Christmas in K1 and K2

Christmas time is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. I love decorations, hot drinks, peppermint, Christmas music, giving gifts, Christmas movies, parties ... etc. And of course, the most important thing of all - the reminder of Jesus coming to earth in the form of a precious baby. I love that in my classroom, I can share about the main reason for Christmas!
Today was our Christmas presentation. We have been working since November on a few songs and also a Christmas ABC poem. I was so pleased with my kiddos today - they worked hard and it showed! They were fidgety and silly, but they're so cute it doesn't really matter ;) We had many parents come - which makes me happy, because they are able to hear the real Christmas story. After our "concert" we came back to the classroom for cookie decorating and a gift exchange! It was a fun and tiring day!

Waiting to get our costumes on .. love these cuties! 

Singing away

Decorating cookies!  

 We love frosting! Perhaps a little too much!

 Getting ready to get some presents. All the kids brought in a different book. They loved it.

The rest of the week will be filled with other fun Christmas activities. Wednesday, we get to enjoy watching the other primary student's Christmas concert, then Friday, parents come back into the classroom for Christmas crafts. A fun way to end the 2nd term and head into Christmas holiday! Woo Hoo!

Happy Birthday Mama

December 7th. This is a very special day. It's my mama's birthday. I don't know what I would do if my mom was never born so I am SO glad there is a day I can celebrate HER and her life! Here are just  few reasons why I am thankful for my mom and why I love her so..

First and foremost, she loves Jesus. What a great example she is of a godly wife and mother. I can't wait to be a mom and to do the things she does. I love talking to her about God and about what we're learning. She challenges me and encourages me. She isn't afraid to say when she's struggling, and she is constantly pursuing holiness.

She is truly one of my bestest and truest friends. I can talk to her about anything and everything. Rarely does a day go by where I haven't texted her about something. I love to tell her what's going in my life and I love knowing what's going on in hers. She listens to me and she laughs with me. I have so much fun hanging out with her and I look forward to every minute we spend together - just like best friends would :).

She is like me. My mama and I have a lot of the same struggles and "bad habits". We joke about it sometimes, but at the same time, we challenge each other. I love that mom understands me and knows exactly what I need to hear. I love that we get each other!

This one is simple, but I'm real thankful for her ability to pick men. She picked a great one :)

She is such an amazing homemaker. She cooks the BEST meals - she even knows how to cook up left overs just right. I rarely remember a night growing up where she didn't have a plan for dinner. I also love her amazing ability to keep the house so clean and organized. Her OCD about neatness has definitely rubbed off on me, but I love it! Not only does she keep the house clean, it also looks beautiful! I don't know if I will ever have her ability to look at a room and know exactly where furniture and frames should go to make it look awesome- but she can do it. And on top of all that, she does the laundry, drives us places, works part time, is a good friend, serves in the church, and is now a mommy to a 3 year old. Dang, I think she might be super woman ;).

She keeps up with times. I love that I have a mama who knows how to use Facebook, Skype, Twitter, Instagram ... etc. It makes it easier to keep up with her all the way over here in Indo and it also means that I have a pretty hip mom!

She has a great sense of style and she dresses real cute.

She is HILARIOUS! We have the same sense of humor - so that's probably why I think she is so funny ;)

She shares in my addictions to caffeine, naps, sleeping in, college football, bedroom shoes {aka slippers}, sleeping with a fan, counting the hours of sleep we get, and crime shows.

She is musical. I love when she sings around the house or when she takes the time to sit down at the piano and play a hymn.

She's proud of me. I have never doubted my parents faith in me. They have supported me always. I love that mom takes the time to text me that she is proud of me. It means more than she knows.

She gives good hugs

She says sorry, and she forgives.

She loves me for me!!


I could go on forever about all the little things I love about my mom. She is seriously so wonderful, and you're missing out if you don't know her! She doesn't claim to be perfect, and I know she isn't, but that's what I love about her. She's real. My mom is my hero, and I want to be like her. I know that I am blessed to have such a wonderful mom and to even have a mom in the first place. My heart goes out to close friends of mine and others who's mama's are no longer here.

So, mom, this one goes out to you. Thanks for being the best mom I could ask for. I am so glad you were born ... what about 29 years ago? ;) ... But seriously, I don't know what I would do without you. You're the best mom! I wish I could be there to take you out and to give you a birthday hug. I love you so much mom! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! :) 

Thankful and Blessed

I have loved reading peoples' status updates over the last month about things they are thankful for. I think it's great to stop and think about the things God has so richly blessed us with. I hope that I don't only think about it and acknowledge it during November - but still, nothing wrong in using this time to specifically voice the things we are thankful for :) Here are some things that I have been thankful for over the past few months here in Indo ...

