It's the Holiday Season!

Hello everyone! Let's just pretend it has not been more than 8 months since my last blog. I just spent over an hour trying to figure out what my password was. Google really puts you through the ringer trying to find this information! At last, I was victorious by remembering a secret place where I wrote down my password.  I guess if I updated more often, my password wouldn't have to be dusted off. Maybe I learned a lesson. One can only hope. :)

New Beginnings.  I started this school year with a new aide, Stacey. She is a perfect match for me. Where I am weak in the carrying-out of the vision she is oh-so strong. She is a Pinterest queen where I could create a Pinterest fail board.  She is an encourager, helpful in countless ways, and a good friend. She makes going to work that much easier on an overwhelmed teacher's heart/plate. Stacey is a full-time mom and teacher in 2nd grade. You can pray for Stacey's sanity. :)

I have a full class this year - 16 kiddos.  I have students from Peru, Australia, South Korea, Ecuador, America, and Brazil.  We just celebrated International Cultures Day at ICSL so it was awesome to see the kids take pride in their home country. It was even cooler to worship God together in our native tongues.  Being a product of a Christian home and private, Christian education, I am challenging myself to find ways to have the students understand the Truth of the Gospel in their heart vs. their head. Of course I want them to learn more about God, but I want them to know God in a personal way.  You can pray for sensitivity to sharing Christ in real ways to young minds.  We have had lots of fun learning about economics, adding and subtracting with many digits, weather fun - had to educate them on what a tornado was and try to NOT terrify them, and reading, reading, reading.

Current Status. This year I had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with some families from the ICSL community.  All of the families had students from my class this year or last year! It was fun to spend time with them and their parents outside  of the school walls.  We had delicious food that was covered with American flair - pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. My heart loved the fellowship and my belly loved the food.  We managed to complete a 1,000 piece puzzle with great conversation and laughter. I am thankful for a feeling of family when I am so far away from my own.  AND! I am thankful for technology that allowed me to watch part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade as well as talk to my family!

Monday, December 1st is an important day in my life.  Well it means that I have to make a decision about staying or leaving Peru for the next school year.  Those that are close to me know that I generally think more emotionally than logically.  I have been praying for the Lord to take my emotions out of my decision. I want to know His peace and presence wherever I go.  When I got here last year, I thought "ok...you can do this. It's two years of your life."  The excitement of a new place has worn off and the ongoing challenges in front of me can be very tiring.  There are days that I call "America days" where I just want to go home. I want the ease and independence of being in my home country. This happens a lot when I can't get a taxi or I am unfamiliar of how to communicate my needs.  I just want to go home where it is easy. But the Lord has challenged my thinking. If we get comfortable, we stop growing. We need challenges to stretch us. The big challenge was getting here and starting to adjust. Now I find myself adjusted and comfortable more days than not.  Sometimes I feel guilty for finding myself so comfortable. I could be teaching in a Christian school in the States and having coffee dates at Starbucks with my friends. What is making this Peru experience special? Being in Peru. So I want to experience Peru. I want to challenge myself to experience Peru in a more personal way - some through travel, Peruvian friendships, and other ways I may not even know yet.   So...with all that being said, I have decided to stay another year.  Just think...that gives you all another year to save those pennies to buy a plane ticket and come visit!

Your Personal Lottie Moon.  Churches all over the U.S. are gearing up for their Lottie Moon Christmas offering. The namesake comes from a missionary named Lottie Moon who urged other Christians to give in support of missionaries so that Gospel might continue to be spread. The first offering was taken around Christmas time and was enough to send three new missionaries in China (info found on imb.org) Now the history lesson is over. :)  Living overseas and traveling expenses can make life difficult.  I need all kinds of support - encouragement, prayer, and financial.  The organization I am with (Network of International Christian Schools - NICS) allows for individuals to give one-time or monthly gifts.  All gifts are tax-deductible. :) To give, you can go online to www.nics.org and click on Donate at the bottom of the page.  My project code is #003626. Your contribution will be electronically placed into my bank account.

