This week, I memorized the second line of the Thai national anthem (no, I don’t know the first one yet – the rhythm keeps throwing me off…), learned how to say “if I am going to ____, who/what should I bring with me?”, asked a street vendor at what times they open and close, explained to a friend some Thai words that change meanings depending on the tone and earned a smile and a thumbs up from the taxi driver, and wrote the words “Jessica” and “Bangna” (where we live) in Thai to show to my teacher over Skype. I felt like a little kid who’d written their name for the first time showing it to their mum with a huge smile – “Look what I wrote, Ladawan! It’s my name!!!” – holding my white board up to my computer screen… :)

(I’m sure my printing looks like a little kid’s, too, but I’m learning…!)

I am bound and determined to keep moving forward in my language acquisition! :D

This week’s goals: keep plugging away at the national anthem, find a way to ask a “if I go ___, what should I bring?” question to a Thai person without sounding like a dork (how often does THAT come up in conversation while ordering dinner? haha), and see if I can find the church songs we sing in Thai somewhere so I can practice singing along… :)

For the vast majority of my life, I have been literate – as one would expect the average person born, raised and educated in Canada to be.

I grew up speaking and understanding the language that my entire society spoke (and started learning French in grade 1).

I learned to read and latched onto that pastime with a passion (enjoying everything from Put Me in the Zoo and Amelia Bedelia, to Jane Eyre and Persuasion).

I learned to write and have often enjoyed both leisure writing (such as this blog, some poetry and songs, and a few stories) and academic writing (on topics which varied from osteoporosis to the Devil’s Brigade, and culminated with my fourth year seminar paper on “The Changing Discourse on British Malaya” – though perhaps I didn’t enjoy writing that as much as I enjoyed finishing it!).

Being able to speak, read and write in the language of your society is, for the majority of people, expected and, for the majority of people, completely doable. In Ontario, it is not too much to assume that the teller at your bank, the boy bagging your groceries, or the random person you stop to ask directions to, will be able to understand and respond in English, too.

Literacy is assumed… and up until a year ago, it was something I took for granted.

I used to look at new immigrants who were just learning English or struggling to be understood through heavy accents and feel sorry for them – sorry that they were having difficulty communicating. “That must be so frustrating for them,” I’d think. In retrospect, I really did have as much compassion for them as I could, considering I still had only ever operated in a society that functioned in my native language. However, this past year has opened my eyes and my heart wide to the fullness of the challenges that non-native language speakers face in a society. And that, my friends, is because I have personally crossed over to “the other side of literacy”.

For those of you who may not have experience over here, let me share my reflections from over the past year with you…

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On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, you start back at square one. Scratch that – you start before square one. Seriously.

When you acquire your first language as a baby, you have months of experience of hearing the words and the sounds, and having certain words repeated over and over again for you, so that your mind is able to start sorting the sounds and separating what you’re hearing into words.

Honestly, when you are first exposed to a new language, your brain doesn’t know what to do with all of the new sounds. When you are listening to a new language, all of the sounds run together into one long mess of “noise” that means absolutely nothing. It’s impossible to even know where one word ends and another begins!

And I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise to you, but this is intimidating and stressful. It’s like your mind just shuts down, because no matter how hard you want to be able to understand, you don’t stand a chance because you can’t even tell one word apart from the next.

The only way I’ve found to start progressing out of this stage is to actually start learning a few words.

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, you are forced to realize that sufficient vocabulary for daily life does not come in one day. Or even one week. Or one month…

The first few words (usually of introduction) feel like such a triumph, and they are! When you are finally able to attach meaning to the sounds “namaste” or “sawadee kh”, you feel like you are on top of the world! You are able to understand, and even reply, to a greeting in a foreign language!

And then… you hear a new strand of sounds: “tapailai sansai chha?” or “sabaay dee mai kh?”

WHAT???

In the space of less than one second flat, your mind is frozen again. You don’t know these sounds and they have no meaning to you.

A reminder of just how little you actually know.

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, you do eventually start to learn. By one way or another, the sounds will break into individual words, a few of those words will gain meaning for you, and you’ll start to make a bit of sense out of the conversations around you.

In language class (which I’d recommend most), or from any of a variety of do-it-yourself learn-to-speak programs, you will start putting sentences together.