Technology - I don't know what I would do without it. Seriously. I can text my mom every day from my iPod, we FaceTime/Skype at least once a week, and I can use Facebook/Twitter/Blogger to keep up with everyone. It helps me feel connected even while being so far away. Oh, and this year technology has allowed us to watch our favorite shows and keep up with college football and NFL :) 

Our apartment/location - I know I have voiced this before but moving into a new apartment this year has been beyond great. It takes about 2 minutes to walk to school which we love. We are right in Kemang Village so we have a mall {which has a movie theater, Starbucks, and much more} right next door. We are also an elevator ride away from a grocery store - which makes shopping much less of a chore. 

My kiddos - I LOVE my 21 kiddos this year. At the beginning of the year I was missing my kiddos from last year and didn't see how I could love my new class as much as I loved my last -but of course -I do! I still miss my class from last year, but I have fallen so in love with my new kiddos, and they bless me so much and I know it will be another hard and sad goodbye when they have to move up to K3. I am so blessed to be doing what I love doing everyday! 

Friends - I could have never imagined how many close meaningful relationships we would build while we were here. This year, we have built upon the relationships we made last year, and made new ones. We meet once a week with a solid group of friends who challenge and encourage us as we walk with the Lord, and I also meet with an amazing group of girls to study the Bible. The staff at our school is amazing to work with and we love them each so much. My co-teacher Mia is amazing and I don't know what I would do without her as a friend or as a co-teacher. Having such real relationships definitely makes being away from family easier - and it for sure makes life here fun :) 

Vacations (or Holidays as they call them here) - We have been SO blessed to be able to go on so many trips. This year we have already gone to Bali, Vietnam, and Singapore. We are pumped about our next trip to Australia during Christmas time! We will be visiting old friends from when I lived in Auburn, and also staying with great friends we made last year who moved back to Australia at the end of last year. These holidays definitely give us a much needed break from work and from Jakarta- God is so good! 

Growth - Since being here, I have grown in many different ways. Erik and I have grown closer as a couple for one. It is so cool to look back and see how much closer we have come over the past year and a half. Like I shared in a previous blog, I have also "grown up" myself. Having to pray about the decisions we have to make this year have made me feel like such a grown up. I will admit that "growing up" stressed me out a few months ago, but now looking back I am so thankful. God used that time to grow my faith and trust in Him. While I am on the subject of the decisions we will be making, I will take the opportunity to share our plans for next year {2013-2014} ...
As most of you know we have been praying about what we would do next school year since we moved back to Jakarta in July. Through lots of talking, praying, and some tears, we both have an overwhelming peace from God about his will for us. Before we go on Christmas holiday, we will be signing our contract to teach here for another year. Erik and I feel strongly that our time here at SPH is not yet finished. There are many reasons we believe staying is the right choice for next year, and although being away from family for another year is hard to think about, I can honestly tell you that I have incredible peace about it, which is exactly what I have been praying for. Come next December, we will make this decision all over again and we will deal with that when it comes :). Thank you to all who have been praying for us and for this decision. Please continue to pray for us as we have many months left in this school year and as we look forward to another year here as well! 

New opportunities - With that being said, Erik and I are both thankful for the new opportunities that the next school year brings. Erik has been working incredibly hard this year with our sports and PE programs at our school. Being a new school, it's a lot of work! Next year our school has opened up an official Sports Development Coordinator position and Erik has applied and has an interview on Monday {November 19}. Of course, we are not sure he will get the position, but we are excited about the possibility of that for next year. 

The little things- Daily I am thankful for the little things. Erik and I try to find little things we are thankful for each day - it helps our attitudes and it helps us realize on a daily basis what we have to be thankful for. Here some little things that made me smile today ~ sleeping in, rain, cuddles, socks, Skype, college football upsets,  Coke, Harry Potter, chats with my Mama, brownies, and laughter. 

I am overwhelmed by how good God is to us. We don't deserve all the good and wonderful things he gives, and my hope and prayer is that I never forget the cross and what Jesus did on it so I can experience all of God's wonderful blessings. I am under no illusion that life isn't hard. I definitely have bad days and weeks. I know that there are people who are hurting all around me. I think Francis Chan says it well:

"Maybe life's pretty good for you right now. God has given you this good stuff so that you can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but who is still totally obsessed with God. Or maybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard."

My prayer is that when things are good, I enjoy my blessings but still show the world how obsessed I am with God. I also pray than when hard times come that I am just as obsessed with God. In all things, I desire to give Him the glory! 