Perceptions of Peru.
1. Men can hold their mom's and girlfriend's hands while walking through the mall. Like fingers are interdigitated.
2. Peruvians walk at a shuffle-like speed. However, when they are using the crosswalk they prance.  I still expect cars to stop. That is American way of thinking and could get me run over. God's grace has been covering me.
3. A Peruvian Ronald McDonald is kind of creepy. I only wish I had a picture to prove this.
4. Starbucks offers the red cup but not the same flavors as the US. This is a welcomed change.

I want to include some pictures of my Peru life.  Some of these might be duplicates if you are my facebook friend. But I know not everyone is my FB offical friend - my Parents for one.

Thanks for the support, 
You are loved,
Megan

The first day with my aide, Stacey. Love her BIG TIME!

Learning about the globe - continents and oceans. It got a little messy with paint.

Food makes any math work better. Especially chocolate.

Tali said, "it was the best lesson ever!" Bribery works.

Oh Spring.You are cute.

Happy Birthday, Tom!

Fun lesson on good fit books.

Emily and Beau showing off the continent of North America.

Finley and Asha being cute and productive.

Raul and Tali working hard.

Spring and Anna Kate.

JunPyo taking a break from being a Superhero Sentence.

Showing off our family "trees."

They love to read especially to each other.

Spring showing off his urban community.

Mark's cute rural community.

Crazy hair makes us crazy!!

Teachers too!!!

Not just a snack. It's pollination in process.

Heidi showing off her iRead (book report).

So many kids had never had hot apple cider before! We had to fix that! Plus, a treat from the States - caramel apple suckers! 

Selling goods and services to our friends in first grade.

Getting ready to open up shop.

Mark and Raul selling game/play time.

They bought a makeover!

Sara doing Heidi's makeup. They were super stoked!

Beau selling Spring some photobooth services.

Looking good in our PJ's.

They even brought stuffed animals!

Storybook day on October 31st. We celebrated characters from the books we had read in October.

I creeped them out as Miss Swamp. It was sweaatttyyy under that mask! Like dripping through the snot holes.

Investigating pumpkins. This was a new concept for many of the students.

Erosion fun.

They are eroding some legos.

Working hard, Junghyun!

Finished product. Love the face Emily!

International Cultures Day. Showing off our home country pride.
Beau, Sara, JunPyo, Tom

Mark, Gabriela, Julia, Heidi

Emily, Finley, Junghyun, Tali

Anna Kate, Asha, Raul,, Spring

Our turkeys were disguised as a reprensentative of their home country.  They were CUTE! We had a condor, flamenco dancer, George Washington, soccer ball, or Carnival dancer.  (just to name a few)

Junghyun's pretty dress!

Class photo in our Mayflower hats before our Thanksgiving Day feast.

Our class won the ice cream party for I Love to Read month. They were stoked! Some kids read almost 40 hours for the month. They LOVE books!

Gabiela rockin' the Mayflower math hat.

Playing a game of turkey scoot to see how much they knew about turkeys. They love the game of scoot!

Concussed

Before all the "let's pass out, ER visit, stitches, concussion ramifications" came about it was time for a scheduled blog update. But now all the head trauma has superseded any other details of my life I was going to share.  Can I blame the concussion for plaguing me with loss of memory? Don't tell me the answer...I am going to go with YES.

Like a show that teases the big, cliff-hanging moment until the last few moments of the show, I am going to make you wait to hear all the juicy details for a few more thoughts...

My kids are doing well! Spiritual Emphasis Week was a great time. They learned new songs, heard the Truth, and ran around like little kids like to do.  One of my students is learning all this Jesus stuff for the first time.  The other day he said he didn't love Jesus. All the kids gasped and turned to me to see what my expression/response was going to be.  I was choosing to listen to the student instead of force any thoughts/beliefs.  He went on to say, "I like Jesus. I just don't love Him."  I found that moment quite encouraging. I want my students to experience Christ not feelings. I don't want them to be wrapped up in the Christian bubble around them that they miss out on personally knowing Christ.  Our relationship with Christ is has to be more than emotion. Can you imagine if our friendships were like that? What a rollercoaster! So...continue to pray with me that my students would grow in their knowledge of who Christ is so that they may want to have a relationship with him.

