Romania 2K15: Part 2

ICSV and IGA

Ms. Johnson, do we have to leave? Can we please stay another week? I don't want to leave these kids again! Ms..., Can't we do more for them? I feel like I am free here. These were just a few of the comments that I heard from almost every student's mouth as we were getting ready to leave Romania. I have learned that when you travel to a place to serve, you tend to leave more of yourself there and realize that giving is (once again) more rewarding than receiving. When you go to a place for a specific purpose and you are able to see growth and change, you don't want to leave. You want to further the ministry, relationship, or project you began and see it come to fruition. This is what I believe our whole team experienced. Once we started working and building relationships with the people at the care home, our purpose for being there was cemented and we didn't want to leave. As a teacher and leader of this trip, this was a huge answer to pray to see your students become apart of something greater than themselves.

Choose Joy
The theme for our trip was Choose Joy. We really wanted the students to be joyful in every situation they encountered. Whether it was digging deep ditches, painting fences, cleaning bathrooms, sitting next to someone you don't like, or having to wake up early; we wanted them to be joyful. Our prayer was that they would take that idea and bring it back to their everyday lives. To choose joy in the mundane, the boring, the difficult, the stressful, and whatever else they might face.

We had our student leaders create a devotional book titled Choose Joy. They found verses in the bible for the team to read and then created questions for us to apply this theme to our days and lives. Every morning each group would meet with a small group of students from the team and discuss the devotional. Most students were very vulnerable and open about challenges they had faced and how hard it was to choose joy.


Testimonies 

A wise woman told me recently, 

"Let your life be a witness and maybe use some words". 

My favorite part of this trip were the evenings. After a long day of work and a nice warm meal, we would all come together for a large group session. We usually started the evening with worship and then someone would share a little devotional or testimony. I had asked only three students to share their testimonies during the trip; but by the end of the evening, I had five other students approach me and asked if they could share their testimony. We decided to put aside our devotionals and let the students share their stories. This was the part of the trip that greatly impacted everyone. Some of these students have been abandoned, hurt, bullied, lied to, and abused. Some of them have experienced more in their short 15 years of life than most people experience in a lifetime. Throughout their pain and struggle they all decided that Jesus was worth it and decided to make a commitment to follow him despite what may come. For some of these students, choosing Jesus means being disowned by family and friends. After each student shared their story, the rest of the students would surround the student and overwhelm them with hugs, encouragements, kind words, and love. Being vulnerable about some of your darkest secrets and pain risks relationships and status. I was so proud how these kids chose to love their friends even more and choose joy.

Some things that I learned on this trip were nothing that would surprise anyone. If anything, they were reminders as to how I should live my life. I was reminded that everything we do in this life is all about Jesus. It is easy to worry about earthly things, but our minds should be set on heaven. I learned not to judge a book by its cover. After hearing these students stories, I was reminded that you never know what is happening in someone's heart or what they have experienced that influences who they are. Lastly, don't be afraid to ask tough questions. Students want to have intriguing and interesting conversations that challenge them. They want people to pour into them and to take an interest in them. They want to be loved, cared for, and respected. I am hoping these truths will stick with me and am very thankful for this wonderful opportunity. Thank you once again for those who prayed over this trip. The Lord answered them well :). 

Romania 2k15

We're back from our trip to Romania and it was quite incredible. This blog post is just a basic over view of what we did and accomplished on our trip. I will write a more personal one later to further explain what God did in the lives of each one of our hearts.

We left early Saturday morning and drove 8 hours to our destination. Once we arrived at the River of Life care home, we were greeted by students from IGA which is located in Istanbul. Many of our students had known some of them from different events so it was fun for them to be reunited.

On our way

We spent our Palm Sunday attending a Protestant church on the compound. Since we were a group of about 50 people, we pretty much took up the whole church. The women and kids at the care home performed songs for us which was very special. At one point, we all sang a worship song in everyone's native tongue. It was heavenly.  

Palm Sunday

After the church service, we took a tour of the city we were living in for the next week. We were quickly reminded as to how blessed we truly are living in Vienna. This city was very poor and depraved. During our tour we decided to do a pray walk throughout the city. The students broke up into small groups and prayed for each house, street, and person that passed by. 