Thank you all again for your love and prayers - they are definitely felt all the way over here in Indo. Please continue to pray for our school, students and for the work we are doing here. Please pray for us during this holiday season - it's hardest to be away from home and family during these months. Thanks again and we love you all! 

Bye for now <3

Where did September and October go?

I can not believe how fast the past 2 months have gone by. We have had a lot going on lately from organizing sports tournaments/practices, grading, planning, watching sports tournaments, staff fun days to Bandung, and field trips. I can not believe that it is already October the 16th. Tomorrow is the last school day with kids of this week, then Thursday and Friday are PD (professional development) days here at school. Jordan (Erik's brother) gets here on Friday! We are so excited! Then on Sunday, we head to Vietnam and Singapore for a much needed holiday! Then when we get back, Jordan will still be with us until the middle of November. We are so excited to show him around Jakarta. There is something so great about people you love experiencing your life with you. That's pretty much the latest in our life .. Just working hard and planning awesome vacations. Ha! We are heading to Australia in December and can't wait! :)

Today like I mentioned above we went on a field trip. In K2 we have been learning about plants so we took trip to a garden type place. The kids loved it and we got to see lots of different types of trees and flowers and had a fun picnic in the field - something we don't have in Jakarta (a field that is).

Ready to learn about plants!

We collected leaves and other plants - they loved it! 

Ready to head home after a long, hot, fun day!  

Lots going on in the next few weeks/months in the life of the Fry's. I'll be sure to post pictures of our adventures in Vietnam and Singapore! Thanks for your continued love, prayers, and support. We love you all.

Bye for now. 

Welcome to Kemang Village

When we originally got our jobs here we were told that the school was located inside Kemang Village. When we looked it {Kemang Village} up online I remember being shocked and amazed at what was all there. Well, come to find out what we saw online was a computerized image of what is going to be. So, all last year Kemang Village consisted of a bookstore, Starbucks, SPH (our school) apartments, and later on in the year a bar/restaurant called FJ's. Well, as of today the mall is officially open! Today was the big grand opening so after school, Erik and I went over to check it out. Only about 70% of the mall is open now, but we are very excited! There is even a movie theater on the top floor! It's going to be very hard to leave Kemang Village now ...  

View from the bottom floor when you walk in the main entrance

View from the top floor {there are 5 floors total}

One of Indonesia's big department stores. This one is in between a Nordstroms and Macy's. Not quite as expensive as Nordstroms, but very fancy looking.

Another view

Outside. They are calling this the "Avenue of the Stars" It is not complete yet, but when it is it will have lots of places to eat. Tonight we enjoyed some Thai food from one of the only places open. It was very good! There is going to be a TGI Friday's in November! We can't wait!! :) 

This is a video of us walking from the mall back to our apartment so you can get an idea of how close we are ... 

Well, hope you enjoyed this little tour of our area! You're welcome to visit anytime :)

Bye for now .. 

Big Girl Decisions.

Over the past few weeks I have felt the most "grown up" that I have felt since we've been married. Getting married, moving in together, and having my first real full time job in 2010 was definitely a grown up year. And being here last year without my mom or family near was also another step in growing up. Even as grown up as those years/moments made me feel I have especially felt like a real grown up this past week.

On Thursday, Erik and I sat down over coffee and had what seemed like a business meeting to talk about what we were feeling about our future (having kids, moving back to America, staying here, etc.) We had both been praying individually and together about what God wanted and thought it was a good idea to sit down and talk intentionally about what God was showing us. As we talked and as I listened to Erik's wise thoughts and feelings about our marriage and someday family, I was a little overwhelmed  and emotional thinking about all the decisions we were making and talking about. Getting married was the biggest and easiest decision I have ever made thus far, and then getting a job in South Dakota for a year and moving here to Jakarta seemed like more natural, not stressful or overwhelming decisions. But talking about when to have a baby and whether or not we will be renewing our contract in December to stay here for another year hit me in a different way. I thought - "Man! We really are growing up!". I usually have no problem making decisions because I know what I want and if people ask for my opinion, I will usually gladly give it to them. But, when your married things work a little differently :) So, after about 2 hours of chatting, we left the conversation feeling like God was showing us the same things. Right now, God is not showing us a big yes or a big no, but I really can't explain the peace that I felt walking back home after we talked it all out even if we didn't have it all "planned" out. God is working in amazing ways and I can feel it. Some of you may think this blog is a little vague and you may be wondering what our plans for the future are. I can honestly tell you that as of right now, we really do not know. We believe God is leading us a certain way, but there is still a long time until "final" decisions need to be made. Please be praying for Erik and I as we continue to seek God's will. Specifically pray that God would continue to make his will clear to us and that we would seek His wisdom when making these big boy and girl decisions. Please pray that our emotions and feelings (mine especially) don't wrongly get in the way of what God wants for us. Like I mentioned, if we decide to stay for another year after this year, we have to sign the contract in December. Seems far qway, but at the same time very close. Please pray that these decisions would not overtake our thoughts so much that we don't live in the moment now. We are both SO enjoying our second year of teaching here and I hope and pray that thinking about next year won't take away from that in anyway... If you have a desire to know more details or have specific questions about things you can be praying for, please feel free to message me or Erik on Facebook :)

This song by Chris Tomlin has been one that has really encouraged me over the last few weeks. It is a great reminder about how Faithful our God is, no matter what situation you find yourself in. {the last verse is my favorite} ..