Mero desh Canada ho.
Dichan choop sii khiaw hk.
Mero jolaa tablemaa chaa.
Thaa mii satang, dichan ja baythiaw thii phratet Canada kh.

This is infinitely helpful in improving your understanding of the conversations around you, and even in answering a few simple questions.

However…

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, it takes a lot of courage to actually use the words and phrases you’ve acquired.

One fear to face is the reality that if you ask a question or make a statement in your new language, people are going to respond in that language. And you may not be able to understand that answer (thus potentially plunging you back into the mind-numbing stage).

There is a great deal of difference between being able to piece together “hongnaam thiinay kh?” (“bathroom where?”) and being able to understand “turn left at the next hallway, go straight past the Mister Donut toward the Starbucks, turn right into the small corridor, and it’s the third door on the left”.

Another fear to face is the reality that they may not understand you (for one reason or another). This is especially frustrating, because you are trying so hard, drawing on every resource you have, simply to communicate a message (try asking a taxi driver to stop at the walk-over bridge instead of driving for another 10 min to drop you off at the door to the mall when you don’t know the word for “bridge”). You do this little mental dance through your available vocabulary to piece together something that achieves the same effect to you (such as “stop here – I want to walk” accompanied by the sign language for “walk” – as if that would help…). And then… no good (you end up driving around a new area of town wondering how annoyed he’s going to be when you work up enough nerve to ask him to go back to the main road…). (In case you didn’t catch on, this happened to me yesterday.)

Another fear of a different type is simply wondering, if you work up the nerve to speak in your new language using the words you know, will anyone actually want to converse with you? For example, I am now able to ask in Thai “if you had time and money, what would you like to do?”, but that’s not exactly the kind of question you ask just anybody when passing them in a hallway! And it’s not generally ‘normal’ to ask your waitress what her favourite colour is and if she likes mountains…

For a long time, it seems you lack the right vocabulary to talk to the people around you, and lack the right people around you to use the vocabulary you have.

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, you just can’t read. Period.

If the new language uses the same script as yours, then at least you can try to sound words out, but of course that means nothing if you don’t have the vocabulary to attach meaning to what you’re reading…

If the new language uses a different script, then you’re in for a whole new level of challenge! Not only are the sounds and words of the language completely new, but the signs and symbols are foreign as well. The process begins again… One letter runs into another – where does one stop and another begin? Where does one word stop and another begin? What sound does each character make? And so on and so forth…

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, you want to read. Desperately.

I don’t even know what to add here, except that it really seems like every piece of writing I see is calling me to read it…

The more I learn of the oral language, the more the writing draws me in…

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, understanding is limited and effective communication is essentially impossible. Not forever, but for now.

And that is hard to get used to.

It is hard for someone who is used to being articulate to be reduced to working with less than a preschooler’s vocabulary.

It is hard for someone who is used to reading challenging novels to be reduced to looking at the pictures on the can to know what kind of food is inside.

It is hard for someone who is used to writing academic papers to have difficulty remembering the characters needed to write their own name.

It is difficult, but we have to realize that it is a phase, a phase in the development of our new literacy. Each moment of frustration is fuel to continue learning. We will never reach literacy if we do not go through the process of becoming literate.

On the other side of literacy…

On the other side of literacy, is a passion and drive to learn, and a humility that says “I am so not there yet, but I am on my way”.

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So…

On your side of literacy…

On your side of literacy, when you’re the one who knows how to read, how to write and how to speak, never fail to stop and appreciate the fact that you are able to understand the world around you.

On your side of literacy, take a minute to remind yourselves that those who do not know your language do know a language as well as you know your own.

On your side of literacy, remember that broken English is not a sign of mental incompetence, but is rather a sign that someone is going through the process of becoming literate in a new language.

On your side of literacy, don’t mistake simplistic terms as insensitive or rude, but rather remember that the speaker is working with a limited vocabulary (not to mention the whole idea of cultural literacy).

On your side of literacy, remember that just because someone can’t read English doesn’t mean they can’t read.

And finally, on your side of literacy, offer a hand to those on the journey there. Take a minute to tell them what your favourite colour is. Pause to help them “read” an EXIT sign. Leave a little extra space between your words – spoken and written. Take the condescending tone out of your voice. Smile.