ICSL showcased a variety of talents at the school's Talent Show.  It was awesome to see shy students bust out of their shell to see their gifts.  It was great to actually watch and not feel the need to perform for once.  In other school news, we are looking at a piece of property to move the school to.  It would require building which requires MONEY, but God is working some details out. Pray for God's guidance and sensitivity to His leading through all decisions (big and small) that have to be made.

Last time I mentioned the church debacle I was feeling. I have decided to attend La Cuidad.  I am excited to see my Lima community in a new way.  There are many opportunities to serve -  it will be matter of what is the Lord telling me to do. :)

Now...the headlining story... I have changed to color to blue to show the details my roommates shared with me.
Last Sunday (the 30th), I woke up feeling nauseous and hugged the toilet much of the morning. By the afternoon I was feeling feverish and into the evening with chills/aches. My roomies and I were watching Harry Potter (we are working through the series!) when I went upstairs to get Tylenol for my pain.  All I remember is looking at the pill bottle to see how many mg were each capsule. I tried to grab the sink (I think) but I passed out. I thought I hit the door with my head but apparently I hit the wood floor. In my roommates' version they heard me say "Oh no" and then heard me fall.  When they got to me,  my eyes were open and I was shaking.  They went into medical mode. When I came to, I was having difficulty breathing and sweating like none other. My head kind of hurt but I didn't know why.  I remember there was yelling (due to the intensity of the situation). From there I don't remember much until I got an IV at the hospital.  Mrs. Havill picked me up and took me the hospital.  My head was in Gabi's lap and she wanted to sing a song. I just kept telling her it had too many verses in it.  I guess they were trying to keep me lucid.  Our school nurse/good friend, Lindsey, met us at the hospital. The roommates said I was pale, blue-lipped because of the lack of water in my body.  After the IV I was getting color back. I had a CT scan and I remember seeing blood all over my pillow. I thought, something is not right here.  Thankfully the scan came back normal.  When I got back to the room, they took blood to check for a parasite and gave me a tetanus shot. They asked me the last time I had a tetanus shot. I couldn't remember but I couldn't even remember what day it was!  All I could remember was that one time in college we went snipe hunting and I was wondering then when was the last time I had had a tetanus shot after falling over a barbed wire fence.  Anyway...they started cleaning my head up and gave me 5 stitches for my 4cm cut. I held real tight to Missy's hand as Linds made sure all the medical precautions were taken. Missy definitely got a picture/video, but I have yet to see it. I think we are waiting till this event is past us to look back with fond memories.  After being stitched up, I went home and got to bed about 2am.

The next few days, I was at home resting.  I had some minor dizziness, but nothing too crippling. I no longer felt flu-like.  I was ready to go to work. I returned on Thursday to the chaos.  While it was a warm welcome, it was chaotic. I had to figure out what had happened while I was gone and not to mention wrap up the end of the quarter.  It was insane.  I came to work Friday EXHAUSTED.  I wanted to cry. I was barely functioning.  I may have slept the night before but I didn't feel rested.  Honestly, I am still fighting that battle. I may get 7-8 hours of sleep at night but I don't feel rested when I wake up. I just want to sleep more.  I miss my everyday activities.  It is extremely frustrating.  I feel like I can control this or I should be able to do this, but I can't. I went back this past Sunday to get my stitches taken out and he wanted a couple more days. Of course I want my brain to get the rest and healing it needs, but I don't want to be considered lazy or make excuses for myself either.

Fast forward a few more days and I FINALLY got the stitches out!  After waiting a little over an hour the whole scenario cost 4.60s (so a little over a $1) to get them out. The big shenanigan cost a lot more than that but I am grateful for insurance!  I am beyond grateful for all of the care and concern I have encountered the past few weeks.

