Teacher Training in the Bush

I have to admit that I was really nervous going into leading a teacher training for teachers out in the bush yesterday.  For a few reasons... One being I have been out of the game for 3 years.  Had to kick myself back in to teacher mode.  Thankfully, the three things they wanted me to talk about are three parts of teaching that never really leave you.  I was also fortunate to work to work in a top-notch school district with AMAZING co-workers, whom I learned more from than any amount of schooling.  All of their wisdom, ideas, and techniques have stuck with me.  Thank you to those wonderful people.  You know who you are. :-)
The three topics were ethics of being a teacher, classroom management, and lesson planning.  My second reason for being nervous was I wanted to be relevant to them. The 1st topic didn't really present a problem because that topic is pretty much the same for Zambians and Americans.  I spoke about the high calling of being a teacher and how we need to have high standards for ourselves.  No matter where you are on a map, teachers are an important part of society.   All teachers are role models whether they like it or not.  We have the power of being able to greatly help or harm their students because of this.  Our words carry great weight.  And our actions speak louder than words.  I warned the teachers that students are always watching.   Our students want to know that we are who we say we are and that we value education.  If we don't have a love for learning and convey that love to our students, most are unlikely to develop that passion on their own.  The only difficult part of this lesson was motivating them to take on this task.  In America, because teaching is a paid job, most are going to be pretty ethical teachers.  We have to be on time and be prepared or we will lose our job. There is an external motivation system in place.  Here, out in the bush, these teachers are VOLUNTEERS.  All of their hard work and effort has to come from within, an internal motivation system.  Just plain out of the goodness of their heart, they need to show up on time everyday and pour into these students so that some great change can occur in this country.  Would most American teachers do this?  No paycheck? No benefits?  Working another job just so you can also teach for free???  I can't say I would be signing up for that. (Side note-I am not saying that American teachers don't also have an internal motivation system, many do, but we have both!)  I tried my best though to encourage them to be the change this country needs, to keep showing up and investing in the future.  To trust that their hard work is not in vain and that I greatly admire them for continuing on despite the hardships.  I wish I could have had more answers, more help for them...Please pray for these teachers.  They need it.
The 2nd topic was classroom management.  Oh the joy of trying to teach many students with different backgrounds, learning styles, and personalities.  I tried to keep it simple with this subject since they don't have near the amount of resources we have for classroom set up, behavior systems, etc.  I spoke on 7 guidelines to have for managing your class.  1, take charge from the beginning.  Let students know  you are the boss and you expect them to be respectful, to listen, to participate, and to do their best.  2nd, go over these expectations multiple times. Don't let little things slide.  3rd, have established consequences for not meeting expectations.  These should be developmentally appropriate and students should know what will happen, instead of being surprised. 4th, avoid disruptions by moving about and keeping an eye on students.  I know once I started talking to another teacher who popped in, my classroom would go from quite to earthquake level noise real quick.  5th, praise constantly.  Make a big deal out of the good.  6th, be proactive.  Have your lessons and materials ready to go before the day begins so you are not trying to do that while teaching.  7th, be fair.  There is no one in the world that respects someone who is unfair.  This is the short version, but wanted to give an idea.  Doreen helped me with examples to give and we also explained a few individual and class systems to keep behavior in check.
Last, but not least, lesson planning.  I might be weird, but I always loved planning lessons.  I enjoyed the challenge of looking at what my students needed to learn and how I might help them learn it.  There wasn't much time left for this session, but I was able to show them a basic template and explain the importance of planning ahead.  Doreen told me that they loved it!!! I was so glad, because I wasn't sure what experience they had with it.  I learned that in government schools, they have to plan the whole term at once-13 weeks!  And the exams are only in the last week.  They were happy to know that while you should know your overarching subjects and goals, that lesson plans need to be fluid and meet the needs of your students.  They also enjoyed learning about how to give smaller and different types of assessments during the term to get an idea if students are getting it or not.
All in all it was a fabulous day.  They were so grateful and it was such a small thing on my part.  I never thought that I would be doing a teacher training in the bush in Africa with chickens wondering in and out of the classroom and bathroom breaks in a hole in the ground.  But I loved it and I hope I get to do it again.

A few of the teachers

Doreen helping me illustrate a point

Gotta love an old-fashioned chalkboard, never even had one of these when I was teaching!

Some of the attendees

Eating our village chicken, nshima, and relish lunch!

More of the teachers

My awesome friend Doreen who volunteered her time to translate for me!!!

Easter Sunday in Zambia

Our Easter celebration in Zambia was definitely different than our normal American one, but the reason to celebrate is the same no matter where we are.  God sent His one and only son to die a gruesome death on the cross only to rise on the 3rd day, defeating death, and making the only way for us to have a relationship with Him in this life and in the next.  I cry tears of sadness and joy every year as I ponder this great sacrifice and the amazing love shown through it.

We decided to head out to the International Bible College of Zambia for their Easter service as our dear friends, the Miller family, had just arrived from America to start their missionary work there for the next 3 years.  My parents were here visiting, so they came along obviously, as well as the Smith family, who we serve alongside here in Chongwe.  It was such a treat to worship as a mix of Zambians and Americans.  As my dad notes, there is something very spiritual and touching about the way they sing and praise God here.  No fanfare or anything fancy, just simple and soulful.  I will post the clip I took on Facebook, couldn't get it to go on here! :(

After the service, I attempted to get a few pics of the kiddos, but they were way to excited to play with the Smith and Miller kids to stop and actually pose for me.  Oh well. Such is life.

We were able to have my dad snap some pictures of the 3 families all from Ankeny Free Church that are serving here in Zambia after our picnic lunch of pbj's, chips, and apples.  Can't believe we got a few with everyone looking and smiling!

