The First Week of School

August 5, 2016




We survived. The past week has been a whirlwind of new students, new classes, new expectations, new, new, new. The kids seem to be adjusting well which we are extremely thankful for. That certainly is an answer to prayer!





In all the newness, I'm still struggling to find balance--balancing the work of understanding this unique curriculum and being a good teacher with the privilege of being a supportive, loving, involved mother and wife to my family. I've realized over the course of this week that I'm not very good at asking for help. I feel like I should be able to do everything flawlessly, but deep down I know I simply can't be everything to everyone. I quite certain I'm not the only one who feels this way, but it's a difficult thing to recognize and share; often I feel alone in this struggle. Please pray over me for peace and acceptance of my limitations.

And if you didn't notice, I'm focusing on myself quite a bit, It's easy to become self-absorbed when you're in survival mode. Another prayer is for the Holy Spirit to work in my heart to share more compassion and offer more help to others.

We wear uniforms to school each day, as seen in the photos above, but Fridays are Batik days. If you aren't familiar with Batik, you should know it's an art form. Batik involves wax-resistant dying of cloth, often in layers to achieve different colors and patterns. Stunning! And dressy! A long sleeve men's shirt is equivalent to a suit on the fashion scene. We wear shorts and jeans with our Batik to school, but if we would wear it out anywhere else we'd need to step up the formality.

Batik day at school!

One miracle for the week: It's typical in Indonesia, expected really, to hire a home helper--someone who helps clean, cook, and care for the kids. We have been praying over a home helper ever since we decided to move to Indonesia, specifically that she be someone who is good with the kids. As of the Friday before school starting, we didn't have anyone lined up and we were getting a bit worried. That night we had a knock on the door. A man we didn't know but who worked in our sister-school, University Pelita Harapan, introduced himself and said he had a woman with him who was looking for a home helper position, a woman his home helper recommended. He had heard we were looking for someone, specifically someone who spoke English. We were stunned. We interviewed her with the help of the man who brought her to our home and offered her and the job on the spot! Many home helpers don't speak English, but Ibu Susi speaks English quite well which makes communication simple for us and for the kids who will spend time with her everyday after school. We are so thankful for her!!! She made this week so much easier as we adjusted to a new school year. We pray she continues to fit in with our family!

Prayers for us:
-Thanks that the kids settled into the school year easily.
-Pray for Seth and Valerie figuring out balancing a new curriculum with being good parents.
-Thank you for the arrival of Ibu Susi! She's been a life-saver!