Faithful, forever You are faithful

Father to the fatherless

You uphold the one who feels forsaken

You are faithful, God

Faithful, forever You are faithful

Lover of the wounded heart

You defend the poor and the forgotten

You are faithful, God

And I will sing to the maker of Heaven and Earth

God, You reign forever and Your love will endure

Faithful and true is the name of the Lord

You are faithful, God

Faithful, forever You are faithful

Shelter for the fragile soul

You lift us up, You hold us all together

You are faithful, God

You are there in every season of my soul

You are there, You're the anchor that will hold

You are there, in the valley of the shadows

You are faithful, God

Thanks again, as always, for all the thoughts, prayers, and encouragement. We love you all. 

Bye for now :) 

A quick {or not so quick} update

Hello from our home in Kemang Villiage, Jakarta, Indonesia :) Well as most of you know, we are back in Indonesia and already into the school year here. The first day of school was on Tuesday July the 24th (so we're 2 weeks in already). It's kind of hard to know how to start off this blog since I haven't written since we left in June for the summer, but instead of catching you up on the wonderful, restful, memorable summer we had in the States, I will just pick up with what's going in life here.

We moved into our new apartment in Kemang Village right when we got here. Thankfully, the boxes had already been moved from our old place to here and all we had to do was unpack boxes. It has taken about 3 weeks, but I am finally feeling like I have the place looking the way I want. Today Erik and I went out and bought a carpet for the floor in the front room which has made the biggest difference and made the place look more "homey". It is definitely my favorite home purchase I have ever made! And we got a great deal! :) We are also loving the fact that instead of 20 minute, sweaty, walk to work, we now have a 30 second hop over to the school! We feel very blessed to be in the place we are this  year and are very thankful ... Here is a pic of part of our front room with the new carpet {you can check out my Facebook page for more apartment pics}

 

On the school side of things, we are loving it! It definitely an adjustment coming back from 5 weeks off of now work and all fun, to almost 10 hours days, 5 days a week. We LOVE our jobs, but we (especially Erik) work hard! :) I got to say hello to 20 new and old (from my K1 class last year - now K2) beautiful, precious 3 and 4 year old's and Erik is loving being able to devote all his time into the sports and PE program. The exciting thing about working at a new school is that we almost doubled in our staff this year. We have already made great new friends, and we are super excited about the new relationships to be had and also thrilled about coming back to our friends from last year :). That's pretty much all from the school side of things for now. Here are a couple pictures of my classroom and my sweet kiddos ..

 Me and Miss Mia with the K2's on Batik day last week

We got our own class set of kids Bibles this year, and the kids are loving it! We were checking out the story of creation here :)

Welcome to K1 :) I only have 5 little guys right now (will get more as the year goes on most likely) This is what we do after we play on the playground :) Definitely my favorite part of the day ;) 

Well, that's all from me :) Thanks again for your prayers and love. I will update again soon with specific prayer requests as we get deeper into the year. We love you all.

Bye for now. 

Time flies when you're having fun!

As I was trying to think of a creative title for this blog (I still haven't thought of one currently) I don't even know where to begin really. I was thinking about writing a "wrap up" blog but the nice thing about technology is that I really feel as if I have been able to keep everyone up to date on the events going on in our life over here so I don't feel the need to "catch up" everyone on the year. I am very thankful that when our families pick us up at the airport, we will be able to pick up right where we left off. So, I'll send a quick shout out and thanks to the world wide web. Without you, this year would have not been the same.

So, all that jabbing to say, there are still definitely a few reflective thoughts I can share about our first year here ..

