Musical Notes

Genesis Pan - my favorite pan group in the world!

Today was the last day, the last time I played steel pan at St. John's Lutheran. I had found my niche playing the 4-bass and grooved to calypso rhythms. Now I must say goodbye to the music, the 1 1/2 practices that often went long, and the people I messed around with every Saturday. I must say, we ended with a crash-bang finish. We learned the Hallelujah Chorus to play for the offering, and then we put together a medley of 3 songs we had played during the year. Too bad the chances of having a steel pan group in the States are not as good as having one in the Caribbean...


This afternoon I attended a piano recital put on by the students of Mrs. Sternhagen. Her youngest students are in Kindergarten, and her oldest students are in secondary school. It was a very nice program; it started on time and all of the children did a lovely job. 3 of my own second graders played for the recital. All were rather nervous but managed at least one smile.

Mahsha (blue) and Jada (pink)

Makayla (center)

Call Cadence

Coo! Crazy Call chaos created calamity....

Ok, not really.
Friday night, Julie and I got together with the Johnstons and Sternhagens for our final monthly ex-pat get together. We had a "Fish Fiesta": lobster thermadour (compliment of a gift of lobsters from one of Julie's school moms), red snapper, grouper, barracuda, and shnook. It was delicious! Lots of good food and lots of good company. The topic of the evening was Call Day...

Part of the festivities involved a supposed "rite of passage" -
eating a fish eyeball. Pastor Sternhagen is all things food and fish.

Julie, however, does not have the same stomach and excitement for
adventuresome foods. She ate it, but, well, just look at her face. =)

Both Julie and I are coming back to the States to teach this next academic year. We streamed MLC's graduation, watched our friends and loved ones walk the stage to accept their diplomas, and waited in high anticipation for the Call Service, slated to begin at 2:30 Central Time. Pastor Johnston went on a crazy alliterative kick and began to give everything the label "call". We had call cakes (pancakes) for breakfast with call coffee, watched call cartoons, lunch was call cabbage salad, there were call chores, call cleaning.... yeah. I had gone on an early morning run to the beach to give my mind a break, then practiced keyboard for church, helped stain some boards for library shelving... Then came time for the Service. The computer at the Johnston's house has rather low volume, so we were all plugged into earphones, leaning toward the computer, anxiously listening and exclaiming as we heard different names and locations.

I am humbled to announce that I have been called to service Pilgrim Lutheran School in Mesa, AZ, to teach grades 3-4, music, and serve as an organist. God is good! All the time! What an amazing blessing that God uses his people to provide calls for those who train for the public ministry.

Today in church, it was announced (officially) that Julie and I are leaving. We were called up to the front and presented with a certificate to thank us for our year of service here. The excitement of my new placement is mixed with the bitterness of having to say goodbye. As my time here draws to a close, I can't help but reflect on all the challenges and blessings that define my experience. May God be praised!

"So do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Winding Down

Hard to believe I only have 3 weeks of school left... just 14 days of classes, then I will have finished my first year of teaching! Had you told me a couple of years ago that my first year feeding the Lord's lamb would be in Antigua, I do believe I would have laughed at you. But now I can laugh in joy, like Sarah, in wonder and amazement that He has chosen to bless me!

The rain continued for most of the week, though today the sun was out! Julie and I celebrated by walking to a beach. Granted we got lost along the way, and what should have taken about 40 minutes took nearly an hour and half! We enjoyed the warm sun and cool, lovely water. Both of us have pink skin as a reminder of our relaxing afternoon. Friend and co-worker Miss Christmas kindly gave us a ride back home so we wouldn't have to repeat the confusion of the trip.

In the middle of the week, we had our end-of-the-year teacher evaluations, conducted by school visitor Erik Landwehr and Principal Pastor Andrew Johnston. It kind of felt like I was getting my grade from Student Teaching all over again, but without the pressure and wondering if I would pass and be able to graduate.

Speaking of graduation... MLC graduation is this Saturday! Both Julie's fiancé, Joe, and my boyfriend, Julius, will be graduating from the pastor track, ready to continue their training to be pastors. Joe will go straight to the seminary in Mequon, while Julius is going to detour to the seminary in Leipzig, Germany. Very exciting times! In addition to graduation, Saturday is also Call Day. If you will be watching the stream online, listen for my name! Pray that the Lord  places me where I can best serve Him.

Rainy Days

It has been rather rainy the last couple of weeks here on the island. I am told this is not normal, that weather like this is more common in December and January. Most mornings when Julie and I walk up the hill to school, it is cloudy and drizzling. Some days the skies clear and we get the sunshine; other days it stays cloudy and rainy throughout. The humidity is rather high, so even with the clouds, you don't feel cold.

It is kind of nice in 2 ways.
1) The rain is filling the cisterns, so people do not have to be as stingy with their water use.
2) It is coordinating nicely with Gr 2's unit on weather. We have a weather chart in the classroom to track the weather every day AND we have a rain gauge set up in the garden outside the classroom. With today's soggy weather, we are approaching 2 inches of rain for the month of May!!! Crazy...