On behalf of those becoming literate, thank you…

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And so, I’ll leave you now with my two newest Thai words: “Saphan” means “bridge” and “uaak” means “puke/barf/hurl”. I learnt these words so that I can piece together a sentence like “stop at the bridge or I’ll puke in your car!” *sigh* You’ve gotta love taxis in Bangkok… :)

I’m sorry I haven’t posted at all in soooo long, but it’s been a busy and, well…, busy time!

I spent three great weeks at home in Ontario with my family, and got to see many of my extended family members, too, which was such a blessing! I went to a Bluegrass festival and saw my uncle play with the Claire Lynch Band, which was fantastic. I had one-on-one hangout time with both my brother and my sister, and played Scrabble and Hearts with my family. My mom made my favourite foods, and we hit some great restaurants, too! I saw Marilyn ride, went to my home church, had coffee with one of my best friends and had my other best friend over for a games night. There were so many other great things that happened (I went grocery shopping with my mom… that is always so much fun!) that I can’t even begin to list them all here!

By the end of the three weeks, although I’d miss my family dearly, I was quite ready to get up and go again!

My flights were uneventful and I landed safely in Bangkok last Wednesday before lunch. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of meeting new people, attending orientation sessions, shopping for apartment essentials, and trying to settle in to both my apartment and my classroom. I’ll have to post more about school another time, because it’s late now and I have to get to bed. We’re off on a field trip tomorrow, so I’d better get well rested!

God bless!

I know I need to post about last weekend when I went to Chitwan, but it’s past 10:00 and it’s a school night, and I’m so tired that I should’ve been asleep quite awhile ago! Chitwan will have to wait because I want to do it justice… it was just such an amazing experience – a beautiful (and needed) retreat from Kathmandu. :)

I’ve got less than one month now, til I go home for three weeks.

Here’s what I’ll miss about Nepal (in no particular order):
- my students (honestly, they’re a great group of kids…)
- all my new friends here (co-workers, housemates, …)
- dhal baht (though I’m hopefully going to get a cooking lesson next weekend so I can make my own when I get home!)
- saris and kurtas!!! These are what makes KTM beautiful! (haha)
- having everything I need within a five minute walk
- fresh lemon soda (though I’ve got plans to make this myself at home – it’s not like it’s hard to do or anything! haha)

Things I am looking forward to at home:
- hugs!!!
- processed lunch meat
- air conditioning
- power 24/7 on demand (what a novelty!)
- having the biggest spiders in my room still smaller than my pinky toe nail (as opposed to 4″ across…) (shiver…)
- good coffee (not instant…)
- buying new shoes and pants
- going to my own church again
- seeing familiar faces and hearing familiar voices
- playing games with my family (especially Scrabble!)

Things I’m looking forward to in Bangkok:
- already knowing my way around (incl. being able to tell a taxi driver where I want to go!)
- already knowing some of the language (and I can’t WAIT to learn more!)
- street food
- fruit and veg that’s immediately edible (after washing, as opposed to having to be iodined first) – and available on the street ready-to-eat is even better!
- having my own flat (yikes! just one of many “side effects” of living internationally and being surrounded mostly by British and Australian people… I’ve also taken to writing “mum” and actually referred to having gone to “uni” in conversation today… I haven’t lost my Canadian accent, though!)
- knowing that I’ll be in the same place for two years – actually being able to feel settled and at home again…
- already having friends there
- and, of course, teaching! Meeting new students, new co-workers… getting to know a new school…

I’m sure there are lots of other things for all of the lists, but these are what comes to mind first. Now it’s time to close my eyes and get ready for another week… :)

Perhaps you’ve heard about the bandh (or ‘strike’) going on in Nepal right now, or you’ve heard me refer to bandhs before, and are wondering what it’s actually like. So, here’s a bit of an explanation about what the bandh is like for me, personally. I don’t mean to say that my experience is everyone’s, because I don’t live in the main Kathmandu area, and I certainly don’t ‘get’ all of the nuances and history that make this situation the way it is. This is just what it looks like from my perspective.