Next post: the spring break staycation.  I can't believe we only have 37 school days left.  I am not sure where this year has gone.

Have a fabulous week!
Megan :)

Prayer requests:
*Please continue to pray for guidance as funding/building sites and permits for the new building will be provided
* Pray for La Cuidad. We are moving to a new location for Easter Sunday.  We will be meeting in a theater.  Details for the children's ministry are still being worked out.

"Jesus Didn't Have Scissors"

Hey Hey!  I am enjoying the sun's bright light on this hot, summer day.  How about y'all? Apparently "fall" starts next week.  I have mixed emotions about the cooler temps - no more sweaty hugs but playing freeze out isn't fun either.  Bygones.... Here is a glimpse into my world recently...

La Ciudad.  This week I attended a meeting about becoming a partner in this church plant.  The heart of the church is to be a "place" where believers meet to worship and serve Christ along with one another and the city. The name of the church actually translates to The City.  While some personal preferences don't match up, I remind myself that worship isn't really about me is it?  I am still praying about joining the team, but it is exciting to be a part of something small and watch what God can do with it. A verse on my mirror that I keep reciting to myself in MANY circumstances I encounter is Ephesians 3:20, "God is able through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Blow me away, Jesus.

Talent Show Judge.  I put on my Mariah Carey/Paul Abdul/JLo hat to judge different acts for our school's upcoming talent show. It was great to witness all the talents that our kids have.  I definitely heard a couple "Frozen" songs - some movies/trends cross cultural barriers.  A little kindergartner definitely whipped his violin out. His look alone had to give him a cute point! :)  Teachers can enter acts into the show. It was SO MUCH fun last year in Suriname and being backup singers for our P-Dawg at Hasty, so I might have to work something up. The stage is my home away from home - kinda.

Burrito Bar. We had a guest this week in Lima.  Missy's boyfriend, Josh, came down from the States and brought GIRL SCOUT cookies! I might have to steal a roll when Miss isn't looking.  Anyway, it was fun to show him the city that has become home for us.  We went to the Burrito Bar - DELICIOUS. It is like Moe's of Peru.  I mean you don't have the forced, friendly greeting that Moe's offers up when you enter through the door, but the food is amazing and CHEAP!  With full bellies and Starbucks in our hands, we walked down to a bridge that overlooks the ocean.  We went all the way down to the ocean when we had the Amazing Race  (at the start of the school year). But we decided to enjoy the view from the bridge this time because those stairs are worse than a stairmaster. You can't help but be winded just by looking at them! Gab and I were soaking up the fact that this beauty is in our backyard.  What a creative God! It takes on a different tune to the Hillsong song "Oceans" when you are staring at it.

SEW. This upcoming week we are our Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) with the whole school.  One of my student's dad's is sharing the Word - Wes Yoakum. Pray for him as he shares with various audiences on various topics that God's Word would be shared and understood in a clear way. My kids really enjoy Bible time and hearing "stories."  I just pray they take it from stories in a cool book to a love story that God wrote for them. I have some tender hearts and I know other teachers do, too.  Pray for God to work in a way that only be recognized as His handiwork.

Kid's Quotes.  They really do say the darnedest things, don't they?  Here are few cute quotes.  (I know it would be 10x better if you HEARD them say it or even if you KNEW them, but for now this will have to suffice.)

Sarah to me: "Yeah, I wake up every morning and say ' I'm beautiful' "(while she flips her hair). This girl is a hoot!

Bryce to Donna: "You know Jesus had long hair because he didn't have scissors back then."
Jakob overhears said conversation and puts in his two cents: "No, it's because back then having long hair was a mark of being baptized." (I don't know the history or theology on that yet...any insights?)

Lucas to Oliver: "If Jesus was in our class, all of our clips would be moved to red (severely bad behavior) and his clip would go to orange (super great behavior) every day."  Something tells him his idea of Jesus' perfect life and our sinfulness is something Lucas grasps.

