Hello Again!

Well hello everyone I have been missing you in the blogisphere! Please excuse my month long hiatus. I will be the first to admit this blogging thing is still new to me and it seems like if there is lots going on I tend to leave it to last (I am trying to break this routine). This past month has been very busy, full of fun, blessings and new friends. So this post will probably feel more like a newsletter than a post.

We ended our first semester at WISE with a bang! Our WISE students, preschoolers and my dance class did a fabulous job preforming in a Christmas program for our church and community. I felt like a proud mamma to all of them J.  You can see some video of the program under our video tab.

EK and I celebrated Christmas early with each other. Neither one of us felt we needed much as far as Christmas presents go so we were able to spend a few days at a local resort for some rest, we were so blessed to get a great deal at a local price. It was nice to experience a different part of the island and it was a relaxing Christmas present to us.

 

It was our first Christmas ever away from home with friends and family so we were worried that we might not get the usual Christmas spirit, but boy were we wrong! The WISE Student Council coordinated with all of the WISE students and faculty to go caroling around the community on Christmas Eve. This was my first time ever caroling. The students are all blessed with musical talent so they all had a blast finding people on the streets and in their homes to entertain. Please look under our video tab to see some of their songs. Later, one of the women we sang to told the director of WISE that our caroling “made her Christmas.”  It is so heartwarming to know that God can use all of us in simple ways to impact others.

We had a fun filled Christmas day too. We enjoyed a deliciously catered meal along with presents and games with our students.  We introduced them to the white elephant gift exchange (or gag gifts) they sure had fun stealing presents from each other!

My (Maddie) mom and sister flew down to visit us the day after Christmas. It was so so so nice to have family around and for them to see the work we are doing here.

We were able to see a lot of the island while they were here. We went to the Owai Salt Ponds with all of the WISE students, I think it was the most breathtaking view of the ocean I have ever seen. It is on the Atlantic side of the island where the waves crash angrily against the shore. However, there is a circle of rocks that God seemed to strategically place so the water creates a calm crystal pool which was perfect for swimming.

My family, EK and myself also travels to Dark View Falls which is a serene place with two waterfalls. We were surrounded by jungle and the constant sound of the flowing water, my mom felt it was necessary to sing “How Great Thou Art” which was very fitting for our surroundings.

My mom and sister were able to take part in their own ministry while they were here; clowning! You heard me right, they have their own clown act as Pip (Callie) and Squeak (Mom). They were a hit everywhere they went. We went into the community one day to pass out suckers, or “sweeties” as the kids here like to call them, and they also make a variety of balloons. We didn’t have to walk far because the word quickly spread and soon they were surrounded by children on the street; all in unison saying“Miss, Miss, Miss, I want a balloon!” They also performed for our WISE New Year’s Eve Party. They made the students laugh with their skits and puzzled them with their magic tricks. It was sad to see them go but we definitely made a lot of great memories!

We have had TWO HUGE BLESSINGS, I MEAN HUGE, already in 2013. The first is our college was able to buy a truck. WISE was first blessed by churches and individuals who donated so WISE was able to have funds to buy a truck. Then the challenge became finding a nice used truck on the island, not as easy as you would think. However, God provided as He always does. WISE now has a truck that should last for many many years. This will help to transport plenty of people at a time (because it is legal for people to sit in the back here) and it will help with transporting materials needed for construction that always seems to be going on as the school grows and makes needed improvements.

The second blessing came in the University of Missouri Christian Campus House. A group of 20 people came from Columbia, Missouri to help serve at WISE for almost two weeks, and they have been mighty busy. They replaced the entire ceiling and repainted the preschool in about 5 days and they continue to work hard every day with no complaints but with a servant’s heart and joyful attitude, again what a blessing! I have enjoyed getting to know the MU students and it’s nice to have people from my school (MU) makes it feel like a piece of home. The group also treated all of the WISE students and faculty by making us homemade lasagna, salad, garlic bread and even brownies and ice cream for dinner. All of our tummies were full and happy! You can visit their blog and follow their journey in SVG at http://cchmissions.tumblr.com/

We appreciate everyone’s continued prayers for us, we feel them all. We pray that your 2013 is getting off to a great start and that you feel the love of God surrounding you every day!

* sorry there are no pics in this post, for some reason I could not get them to upload...but will post some soon!