November
Hello friends and family! I honestly didn’t even remember to do this at the end of the month because it passed so quick! I was too distracted by my excitement for the Christmas season! November was a month of new experiences and celebrations! The month kicked off with a trip up to northern Ghana, somewhere I had never been! I went with three other American girls and we took an hour long flight up to Tamale and then took a 3 hour taxi (that’s a whole other story, goodness) to Mole! Mole has a large national park that is home to many animals that you can’t see in southern Ghana, including elephants! The elephants were definitely the main attraction for us and we got to see them up close! It was awesome! Our tour guide was wonderful and had so much passion for his job that he has now had for over 15 years! Also, Texans unite all over the world! We had a guy on one of our safaris that we found out was from Dallas! So 3 out of 6 of the people on that safari car were from Texas. Wild!! We spent much of the trip just relaxing, hanging out, and enjoying yam chips (my favorite snack), it was so special. While traveling with only American girls brings many, MANY challenges, we had a wonderful trip and I am so grateful for the memories. God was faithful in bringing us home safely, something that is not promised, but is a gift.
CORM had lots of events in November so here we go! First was graduation for the students who completed their third & final year of junior high school! This was a fun day with different performances and awards. After graduation, a group of us went to Accra to watch the premier of the Black Panther 2! The theater was partnering with our phone carrier here so a lot of us got free tickets for two people. The theater was a MAD HOUSE, no surprise there. It was such a challenge to get into the theater, and the place was so packed that everyone was dripping sweat. We are so thankful that we got to enjoy the movie and come out of there safely! The next event was the Spelling Bee! Students spend weeks preparing for the spelling bee and it is a full day, all school event! I got to be a judge for a couple classes and then for the finals, it was so fun! In reality, I just was the timer, and my job was practically useless but I really enjoyed getting to watch each student right from the front! In the all school finals, a student from 3rd grade won the whole thing, even against 7th graders, and even through his tears from nerves! Everyone cheered so much! I won’t lie… I cried a bit. Another thing I got to do this month was a medical outreach to a village in the mountains (don’t worry, I just took blood pressure). This was such a blessing to be part of, and it is always wonderful to visit new villages in Ghana. Alright, still writing about events in November but I’m starting a new paragraph because this one is getting too long.
Another fun thing this month was the World Cup starting! Ghana qualified so all three games were WILD with screaming in a packed living room. Ghana did not make it past the first round, but it was so much fun to cheer for them. Next was Thanksgiving! It was such a blessing to still celebrate Thanksgiving here. I was feeling sad in the morning, because I missed waking up, knowing my mom is in the kitchen with cinnamon rolls. Being away for Thanksgiving made me realize how many little things I absolutely love and cherish about the day. My parents just being in the kitchen all day brings so much comfort, and thinking about the music playing while things come together on the table and family is arriving brings so much joy to my heart. I missed my family so much, but I enjoyed sharing a big meal with everyone that evening. God bless Autumn and Stacy for their work pulling it all together! CORM’s 16th anniversary was November 25th! In the morning, there were many performances and testimonies of God’s goodness over those years and in the evening we had a POWERFUL time of praise and worship full of dance and prayer. This night the Holy Spirit was moving big time, I honestly can’t even describe it to bring the glory He deserves for all of it. This night brought a lot of peace to my heart. If you want to hear more about this night, reach out and I would love to tell you more. Alright that’s all the big events I can think of, woohoo!
Now to school things! Early December students are taking their final exams so things have been wrapping up and we have been doing lots of math studying! It has been so encouraging to see how students want to succeed and are willing to take time out of their breaks and rest to come to me for help. My base at school is the multi-level classroom, and groups of students will come randomly throughout the day to ask questions and those are definitely my favorite moments. Outside of working with students, I have been working hard to go through each grade level’s math curriculum to order it and ensure it is building on itself throughout the year and then also throughout several years. This work has been tedious and I keep making changes as I look at it, but I am so excited and hopeful to see what the next school year will bring. In the new year, I will be taking on the role of a math coach for the school, so I’ll be handling the reteach time that is 30 minutes for each class every day and supporting teachers in finding creative ways to engage students in mathematics to build deeper understanding. There are lots of details around this but overall, I am so hopeful and expectant of what God will do with the hard work going into the next year all around. Aunty Autumn has been working so hard on preparing for next year so please join me in prayer that the work will be beyond blessed and God will continually renew her energy! She is an amazing educator and director and it is an honor to work with her and the rest of the admin team. I have also been so grateful for my former professor, Dr. Rogers, and fellow math teacher, Katie, for their advisement over the work I am doing! It takes a village for sure!
Alright a quick note on new experiences! Gosh has it been fun to try new things. Food has been the most fun challenge for me since I am a bit of a picky eater. But I am trying to tell myself to always just try it once and see because I really won’t know otherwise! I have really been getting better at eating fish of all sorts here which, if you know me, you know I do not eat seafood! But it is so fun to try it! I even ate a fish eyeball! Woohoo!
God has been so good to me through every avenue possible. Every time I think back on the past months and even years, I am overwhelmed by his kindness and provision. He has brought me through different trials that seemed impossible but now I think back and cry because of how wonderful those seasons really were. My family has been the biggest blessing and even just thinking about that makes me cry. We have always had solid relationships, but in the past few years, God has brought so much healing to our brokenness through tough conversations and many opportunities to care for each other. We have all become so strong because of the support we have in each other, and the expectations we hold of personal growth and closeness with the Holy Spirit. To my family, I love you all beyond description and cannot believe how lucky I am to have you guys. Thank you mom & dad for building our family up, giving us examples of how to see the Holy Spirit moving around us and in us, and for pulling us into goodness.
Also! This month I made a short video for Kelsey to show to her 3rd grade class! It’s just some little interviews from a few of the kids about life! I’m no videographer so its just a little thing but its super cute if you want to watch! Here is the link: https://youtu.be/6TNWRx8axWw
Prayer requests for this month of December!
Meeting funding goals for CORM as more students move to higher education and require more financially!
Christmas blessings from CORM to the community around us
Faith Roots Leadership Team and planning going into the next school year
Safe travels for everyone going home/coming home for Christmas here and in the States
Peace through the Christmas season
Blessings for the CORM staff who work so hard to care for everyone!