Unfortunately, the rain means no outside recess. No outside recess means everyone stays cooped up in the classroom. Staying cooped up in the classroom.... well, you know. School is winding down, and excitement is in the air. Before you know it, summer will be here!

A Birthday on the Beach

Birthday crew with the Tinkerbell cake

Happy Birthday, Sienna Johnston! Today, Sienna turned 3 years old. Her awesome cake (made by her mom and mom's friend) was Tinkerbell - a Barbie bedecked in fondant and pipecleaner wings. The cake looked awesome, tasted delicious, and was pawned off on strangers at the beach so nothing had to be taken home! The only downside to the cake, other than the kids who licked off the frosting and put back the cake, was the fact that the fondant melted very easily in the Antiguan temps. Oh well.

The festivities were held at Hawksbill Beach. A lovely place. You may see far in the background of the picture above a rock in the sea. This rock is said to be in the shape of a hawksbill turtle, the national sea creature of Antigua. Another fun fact: I had purchased a picture for my wall back in October. Hawksbill beach, resort, and rock are the subjects for my painting. Now I've seen the real thing. Cool.

A view of the beach from Hawksbill Resort;
looks like it could be in a brochure!

Ok, so Grady wasn't the birthday boy, but he's so cute!
Who could resist?

A Funeral

Though funerals are not the most cheerful of topics, Christians always find hope in the risen Savior. Here at St. John's Lutheran, the father and husband of some of our members fell asleep in Christ the day before Easter. The funeral was this past Monday. What a cultural experience!

The funerals in Antigua are rather unique. Because Antigua is such a small island with so many churches, many denominations come together at many times. In order to avoid fellowship issues, many churches have a time for tributes. The tributes for this funeral started at 2 (well, 2:20.... island time, you know). The church was packed, though the funeral did not start til 3. Friends, family, and coworkers came forward and sang songs, told stories, recounted inspiring events. Then at 3:10, the family came in the the casket. The service was full of songs, readings, a sermon, and a eulogy. The staff of the school sang a song, and the church choir sang as well. The service ran over an hour and a half. Perhaps the most striking difference happened right when we walked in the church. Each person who entered was given a pin to wear. The pin had a ribbon on it with the gentleman's name and the dates of his life.

What was the same? The sweet comfort of the gospel. No matter the language, no matter the customs, the message of the resurrection rings loud and strong to comfort all Christians.

What Does It Matter?

Sounds like a hopeless title. It's not because we have the certain hope of a place in heaven! We have that promise from our risen Savior and there is certainly no doubt about our future with Him!

As for the scientific definition of matter, Miss Rosenbaum's Gr. 2 class should be able to tell you that matter is something that "TAKES UP SPACE!!!" We have spent one week learning about the different states of matter. This next week we will review... But! The academic highlights from this scintillating subject include oobleck and song.

Oobleck - originally a character from a Dr. Suess book, now a common primary school science experiment. What is oobleck? you ask. I'll tell you! 2 parts cornstarch, 1 part water (food coloring if you dare)... mix it all together and what do you get?! A substance that can flow like a liquid but when poked or acted on by a force, acts like a solid. Which is it? Neither! It is a non-newtonian fluid. Not that you cared, but now you know. Very easy to make and quick to clean up. It is also very amusing to play with.

Song - below you will find the song our class has learned to help us remember details about the 3 states of matter. It is to the tune, "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain When She Comes". I will admit some of the lines are a little awkward, but hopefully in the years to come, my students will recall this song with fondness and a growing understanding about that weird subject Miss Rosenbaum kept going on about...

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

Solid, liquid, and gas, you don’t even need to ask,

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

First a solid never changes in its shape (clap, clap, clap)

They stay firm, never flow, they’re really great (clap, clap, clap)

You can see them all around you, and I’m sure they will astound you

Solid matter can be found in any place (clap, clap, clap)

Next the liquids flow into the space they find (clap, clap, clap)

They don’t keep their shape, but we don’t really mind (clap, clap, clap)

Some are wet and some are slimy, now there’s no need to be whiny

Liquid matter is a very slippery kind (clap, clap, clap)

Last, not least, we have the gases, and you know (clap, clap, clap)

It’s impossible to hold them, even so (clap, clap, clap)

You can smell them, sometimes see them, and can definitely breathe them,

Gaseous matter can be felt when wild winds blow (clap, clap, clap)

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

Solid, liquid, and gas, you don’t even need to ask,

There are three states of matter, yes there are! (clap, clap, clap)

The liquid and gas begin to mix more and more as the humidity rises here on the island. I am grateful school is drawing to a close for the simple fact that soon it will be very uncomfortable to stay in a classroom all day. But it will be a bittersweet ending...

