjoying teaching those subjects very much, and really like the classroom dynamic that generally exists during those classes.

I am having more difficulty with the combined classes (both 6s and 5s) simply because I feel like it’s harder to get everyone’s attention and keep it. However, it’s not impossible – I’ve taught larger classes before. It’s just a matter of getting the hang of what this particular situation calls for – and I’m still working on figuring that out.

My work with the grade 4s has been so much fun! They are currently working on writing narrative stories in the Native Canadian (there’s a tie to our social studies unit!) style – that is to say, they are explaining how an element of nature came to be the way it is today. We read stories such as How the Bear Lost His Tail, and the Seven Dancing Sisters/Brothers to help them get the hang of the style, and now they are working on their own ideas. They are all such creative students!

Aside from school and weekends, there is still more going on to share about! Wow – crazy how busy things get, eh? Tuesday nights are home group nights. I haven’t found a home group to call “home” yet, but we’re checking out another one next week. I’m really hoping to find one that is quite Bible-based, as opposed to just talks about Christian-themed things, you know? But we’ll see…

Wednesday night has become a regular games night, I think. Last week, several people were sick, so only Jordan came over, but we still played some interesting “games”. First, we all played “find my house on Google Maps Street View” and we soon expanded that to other things such as our schools, churches, etc., etc. Then we played President.

On another note, that awkward stage of living with people has finally settled in for me. I’m surprised it took so long – usually I get like this right off the bat and grow out of it quickly, and this time, it’s only just hit in the past couple of days. I’m quite preoccupied with worrying about stepping on people’s toes! I’m worried about crowding people, about their getting tired of my company, and if someone is quiet or busy or anything else, I some how figure it must be my fault for upsetting them. I feel like I need to apologize, but if I say something and it really was all in my head, that gets weirdly awkward, too. If past experiences hold true, this is all purely all a result of my own insecurities and desires to make sure everyone is happy, and has no basis in reality. However, it doesn’t feel that way right now… I’m praying this phase will pass quickly!

Right now, I’m gearing up for another games night. I think the genre of the night is “theater games”, so something to do with acting. I’ll let you know how it goes! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful day. God bless!

Inspired by our trip to the leprosy hospital and a conversation that followed.

Silent
I am silent
I am alone
And I am silent

For what can I say?
What have I to say?
What can I offer?
And so I am silent

Still
I am still
I am alone
And I am still

For what can I do?
What have I to do?
What can I offer?
And so I am still

I am silent
And I am still

But I am not nothing

I am still something

I am still someone

And though I am silent
I have something to say

And though I am still,
I have something to do

I just don’t know it
I just can’t believe it
I just need…
I just need…

I need someone to tell me
To tell me I matter
To tell me I have something to say
To tell me that what I think matters
To tell me that what I say
Can be heard
Should be heard
Must be heard

I need someone to tell me
To tell me I matter
To tell me I have something to do
To tell me that what I do matters
To tell me that what I do
Can make a difference
Should make a difference
Must make a difference

And I need someone to help me
Someone to open my mouth
To open my eyes
To move my fingers
And to move my legs

Because I can’t
I’m not strong enough
Even with words of encouragement
I’m not strong enough

So please
Take my hand
Look me in the eye
Tell me I matter
And then help me prove it to you
Help me live again
Help me
Please

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged, and boy do I have a lot to say!!!

It’s the end of my first week of officially teaching as an official teacher! Hooray!!!

This week has been an amazing one; I’ve found myself literally looking forward to going to bed just so I can wake up and do it all over again! And I do mean ALL, from breakfast, to work, to home again in the evening. This is, I believe, the first time in my life where I really feel like the “whole package” is just perfect.

This is not to say things are perfect; I was up quite late last night panicking with nothing to teach first period today, and while the students are on the whole far better behaved than I’ve ever encountered before, there have been a few issues on that front come up this week. So, it’s not a cake walk, but it feels right… and that’s a pretty neat thing!

I’ve really enjoyed working with the grade 5/6s. They are a great group of students. I see the 6s more than the 5s, as we split up for Math and Literacy, and I’m with the 6s. It’s been interesting to step in to the classroom in the middle of the year. Firstly, the curriculum and programming is quite different from what we use in Ontario. They are using a math program that is really good, but I’m still just getting a feel for how it’s laid out (not hard, just not instinctive). The literacy program is really good, too; however, I was told the students had finished up to a certain point and had planned out the next few lessons only to find out while introducing the lesson that they’d already done all of it. So, some quick thinking got us onto another activity smoothly; it’s just one of those interesting challenges that come up jumping into something in the middle.