After the prayer walk, they had a photo shoot: typical.

Work Projects
On Monday morning we were up early and ready to work. We had a lot of work projects to complete and each student was up to the task. No one complained once and these kids worked hard. The first project was to dig a deep tunnel for a septic tank. We finished the tunnel on the last day, inserted the tank, and put all the dirt back.

Before picture

Almost done! 

Another project we were asked to do was to paint a playroom for the kids. Since I have NO artistic ability, I put some very qualified students in charge of this project.

Before

Painting 1 Timothy 4:12

Visionaries 

This group had to dig out a sand pit, mix cement, pour cement, and the build a bike rack for the kids of the care home. They finished this in one day!

Some of the cement was also used to pour into another tunnel for a fence. The fence will separate the animals and kids from a garden. 

Another group of students repainted this iron fence with oil based paint. This project took ALL week and left a lot of stained clothes and faces. :)

Kid's Program

In the afternoons, we put on a kid's program for the care home kids. Our students choreographed dances, songs, brought crafts, and played LOTS of games. Each kid had the biggest smile on his or her face during this time. It was so neat to watch our students build such great relationships with these kids in such a short period of time. The kids were able to worship God, learn some bible stories, and just have fun. 

 

Surprise!

The best part of the whole week was giving these kids the ping pong table. We had raised 800 euro in order to purchase a ping pong table, work supplies, and then just donated the rest. We also had A LOT of people donate various clothes, toys, and sports equipment for these kids. They were beyond excited to receive these items and have new toys to play. In that moment the age old saying never rang more true: giving is more rewarding than receiving. 

The ICSV and IGA team.

Normal photo

Crazy photo

This is my fourth and final mission trip with these lovely ladies :(.

On the drive home to Vienna, the Lord blessed us with a spectacular sunset. The kids in my vehicle called it the Jesus effect. It seemed to be an appropriate theme for the trip. 

Then, our car broke down. We fortunately just crossed into Austria so all of our phones worked and we were able to contact the necessary people. Also, a good samaritan pulled over and helped me drive the car to a service station which just happen to be 2 mins up the road. I also got to wear a pretty cool orange vest that made it look like I knew how to fix a car; don't be fooled though because that couldn't be farther from the truth. What could have been a pretty dangerous situation turned out to be a pretty great memory. 

3rd Times a Charm

Tomorrow I head off to Timisoara, Romania for the third time since my move to Austria. Along with 24 students and 3 other adult leaders, we will be driving to Timisoara to help serve a care home called River of Life. ICSV students and staff have been going to this particular care home for almost 15 years now. River of Life takes in women and children who have been abused or abandoned and gives them a chance at a better life. They also teach these women about Jesus Christ and show his love through service. We have established a deep relationship with this care home and for some of our students, it's their favorite trip all year. All week the students have been telling me how excited they are for the trip and wishing Spring Break was today. It has been really sweet to experience.

While in Romania we will be digging ditches for a new sceptic tank, assembling a sceptic tank, re-patching some of the roof, painting fences and rooms, and putting on a little program for the kids at the care home. We also raised about 1.000 euro through events at school and personal donations. The students want to purchase a ping-pong table for the kids and wheel barrows for the care home takers in order to complete various projects.

For those of you reading this post, I ask for prayer for this trip. Some things you could specifically pray for are...

1. Safety as we travel to Romania and pass through the border
2. Unity among our students and a desire to encouraging each other
3. We will choose to have joy no matter what our circumstance
4. We would be a blessing to this care home instead of a burden
5. The love of Christ will overwhelm our students 

Thank you for your prayers and looking forward to sharing our experiences, stories, and pictures! :)