A Break from School

Julie, Jen, Peter, and me at Sting Ray City

You may or may not be aware that I do not do a very good job of putting things out of mind, especially when it comes to school. I overthink many things, and my weekends are often full of lesson planning, copying worksheets, and other school-related activities. This week was an enormous blessing! We did not have class. Julie's sister and brother-in-law (Jen and Peter) were visiting from Milwaukee. We had tons to do and lots of time to enjoy one another's company. And did I think about school? Nope! =)

The Kite Festival on Easter Monday at Devil's Bridge

Devil's Bridge

On Monday we did Sting Ray City, Devil's Bridge (and their kite festival), and Long Bay beach. Tuesday we did souvenir shopping in town and a church service for the Caribbean Conference. Wednesday I helped watch the children of the called workers visiting for the Caribbean Conference. (Those lovely gentlemen and their families included Pastor Johnston, Pastor Sternhagen, Pastor Richards (Antigua), Pastor Soukup (Grenada), Pastor Spiegelberg, Pastor Ramgolam, Mr. Landwehr (St. Lucia), Pastor Kehl (Wisconsin), and DP Pastor Guse (Georgia). Wednesday night was lots of food and fellowship. Thursday, Julie, Jen, Peter, and I purchased a day pass for the Sandals Resort: all you can eat/drink, use of their pools, beach, watersports, and other assorted activities. More fellowship on Thursday and Friday nights - even a brat grillout!!! Just a lovely, lovely week. It's a little hard and a little sad to be thinking that the week has come to a close and that school starts again on Monday, BUT I have been recharged, I'm excited for the next science unit, and I only have 7 weeks left in my first year of teaching. Am I even old enough to be saying that?!?! I guess I am...

From the front...

A view from the top

 And the most unique highlight from the week? I got my hair plaited! (pronounced platted) Yeah! The girlfriend of a friend's son took over an hour and a half to put braids in my hair. Everyone who sees me says they love my hair and think I look like a local. =) Put that together with my recent tan and I am ready!

Posting a Video

My goodness, our internet is ridiculously slow. At first I had believed that my computer just wasn't up to the task of uploading videos. Come to find out, it's the internet speed. The time it took to upload this lovely shot? It didn't load! So sad. It was going to be a video of our steel pan group from Easter, but I guess it was not meant to be.

Antiguan Eastertime

Sunrise on Easter morning, looking out over St. John's, AU

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Isn't it awesome how that greeting rings 'round the world on Easter morning?! I was up at 4:15 am so I could make it up to church for 5. My pan group played the music for our sunrise service on the lawn in front of church. However, before we could set up all the pans, we needed to carry out the pew benches for the people to sit. As we were in the process of bringing the benches out of the church, it began to rain...

Apparently it never rains on Easter. Ever. Apparently it always rains on Good Friday. But this year there was no precipitation on Good Friday. What follows? Rain on Easter! Fortunately, the rain tapered off about 5:40. We were able to finish moving pews and setting up the pans as people were arriving. We opened the service in true Antiguan style: at 6:15 (instead of 6), playing Iron Band - each person playing a different metal percussion instrument in a certain rhythm. It was pretty cool, not gonna lie. Pan played the 4 hymns and the offering. We thought we might get rained out during the sermon when it began to sprinkle, but thankfully the Lord decided we could finish up our service. One of the coolest parts of the service was the confirmation of 3 adults, proclaiming their trust and commitment to God in front of the congregation.

Afterwards we had breakfast: bakes, saltfish, cassi, okra, pumpkin, salad, bread, hard-boiled eggs, boiled plantains, juice, and fruit. Not exactly a typical American Easter brunch, but all very nice.

     We came home after breakfast, then went back up to
church for the Festival service at 11. The highlight of that service was a baptism. All that was missing from the day was holy communion! It was such a blessing to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with my brothers and sisters here in Antigua. What an amazing experience! It is certainly one I will take with me wherever I go.

Field Trip!!!

Field trips are always fun! Crazy, though, so I decided I would put all the craziness of a field trip with the craziness of school during Holy Week. Tuesday 26 kids, and 2 teachers piled into a bus and travelled the Liat air hanger. What an experience! After trading my U.S. drivers license for a security badge, we entered the compound and learned about plane maintenance. The first plane we saw was undergoing a "C-check" - the plane was completely gutted, taken apart to check and rebuild everything. Seating, wiring, tires, engines, propellers.... you name it!

Then we went and toured the workshops, seeing everything from propellers to engines completely taken apart and in the process of being checked and rebuilt. One of my students was especially fascinated by all the electrical work. Future engineer?!

We finished off the tour by sitting on an actual plane that was just having general maintenance. We even got to peek in at the cockpit! We had lunch under the trees as we waited for our bus to take us back to school to finish off the week.

Palm Sunday

  Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Today we celebrate our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, just days before His betrayal, trial, suffering, death, and, best of all, His resurrection. St. John's Lutheran Church truly takes up the spirit of Palm Sunday, placing palms at the ends of pews, tying them to the pulpit and lecturn, and arching branches over the altar.

