Cricket and the waterfall!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4706nU4ukMc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dSUaBEbkEY
Here are two videos of the cricket game that I went to on Monday. It was West Indies vs. Pakistan. The first video, that dancing and horn went on for 3-4 hours!

 I love this puctyre becayse you can kind of see the people on the other side of the score board who move the numbers!

 The West Indies team! The captain is from St. Lucia!

 Some of the fans for Pakistan. I love the green outfit!

 Me at the waterfall.

 A pineapple growing!

 My favorite picture of the waterfall

 Luther after he peeled the orange with his cutlass aka machete!

Splitting open the coconut. This one was bad so we didn't get to eat it, but we (ok I know nothing about coconuts, so he) found another one!

Just some pictures and videos that I thought you guys might enjoy!

Easter

How am I different Easter 2011 than Easter 2010? This question was posed to me by some lovely ladies at Echo Church after Steve asked this question to the church. It got me thinking…how am I different? For one, I’m more independent (yes mom if you can believe that!). But looking back at the past year I’ve changed radically. I feel this year I have more of an entire world view of the church rather than just a localized states one. I have more of an awareness of the worldwide church and its importance. I’m starting to realize how self-centered I am/can be. I realize more of what God’s forgiveness means as I need it more and realize how much I needed it before but didn’t realize it. I’m learning that sometimes repetition is good, as long as it is meant in your heart. How much starting my day out in prayer changes things and keep asking myself why do I have to be reminded to stop and pray during the morning assembly at school? I feel like I’m learning more about how I am a forgiven, messed up child of God just trying with His help to find my way closer to Him every day because I can’t even do that on my own. I hope and pray this growth continues to Easter 2012 and beyond.

It's the little things...

Today I found out that it is the little things that add up and end up getting to you. I'm a time oriented person, like a lot of people in the states and not that many people where I currently live. That means I get to church on time, even though I can count on it starting at least 10 minutes late, I get to meetings on time, even though I'm the first person there and no one else comes until at least 15 minutes after it is supposed to have started. I also like things to be effective and get done. I'm trying to not let these things bother me and adjust my expectations, but sometimes it is hard.
Needless to say, I had issues with my internet. Timing, working right, knowing account info, all of the stuff that would have been no issue normally, but compacted with other things (and the fact that the internet is my lifeline home) made it a huge issue for me.

Funny story...last night about 9:45 a huge spider about the size of my hand shows up in my house. Guess whose scared of spiders...ME! Yep! So I call my best friend here and he says he'll be right over to take care of it. So I open the door and turn on the porch light so I won't have to answer the door when he gets there. The spider starts chasing me around the house and I am screaming. My friend comes up, tells me he could hear me from the road and kills the spider for me. No big deal for him. He then goes on to inform me that the centipedes here are crazy large and scary and there's a type of spider that hates women. Awesome!

Some pics

These are some pictures I took at the pier about 2 blocks from my house. So pretty! You can see a cruise ship in the distance on the last one.

Movin' in!

This past weekend I moved into my own place. It’s the first time I’ve ever lived alone or even had a place to really call mine. I get to eat what I want, clean when I want, do what I want, get home when I want and I’m not really accountable for anyone for it. I have duties and responsibilities, but I really feel like an adult! The place I have is beautiful! It’s huge and I love it! Friday is the date that I swear in and become an official volunteer. I can’t believe it’s finally here and training is over! I will miss hanging out with the other volunteers, but will be glad to get to spend more time in my village. There are so many projects I want to get started on, but even more I just want to learn about my community and hang out with the people who live here.

The other day when I was getting on a bus to go to my village a little girl asked me if I was a tourist. I said no and that I lived here. She was like, oh, but you're really pale. I told her I was working on it and that seemed to satisfy her!

There's gotta be more...

There's a song that keeps coming back into my life at pivital points. That song is Stacie Orrico "There's gotta be more to life" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOcQnWbk_U you can hear it using the link. I heard it all growing up but the first pivital time I heard it was in Chicago at a camping conference. I was reflecting on the weekend and how I was going to take what I learned to camp that summer. That song came on and it reminded me that no matter the programs I delt with, it was the impact I made on the kid's lives and pointing them to Christ that made the real difference. Yesterday I heard the song again on the bus on the way into Castries. It still means a lot considering right now I'm looking at what different programs I might be working with the next couple of years, how I might make a difference in the lives I come in contact, and what I'm actually doing here! I'm not allowed to proselytize while I'm here. I know that. But my hope and my prayer is that while I am here someone might see the life that I am trying to live and it point them toward God. I screw up on a daily basis living that life, but I get back up the next day and continue to work towards that goal. Because there is more to my life than a temperary high.

Troublesome

Classification of any human is a way to separate them from the group. Call someone something for long enough and they will start to prove you right. You will look for those behaviors to prove your point and they will work to fulfill your expectations. Many of the boys here are labled as "troublesome." At school, home, and in the community they are known as "troublesome." All of the boys that I have come in contact with this lable are one of a couple things but troublesome is not the word I would use to describe them. Instead I would use "high energy," "artistic," and "struggling student" to describe them. Some of these kids just have a hard time paying attention. They have too much energy, are yelled at when they go play to get rid of that energy, and need an outlet (and to be reconigized for something). They have different talents other than traditional subjects taught in school so their interests are other places. The number one reason in my opinion is because they are a struggling student. If a student doesn't know how to add, why would they pay attention to a teacher who is teaching multiplication? If they don't know their ABCs or how to read, why would they pay attention to a language lesson on tenses of verbs? So the question is, how we help these "troublesome" boys get thier energy out in constructive manners and help them catch up to thier classmates?