I actually am really enjoying those challenges. While I really like to be well-prepared for something before it happens, I also enjoy things that pop up in the middle that need to be adapted to. I always have; I guess it’s sort of like a game, only one that actually matters. J

I’m teaching the grade 5/6 art class. This week, the students made a little poster (for lack of a better word) with certain things about themselves (details I asked for – plans for the future, hobbies, get-to-know-you stuff, etc) and their photo in the middle. They presented them this morning, and they are now decorating the bulletin board in our classroom. In addition to learning lots of interesting things about our students, I also learned that you cannot assume that your students have pencil crayons at home to finish art projects. No one in my class had anything to colour with at home. There have been a few other little things like that that have popped up, but I can’t remember them now. You know, those subtle differences that remind you that you’re not at home anymore? Nothing big…

I’m also very much enjoying the grade 1 math class; the age group, if you know me and my teaching ‘preferences’, is quite out of my comfort zone, but I’m actually really enjoying it! They are a fine group of pretty normal grade 1s – full of energy, not always quick to listen, but what else is to be expected? I’m really enjoying the challenges of trying to meet the wide range of requirements of academic difficulty, managing the physical activity level, and keeping all of the students engaged. As rewarding as a successful lesson usually is, my successes in this class feel infinitely more significant. I’ve learned so much already from being in this classroom.

Another interesting thing to get used to at this school is the huge amount of classroom support! There is a full-time Teacher’s Assistant (TA) in every classroom. This is remarkable! In addition to this, in the grade 1 class, there is an ESL teacher who comes in instead of taking students out (I think just in this situation, to help the social aspect…), and there are two other TAs (I think that’s what their position is…). So, there are always 3 to 4 other adults in the room, in addition to myself. I’m definitely not used to this! And I don’t mean that it makes me nervous or anything; I mean that I just don’t know how to manage all of that support well. However, I had a great chat with the ESL teacher, and since then, I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. Today’s lesson went quite well!

I’ve started covering the grade 4 literacy and history classes, just for about five more weeks. In history, I’m going to do a short unit on Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) culture, largely because I studied it a fair bit, and I thought it would be kind of fun to do some Canadian content with them. It’s grade 4, and I only have four classes for it, so it’s not too in-depth, but we got off to a great start today talking about the concept of culture. We mind mapped (yes, I, linear-thinking-Jessica, willingly did a mind map… hard to believe, I know…) Nepali culture, which was fun because the students were teaching ME things! Then, they had to do a mind map of another culture that they identified with (some are Nepali, and some chose Nepal because that’s all they remember; others tried to do their home cultures). This was interesting. I’ve asked to get some training on teaching Third Culture Kids (TCKs) for my professional development, and am looking forward to when that happens. It was neat to watch them struggle to think of elements of their own culture (after doing Nepal so easily), coming up with things like “we have funerals” and “we eat curry” – not necessarily wrong, but not unique, either. It got me to wondering how important it really was that they know things about their own culture… There are a million factors to that answer, and I’m looking forward to mulling them over, and learning more about the issue. Anyway, eventually we’ll be using that mind map as a template for our learning about the Haudenosaunee. Should be fun!

In the literacy component, we’re doing narratives. So, after doing the first narrative sample with the program, I’ve started using Haudenosaunee (mostly, and a few other Native Canadian) narratives as the texts. We’re working towards writing our own Native Canadian Narrative. We did some impromptu oral story making-up, and I was so impressed with their creativity! I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with when they’ve had time to prepare!

So, I think that covers school… The lunches they make for the staff are fantastic! They have food that is Nepali, and also other food usually. I must say, I prefer the Nepali food to the international stuff, but it’s all been yummy!

Last Sunday, Simon, Michelle and another friend, Jordan, made a Scrabble board for us! We hosted a games night here on Wednesday – all of us, Jordan, three other teachers from the school, and another new friend. Some of us played Scrabble (six players), and there were some other games out, too. We played two games of Scrabble, and then several rounds of Take Two, which is also called Bananagrams – lots of fun! (It’s similar to Scrabble but without the board – and it’s a speed game!!!) Last, we played Bible Mad Gab all together, which was a great way to end the evening!

Thursday was Kim’s birthday, and tonight we all went out for Mexican food to celebrate! (I had no clue the Mexican restaurant here would be so authentically Mexican tasting! I thought it’d be like everything else – a Nepali spin on something else…) We had such a great time together, and then came home and played a couple of card games.

Now, I’m sitting here, writing this, and listening to the movie Jump In! while I putter away at things. My bed is looking quite tempting, but I thought I should take the time to blog now that I have a few minutes to spare! Monday’s lessons are all prepped except for art, and I have ample time to mull that one over.

Tomorrow, we’re all going out of town a ways to the Leprosy Hospital, where there is a carnival-type (I gather) event to raise funds. We’ll spend some time out there and then walk back (should be quite a nice walk! We’re bussing in, though.). I’m really looking forward to it – the event, getting out of the city, seeing new things, taking a nice walk, etc., etc., etc.

Alrighty, it’s late now – almost 11:00 – and I was up late last night working, so I think I’m going to turn in now.

I hope you all have a super great day!

When you meet new people through an already existing relationship, your initial impression of your new acquaintance will be (and I would suggest, in most cases, should be) affected by your impression of the person who introduced you.