  Like many other Lutheran churches, Palm Sunday is Confirmation Sunday. In place of the normal Bible Study hour, the 9 confirmands (7th grade age) answered questions in front of congregation members. Some young people shot up their hands with each question; others needed a little more convincing and coaxing to offer and answer. After their rite of confirmation, they were welcomed up to the communion table, declaring their fellowship and faith to all those present. What a joy to see these young Christians as they grow in their walk with the Lord!

Teacher Appreciation Day

This past Friday St. John's Lutheran observed Teacher Appreciation Day. (In conjunction, we also observed Book Character Day, which made the day rather crazy.) I was blessed to receive many "Thank you, Teacher" greetings and doubly blessed to receive a few gifts. One gift was even given to me by a 3rd grade parent, though I am the 2nd grade teacher! Such kindness!

In chapel, the chairman of the school board presented us each with a certificate in "recognition of appreciation." It was a very formal presentation by him, met by raucous cheering from the student body. At lunch, the administration had found parents to come and supervise our children for an hour while the teachers came up to the extra classroom to eat a nice lunch. It was all very lovely, a nice break from routine and a pleasant opportunity for the students to tell their teachers thank you.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I know I'm too young to really know anything about that show, but it's true! Sometimes my kids say things that are flat out funny, some cute, some a little sad, and some bordering profound. One thing that is school-wide is the tremendous struggle to identify me and say my name correctly. I am often, very often called "Miss Boggs" or "Miss Rosenboggs". A few of my co-workers call me Julie... or "Miss - um, Miss-um... uh, Miss" "Rosenbaum?" "Yes, Miss Rosenbaum." On parent calls me "Rose", another calls me "Miss Rosebaum". This week I was called "Mommy," "Grandma," "Auntie," and one girl called me "Miss Abraham" (our first grade teacher). Maybe someday I will get to be myself.

My story of triumph for the week. A second grade girl asked me if we were going to have silent reading time or if we had already had it today. I told her, no, we had wasted too much time during math and had to use our reading time to catch up on our work for the day. She looked at me, crestfallen, "Oh." Perhaps my kids are starting to realize what a treat it is to have 15 mins of time just to sit and read, whatever it is you want. I certainly loved it in grade school, and while my kids are reading, so is the teacher...

My giggle story for the week. This happened at 7:40 on Friday morning, as my kids are coming in for the day.
     Girl: Do you have a husband?
     Me: No.
     Girl: Oh... (sad face)
     Me: Why do you ask? Do you want me to have a husband?
     Girl: Yeah.
     Me: So you want me to get married?
     Girl: Yeah.
     Me: Why?
     Girl: I just gotta dance!
     Me: You just have to dance? (very confused)
     Girl: Yeah, I just gotta dance! Are you gonna get married in America?
     Me: Well, it's not going to happen for some time and I can't promise you anything, but 
     I will probably get married in America. Do you want to come?
     Girl: Yeah.
Honestly, it was all I could do to keep from bursting out, laughing. Then I stepped outside to greet a student who was wearing a jacket I would contemplate wearing in December in MN... all because it had rained in the wee hours of the morning and she was "really, really cold." Then I did start laughing.

Studmuffin: Judah Sternhagen, 3

Good news! Judah Sternhagen and mom Kristen are back in Antigua. The causes of the seizures are unknown, so it was explained that 1 in 200 children have seizures with no apparent cause. Most children grow out of these. So! He has medication to stop the seizures and we'll reassess in two years. Both Judah and Kristen are glad to be home and looking well. Thanks be to God!

Aida, Judah, Sienna... kicking it on the beach       

Epicurean Adventures

For you philosophy and world religion scholars, you are probably wondering why I would title a post "Epicurean Adventures". Isn't Epicurus a man associated with the purported axiom "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die"? Friends, you will be pleased, yea, even relieved to learn that Epicurean is the name of the large supermarket here in Antigua. It is possibly the most "American" venue on island. This grocery store competes with another called First Choice. When we first arrived, Julie and I did all our shopping at First Choice, a smaller, slightly more local supermarket. But now we shop almost exclusively at Epicurean. Why? It's location is much more convenient for our gracious drivers. The prices can be a little more expensive, depending on the fare, but the selection is bigger and the location, desirable.

Like many grocery stores in the States, Epicurean has a rewards card. Now, initially, Julie and I thought to ourselves that it would be silly to get a rewards card because we would so rarely patronize the establishment. Then, as we found ourselves at the store more and more (and as Cindy Johnston kept saying, "Hey, have you gotten a card yet?") we thought perhaps there would be a benefit to signing up for the rewards card. There is no cost (always a bonus). The rate of point accumulation is nothing to write home about - I believe you earn 1 point (1 cent) for every dollar you spend. So if we want to get $10 in rewards, we have to spend $1000 at the grocery store. But! we are already spending the money for groceries, so maybe we'll earn a little back. Who knows?

An important prayer request to my readers: Judah Sternhagen, 3-year-old son of one of our pastors, had some serious seizures Wednesday night. Routine tests came back negative. So mom Kristin and Judah have traveled to the US, are staying with family, and will visit doctors and specialists to see if they can't determine the cause of the seizures. Please keep the Sternhagens in your prayers, as well as the doctors and nurses who attend to Judah. We are confident the Lord will carry out His will for the good of His children.