Friday night was rainy, but we all went on a walk to a grocery store I hadn’t been to before (far nicer than the ones I usually go to – I think I’ll head there from now on!). We stocked up on items just in case we couldn’t get more food later on. One of the many things you do “just in case” because it’s pretty hard to plan on things around here…

On Saturday, there was a big “labour day” (I think) type rally. Many Maoists came in from the villages to Kathmandu to join the rally. Evidently, sometimes people in the villages are forced by the Maoist cadres to join the protest. The end result of this on our end was that there were literally thousands of extra people in Kathmandu this weekend. So, we were told to go home Friday after school and keep our gates locked starting that evening. Usually we just lock our gates overnight, but with all of the extra people in town who need somewhere to stay, sometimes they’ll just open your gate, walk into your house, and stay there (or ask for food, or money or something else…)! This didn’t happen to us, but it was a possibility. We still have our gate locked. I stayed home all day, though some people in our house went out. I didn’t need to go out and figure that it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. The girls here (Emily and Jessi) made homemade bagles which were such a nice treat!

On Sunday, the bandh officially started. “Bandh” is simply the Nepali word for “closed”, and there can be all different types of bandhs, such as education bandhs (all schools closed), vehicle bandhs (no driving), etc, and it can be called by people other than the Maoists. However, this is a Maoist general strike, which means it is a) more serious because it is called by the Maoists, and b) it applies to pretty much all parts of “life”, not just cars, schools or grocery stores. So, officially there are supposed to be no vehicles on the road (except for ambulances, press vehicles and milk trucks), no businesses open (except for very small veggie stands), and, in general, it’s safer to stay at home than to go out without good reason.

On Sunday, the first day, it was hard to tell if it was going to be a serious strike (like one that you really need to stay inside for, or one that you just should stay inside for, you know?), so I played it safe and stayed at home. Jessi, who’s staying at the guest house for quite a bit before moving into her own place for four years (with SIL), made a good Southern breakfast – biscuits, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and bacon! I helped by opening all of the sausages and getting the meat out (yes, Mum, with my bare hands!). It was such a yummy treat!

I made dinner in the evening. I made my very first tourtiere! This is like a coming of age thing, in my opinion! Haha… This is a French Canadian pie that we have every Christmas Eve, and occasionally at a few other special family events. I had to make the pie crust from scratch and it actually turned out flaky! I wasn’t even worrying about how flaky it was; I just wanted it to hold the filling and be edible, and it turned out just perfectly! I also tried to make our family’s jello salad recipe which calls for applesauce. I had to make that by hand, too, and it had a significant (and negative) result on the final product. It tasted alright, but it wasn’t at all the way it should have been.

We went to bed Sunday night not sure at all if we would have school or not the next day. Things can change so quickly here that they decided to wait until 6:30 am to make a decision.
Monday morning, closer to 7:00 than 6:30, we found out that school was, indeed, off. I stayed home and enjoyed a cozy day relaxing. I spent the morning computer doodling. For fun, I decided to design Star Fleet Admiral uniforms for a girl, and it was such a fun way to spend the morning. Here are some of my favourites:

Today is Wednesday, and we’re still off school because of the bandh. I can’t remember the exact details of everyday, so here is a run down of the things I’ve been up to. I played SkipBo, watched Star Trek:TNG, played our new keyboard, cleaned my room (very thoroughly!), went to Bible study, got my Japanese Encephalitis vaccination, tried to write some blog entries (though it’s taking awhile!), Skyped with all of my family, and gone into work for a few hours to get some stuff done. I am in pretty good shape for lesson planning and whatnot, which is great, and I will need to get started on the assessment portfolios for my students in the next couple of days.

We’re still going day-to-day here; some Nepalis I’ve asked (like our didi) seem to think that it will continue along for at least another few days and may even come to some fighting before it’s over. But, that could change overnight, too. The important thing for people to know, though, is that I’m in no danger being here. We live and work outside the main Kathmandu city (we live in Patan, on the other side of the bridge that leads into Kathmandu proper). I am not going out anywhere except close by for necessary things. When I’ve been out, I’ve seen some large groups of people marching down the street chanting and waving red flags, but I just changed my direction and walked down another road. So, you don’t need to worry about me, but you can pray that Nepal gets things figured out and that it is safe for everyone again. I’ll let you know when we’re back to normal here!

