Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory. . ."

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Outbound Ropes Course

Last Thursday, the grade 1 classes took a field trip to a "high" ropes course. It's the second year I've taken a class there, and it's such a blast! We harness 'em up, and stick t'em in the trees!

I love getting the kids out of our high-rise school building with artificial grass, and taking them to do active things outside. At first some of them can't stand getting dirt on their hands, and look like they might cry a river when they fall and bump their knees. But by the end, most of them let go of their efforts to stay clean, and since they know I won't baby them, they quit whining - I love it! It just takes a while to break down the barriers. 

It's also great to see them encourage each other. There were definitely some tougher spots on the course and some near-tears experiences. We've been talking a lot about the fruit of the Spirit in class, and I can see and hear them demonstrating what they've learned. Lots of chances to talk about patience, kindness, self-control, love, etc.
Brings me so much
JOY

 Still loving our new camera! Last year, half of these pictures were blurry! Much better with good old Philmore!














































Wednesday, May 15, 2013

4 Day Weekend Getaways

This past weekend was one of the best in a long while! It was 4 days, and both Chris and I took advantage of it! I went to Bali with some girlfriends, and Chris went to Yogyakarta with two of his buddies. Here's a little recap!

Bali plans started months ago. THREE of our lovely lady teachers are getting married this summer, and we thought it would be so fun to have a girl's weekend in Bali to celebrate! Only two of the brides-to-be were able to come, but we had a blast hanging out, touring the countryside on bikes, and getting our tans on by the pool. 

Rebekah (bride), Lindsey, Gretchen, Laura, Me, Amanda, Madi (bride), Krista
we bought matching tanks from street vendors the night before :)
here we go! also in our group: couple from singapore, and an aussie dr.

riding through the rice fields
pure joy and excitement!
coffee and tea sampling
third time in bali together :) 
Krista and Lindsey getting some "pinky in the air" time
I love all of these girls, and am SO blessed to have such amazing co-workers!
"nicer" dinner out
sunrise at breakfast from our hotel
tired eyes in the morning before leaving to catch our flight home
amanda snagged a shot of our cute little porch area on the way out


 You'll notice that the Bali pics are smaller because I had to steal them off facebook (meaning lower quality). Thanks Amanda and Laura! Chris and I decided that he'd take the camera since he was going to a new place, and we're sure glad he did - you'll see why! Chris went with Erik and Glenn to Yogyakarta, which used to be the capital of Indonesia, and is known as a cultural hub of the country. They spent a night/day hiking Mt. Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano (it erupted just two years ago!), and a day touring Borobudur (the largest Buddhist temple from the 9th century), and Prambanan (a 9th century Hindu temple). 

The guys started hiking at 1:00 am so they could make it to the top for sunrise. . .

MAGMA!!! This is how dark it was when they reached the top!
Chris said the hike was brutal, but worth it for this kind of view! 
WOW!


Thankful Chris has such a good buddy here!
12 man going strong

I don't endorse their guide's smoking, but there's something I just LOVE about this picture 

guide man


hiking up to Borobudur
nice skirts. . .


Each one of these bell-shaped things houses a Buddha 
Prambanan - pretty incredible looking




It's hard to believe these kinds of adventures are possible on a 4-day weekend, and we're trying not to take any of them for granted! I'm very aware that it sounds pretty "ritzy" of me to say that I went to Bali for a long weekend, and the fact that it's my third time. Work hard, play hard, right??? It really is one of the cheapest places to fly from Jakarta, I promise! But still, we're humbled by the opportunities we've had on this overseas adventure of ours - it's been such a privilege.