For example, if you are my good friend, and you introduce me to a friend of yours, my initial impression of that friend will be strongly affected by my impressions of you. If you’re a deep, shallow, sporty, academic, goofy, party-ish, etc., I am quite likely to start with the base assumption that your friend is at least somewhat similar.

Now, of course, that friend can change that initial impression VERY quickly! But the fact is that they start off, in my mind (and I expect in most people’s minds, if we were honest with ourselves), similar to the mutual friend who introduced us.

[I feel obliged to insert here that I’m not talking about being prejudiced or judgemental; rather, I’m simply observing a likelihood in initial impressions. Initial impressions are not a problem – permanently judging someone based on those initial impressions is where the problem is.]

I was recently in a situation where I met a friend of a friend and found myself quite amazed, as we got to know each other better, at how different they were from our mutual acquaintance. As I listened to the conversation around me, I mulled over how interesting it was that within a few short moments, my opinion of my new acquaintance had changed dramatically from my initial reaction, which was based on my impression of our mutual friend.

Then, I was struck with the realization that I was in the same position. I was introduced as a friend of a friend, and the person I’d just met only knew me (at first) by the impression they had of our mutual friend. I wondered what their impression of their friend was, and how that affected their impression of me.

Did I start off already behind? Or did I start off strong?

Either way, of course, it averages out as I be myself and estabish my own impressions.

However, it is an interesting train of thought. How do the people in my circle affect the way I am perceived by new people I meet?

Now, I’m sure most people are expecting this to turn into a “watch who your friends are” sermon, but that’s not where I’m going. While I absolutely advocate for passionate integrity, I don’t think hanging out with only likeminded people is Biblical.

The point of these musings is not to suggest you need to pick friends that start you out on a positive foot. Rather, if you take the train of thought one step further, you end up with an interesting thought to mull over and pray about…

I can’t do much about the situation when other people introduce me to new people – I can’t make sure that I only get introduced by people with stellar reputations, etc.

But…

I CAN do my best to make sure that the people I introduce start off on a good note!

When I thought further about the affect other people’s reputations have on me when introduced, I got to wondering – when I introduce someone, do I start them off on a positive note? Or do they start off already behind?

See, THAT is the part of the equation I have some influence over.

There. Just a thought I’ve been mulling over recently… :)

Hope you have a great day! :)

Do you remember the scene in the Pirates of Penzance where they clarify the meaning of the word pronounced (with appropriate accent, of course):

When you said “orphan”, did you mean “orphan”, a person who has lost his parents, or “often”, frequently?

Accents are a pretty significant contributing factor to whether or not people can understand each other. Usually, it’s not a big deal, as context provides any necessary assistance.

However, when you are a grade 6 school boy taking a spelling test who clearly neglected to pay attention to the sentence provided using the word in context, accents become a huge stumbling block! I overheard this question from an American student after hearing the spelling word “organ” from the Australian teacher…

Do you mean “organ”, like an instrument that you play, or “Oregon”, like the state?

hahahahaha….

Monday is the Big Day when we get to start actually teaching our classes. I’ve been in and out of the room a bit this week, as my schedule would allow, and think this looks like a great group of students to work with!

Tomorrow is my last language class. I put a good effort forth, but with all of the other new information to process and remember, Nepali is not sticking nearly so well as Thai did (and continues to!). I’m glad there is a whole lot more English here than there was in Bangkok!

Tomorrow is full of meetings to try to complete the induction training and classroom handover. I’m looking forward to feeling like I’ve got a better handle on things – namely, to having the materials to start lesson planning. This is going to be a great term!

Also, I’ve joined a band! Well, it’s the CEO of the school, and three of us new teachers (Simon, Emily and myself). During the Tuesday/Thursday assemblies, we’re going to play some worship songs (like stuff we did at Kids Church). We did our first this morning, and it turned out quite well (especially because we only had one short practice!). I think this is going to be lots of fun!

So… considering I’ve only been here two weeks, I’ve certainly done a lot, and got involved in quite a lot!

I feel like I had so much more to say, but I’ve either forgotten it, or there really isn’t more to say right now… :P I’m off to enjoy some dinner, and hope you have a wonderful day!

(boy, readying this over, it sure doesn’t look like much, considering how busy things have been and are going to get… Simon posted another great blog that will fill you in on more of the details of what we’ve all been up to!)

I know some people have subscribed to my blog by email, and I’m not sure how quickly it sends the email or anything, so in the interest of explaining what you may or may not have received…

I just tried to post a reflection on First Impressions, but the Internet has consistently flaked out or something, and it only posted the first half of it – several times. So, I’ve deleted it for now and will try again later.

In the meantime, I’m open for questions (as always) so if there is anything you want to know about anything under the sun (seriously, try me…! although it’d make more sense if it was about Nepal, or school, or something…), just leave a comment or send me an email! :)

Have a great day!