As Erik and I begin to pack up our apartment it's crazy to think how fast this year has gone by. It really doesn't seem that long ago that our principal picked us up at the airport and brought us to our apartment. The first weeks here were full of shock, nervousness, and excitement! I really can not believe that we are wrapping up our first year here. It has gone so fast but we have really enjoyed it so much. We have both learned so much about teaching and working in a school - the experience we have gained this year alone is tremendous. We are VERY excited about coming back next year - we have been told that the 2nd year is so different (in a good way)! I am excited to come back and feel like I know what I'm doing. I am also very excited for our new apartment! I am excited about the friendships we have made here this year and am already looking forward to re uniting with many of them in July! Lots of things to look forward to as we pack up this apartment and get ready for the next year and chapter of our lives here .. :)



Our last few weeks here have been just as busy (if not busier) than normal. Grades are due next week, as well as portfolios, and we have to pack up our classrooms in boxes so they can be cleaned this summer. So we definitely have lots to do at school as well as packing up our apartment! Among these things, we had (and have coming up) lots of fun things! Erik played in a softball tournament 2 weekends ago (they won in their division) and I had a field trip to SeaWorld to wrap up my Ocean unit as well as fun classroom parties! Erik also got to have a pool party and dunk contest with his basketball team to end out their year! What a fun coach! :)

Here are some pictures of the softball tournament and my field trip as well as some other pics..

We had an Arts Fest a couple weeks ago at school, and these pictures are from the photo booth there. It was a basically a carnival for the students - lots of fun and a great success!!
{Katie and Mia are in the pictures with me}

SO blessed and thankful for the fun and laughter my husband brings to my life :)  

Chris and Erik after they won the tourney! Woo Hoo!
Katie and I had a fun time watching them play! We got Starbucks! ;)

The whole team (most anyway) after the win! Erik loved playing with these guys and he is beyond thankful for their friendship - all great, Christian guys who he can't wait to play with again next year!

My kiddos looking at the ... ? I can't remember what this was. When I showed the pictures to my kids in class they swear the guide called it a mermaid ... Ha ha. So who know :) Pretty sure it is a manatee!

Posing in front of a HUGE mummified (preserved? not sure what the right word is) sting ray! They were pretty amazed!

The whole group with my wonderful class moms who helped me out with all the kids - as you can see we had our hands full :) What a fun day we had!! 

As we finish up these next 10 days here in Indo until we head to the States for the summer, please be praying for rest. We have a lot of things to finish up and we both have a strong desire to finish the year strong. I am already feeling a bit "checked out" but I hope and pray that I can hang on and finish the year out with patience and glorify God by doing everything to the best of my ability! Please pray for smoothness as we pack up our apartment in boxes (the school will be moving the boxes to our new apartment while we are home) and also as we pack up suitcases to come with us home! Packing has a way of stressing me out sometimes - I need my Mama for stuff like this! :) Pray for my 27 students above and their families. I love them all so dearly and hate to let go of them next year. I am glad I will have some of them again (my K1 students) and that I will see most of them across the hall in K-3!

Thanks, as always, for the prayers and support! We love you all and can't wait to see those that we can this summer! The next time I write will most likely be from America! YAY! :)

Bye for now. 

For all the mothers in my life ...

I have so many mother figures in my life that I look up to and love so much. I am so thankful for each of them and don't know what I would do without them in my life ... This blog goes out to them today :)

For my Grandmothers ... 

Mama Jo aka Jo Jo - You are so dear to my heart. I look up to you and cherish the the time I get to spend with you so much. I love to watch you support Daddy Mike in his ministry and you are an amazing friend and mom to your children. You make the best palates on the floor to sleep on and you're the best piano player I know. I love how similar we are and how we think the same way and I love your hugs! I am so blessed by you, Jo Jo. Thanks for being a great example of godliness to me! Happy Mother's Day to you! I love YOU!
Granny - You make me smile so much! I love how much you support Erik and I. Your are such a supportive grandmother - I never wonder if you are proud of me :) . You fried salmon and biscuits are probably two of my favorite things! Your house will always be one of my favorite places to be. I love you Granny - Happy Mother's Day! :)

For my Mother-in-Love ...
Karleen - Never in a million years did I dream that I would marry into such a wonderful family. You are the sweetest mother-in-law I could have ever asked for and you raised one wonderful son! :) You made me feel so welcome into your family the very first time I met you and you have never stopped making me feel loved and accepted. You are such a good example of faithfulness to me. I have only known you well for about 4 years, but I have seen you and your family go through some ups and downs and you never once questioned God or His plan. I love spending time with you and talking with you. You make the best buns ever! :) I can't thank you enough for welcoming me into your family and loving me like your own daughter. I love you so much! Happy Mother's Day Karleen! :)

And for MY MOM! ...
Mom - I could seriously go on and on forever about how much you mean to me. I tell you all the time how much I appreciate your friendship, but I really can't explain with words how much your friendship means to me. I absolutely love how we can talk about anything and always be honest with each other. You are one of the few people I can be 100% myself around always! You are such a great example and you always have been. One thing I specifically remember about growing up is watching you have your quiet time. I love how much you love to study the Word and God and actually take it to heart. You don't just read to read and that is evident by the way you live your life. You are such an amazing support to Daddy and I think you are a perfect example of what a godly mother and wife looks like. You are hilarious and you are fun! I don't think I have ever not liked something you have cooked and I love hanging out with you! And I like how I can borrow your clothes because you have style! Too bad I can't fit in your shoes though ... ;) You always give good, smart, well thought out advice, and you listen to me! I absolutely adore you mom and you mean the world to me! I miss you so much but L-dub I will see you soon! I can't wait to sit on the kitchen counter and talk to  you while you're cooking! :) I love you mom - Happy Mother's Day!