Some of the Romania team bowling last weekend 

King of Hearts

It is quite ironic that we celebrated Valentine's Day on Friday the 13th; however, it seemed to suit the day. Today was our annual King of Hearts Middle School Valentine's Day event. In trying to each the young middle school girls not to give their hearts away so easily, we created an event to try and make them aware of how easy it can be to give away your heart. My wonderful TA cut out about 50 pink heart necklaces and handed them out to all the middle school girls. The girls were not allowed to talk to any of the middle school boys for the entire day. If they did talk to any of the boys, they had to give them their heart. The boy with the most hearts at the end is titled The King of Hearts. It is a cute, fun, and highly entertaining activity to watch. The 8th grade girls all decided to wear black in order to bond together through this difficult time of not talking to boys. The 7th grade girls put on headphones so they wouldn't be able to hear the boys and the sixth grade girls are still trying to figure out why it's such a big deal to give your heart away.

The boys took this competition very seriously. Some of their questions and thought processes were quite humorous and I decided to write them down and share. The mind and heart of a middle school student never ceases to surprise me. 

1. Ms. Johnson, I have it all planned out! I am going to say the girl's name over and over and over again until she talks to me.
2. Stealing girls' hearts is really, really hard. 
3. I am going to trip a girl and then help her up! She'll have to talk to me then!
4. Ms. Johnson, am I allowed to kiss a girl on the cheek? She'll definitely talk to me after that!
5. If I make a girl laugh, do I get her heart?
6. Can I rip the girls' headphones out of her ears? "No.... that would be violent!" Ok... Ok...I could be romantic though and just sing to hear after I rip her headphones out?
7. If a girl nods at me, does that mean I get her heart?


Coffeehaus

Newlywed Game 

Tonight was our annual Valentine's Day coffeehaus event. Coffeehaus events happen 5 times a year are themed, and a High School only event. The students are in charge of planning and setting up the event and usually most of the students and teachers come. It's a great time to spend with students, create memories, and allow relationships to be formed outside the classroom.

We decided to play a newlywed game with some of our teachers, have an open mic time, and listen to cheesy romance songs. It was a great time spent with many of the students, getting to know the stories of fellow teachers, and watching our talented students perform love medleys throughout the evening. 

Can't stay still to Backstreet Boys

When Your Students Become Part of Your Social Life

This weekend was "hang out with your students" weekend and I wouldn't have a changed a thing. 

Friday Night, February 6th - Romania Fundraiser Talent Show

The majority of the Romania team in between the clean-up dance party

I know a lot of you were praying for our Fundraiser Event this past Friday (Feb. 6th) in which we hosted a Talent Show in order to raise money for our mission trip to Romania. First off, THANK YOU for your prayers. The whole event went very smoothly and was a big hit. All of the students who are attending this trip worked very hard to make this event a success. They cooked, cleaned, performed, and had great attitudes throughout the whole event. We have some seriously talented students and I was overcome with the urge to learn a musical instrument, taking singing lessons, or learn some new dance moves ASAP. Apparently my moves are "too white". 

Preparing the delicious spring rolls

I was thoroughly impressed by these teenager's work ethic and their ability to host this type of event. Over 125 people attended this event and we raised over 1.000 euro. We made our profit by serving Filo food (made by our students) homemade desserts (a HUGE thanks to all the moms who donated), and raffling off a few goodies. 

High School boys stealing all the girl's hearts by singing some Sam Smith

All the money that we raised will be used to help the organization, River of Life, build homes for the elderly women that have been abandoned and to purchase a ping pong table for the children in the compound. Our school has been connected with this organization for over 10 years and many of the students have been going for almost four years now. This event is very special to our students because have built deep relationships with a lot of the women and children in Romania. They know these women's stories and it makes this fundraiser all the more personal. I feel blessed to be apart of this ministry and to help make these trips possible. 

 Saturday, February 7th - Senior Class Party

When I first started teaching at ICSV, I signed up to be the Freshman Class Sponsor. A class sponsor is someone who helps the students plan events, supervise them through study hall, pour into their lives, and just be available when needed. This class quickly grabbed my heart and I have loved watching them grow up and face high school. They are now Seniors and it really saddens me to think this is my last year with them. (I'll write more about our relationship later). Anyway, we usually plan a few class parties throughout the year in order to spend time together. Sadly, this year has gone by too fast and we finally just had our first class party this year. We decided to combine all the parties we would've had into one. Therefore, we ate LOTS of food, played a few games, had a white elephant Valentine's gift exchange, and even made a few silly music videos. (I'll post one on their graduation day). This class is fun, genuine, goofy, talented, smart, and a class that I will miss dearly.