The Final Term

Hard to believe I have been in Antigua for over 7 months... I do believe I am a very different person, reshaped, squashed, sanded, polished, chopped, glued, welded, refined by all my experiences here. Each aspect of my life teaches me something almost every day, everything from interpersonal relationships (thank you, Prof. Paustian) to life lessons (Mom says sometimes life isn't fair) to characteristics of children (just why 7 year olds fall out of their desks at the drop of a hat?) to humility and fairness (with good lessons, prospectives, and guidance from Dad) to the beauty of creation (cross reference the country of Antigua) to pan rhythms (6 songs to learn in 6 weeks!) to the amazing, immeasurable vastness and riches that are God's mercy, personified in His Son.

You may or may not already know, but both Julie and I have decided to return to the States next year, put our names before the Assignment Committee, and wait prayerfully for whatever the Lord has in store for us come May 19. My Dad is currently holding a Call to serve as principal at WLA in Wisconsin, but I felt almost like I was holding a Call for nearly 5 months! I believe the good Lord was given me a very long lesson on prayer and seeking godly advice from others...

So, the final term. We have begun Term 3, my final academic term here in Antigua. 3 days in... not too bad. I have decided to reward student who complete and turn in their homework every day by giving them something on Friday afternoon - a new pencil, 5 extra minutes of recess, etc. Unfortunately for me, I know this will result in crying, screaming children who don't get the reward. I'm going to try the system for a month, see if I can take the negative reactions... Of course, it's my fault, mean teacher that I am, but Lord willing, these children will be taught lessons of responsibility and the reality that you don't always get what you want.

A Visitor!

Well, 2, actually...

1) Joe Lindloff, fiancée to Miss Julie Boggs is on Spring Break from MLC. He made the long trip down to visit the beautiful island and his even more beautiful bride-to-be. They have been enjoying their time together, spending time at resorts (compliments of various church members), scuba diving (again, thanks to a church member), and frequenting the beaches. He arrived here on Friday afternoon and stays until early Saturday morning.

2) Professor Jonathan Roux, Director of Education at MLC came down to teach a class for the SJL staff. On Monday (a teacher in-service day) we had a 4 hour class for Teaching Spelling. Most of the material I had already studied while up on the Hill, but it was a nice refresher and I got some new ideas to help some of the children I am tutoring. On Sunday, the Johnstons, Joe, Julie, Prof, and I went to Half Moon Bay, a beach on the east side of the island, up to Shirley Heights to listen to a steel pan orchestra, and out to eat. I ate a burger. It was delicious! I am always eating chicken, so this was a very welcome return to an old American favorite.

Today was the day for report cards and parent/teacher consultations. I am rather pleased with how things went today. I was much more prepared than last time, remembered all of the notes I wanted to pass on to parents, and only 4 parents did not show up (an improvement from last term's 7). One more term and I should have it down pat.

~Shout out to my new baby cousin: Elijah Joel Free born to Joel and Cathryn Free Monday morning. Welcome to the family, Elijah!

Why Mosquitoes Buzz

Have you ever wondered why mosquitoes buzz? You may be familiar with the award-winning children's book based on a West African folk tale called "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears". (Or you may not be... no matter.) Grades 1, 2, and 3 were up to put on a play this year. Julie and I perused the books in the school office and found a musical written for children. Its title? "Why Mosquitoes Buzz"

The story is cute and short: a mosquito came to an iguana and told a largely exaggerated story about a farmer growing yams almost as big as the mosquito. The iguana, annoyed, put sticks in his ear and stomped off, grumbling. He passed by a python who thought he was planning mischief, so the python goes into a rabbit hole to hide. The rabbit is scared off and races out, startles a crow who sounds an alarm, frightening a monkey who carelessly leaps through trees and accidently breaks a branch, killing a baby owl. The mother owl is heartbroken and does not wake up the sun. A large council of animals convenes a trial, step-by-step discovering the chain of events leading back to the mosquito.

Face painting was huge! Children who
didn't get their faces painted were a
little sad...

Gr 1 boy, sporting his insect

Gr 2 boy, showing off his
bird face painting

This play is just narration and song - something Julie and I saw as a big bonus. We didn't want all the chaos and confusion that seem to come with big programs. There were 9 "characters" so each grade had 3 children pantomime the story during the narration. Gr 3 and 2 each had a class song, and the other 3 songs were sung by all the children. We purchased a CD that had tracks with children's voices to help us learn the songs as well as performance tracks with just the accompaniment. The teacher's book even had suggestions for actions for each song. Julie choreographed a dance for girls belonging to the dance class offered on Saturdays to our students.