And last, but certainly not least, shout out to all those other mom's out there in my life that are wonderful mom's ...
Carol, April, and Aunt Barbara - You are all the coolest aunts on the planet and great mothers! I love you all  so much and am thinking of you on this day too!
Mrs. Jana - You are like my second mother! Thanks for caring for and supporting me in everything I do! I love you and your family so much and am SO thankful for you on this day especially! :)
Lindsey - Happy first Mother's Day! I know you were technically a mother last year, but I am sure it means so much more to you this year being able to hold Brayden in your arms! You are a wonderful mother to Brayden and a great wife to Peter. And you will be a great aunt to our kiddos some day! :) I am so glad and thankful to have you in my life! Happy Mother's Day to you! I love you! 

Brittany - I know that you are a wonderful mom to Caden and I can't wait to meet him! I hope that your first Mother's Day is a wonderful one too! I love you and miss you!

And to all my many friends out there who are having babies and being wonderful moms - happy Mother's Day to you, too! I can't wait until I can join the mother club too some day!

I am SO blessed to have so many wonderful mother figures and examples to look up to! I love you all so much and I hope that your Mother's day is wonderful and that you don't have to do a thing! :)
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!


Bye for now ...

Checking In!

Well, it's been awhile since I have last checked in {my bad!} and I thought I would just give a quick update on things that have been going on in our world ...

As many of you know, during our spring break we went on a tour to Turkey and Greece. It is SO hard to explain how amazing the trip was for both of us. We had amazing weather, spent time with great friends, made new friends, and learned so much. It was so cool to be places where Paul and the people of that time actually were. It was a trip of a lifetime that we will never forget! It's hard to pick just one picture to share from the trip but one of the highlights for me was probably standing on Mars Hill. Paul gave his sermon to the philosophers and "deep thinkers" of that city - he preached about their "un-known god" and statues they were worshiping. Our tour leader, Dan, read from Acts 17 and it was crazy to be standing right on the hill looking out at statues of Greek gods galore! Like I said, an experience we will never forget! It's going to be hard to say no next year when Dan leads another tour! :) 

{check out my Facebook for heaps more pictures}

After we got back from our trip we had a day to try to recover from jet lag and get ready for the last few months of school! We are now well into term 4 and are already counting down the days until we get on a plane and head back to the States! We have about 7 weeks left - we head home June 8th and arrive to Seattle June 9th. For those of you who would like to know, we will be in the Northwest (Pacific Beach, WA mostly) with Erik's fam from about June 9th through the last week of June and then we will be in Rapid City, South Dakota with my fam until we head back to Oregon (for a friends wedding - yay!) and again to Seattle on July the 15th! It's a short time, but we are excited to see family and friends and are hoping we can see as many of you as possible :)

It is crazy to think that we are already making plans for this summer and are even thinking about next year! Next year, not much will change for us as I will continue teaching K1/K2 and Erik will continue teaching PE. The only real changes are that Erik will no longer be teaching Bible (something that is a little bittersweet - he is excited to be able to devote all his time and energy into the PE and sports program but he will miss the time he got to spend with the students in the Bible classroom) and I will have another teacher teaching with me! Mia has been my teaching assistant all year but next year she is no longer "assistant" status and her and I will be co-teachers! I am SO excited about this. Mia has done so much for me this year and I am excited that we get to continue to work together next year even closer!
Also, as we think about next year, it is sad to think that we will be losing some of our teacher friends that we have gotten close to this year. But, at the same time we are SO excited to welcome new faces to our school! There are 2 girls coming from Corban (1 that I know really well) and we are so excited about it!

AND one more big change next year is that we will be moving!! We are moving to an apartment building right next to the school. This is something that we are VERY excited about! They are closer to the school (no more walking), the kitchen is bigger, and they are in Kemang Village. We will be able to take an elevator down to a grocery store (a HUGE one - basically the Indo version of Walmart), and we are about a 30 second walk away from the mall that they have been building all year. So, as you can tell, I am just a little excited about it :) Chris and Katie will be moving there as well and the new teachers that are coming that are married (without kids) will live there also! We were very thankful for our apartment this year, but are also thankful to be moving to a new one! God is good!

