Picture Saturday: In bloom

I have always admired my mom being able to get her Christmas cactus to bloom at just the right time.  This year I almost killed mine by not watering it, but now it is very much alive.  Isn't this how it is so often in our lives?  Needing to suffer and sometimes be close to death to experience much beauty and life? 

Picture Saturday: Me at work

Welcome everyone to my world at work:

At my desk - this was taken on Remembrance Day, hence the poppy

Shelving in the elementary section

Why I love my job: grade 6 helpers

700s - Art & Recreation  Bulletin Board

Shelf Markers for Elementry Students

This year I have some wonderful grade 6 students who are helping me in the library.  They are creative and full of new ideas.  Most often I have them work on a project that has some type of artistic aspect.  I am a believer in building leadership and independent thinking through allowing the students to come up with the majority of the ideas for their projects with minimal guidance. When I asked the students to do a bulletin board display all I told them was that they needed to use a book called Bob the Alien Learnsabout the Dewey Decimal System as a started point and choose one of the ten main classes of the Dewey Decimal System as the theme.  They were allowed to design it away way they wanted. 

Recycled Packing Material soon to be a Christmas Tree

Today when I asked them to break up some boxes and throw out some packing materials they asked if they could use it for their Christmas display instead. Of course I agreed and they made a wonderful Christmas tree.  Unfortunately, they were not able to finish it and when they were unable to return at lunch to complete it I had to pick it up off the floor and it feel apart.  I expect, though, next Tuesday we are going to have a wonderful Christmas tree in the library window just in time for the beginning of December.

Seeing the creativity and youth of these students is just one of the reasons why I love my job at ICSB!

Picture Saturday and CRWM Pages

The Christian Reformed World Missions is working in revamping their pages for missionaries - including one for me.  Feel free to check out this page.  It includes an overview of my ministry and a live count of  where I am with my support raising.

The CRWM also has a page about the background of the ministry in Hungary including a video.

Lastly, I will leave you with a picture of a beautiful window - I believe it is somewhere here in Hungary, but if not it is European for sure :)

Two weeks ago I was left in a train station by a group of about 20 people while the boarded the train to Vajta, Hungary.  I had passed out tickets to all of them and gave instructions on how to get to the retreat centre where were we going to have the first CRWM Europe retreat in 3 years.  I was left behind to wait for two people I had never met before and take the next train. It turned out that I had a connection to the husband of the couple that I was meeting – he taught at the elementary school where I use to attend many years before. This was the beginning of a great weekend of spiritual refreshment and connecting with other CRWM missionaries.  Between the times of spiritual discussion we also had a bit of fun together.  See the YouTube video below with the results of a photo scavenger hunt that we had.

http://youtu.be/KID6lg1BCPw

Serving in Kiskunmajsa

This past Friday and Saturday I had a wonderful time serving with our school's grade 8 students at a home for displaced families in Kiskunmajsa Hungary.  Some of highlights for our students were tearing down some old playground equipment, petting the horses, and helping the children paint picture frames.    During our debriefing many of our students talked about how they saw many of their fellow classmates step up and work hard without complaining.  I too am very proud of how all of them worked.

 For myself it was a time of learning that the Lord can use my abilities of planning and organizing.  I was in charge of organizing the picture frame craft.  It was great to see the children paint and glue different things to them amidst the ciaos having babies and children everywhere.  Some of the pompoms for the craft became make sift soccer balls for a few little boys.  My favorite thing of the whole weekend was a cute one year old who nodded her head yes to her name even though our pronunciation was wrong.  She sat colouring for in a high chair never complaining.  She was happy that she could share her crayons and I was able to practice my colours.

I would like to thank the Lord for giving all of us such a wonderful time serving the families in Kiskunmajsa.

Picture Saturday: Welcome to my new flat!

This is the third place I have lived since I moved to Hungary. So far I would have to say it is my favorite as well.  Good location - close to work, shopping and transportation.  Since these pictures were taken I have had a few more things moved in, but pictures of how it looks with furniture will have to wait.

I finally have the purple room I always wanted! I just didn`t know would be my living room

Sunny Yellow Bed Room

Wake You Up in the Morning Lime Green Bathroom