The play went very well, though not without its, ah, bumps. 3 school moms were amazingly wonderful in making and setting up the decorations. One tricky part of getting the church ready to be a jungle was finding some way to hang a backdrop we borrowed from a dance center. A school dad came in and put it up for us. Costumes were interesting to figure out. We asked students to wear jeans, and plain t-shirt (different classes had different colors), and a mask (different animals per class). 3rd graders were elephants, 2nd graders were birds, and 1st graders were insects. As an alternative to making/purchasing a mask, we contacted someone to come and do face-painting. Over 40 children signed up! Two ladies began painting just before 3 and didn't finish until 5:15. The play was supposed to start at 5... It was a small blessing that the face painting went long because one of the main characters didn't show until 5:17. All of the kids looked really cool. Some had simple  masks, others went all out! Another hitch we ran into was our narrator. I had asked Kenny Phoenix, a youth from church, to narrate. He is habitually late to most things, so I knew I was taking a risk. Unfortunately, his phone went on the fritz this week, so I had no contact with him until it was too late. So guess who got to be the narrator? You have one guess...

A few birds and insects, milling about after the play

The teachers who put the play together - Julie Boggs,
Veronica Abraham, Nicole Rosenbaum

Highlights from Valentine's Week

Happy Valentine's, All! Hope your week was a splendid one. Mine was quite unusual; not at all what I would have imagined my first Valentine teaching experience to be.

Tuesday: Kindergarten through Gr 4 took an outing to see a movie at the theater in town. We squished 150 children plus teachers and chaperones on 4 buses and nearly filled the theater on our own. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks (the most recent one, for those of you wondering). My biggest frustration while we were there was the fact that, though my 30 kids had used the batheroom minutes before we got on the bus, 4 children were asking to go 10 minutes into the movie. An hour in I finally cracked and said whoever needed to go could, and at least 20 of my 30 stood up to use the 3 stalls at the theater. Ah!!! Then when we returned to the school compound, my door was jammed, and I could not for the life of me get the door open. Had children sobbing because they were hungry... but there was nothing I could do! After 10 minutes, Pastor Johnston came to the rescue and got us in the classroom.

Wednesday: I met with a parent regarding one of my students. I have been frustrated with this student for some time now because of a blatant lack of respect and obedience. The parent was very understanding and is very willing to work with me to help the student work on giving respect at school. It is such a blessing to have Christian parents who work with me to bring up their children in the way of the Lord!

Friday: Antigua's only living national hero came to the school compound! Sir Vivian Richards, a famous and accomplished cricket player, has a niece in Gr 4. Gr 4 was celebrating Black History montha and Sir Vivian Richards came to speak to the class. The poor man was mobbed by almost the entire school (260 children) at once. Ms. Abraham told me I should get my picture with him, but in the chaos, I opted out. I did take Julie's picture with her class, though. Pretty crazy!

Saturday: Gr 1-3 are putting on a play this next Friday, so we had a work day to make decorations and set pieces. We scheduled the work day to start at 10am. Julie and I showed up a minute before, Ms. Abraham arrived about 10:10, and the first parents didn't come until close to 10:30. After a bit, we had a good crew working. 2 third grade moms stayed past 3! Julie and I have decided that all the decorations are coming to our house after the play to decorate our walls. =)
That night, Julie and I mapped out the practice schedule for the week as well as typed up the programme. (Yes, programme - British spelling) Wish us luck come Friday!

Sunday: Gr 1-2 sang for church. At one point we had 50 children smooshed into 4 pews. We really like to pack things down here!

Hermitage Resort as seen from Yuptons Beach

Sternhagen kids in the water

Miss Boggs and Miss Rosenbaum

Yuptons Beach

Grill-out at the beach

This afternoon, the Johnstons, the Sternhagens, the Richards, the Landwehrs (Mr. Eric Landwehr is our school visitor from St. Lucia, this time he brought his family), Mrs. Cindy Holman (ECE director, visiting SJL for a few days), Julie, and I had a grillout on the beach. Yuptons Beach (Mom, this is for you) is on the western side of the island, south of Jolly Beach. Beautiful place! Pastor Sternhagen found a seastar and a sea urchin, and I found many brightly colored pieces of shells. Lots of nice sun and I don't think I got burned! Perfect...

Steel Pan



Kenny Phoenix on the drums

One of the highlights of my week is steel pan. Every Saturday from 3:00-4:30, Genesis Pan practices in the balcony of the church. We practice 2 songs a month to play for church. Some of the members show up late. (One member who will not be named often arrives nearly an hour late each Saturday, yesterday arriving at 4:15!) Yet, we always enjoy one another's company as we prepare our music for church. 

Kareem French goofing around with the pan sticks

Kareem on the 6-bass

There are several different kinds of pans: lead, double tenor, guitar, double second, cello, 4-bass, and 6-bass. I have played guitar, lead, cello, and 4-bass. This month I am learning how to play the double tenor. I have so much fun! The members of the group vary in skill and ability, but all share a love for the Savior and desire to serve him with music

Cindy Johnston playing cello

Tyara Update

Praise the Lord!
We got the results on the biopsy of the lump in Tyara's back. It is not cancerous! The surgery still needs to happen, but it is not as urgent as originally thought. She will probably stay with us the rest of the year.
God be praised!