Well, this week, I celebrated my first birthday away from home, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

Usually the bulk of our birthday celebrations is family oriented. I usually choose what I’d like for dinner and what activity I’d like to do, and then we do that as a family. So, I wasn’t too sure how I would feel spending my birthday on the other side of the world from them…

However, my day turned out absolutely wonderfully!

First of all, my teaching day at school was fantastic! Honestly, God has blessed me with such wonderful students. They make teaching such a great experience…

In the afternoon, we were invited (the grade 5/6 class) to go to the American school here to preview their school production, The Boy Friend. That took all afternoon, and while the musical was quite well done, I was mostly just so proud of my class! They were a fantastic audience, and when we had to get up to leave about 20 min early, they not only left the auditorium silently and orderly, they left the whole building silently and then used only their quiet voices til we left the whole compound. I was SO impressed!

For that evening, I’d made reservations at a nice restaurant that is relatively new in town. It’s called Aalishan and has Indian and Oriental cuisine, and I thought it looked like a good place to check out.
I had such a great time! My friends from the guest house, Bible study, and KISC all came (well, most of them did) and it was such a fun and relaxing time! There were 14 of us in all, and it was neat to just sit at the table and look at all the people in my life who are now important to me that I didn’t even know a few months ago. Pretty much everybody there (one guy I just recently met) has made a real impact on me in some way and having them around on my birthday (or anytime really – a birthday’s just an excuse…) made the day feel special. :)

After that, many of us went back to the guest house and Emily had made one of the best carrot cakes I’ve ever had! It had pineapple in it, and such a yummy icing! We chatted for awhile, and then a few of us stayed up to watch an episode of Star Trek TNG.

All in all, it was a super great day!

And now I’m 24.

And waiting to see what unexpected things the next year will hold!

It’s been forever since I’ve blogged – sorry about that! At first it was because I was so busy living life that I didn’t have time to write all the details down (on my trip to Bangkok). Then, when I got home I discovered that the Internet at the house isn’t working, so I’ve come into school today to post a long overdue update for you! :)

Here are the highlights of the past couple of weeks…

Primary Picnic - The primary school went on a picnic at the Sterling Club (British Embassy) on the last Friday of term. We split up into our colour houses (I’m green!) and played lots of games against each other. I had a group of six green house students from gr1-6, and I sure had fun cheering them on! The students were treated to French fries and watermelon, and they even made sure teachers and parents got coffee and tea at break time!

Easter Assembly - Then, we came back to school and ate lunch outside. After lunch, we had a whole school Easter assembly. It was interesting to see the whole school and any interested parents all together in the half-gym. I don’t think you could fit my whole middle school (Centennial – about 550 students, just grades 7/8, when I was there) in that gym… I have a really hard time estimating numbers of people, and so I found that assembly helpful for getting a visual idea of how many students and teachers there really are here. The assembly itself went well. They sang some praise and worship songs and talked about “what Easter means to me”. The student council arranged an Easter egg hunt around the campus and provided ice cream cones for after. Definitely a creative assembly!

Thailand!!! – The next day, I left for my vacation to Bangkok to visit friends. I had such a fantastic time! Here’s a recap of what I got up to…

Old Friends - I stayed with a friend right next door to where I lived before. Without sounding too corny, I hope, I spent my entire vacation surrounded by people who are so encouraging to be around, and I so appreciated the conversations we had and just being able to spend time with them again. This was definitely the highlight of my trip!

New Friends – Sandra has an intern right now, as well as another girl about my age, staying with her, so I ended up hanging out with them quite a bit, too! I really enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know them; they are both such amazing people, and it was encouraging to talk with them. It was also nice to have people to do some activities with!

Grand Palace - I took Sandra’s visitor to the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha. We had a really funny tour guide at the Grand Palace who wandered ahead of us and then smiled really big while waiting for us to catch up. Seriously, we’d be looking all over, “where is he???” and then we’d see him off in the distance just standing there smiling at us… He was pretty funny! He told us he’s been doing tours an average of three times a day for 10 years, and he wants to be the Prime Minister of Thailand. Evidently he speaks several languages, including French, Spanish, Italian and something else. He said he learned those languages from tourists he met. He promptly pulled out a pile of papers to show us. Sure enough, on top of the first page was written a sentence in French about the king, and the Thai underneath it, which I presume was the translation. What an interesting character!