So, as we wrap up this year in the next few weeks, please be praying that we stay focused and finish the year strong. We both still have a lot to teach, plan, and grade before we can be "finished"! Also, you can be praying that we will be able to move into our new place June 1st (a week before we leave) so we can get everything all unpacked and not have to worry about it once we get back after summer break. Like always, thanks SO much for your prayers and love. We love you all and are looking forward to seeing many of you soon!

Bye for now.

March Madness!

With basketball and softball games, basketball practice, PJ day, grading, conferences, craft days and parties, church searching, staring term 4, getting "hit" by a car, and all the other normal responsibilities of being a teacher, spouse, and friend, I would say that March has for sure been one of our craziest months so far. Even though we didn't have that much more of a load than normal, we have been going without a break since Christmas pretty much! 3 months is a lonngggg time for us teachers and for our precious students :)
Needless to say, we are looking forward to our spring break coming up this Friday! For those of you who don't know, we're headed off to Turkey and Greece to follow Paul's 2nd missionary journey! We are SO excited for a break and of course to see and learn all about a place we have never been! When we get back we'll be finishing up term 4, celebrating our birthdays Indo style, and then heading to our home(s) in the States on June 8th! I can't believe how fast this year has gone. It has been incredible and challenging. Even though, we are definitely looking forward to the summer with family and great friends (and FRESH air ... and good FOOD .. and sunshine ...) - I know that we will be excited to come back to our home here. It's amazing the peace and joy you feel when you believe you're doing what the Lord wants! This promise has really reigned true lately {from Psalm 37}

Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land

I hope those words encourage you like they do me :)

Before I sign off for now, here are some pictures from our pajama/reading day at the beginning of March. It was so much fun - the kids really loved it! They sure know how to make me smile :)

The books after the madness was all over. I think this proves our day was a success!

All the primary teachers (K1-G2) in our PJ's. I love all these ladies and am SO thankful for all of them!

We divided all the kids up into groups with different ages and they read to each other

Mrs. Heather (the G2 teacher and her husband) doing a skit/readers theater with "Green Eggs and Ham"

7 of my 10 K1 students! Aren't they cuties ... :)

Bye for now my friends ... Thanks as always for the prayers, love and support!

Luffa's and Little Things.

These are luffa's. You can obviously guess which one is who's ...

{You're probably thinking "why in the world is Amanda blogging about Luffas". Well, let me tell you in advance that this blog isn't meant to be interesting, educational, or insightful, I just wanted to share a sweet story}

Anyway, the other night I was taking a shower and I voiced my annoyance about how every time I take a shower I have to take Erik's Luffa off over the faucet to then take off mine. I asked Erik if this also annoyed him every time he took a shower - he of course said that he never thinks about it. Silly annoyance I know, but hear me out - many times I forget that his string is over mine and I pull mine off and they get tangled and then I usually burn my finger on the faucet. So I kinda have a reason to be annoyed ;)
So tonight, as I was in the shower I realized as I took my pink Luffa off the faucet that his blue one was not over mine. That thoughtful husband of mine remembered my complaint and put my Luffa back on top when he was finished using his. It was something so small that made me smile. Erik definitely got some brownie points for that one - and little did he know that something so small would mean so much to me.

As I was thinking about how much this "little thing" was so big to me I was thinking about how much little things matter to me [in good ways and in bad]. I need to think about the little things that make me smile on a daily basis. When I do so I am always amazed at God's amazing grace and love towards me.

Some other little things that have made me smile this week ...

• Coffee/great conversation with 4 very special friends of mine at this season in my life
• The perfect song at the exact moment I needed to hear it
• Baking a cake from scratch and not messing it up or yelling at things in the kitchen in the process
• 18 four-year-old's smiling shyly and happily at me as they walk into my classroom
• Skype dates
• An encouraging message from a friend on Facebook
• McDonald's delivery
• A ride home from school when I wasn't expecting it
• A student telling me "I love school"
• One of my closest and dearest friend getting engaged
• Coming home to a clean apartment thanks to our helper
• Coke
• Finding the new best chips at the store
• Thinking about my sister in Africa
• Kids in pajamas
• American Idol nights
• Thunderstorms

I am sure there are so, so many more little things that I have smiled about this week, but these are the ones that come to mind tonight.

Thank you Lord for Luffa's and little things.

