Beauty of God's Creation!

So I live pretty close to the south coast here on this base. It's like 30 to 45 minutes away, driving. But it's hard to get to. I dont' have a car, so we would have to take taxi. And it's not like in Canada where you tell the taxi where to go. They have route taxis, and there aren't many that go that way, and i would have to catch like 3 to get where i want to go. It's just such a hassle. So whenever i feel like going to the beach Becky and I go to Montego Bay for the weekend and stay on the other YWAM base. There it's white sand beach, and turquoise water - gorgeous. But it's really touristy and the beaches are busy. We found this free beach that is near the town, so it's not the prettiest location, but it's not busy, only locals come and hassle us sometimes.

So there's a new couple on our base and they have their own car. They went exploring on the coast near to us and found some great spots. So last Thursday they took Becky and I with them and showed us these beaches. They are dark sand and the water isn't as clear but the surroundings are gorgeous, and the waves hit the rocks and it's so so pretty.

I look out at the sky above the ocean and i just am in awe.

One spot they took us to was this LONG beach. No one was there, and they said that they've only ever seen ONE person there before who was just walking by. There's huge waves, and the water is so warm, and the beach is so long, and there's green luscious mountains behind the beach. All along the beach there are thousands of shells. THey are the prettiest shells Ive EVER seen. They are bright pink and deep purple and nice white ones too. And I bet every single one is different.

When I woke up the next morning I was daydreaming about that beach. I want to sleep on that beach one night!!! watch the stars.

God is so good.

I've made a habit of beginning my posts with: please forgive me for taking so long to write. Probably there isn't anyone who checks this anymore because I'm so unfaithful at writing. Again I'm sorry. I always think of it for a few weeks before I get right down to it.

I guess alot has happened since I wrote in March. I went home for my friend Carrie's wedding which was amazing. I always love being home. I had fun planning and helping Carrie before the wedding. The BIG day itself was a blast. As we were driving to the church after getting our hair and makeup done I was saying how I wish I could be in a wedding everyday. It was so fun.

I was homesick again when I came back to Jamaica. It was another difficult transition, but now that it's been a month I've settled back in. I'm back into the routine of teaching, and my weekends have been quite busy actually.

I found a church in Mandeville that I love. I never went to church faithfully here. I didn't agree with the principles of a church nearby the base that I used to go to, so I stopped going to that one. And since then I had not found another one that I could get to every weekend. The Pastor of my new church is a young couple. The man is Jamaican and the lady is Canadian. She's 26 years old. The church is new, and it is very small. There are about 30 regulars who attend which are all very close and alot like family. They had a BBQ the other weekend to celebrate the one year anniversary of the church and it was a lot of fun. I got to play soccer with some of the guys from the church. I loved it! This church is a real blessing. It's more than just a place to go on Sundays, I've made some friends as well.

Last weekend there was a Festival in Mandeville that was put on by the family of a huge company in Jamaica. They are Christian and so they wanted to have a celebration for their 50th anniversary and decided to make it an evangelistic effort. There was a huge concert with well known Jamaican Christian artists, like Prodigal Son and DJ Nicholas. Becky and I sang and dance the night away. There was also alot of different activities for the children.

Becky and I worked in the Lost Children tent. It was interesting. Some children came by and saw the lost children colouring so they asked if they could colour as well. It was funny! We sent them away because they weren't lost!

There was also skateboarding, BMX riding, and motor cross. It was really great. It was like the Monster truck show at Sask Place (oh yea it's not called that anymore!!! it always will be to me!)

So it's been really exciting and full lately and these last two months of teaching are going to be really exciting and eventful as well. I will do better at keeping you updated, I promise.

Kids say the darndest things!

This afternoon all of the children were outside practicing for sports day. Some of the children were not in the event that was going on at the current time, so they were over by Miss Young and I. Rajahun was near a tree and said, "Miss Baran, I can climb de tree?" (You need to imagine the Jamaican accent and a cute little boy). I asked him, "Why would you want to climb this tree?" (The tree was more like a big bush) He replied, "So i can catch lizards!" Miss Young and I cracked up. It was so obvious the reason why he would want to climb the tree. To catch lizards of course. And he said it as if it was so normal!!! He didn't end up climbing the tree.

Then another little boy named Roshawn told us that he can climb trees better than his brother. He said, "We have a China guava tree at home and I have to shub him up." Which means that he has to help his older brother up the tree. Shub would be translated to shove.

They're so cute! I wish I could remember more of the funny things that they say! I'll try to and let you know of some more!

I've learned so much!

I feel so blessed. Life is good!

God is so faithful and life is beautiful!