Siam Ocean World – One day, I decided to take myself to Siam Ocean World, in the basement of Siam Paragon mall. It’s like an aquarium with fish and whatnot, very small scale compared to something like Sea World, of course, but quite large considering it’s in the basement of a mall in Bangkok…! I quite enjoyed it as a random diversion for a random afternoon! :) They also had a movie theatre playing this very environmentally-themed short in a theatre where you’re seats jerk around a bit (not enough to need seat belts or anything) and at appropriate points, your seat vibrates or blows air at you – all designed to make you feel like you’re really in the movie. It was pretty corny, which made it loads of fun!

Floating Markets – We drove out to the Floating Markets one morning. It was such a beautiful drive! It felt truly tropical – passing such beautiful, green scenery, large palm trees… It was just lovely! The market itself was pretty neat, too. The vendors are all along the sides of the canals, and the boats go down the middle. The vendors try to get you to stop and buy something at their stall, and many of them actually have long hooks and they’ll hook your boat and pull you over to them!

Other Random Things – We spent a lovely afternoon in the pool at the muubaan. I managed to find each of the Thai dishes I wanted to have again before leaving. We watched Alice in Wonderland in theatre seats that were more like comfortable armchairs than theatre seats. I went to NewSong Church one weekend, and Jai Samarn Church the next – for Easter Sunday. I saw a Thai choir of about 10 people sing “Oh Happy Day”, which was quite interesting! We went to the Night Markets again, and I also went to visit everyone at NightLight.

I stayed in Bangkok for just under two weeks, arriving on a Saturday and leaving on a Thursday. By the time it was time to leave, I was ready to come back and gear up for school again. I’m ready to get back into routine!

Term Four – Term Four was supposed to start today but school was cancelled for a bandh (which ended up being cancelled after school was cancelled, but too late to uncancel school… such is life in Nepal! haha… anyway…). This term, we’ve reshuffled the teaching assignments and now I’m continuing to do Grade 6 Math and Literacy, Grade 1 Math, and Grades 5/6 Geography. I am taking on Grades 5/6 Art (which technically was mine before, but we had a guest art teacher all term, so I didn’t have to do anything for it), Science, Reader’s Theatre, Handwriting, and PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education). I’m no longer doing anything with the Grade 4s, or Grade 5/6 Grammar. I’m excited about these changes – I’ve got more teaching assignments and it should be a great term! I feel much more settled in the classroom now and hope that this term will be more “stable” instead of feeling like we’re taking on someone else’s class, and we’re all just still getting used to each other. We took last term to establish classroom routines, etc., and hopefully this term will be more relaxing for everyone! :)

What’s Next? – I am excited to say that I have accepted a teaching position at ICS Bangkok ! I will be teaching a grade 4 class. The commitment is for two years, and I need to be in Bangkok by July 20th. This means I have only about three weeks at home, and I am starting to get used to that idea. It helps that this feels so incredibly right, and is such an amazing opportunity in so many ways! It is such a great school, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to join the staff there!

One Last Update – I am all signed up for another Additional Qualification course! I will be taking my “Senior ABQ – History” course online from the end of May through to the end of August. This will qualify me to teach Grades 11 and 12 History, meaning I’ll be qualified to teach K-12! Hooray! :) I’m looking forward to being back ‘in school’, even if it is only online! :)

I will certainly keep everyone up to date as things move forward (in all different areas). I thank you all so much for your prayers and emails/comments. I really love hearing from you!

Well, my intention was to take a week off of blogging to write a newsletter, but that stretched into about three weeks… oops!

However, the result is a fourteen page newsletter filled with information and pictures and lots of random things! If you’d like to see the final product, you can click here to read my newsletter.

Also, the father of my students (who had a stroke earlier this month) has returned home. He is obviously still on a long road to recovery, but it was truly miraculous how quickly he was able to move his fingers and toes, and start trying to talk again. He’s doing really well compared to how he “should” be doing – thanks so much for your prayers!!!

I think that’s all for tonight. I’ll try to pick up regular blogging again now that the newsletter is done! :)

Have a great weekend!

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.