Cool kids

Senioritis 

The One with All the Activities

My Responders group

What Am I Involved in?
Responders
I am currently mentoring two high school girls every week during lunch. We are reading through the book Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. When I was in High School, I was mentored by one of my high school teachers and we went through this book. This book changed the way I lived my life and I wanted to be able to share that with some of the girls in the High School. We have created a pretty special bond and they are such a blessing to me. The girl in the middle was baptized today (Sunday, February 1st!) 


Romania Mission Trip 2015

This year I will be returning to Romania for our Spring Break with 24 students and 4 other adult leaders. This will be my third trip to Romania and I am very excited to return. We will be partnering with a missions organization there called River of Life that reaches out to abandoned women and children. I believe we are going to be digging trenches for a new skeptic tank for a home for the elderly, painting a few houses, and creating a kids program for the children in the neighborhood. It will be a great trip. This Friday we are hosting a Romania Fundraiser event in order to raise money for a ping pong table to bring to the kids in Romania. We are putting on a Talent Show at our school where students and staff can show off their talents and raise money. All the money that we raise will be donated to River of Life.

Making posters for our Fundraiser Event

Student Ministries 
Along with five other staff members (Becca Martin, Caleb Dossett, Sean Sattler, and Michael Stinauer), I am on a committee that is responsible for the spiritual growth at ICSV. We are in charge of the mission trips, class events, responder groups (bible studies), worship nights, retreats, and being a support to the student body. Because of this group, the students are able to learn about Christ outside of the classroom, learn how to live out their faith, and serve other students within and outside of our school. I feel blessed to be able to connect with the students in this way.

Spending time with students at one of the worship nights

What Am I Teaching?
ELL Intermediate Language

Intermediate ELL Class

I have only four middle school students in this class and we meet on M/W/F. The point of this class is to improve the kid's language skills in English. We read a lot of books and review English grammar. We just started a unit on punctuation which has all my students very excited to come to class :). I have two students from Austria, one from Korea, and one from Pakistan. I am very spoiled with this class because they are very well behaved and do enjoy learning.



ELL Intermediate/Advanced English
I have ten middle school students in this class from Austria, Russia, Korea, South Africa, Pakistan, Thailand, and the Philippines. There are seven boys and three girls and our conversations somehow always revolve around computer or video games. The majority of these students are conversationally fluent in English, they just need help in reading comprehension, writing, and building vocabulary. Along with teaching these students English, I want these particular students to find joy in all they do and to not complain about life's problems. The majority of our problems are heightened because we make them a bigger issue than they need to be, especially in middle school. Every problem they face will result in an emotional reaction. I am trying to teach them to choose their reactions wisely, have a better attitude about their situation, and to not complain. I appreciate your prayers for this endeavor :).

Advanced ELL Class

This is also a very inquisitive class. They are always asking questions about God, life after death, and how to make a lot of money in a short amount of time. I have been greatly encouraged by their questions, thoughts, and love being challenged by eleven year old students.

Spanish 1

Spanish 1 Class celebrating Day of the Dead

My Spanish 1 class is very different from any Spanish class I have taught before. This is my largest class with 10 students from Austria, America, Burkina Faso, Korea, India, and the Philippines. I have freshman through seniors in this class and they enjoy learning the Spanish language. We do a lot of projects, chants, songs, and skits which they love :). I am planning on taking this class to Madrid and Toledo, Spain in May for a class trip. We will be touring both cities, eating traditional Spanish food, going to a bull fight, and experiencing a Spanish evangelical church. The Spanish culture is pretty different from Austria's so I am excited to show my students another part of the world.


If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I continue to covet your prayers for my classes and the extra curricular activities that I am involved in. The Lord continues to bless everything that is happening in our school and a huge part of that is due to your faithfulness in praying. Thank you once again :).