I went into the office the other day and David told me that he heard good things about me and my class. He heard that I was doing a great job teaching. I still don't know who told him that, but I was glad to hear it. I still pray every morning for wisdom when I'm in the classroom. I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing alot of the time. But God has taught me so much.

I have learned to pay specific attention to each child. I want to make each child feel welcome in the class and feel like he/she is valuable and wanted there. I love all of my students. They are all precious jewels. I hope that I have said words of truth that they will be able to carry in their hearts the rest of their lives. I hope that in those tough moments where they have important decisions to make that they will remember Miss Baran told them to always make the right decision no matter what.

I have learned to set specific standards so the children will know what is expected of them. Then it's easy to discipline and far less frustration for everyone.

I've learned not to set the standards for the children's behavior and work too low. I want to create an environment where the children can strive to be the best they can be.

I've also learned that it's important to pray for the children continuously. And to remember that even if I don't see major improvements in their character that I can always trust that God is working in their hearts and that the love I give them and the truth I tell them about life and God will stay in their hearts.

I am so glad that I stayed and taught this year. I feel that the end of this school year is going to come quickly and I don't want to miss any precious moment that I have with my class!

Blessings and love! Your prayers are appreciated hugely!

Kiddy's Cricket

Today was a very exciting day for Bethel Christian School. We were presented with brand new cricket equipment by the West Indies Cricket Association (or something like that) and Scotia Bank. Scotia Bank is the sponsor for this program, called Kiddy's Cricket.

We were given posters, a coach's manual, cricket bats and balls and wickets. It was a huge blessing. The kids were so excited as soon as they heard that this was happening. At the lunch break the children were given a chance to play cricket and use the new equipment and i'm just glad I wasn't in charge of getting them organized. There was SOO much excitement.

With this Kiddy's Cricket program all the schools which are involved in it get a chance to participate in a tournament at some point this year. Four schools will be chosen to play in the tournament, but the schools that aren't chosen still get an all-expenses-paid trip to go and watch the tournament. I'm not exactly sure when this is taking place, but I know that it will be a great experience for the children.

That's my exciting news for today! I'm sure that the children will be playing cricket any chance they get for a while!!!

Bless up!

The Beach!

This last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday so the school's in Jamaica got a five day holiday. I decided to go to MoBay and hit up the beach with Becky. It is so incredibly beautiful here. The ocean with it's blues and turquoise, and the water is so clear! The sky is so blue and the clouds so fluffy and white!

It is still unreal to me that I live in Jamaica and I get to go to the beach all the time. A world famous place...Montego Bay! That's where i get to go when i have a few days off work. It's incredible.

I'm doing my best to take it all in and make the best of my time here. I still think about home everyday and wonder what people are doing. I dream about things that I will do when i'm home. All the great things I get to do with my family, friends and boyfriend! But I know that soon I will be leaving this place. Before I know it I will be on that plane not knowing when i'm coming back. And I want to have no regrets. I want to know that I made the best of this time. That i learned all the lessons i was supposed to learn. That i touched the lives that i was supposed to touch. Life is good.....and beautiful.

My first week and a half back!

Hello to all of my faithful blog readers!

First of all thank you from the depth of my soul for all of the prayers. I know that they have made a HUGE difference. I am doing so well. I don't feel depressed. I really have a totally different mind set this time around. Since I came back to my house I even have felt alot of joy about being here. I'm making the best of it and thinking positive, taking one day at a time. I'm excited to be teaching these kids. And I just finally realized how pointless it is to be depressed. God is good!

It's been a good week and a half. I have been meaning to write this for the last week or so but my internet has been acting up. This is the first evening where the internet has been really working good for a considerable amount of time.

Last weekend I had some extra work to do getting report cards ready for Monday. It's nice having a small class though. There weren't too many marks to average. They all did quite well. I hope it was an honest mark of their ability. This term has started off quite well. I feel like my class has a hard time keeping information in their head. I'm trying to repeat the information more and go slower. I am still learning. I think i went to fast at times in the first term. I have to remember that alot of these concepts that seem so simple to me are not simple to them at all, especially when it's the first time that they're ever learning about it.

I was very pleased when today Nathan had finished his geography and it was about 95% correct. It was a huge deal! I was so glad that he was really understanding. And all the students seemed to do well. They weren't frustrated, they were really trying their best to reason through the questions.

Orlando continues to get frustrated at times, but I'm working with him a bit more than the others. Just trying to keep his spirits up. He usually doesn't catch onto concepts as quickly as others, but he is still very bright. He's doing so much better than last year. Other teachers have even mentioned to me that they see a difference in his demeanor.

School is great. It's keeping me busy and the kids usually have a funny story to tell me each day. I love being with children all day. They're so simple and innocent. It helps me to stay simple and innocent too!

Blessings and love!
Miss Baran