Newsflash

Hey everyone

I haven’t updated my blog for a while, the last couple of weeks have been quite similar in routine and so I thought it would be pretty boring for you guys to read. Then I skyped with someone at home and they said I should blog anyway because they still want to know what I’m up to so here I am blogging.

School has been pretty standard these last few weeks but I’ve been feeling much more settled which is a real answer to prayer. I’ve been doing my one on one work with the kids. This includes maths, phonics and reading. I’ve included some photos of the kids I’ve been working with below so you can see their beautiful faces. I’ve also been working with grade 2 for maths every day. This is a real highlight for me because Wendy who teaches grade 2 is South African, and she teaches in a very similar way to the UK with lots of hands on practical group work. Her class however are not so easy; you may think that teaching a bunch of missionary kids would mean that you would have no behaviour management issues...well you would be wrong! They are all sweet kids individually but put them together and they cannot sit still. Despite this I’ve really enjoyed working with and getting to know this class and I had the pleasure of teaching them for two days while Wendy went on a course. It may be hard to believe but I feel I need more grace to keep my calm with those kids than I do with some of the kids at John Clifford! I’m learning a lot about being a supply teacher; it’s so much harder when you have not built up relationship and routines with the kids to still command respect and attention.

Some if the grade 2's I was working with in maths- we were learning about rectangles



The whole of grade 2, they look like buetter would'nt melt don't they!



This is Josh from Australia- I do phonics with him every day. (Check it out phonics play has become international!!)

Sam and Ethaniel from grade 3. I do word work with these guys 2 times a week

Last Friday I had the chance to lead a couple of action songs in chapel (this is like the kids weekly assembly). I did rainbow and great big god, I felt kind of nervous standing up there in front of 200 people I don’t know, but I was feeling pretty good about how I’d done. Afterwards a kid from grade 4 came up to me and asked if I’d had the ‘stage fright’. I asked him what he meant and he said my hands were shaking while I was doing the actions. Kids just say it like it don’t they!

I think you might remember my previous blog about the great router hunt; well you will be pleased to know that there has been development here. We were told the internet engineer was coming but every day he did not show up, we started to think that he just would not be coming. It is culturally appropriate for Philipinos to say what they think you want to hear even if it’s not true. For example if you ask them directions but they don’t know the place you are going, they will still give you some random directions. As you can imagine this is kind of frustrating because you never actually know if people are telling you the truth. So we thought that maybe the lady at the condos was telling us the engineer was coming even when he wasn’t. Anyway in the end they did actually show up, and now we have internet with this special adapter which the engineer found in the cupboard in the back bedroom which is full of stuff and cob webs and the light doesn’t work. I have no idea how they knew to look there, they had to get a torch and everything, and it was kind of crazy. So now I can go online in my condo which is amazing, thanks to God!!  Meg did just try to hook up a router and nearly blew up the plug...so we are not wireless yet. But hey I’m in the Philippines, we can’t expect everything.

This week is the last week of school before our October break (basically half term). This weekend I’m going with some guys from OMF to stay at a guest house in Calapan which is outside of Manila. Then next weekend I’m going away to the beach with the Americans from school. I’m so excited to leave the city and see a different part of the Philippines, and I’m really grateful to God that he has provided me with these 2 opportunities to take a break.

I want to praise God for his goodness and faithfulness to me because I have been feeling so much more settled these last couple of weeks and I know this is down to his grace. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me. It would be great if you could continue to pray for the car as this is STILL not fixed and also for safe travel to and from my 2 breaks. I may have to travel back from Calapan alone and take a boat and a bus so I would really value your prayers in this. I guess this is all for now, I’ll be back soon!