J Term

This semester started off strong with special two-week electives called “J-term” (January Term). This was a new venture for our school and we’ve been anticipating it for months. It’s a chance for students to learn about a non-traditional topic in more depth and with more hands-on experience. A very positive side effect is some special bonding among students and teachers and many spiritual conversations and experiences that wouldn’t happen in a traditional classroom setting. 

Middle and high school students chose from a list of courses including cooking and nutrition, drums and piano, internships around the city, and more. There were also two mission trips: one to a village church in northern Ghana and another to a Christian school and medical mission in our neighboring country, Togo. I’m excited to talk more to my friends and students about these trips - I’ve already heard some great stories of fun and growth. 

John is teaching a building and construction class. He of course loves the topic, but he also loves seeing his middle school boys come alive with power tools and outdoor activity and unique projects. They have done perspective drawing, a field trip to a factory that makes structurally insulated panels, and they are currently building tables based on their own designs or things they found on the internet. The tables look great! I’ve told the boys I would spend money on things like that and they are so proud.

I’m teaching a class on child development. Even after living here for a year and a half, I still have little culture shock moments. My friend Helina came to my class to be interviewed by my students about what it is like to be a new mother. She brought her 3-month-old son along and graciously allowed him to be passed around and cuddled and bottle fed, but he started getting fussy and she mentioned he needed a nap. I immediately thought about where we could put him down that would be quiet and comfortable, while one of my Ghanian students piped up and said, “I will”. I was thinking, “I will what?”. Helina promptly helped her wrap Blessing (the baby) on her back  and he was asleep in moments and we went on about our business. Very different from the way most American babies take naps . We’ve also observed and taught and played in almost every elementary classroom, taken a field trip to a medical clinic to take a pediatric first aid course, and taken care of egg babies. We’re going to the Beacon House orphanage next week. 

One last thing. I have to mention the Survivor course. My friends Andy and Karen and Tonya have given those students some absolutely unforgettable experiences. They have built fires from scratch, multiplied money by selling items in the market, killed and ate a chicken, camped at the school, and rappelled off the balcony of our six-story school building. They are going camping in the Kakum rainforest next week. 

We have been so pleased to give these students these classes and have the opportunities to talk more about God and a Biblical worldview in our lives, whether how to share the Gospel or the importance Jesus placed on children or the courage He gives in scary situations.

Many Happy Returns

The New Year is an important holiday in Ghana. Banners everywhere declare “Watch Nights” and all-night prayer services on New Year’s Eve as people expect growth and blessing in the coming year. Greeting someone with, “Happy New Year,” merits the reply, “Many happy returns”. This common phrase strikes me this January as we return to Ghana again after visiting with family and friends in the States. There are many happy returns in our lives. Each time we return to Colorado or Texas, there is happiness. We return to unlimited cheese and coffee, to our old home with Karen and Brent, to new relatives like baby Joshua and sweet Morgan, to our Meridian Point Church family, and to our loving parents and siblings. Then there is the painful leaving and the 24-hour trans-Atlantic journey and another series of happy returns. We return to warm air, our very own apartment, an enthusiastic Doberman, our Hope City Church family (one of the things I missed the most), a committed team of teachers and administrators, and the reason for it all: our students.

I look forward to blogging more in 2013 and keeping you updated on what God is doing at AIS and in our lives. Many of you have heard our positive stories from last semester, including discipleship groups at school, serving at church through music and teaching and loving on kids, growing bonds with good friends, and some fun like camping on the beach. We have also experienced some unfortunate conflict and ongoing uncertainty at our school. But we continue to testify to God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of human imperfection. We look forward to this semester and the many happy returns we will experience this year.