I love this group of kids. They have my heart.

Have a great week!
You are loved,
Megan

February 28th: Time for Fall

Hello there!!!  Friday marked a darker day in Lima. The sun starts playing hide-n-seek until about November.  ?????  Ok...so maybe those aren't the EXACT dates, but we won't be seeing the sun and all it's heated glory as often as we did in early February. I know my freezing family members and friends in the US have been a bit envious of the sun's rays I have experienced while they are playing freeze out, but I am a bit ready for cooler (NOT cold) temperatures. I am sure I have no pity. :)  Life in Lima has been pretty good!  Here are some of the highlights of the last couple of weeks:

• Hello, My name is Dohyeok.  Dohyeok is my new student. He is from Korea.  He knows little English and is learning school manners.  He makes constant noise and has smile that can melt this teacher's heart.  I think it is safe to say he is making progress with the routine.  I hope he absorbs so much - so much GOOD.  At first I was having "oh no he did not" moments, but I am praying for an understanding and nurturing heart as Dohyeok and I try to figure one another out.  The class is extending an olive branch of help and friendship. The boys are stoked to have another one of them.  If you are keeping track, that makes 15. We make it work. :)
• Church Update.  I attended La Ciudad Lima this morning. It is a church plant that was started by my student's family.  The service is in English and translated to Spanish. However, the worship (singing) is done as a mix of English and Spanish within one song. It was pretty cool! Right now they are meeting once a month, but plan on going weekly starting April 6th.  The church meets in a hotel building (El Polo) which is across from the large and in charge US Embassy.  (Side note - I thought the hotel was El Pollo which would be the chicken. I can confirm it is not El Pollo). La Ciudad has solid Bible-believing teaching and friendly people. It would be easy to get plugged in. I am still seeking the Lord on where I should attend. No church will ever be like the ones I was lucky to attend in the States, but new isn't always bad. It is just sometimes not enjoyable to be stretched.
• Happy Hands Club.  Tressa (our high school science and math teacher) and I teach Sign Language to K-2 students on Monday afternoons. Teachers are required to do one club a year - either first or second semester. Tressa and I are tackling this project together. I have been super impressed at how sponge-like these kids have been. They are picking stuff up pretty fast! Coolest part: we taught them John 3:16 last week. Not only are they repeatedly speaking/translating the verse, but they are sharing the Word with their family members and friends. Praying God's Word soaks in everyone's minds and hearts. :)
• Oh Kids. While teaching some of God’s commands from Exodus 20 (the 10 commandments) why is that the children always get stuck on the number 7 – being faithful to your mate? It is kinda awkward to try to explain to delicate ears, in a way that they would understand, without raising more questions than needed. I need to start writing on down all the cute/awkward/funny things they say. I am sure I could write a book!
• Tour Guide. I am having my first visitors to Peru.  They bought their tickets! I get to be tour guide to Nikki (and her friend) in May.  It will be exciting to show off my city/world to them. Not to mention the American treasures they can pack in their suitcases for me!

Prayer Requests:
*Pray for Dohyeok as he transitions to a new school/language/friendships. I can only imagine how overwhelming it would be!
*Pray for me as I continue to seek after where the Lord would have me attend church. Give me a desire to keep pursuing that community even when I am tired from the work of a "missionary."  I don't want to forget the reason I am here. I want to be fed the Word in order to minister to others.

Until we "meet" again - Happy trails to you!
Later gator,
Megan

Birthday Bliss

Dear Diary....wait...no that is not right....HEY EVERYONE OUT THERE!!! :)

This week has been insane. It was one of the best birthday weeks I ever had. I was spoiled day after day.  I will try not to brag, but there are no guarantees. It comes down to being overwhelmingly blessed by those near and dear to me.  I have to give a shout-out to some of the highlights of this week.