If a tree falls in a forest, and there's no one to hear it...

Not that it has anything to do with anything, but it popped into my head. Silly girl, I know.

This week was hard for me. I'm not sure if I have become accustomed to a better level of behavior from my kids, but this week they just were not good. I let the stress get to me way too much. My wonderful roommate and companion, Julie Boggs, encouraged me with God's Word, paying it forward from her own mother's encouragement.

⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:2-3)

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

God is good! All the time! He does not give us more than we can handle, for in Him, we can do all things. (Really, He's doing it all, so why worry? I tend to, but that's beside the point.)

Fun update: dental work is expensive, no matter where you go.
Aida turned 5 today! Had a little party at school for her. Lots of cake, sugary juice, and small children. Tomorrow Julie and I will be at the Johnstons for a new member dinner, followed by the Super Bowl. Too bad the Pack isn't in it. Julie is excited because her hometown of Indianapolis is hosting and she is getting daily updates from family on the goings on in the city. Fun stuff!

Mom too!

January 30 - Happy Birthday Mom! Wish I could take you to the beach to celebrate... Love you!

Health Day

Saturday was Health Day at St. John’s Lutheran. The general premise is to provide medical screening, education, and opportunities for doctor consultations in an effort to bring the public to the compound. Last year they had a successful Health Day and wanted to host it again. Instead of having a broad range of topics, it was decided that this year the focus would be diabetes. Much advertising was done through church, school, even radio and newspapers. Volunteer doctors and nurses were sought to provide the free screenings, medical equipment was borrowed from the government, and students from an American medical school based here in Antigua all came to serve for the day. The main attractions were free eye screenings, free doctors consults, and a presentation by a knowledgeable nutritionist.

Friday night the youth group from church helped to set up and clean up the rooms that were to be used. Cindy Johnston was the main organizer for the event, and she had everyone pitching in. I was set to making copies, using our temperamental Rizograph. Though it took a little longer than originally hoped, set-up went smoothly.

We were on-site at 8 to get the final touches in place for our 9:30 start time. Several people showed up at 8:30, hoping to be first in line to see the doctors. Presenters (true to Island time) showed up late, one nurse was sick, all of the nurses forgot their blood pressure cuffs, one doctor didn’t show til 11, the other doctor thought Health Day was Sunday and arrived just before noon. There were supposed to be two people conducting eye exams. The first person showed on time, but the partner was the one with the equipment. The equipment came, though the partner never did. Attendance was down from last year’s 80 to about 40. Mixed bag, really, because with the hiccups that presented themselves, we would not have been able to accommodate more. Ah well, that’s how it goes. We were able to encourage several people to come back and visit some Sunday. We’ll see how the Lord chooses to use this event for His kingdom.

Just Some News

Happy Birthday, Dad! I told my kids that it was my dad’s birthday on Friday and that his birthday present was their pictures. We took a few minutes after chapel and before our spelling test to take pictures to send. Conveniently enough, we also took a full staff picture, so I was able to send that as well.

Friday night Julie and I hosted the Johnstons and Sternhagens at our house. Sternhagens brought wings and salad, Johnstons brought juice and garlic bread, and we all split the cost of pizza. It was really nice to be able to host, even though we are still without an oven, and our house isn’t quite the epitome of kid-friendly. Still, a good time was had by all. After pizza the kids were taken home and put to bed, and the adults went out to see a movie. Just a nice night.

Today, Julie found a TV for our house! There is a store down the road where people sell things they don’t want anymore. Though we have the TV, we are still struggling to get the DVD player to work with it. I can’t find the input channel! Ah, frustration.

And the last little bit of news for the week… I got a cold last week Friday. I was super stuffy/sneezing over the weekend and had a sore throat Sunday. My voice got lower and kind of left me during the week. Always interesting to lose one’s voice, add to that the fact that one is in charge of 29 very loud, rambunctious 7- and 8-year-old. Oh, and try to teach them songs for a class play when you can’t sing above an A, the harder you try, the softer you get, and the CD player can be overpowered by 3 people singing. Lord willing, I heal quickly. Choir sings for church tomorrow, and my class needs to keep plugging away at that play.

A Lesson in Humility; A Lesson in Perseverance

Two little stories for you this week…

I received a new student on Tuesday. He took the assessment for students applying to Gr 2 and did a fair job. While I was a little reluctant, reflecting that it is hard for teacher, new student, and students alike to have such a big change in the middle of the year, Pastor Johnston and Mrs. James encouraged me to take him on. I began frustrated because I had no desk for him, having lent my extra out to another teacher, I had not had opportunity to meet the child myself, nor his parents, and if I’m going to begin something, I like to begin it on Monday, not the middle of the week. The boy comes just moments before school starts on Tuesday, all smiles and blushes, a little bit of a lisp, and uncertainty in his eyes. Come to realize (what I should have considered right from the start) that the assessment he took is for children just entering Gr 2 at the beginning of the year, not jumping into a brand new curriculum in the middle of the 2^nd term. This poor boy is far behind on things, and a large factor is that the curriculum is foreign, quite different from what his previous school was using.

