Philippians 4 v. 4-6

I just killed the last mosquito flying around my room. He and his friends have caused me too much itching. There has literally been no rain here all winter which is very unusual and bad for thecountry's water supply. Several days in the last few weeks have been really hot - like shorts and tshirts weather! I think the Lebanese are starting to feel at ease now though, it rained almost all day today and it's supposed to the rest of the week. Hopefully, there will be enough for plenty of snow in the mountains too.

School has just been the same. I have fuller days with the art and drama classes and my discipleship times - nice to be keeping busy! One day last week, the teacher I work with was sick and so I had to teach two classes of Bible. I was super nervous and a little stressed because I wanted to be prepared. The first class didn't go how I had hoped but the second class went much better and the kids (4 year olds) were in awe of how Jesus walked on water. I am so glad God gave me this challenge. And I couldn't have done it without his help.

This past week was book week and each class chose a book to read and do activities with. Each day, chapel was led by different groups of teachers and they acted out a story from the Bible. On Friday, it was the subject teachers' turn and we did the story of Naaman's maid. It was fun to dress up and act. The kids love seeing their teachers acting. Friday was also character day. Coming up with a costume proved to be difficult but I finally decided to be piglet from Winnie the Pooh and pulled together an outfit (much thanks to the school's prop room!!). These kids keep you straight and informed me that piglet doesn't have a tutu.... I tried! :)
In drama classes, the students have been making videos for book week. They were super fun to help with and I loved watching the final video. Here's one that I was involved with:
Junior 2 and 4 LES students
And here's one where I have 7 seconds of fame:
LES teachers
Today, Monday, is Teacher's Day and we have off from school. I think every country should have this holiday, but then again, I probably won't be a teacher in another country... So to add to the craziness of Friday, kids brought all sorts of nice gifts for all their teachers. They were really generous! And then on Friday evening, we had a dinner at a nice restaurant for all the teachers. There were so many people there, it's crazy how many people work at the school - both teaching the kids and behind the scenes. It was a lovely night with yummy food and some dancing. I'm not Lebanese so I wasn't very good at shaking my hips like they can!

(me) attempting dabke

just a normal day

The past two Saturdays, I have gone to the cooking class again. The first week we made shish barak which is meat and pine nuts in a dough - kind of like ravioli - in a yogurt soup. It was very delicious. You really appreciate each little ball when you hand make them yourself!

This Saturday, we made spinach pies. Not exactly sure what they call them in Arabic. Again, these take a while to make each one but are definitely worth it! They were much better than the ones I've had at restaurants.

The past three Thursdays after school, four or five of us from the foreign staff have gone to a centre for Syrian refugees. They do lots of programmes and we spend time with kids from grade 1 to 8 or 9 who are in English schools. Tolu and I take the older group and we play conversational English games with them and teach them some grammar. We have all really enjoyed it. These kids are so excited to see us and it's been great to build relationships. Each week, so far, has been different so it keeps us on our toes and gives us a good challenge. These kids just need someone to love them and have fun with and I've definitely had fun so far!
By being surrounded by Arabic on Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings, I think I've been learning more Arabic than ever. When there's a language barrier, it encourages you to try harder to communicate better. We've started learning verbs in Arabic lessons which is making it easier to say more! Teachers in school are surprised by how much I sing along to the Arabic songs in chapel, most of the time I'm just moving my lips but I'm picking up some songs!
Have to give a shout out to the Dieter family who have been like family. I could not have lasted very long without them. Naomi is (hopefully!) going to have a baby before I leave but is still doing a million other things and I can't thank her enough for everything she does for me.
The most recent topics for my discipleship course have been prayer, wealth and possessions, and what's in a name. They have really challenged me to think about these areas of my life and make adjustments to my attitude towards them. Being here is different from the other two placements because I'm not in a church or Bible college setting every day. Quiet time isn't as easy to follow through on every day. From tiredness, to cooking, to other commitments, it can be pushed out of the schedule of the day. Recently, I have been trying to mold good habits that will stick - not only now but when I get home.
Looking around my room, I think how am I going to fit all this stuff into two suitcases?! Plus if I have more souvenirs and food items to include. Praying that it will all work out!

I'm hoping to have the experience of a Lebanese hairdressers today. Excited to see what this important part of their culture is like. Stay tuned for the remaining adventures in Lebanon....