“Taan cow na krap.” Bunan said to me as I ate my bowl of cereal in my house Saturday morning. About 4 hours before, I had come downstairs to a land close to what Noah must have seen. The kitchen and living room were under about a half-inch of water. The task was so daunting to me that I fled and went running. Upon my return, I mopped up the kitchen side and saved the living room till after a phone call to the States. To my joy, Sarah Jane finished the job and a rainbow appeared, and the Hallelujah chorus was sung by angels in robes in the background, it was incredible! She had also told Bunan that we thought the porch of the house next door kept flooding and leaking water down the walls of our house, onto the stairs, and then resting on our bottom floor where we were constantly mopping and we needed some help. “Taan cow na krap.” He asked me if I was eating. “Colleen Kii Maouw mach don chaow, yang my gin na ka”. I replied thinking I said, “I talked a lot this morning so I haven’t eaten yet.” He laughed hard as he went up the stairs and then I realized that I told him my poo was drunk this morning so I hadn’t eaten yet. Perfect!!!
This was my first complete week back to school. What a roller coaster! I have many more students this year plus a whole new science lab that is on the fourth floor (the commute is brutal, no elevators). Many of my students this year do not speak English very well either which is a whole new element to teaching science! Despite it all, it was great having the kids back! Some highlights for me were my old students coming back. Do you remember Nat and Non? Nat went to study in Singapore and Non went to a new school in Bangkok. They hung out in my classroom for a bit and then Nat came in to catch up. “So what made you decide to come back to GES?” What an awesome time to tell him how God answered my prayer of where I should be this year! He is a brilliant kid who asks great questions about God and faithfully texts me on my phone from Singapore to ask me questions. It was sweet!
Then I had 3 girls stay after class one day asking questions about our devo time that morning. Im taking the grade 9’s through creation and how our idea of how the world started will affect how we treat ourselves and others as well as how science supports the Bible. If we think we come by chance or aliens, we will treat others like they are chance or come from aliens. If we think that we were specially created, we will see that others are specially created beings as well! Its been cool comparing and contrasting ideas and even better when opportunities like these girls hanging to ask questions, come up.
Then on Thursday I got to share my testimony with all the kids from grade 5 though 10. The purpose was to show how as a Christian, I still tried to find my worth in pleasing my parents, my friends, doing well in sports and in school, and by controlling the way I looked. I shared how it literally almost took me dying to see that God was the only person worth living for. He was the one that has given me purpose. I stressed how I still failed but that God still loves me and gives me grace. I must admit, it was tough putting my life out there and being vulnerable in front of them and the new teachers, but you know what? He gets the glory and praise for the freedom I now have to share how He worked in my life. No more condemnation, hoo ha! All of the rambunctious kids listened the entire time! Even better? How some of them came up to me after to ask more questions.
I was exhausted by the end of the week, but as I look back, Im so thankful for the opportunities to be real with the kids. To say I don’t have all the answers and I do mess up, but that doesn’t mean I have given up on life. They too can know this freedom. It was a pretty cool week.