I will admit: I despaired. How on earth am I to help a child to catch up on nearly a year’s worth of content, still have him active and participating in class (which he has little to no background for), and keep the rest of the class plugging away?! Enter grace and mercy of God. Other teachers will help me with my recess duties while I stay in for morning breaks to tutor him on math. Our IT teacher will take him some mornings to work with him. I will spend an hour on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons after school, practicing reading and language skills, and Gr 1 teacher, Ms. Abraham, will work with him Monday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons on phonics and the like. My selfish nature (shamefully) resents all the extra time this will take, and yet, with God’s help, I will reach this little boy as best I can.

Now, you may remember that we have not had the privilege of hot water while we have been here on the island. When we have visited the Johnston family, they kindly let us partake of theirs. Julie and I were determined to find a way to make the water for showers bearable without going broke on water heaters, gas, or electricity. There is a device that plugs into an outlet, pushes water through the pipe and over hot coils, heating the water as it makes its way through the shower head. We found such a device at a hardware store near our house and ask a member-friend to install it for us. Julie took the first shower and proclaimed the water “bearable” – nice because previously you would have been gasping for breath while you bathe. Pretty excited, I took my shower the following afternoon. Didn’t realize the switch needed to be flipped for the outlet to work. Ok, next morning Julie takes her shower. The circuit shuts off mid-rinse; the power goes out in both bathrooms, my bedroom and the dining room. After some advice from Cindy, we find the circuit panel and flip the breaker. Next morning, I take my shower and the electricity cuts again. This time I know where to go, and after the chilly finale to my shower, I flip the breaker again. Seems that the device needs more power than the spliced wire running to the bathroom outlet can provide. We are waiting for our friend Patrick to come back and run a new wire from the circuit panel to  the outlet directly so we can have a more powerful and reliable current for the outlet. Until then, we have the choice between our old nemesis (cold showers) or taking turns flipping the power back on. We’ll let you know what we decide.

Teacher call to humility and motivation for the week: “Instead of trying to get that child out of your hair as fast as you can, help them!

A Prayer Request

Dear Readers,

This is a call to prayer; please flood the throne of God with petitions for my student, Tyara. She is 7 years old and has a lump (most likely cancerous) in her back. She left Antigua before Christmas and traveled to St. Vincent where a team of U.S. doctors visit several months a year to "volunteer" their services. The hope was that these doctors could perform a surgery on Tyara and that she could heal quickly and come back to us. I received a partial communication from her mother today, saying that they could not do the surgery in St. Vincent and the back-up plan, doing the surgery in Virginia, also will not work. They need to find a specialist because the surgery will be very complex. Please, please lift up Tyara, her family, and friends. Everything is very uncertain. The only certainty is our hope of heaven, complements of our Savior. May His will be done.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is anyone of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

James 5:13-16

A New Year

May God bless you and yours as we enter into his service this new year!

I was blessed to enjoy 2 weeks in the States, home for Christmas. The first week everyone was home; Brandon from WLC, Ben from culinary school, and Luke of course as he is in his senior year at CLHS. It was good to have everyone together as we are already so spread out. Christmas night my boyfriend Julius came, so it was good to spend time with him and my family at the same time.

I flew back to Antigua, leaving the San Diego airport on Saturday, Dec 31. I rang in the New Year with snores as I slept on the plane between LA and Miami. Caught a few extra Z's on the floor of the Miami airport, then landed in a slightly soggy Antigua. Met my dad who flew down on a different airline and were picked up by 5th grade teacher, Miss Christmas. Spent the afternoon showing Dad my house, my classroom, and my neighborhood.

Monday we celebrated the Public Holiday by going to the beach and watching the Rose Bowl at the Johnstons'. I'm a little bummed that the Badgers lost, but they certainly had a good run.

Tuesday Dad came into my classroom to see the desk full of the children in my care, to get an idea of how things really are at St. John's Lutheran. I put him to work right away, checking over work the children had from over break and working one-on-one to correct items they had wrong. He had some pointers and some encouragements for me, an invaluable gift from a father to a daughter. He also enjoyed exploring parts of the island, was introduced to shawarma, attended choir Wednesday night, and nearly took my house keys home to California with him. But I have my keys, he is home safely, and my only regret is having to say goodbye to my family twice in a week. One of my students reassured me as my eyes filled with tears on Friday, "It is sad when your dad leaves." Good. I wasn't sure, but now I know. =)

Everything is getting off to a splendid start. Julie and I spend a couple of hours this afternoon outlining a schedule and ideas for the play Gr 1-3 will put on this Feb. It is appropriately titled, "Why Do Mosquitos Buzz?" One of the songs is called, "Nobody Likes a Mosquito," and I think everyone will get a kick out of it. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Again, God's blessings as you begin 2012 in Him!