And after arriving back in Chongwe, we got one family pic before my kids crashed after a busy morning of fun.

I will always remember our Easter in Zambia.  Praise God for giving us the reason for this day of celebration.

“I am the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

The Body

Proverbs 27:9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

Healing. Praying. Crying. Listening. Thinking. Changing. Resting. Growing.

Words that describe the past few weeks for us. But there are many more words which have been written and spoken to us that have dominated this time thanks to many of you, our friends.  

The body of Christ. 

Without mentioning names, I want to share a few of the sweet, whispers of grace, love, empathy, and acceptance that people have given us over the last few weeks. These are more than words to us.  And we know they are more than words to you.  We have received correspondence from people that went far beyond simple "well wishing"  or "I love you's" (which are good too!).  We've read relevant and incredibly pointed messages by other Christians who were willing to make themselves vulnerable by sharing their own personal stories and struggles in order to comfort us.  The willingness to go deeper by a few people, some of whom are admittedly distant friends, shows the defining character of what being a follower of Christ is all about.  The words that many have shared have been incredibly encouraging during this season.  While we may be geographically isolated from all things familiar, we have been made to feel at home through the warm embrace of empathy, compassion and brotherly love bestowed upon us.  We are not "super Christians" for being missionaries in far off places; but are simply fellow brothers and sisters within the greater Church who, like anybody else, need to hear and experience the love of people during times of need.  

Job 4:4 Your words have helped the tottering to stand, and you have strengthened feeble knees.

A small sampling:

-regardless of mistakes made or things done - there should be no shame in what you have done. Remember to err is human and to forgive is divine! Give yourself grace and forgiveness in all of this - God already has!

-it would be easy to be prideful and just take the boys even though you know it's not right because you're worried about your reputation, but you guys are being humble and doing the right thing and that is very respectable.  God has a purpose for these boys, and He may have been using you guys as the tool to get it started.

-what I can tell you is we trust your decision and motives and you have our support 100%.  I know things didn't transpire as expected and there are things you regret but this decision takes much more guts to admit where you felt you didn't wait on God then the alternative and move forward on something because of pride when you feel it is not Gods will.

-We admire you for your courage to not only go over to Africa and adopt, but to stand strong when your plan did not exactly match God's plan. We admire you for realizing what was best for the boys, for listening to God, rather than relying on selfish pride. Thank you for your honesty...yet another thing we admire about both of you. 

-I wish I could give you a hug right now!! I have no doubt at all that the best decision was made. God is good, all the time. Can't wait to have you all back home to hear all the stories that I'm sure you have. You guys are awesome & we love you. Stay strong in Christ & everything is gonna be just fine.

-We don't always understand His ways, but they are always better than ours. You are listening to Him and that isn't just good, it's an amazing example to all who read about your journey. God is being glorified through this whole thing and that is pretty awesome!

-You are so welcome for the support & prayers... your family continues to be in my prayers!! I know others might not understand, but please know that I respect your family for making those choices... I pray that others understand too. Please don't be embarrassed about what happened. You listened to Him and there's no shame in that. We've been there...

-I shout from the roof tops to you and Mickey, I just want to give you both the biggest hug ever, no, this was not In your plan, but it was God's plan!! I just love how God works! He had decided to move you all the way to Africa to teach you two that God needs to come first and then each other! I love your story, don't be ashamed/embarrassed, nothing, you hold your head up, Girl!! You are a Jesus Girl and I love you so much for standing up for what is right for you, your marriage, your children and those precious boys and of course God!!

-Your journey has been a beautiful example of following Gods voice, stepping out and being ok when it doesn't work out how you/we thought it should, that that doesn't make u failures but actually humble enough to admit that it is ok to take another road, one that is in everyone's best interest. We have had many difficult decisions that we have had to make that left us feeling like failures, or not able to hack it, and in the last year God has been diligent in showing us his heart, and healing expectations we put on ourselves that were not from Him. Not sure if that makes sense, but seeing you handle the situation with such grace has been healing for us as well.

-What God did with us is so similar to your story that you will be amazed! I am just so thrilled that the Lord has united our hearts for such a time as this. I hope that brings you some comfort to know that someone else has walked this road and gets it. Know that I will be praying and know that His grace is sufficient. He will see you through all of this. So much love to you, sweet sister in the Lord!

-I want to start by thanking you for your honesty and openness.  We are not only not judging you for your choice, but would agree that you probably made the best decision for all involved.  Things don't always turn out the way that we think they will, and we can't always know what God has for us.  After hearing all that you have been doing in Zambia, I would say that God has been using you in a huge way.  It also sounds as though He has used you in the lives of these boys, even though it doesn't mean they will be a part of your family.  The fact that you have been obedient and endured through so much says a lot about your love for the Lord.  We can "somewhat" relate to all you have been experiencing these past months, and we know what a difficult process it is. When faced with huge decisions such as these, I think human pride would be the only thing causing you to push forward when you don't have a peace with it. 

-You are doing such great things in Africa. You are brave beyond our measure. We are so proud of what you are doing and even more proud that you could admit that this isn't right for your family. Such honesty is so rare in the world.

-I literally got chills reading this post! It is hard to accept our plan not being the best one sometimes. It takes courage and faith to understand and be patient while waiting for God's plan to be revealed. It is amazing how your connection with these two boys gave opened up another door with another couple. It is amazing how He works!

-We will continue to pray for you as you continue this journey. It is never over, and sometimes it takes moving away to a faraway place to be able to get away from the noise and truly listen to what God is saying.


This is just a small offering of the encouragement we have received over the last few weeks.  


Colossians 3:12-14
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 


We say thank you to each of you.  You have put on love for us, and unified us together as fellow, broken people serving an almighty, perfect God.