"So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures."
James 1:16-18 [The Message]

Welcome to Mrs. Amanda's Class

I thought that some of my blogger followers might want to see the 28 little reasons why I love my job so much ... And I thought some might want a little bit more detail about what I do exactly - I know we've been here for 7 months [CRAZY, huh?] already ... but better late than never ;)

These are my K1's. For those of you who don't know K1 is made up of 3 year old's. I had 3 two year old's at the beginning of the year but as of December, they are all 3! I started the year with 6 K1's and now I have 10 little rascals!
K1 was probably the hardest thing about my job at first. I just didn't know how to teach them, but as the year has gone on, and with help from my amazing assistant, Mia, I am really loving them! I am even excited for K1 next year (can't believe I'm saying that ... haha)
They really love to make a mess as you can see above :)

Welcome to K2! I love these kiddos so much! I don't even know what we were doing here. But this is our ABC carpet where lots of learning happens ... hopefully ;)
K2 is made up of 4 year old's. Some of them may turn 5 by the end of the year, but they are all 4 right now. I have 18 kiddos who all bring something incredibly special and unique to our classroom. Some are angels (almost) and some are challenges, but I love [and even like] them all and I am so blessed to have them as my first real class!

We took our first field trip (K1 and K2) in November to a "farm" here in the Jakarta area. Here they were listening the guide talking about fish (in Bahasa of course - so I never knew what was going on). This was a crazy day - but full of educational fun :)

Some of my favorites [oh wait, did I say that? ;)] on the bus ride home from the field trip.

K1 and K2 (not everyone was here on this day) on Indonesia's Independence Day. This was a fun day with a big lunch and fun games! That is wonderful Miss Mia in the back! :)

I can't believe that I have been teaching these kiddos for 7 months! Term 3 is over March 9th! That means only one more term to go after that! It's crazy!! I have already learned and grown so much!

I love the feeling I get when I hear one of my kids in the morning say "good morning Mrs. Amanda" with a huge smile on their face and I will never get tired of it when they give me a picture they drew me at their house over the weekend or tell me they love me. These kids bring so much joy to my life and I am SO blessed to be able to say that I LOVE my job! Yes, I am tired a lot, yes, they drive me CRAZY sometimes, and yes, some days I don't feel like really going to work, but when I think about it, I wouldn't want any other life right now.

I pray that I am making as big of an impact on them as they are making on me. Please pray for these kids. About 12 out of my 28 kids do not come from Christian homes. And many of my kids from Christian homes still don't have anywhere close to the kind of life I would hope for them. Pray that I am able to continually show them Christ's love each and every day. I sometimes get discouraged with their age. It is hard to see if I am having any impact on them at this age, but I pray that, if nothing else, they feel loved when they come to my class.

Thank you for caring, encouraging, and praying!
Bye for now.

Jesus Hates Religion ... Wait, say what?!?

So, I have refrained from saying anything (on the internet) about this "Why I hate religion but love Jesus" video mainly because I didn't really know what I thought about it at first. But, after talking with people, and praying about what the Bible really says about the issue I think I have come to my own personal conclusion about the video. BUT that is not really what this post is about. I am not here to bash or praise the video. Mostly, I just wanted to share an article I found that I thought was great. But before I get to that, I want to share about the latest heart-to-heart I had with God while thinking about this video. [if you haven't seen the video, you can see it in the link at the bottom later on]

When I first saw the video on a friend of a friend's wall I watched it and thought "WOW! That is SO awesome, maybe a little "radical" - but true!" I watched the video a couple of days before it went totally viral. As the video began to go viral I noticed that people I respected and admired were posting the video. Some were saying "I don't agree with his theology, but cool thoughts", some were totally praising the guy, and others said it was plain wrong. I thought to myself, "did I miss something?". I watched the video again and really tried to see what others were so upset about. As I watched and developed new opinions about what he was saying I started to get frustrated with myself. I was mad that I didn't see how the "theology was off" and I wanted to know where others were finding him so wrong. As I read what other people wrote and as I talked to Erik about it, we finally came to the conclusion that it all comes down to how you define religion. Was Jesus against false religion (the kind of religion I believe the guy in the video is talking about) - yes, I think he was! But to say he came to abolish religion may be a little strong. People define religion in so many different ways and I think that that is why people were bringing so many different and strong opinions to the table ... I fumbled upon this article last night and I think it does a good job of summing everything up and he does a good job of articulating my thoughts:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/

I am thankful that this video has made me study the Word and pray about what I really believe. I love when certain situations push me to study even more about what I believe - my faith grows so much during those times. And it really has grown over the last few days as I have thought about what the Bible says about Jesus and religion.

The video itself definitely challenged me to love like Jesus. Jesus showed grace to me, and I need to show much more of it to others. It is crucial that we as Christians don't act like the "religious people" in the Bible and I am glad for that reminder. I hope you are too :)