My kids.  During our morning devo time, the kids were mentioning my upcoming birthday as a praise for a week and a half before the event. They were stoked which in turn made me super excited.  One of the students prayed this past week and thanked God for my upcoming birthday and after she said "amen" the kids were getting so upset she said something about my birthday. To which she replied, "I didn't say anything guys!" I just tried to act like I had selective hearing at the moment and avoid that awkward moment.  Well on the big day, my sweet aide (Gisela) organized a surprise party. The kids each gave me a flower, balloon, and sweet note. They read them aloud. I was a mess. It was too sweet. Then they say Happy Birthday in English and Spanish. (A great plug for working at an international school!)  We had my favorite kind of cake - it is like a milky way in cake form.  Mrs. Gisela prayed for me (even my spouse wherever he may be) and said some kind words. My students' parents blessed me with a mani/pedi from a nice salon down the street from my school. Yay for getting pampered!

My roommates.  I awoke Thursday morning to a trail of coke zero, water bottles, coffee, and Sublime candy bars from my room to the kitchen table downstairs where there was a bouquet of beautiful flowers. There were 30 candy bars to be exact! :)  Then after school, we went to a lovely Italian dinner at this chic restaurant in Larco Mar.  After dinner it was desert at Chili's for a molten lava cake. That cake was gone in 1 minute. Literally. SOOOOOO good!

Megan No. 30.  The week ended with a Chanel No. 5 themed party with all the attendees in pink, black, and white attire.  My roommates decorated the house with awesome CoCo Chanel sayings and played awesome jazz music.  We grubbed on some awesome Mexican food (my favorite) and battled in Just Dance until the sweat got the best of us.  NOT TO MENTION, that I got to sing Glee karaoke.  I put on a mini concert.  It was so many dreams fulfilled in one night. :) A shout out to my sweet friend, Terri, who was the decoy girl. She took me out get pedicures and keep me gone as long as it was needed. I know that role can be a bit stressful. :)

In summary, I have to state how blessed I am.  I don't even know if I could articulate everything I feel. I welcome 30 into my life because as I look back at the past 29 years/11 months/364 days leading up to this moment I know how deeply loved I am. I have learned some incredible (some painful) lessons over the past 3 decades.  I have been connected to some life-changing people that have encouraged me to be me and trust God in all things.  I have traveled and lived in parts of the world that different than my own home country. I may not have a ring on "that" finger or have a couple kids that call me mom, but God has given me a purpose of loving and knowing Him along this journey.  I am so excited to see where God takes me in this life He has given me. To all the birthday cards, phone calls, facebook posts that were written you have moved me with your kind words. I will treasure your words in my heart for years to come.

But hold on...there is more!!! We had to celebrate Valentine's day AND the 100th day of school on Friday. So I went to bed as a 30 year old and came to school dressed as a 100 year old. The kids were invited to dress up as 100 year olds and the teachers had to lead by example, of course!  One of my students said, "You look more creepy than old." Thanks man! :)  We had fun celebrating love and each other with exchanging our valentines.

Our new student, Mateo, is doing well adjusting.  He is opening up more with the other students. We are doing some science experiments so that could always use prayer. The kids may not remember a lot of what I tell them, but they remember what I do! Ever since the rubbing alcohol bottle exploded on my face in QUARTER ONE, the kids have brought it up 3 times this past week. Such sweethearts!  A group of us are signing up for a Color run (5k). I have always wanted to do one and I think it is pretty cool that my first one will be in Lima.

Prayer Requests:
- that I will be mindful of why I am here and not get wrapped up in this international experience
- our school has Spiritual Emphasis Week coming up next month. Either a team has to come down or the teachers will be leading.  Pray for plans as they are being made and for students' hearts to be sensitive to what God will want to share with them that week.

Enough rambling for now! 
You are loved,
Megan

 (This cake is SOOOO good! It's a Peruvian thing!)

 (We are 100...can't you tell?)

 (We love hashtags at our house.)

 (My sweet card!)

 (She is the mastermind behind the surprise! Love youuuu!!!)

 (We may be old, but we are cute.)