My angels can't fly

Since I got to the school, I have been pestered to change the display from last year on the Art Bulletin Board in the hallway. Today that finally happened...but I didn't change it.

The bulletin board is one story off of the ground, way out of anyone's reach. Three Hungarian maintenance men (Zoli, Latzi, and Tibor) had to help me. I thought about doing it myself until I saw the HUGE ladder they had to drag out to reach the board. One would climb all the way up to the top. The other two would stand at the bottom and catch the things he dropped. They also had to throw up various tools like a stapler and scissors. They did such a good job!! They paid such close attention to getting the art straight and evenly spaced. I felt so warm and blessed that these men took such care to put up the students' work.

Yesterday, I also had some angels in class.

I had to be stern with my 8th grade boys about respect. We talked about respecting our own work, respecting our friends' work, and respecting the classroom/teacher. We also decided to have a competition to see which table group could be the most respectful. They were soooo great!! They would tell each other the nicest compliments, like "Kirk, your drawing is extremely fabulous today!" They also raised their hands when they had a question! At one point, one table group even stood up every time I came over to talk to them! Maybe they were merely joking around, but I was smiling the entire time. When class was over, I was not frustrated, I was happy. I enjoyed having them!

Angels come in all ages and all sizes...even if they can't fly.

Sorrows and Joys

Life just keeps going. Sometimes I am so thankful that life doesn't stop, but other times I find myself asking, "Why?"

Recently, ICSB experienced a sorrowful loss. A past teacher lost her battle with cancer last week. She left her husband, young daughter, and young son. It was her son's birthday. The school had spent much time praying for this family, but after 4 years, this woman is home in heaven. Since the start of school, we had been getting sad updates about her cancer. It had kept a dark cloud looming over the school as many teachers, students, and families knew this family closely. It was difficult to watch my friends deal with this. Sometimes it is just hard not to question God about these things and trust that he is truly good.

Praise the Lord! I got my visa worked out. The immigration officer accepted my certificate of health insurance coverage and now all I have to do is go back to the office and pick up my actual visa. It is soooo good to not have to worry about this anymore.

Praise the Lord! I made it through TWO open houses: one for middle school and one for high school. I met many parents who were so encouraging. It seems like ICSB has just been waiting for an art teacher. I am so grateful to be here.

Praise the Lord! He has given me good friends in Hungary. I enjoyed homemade gulyas (Hungarian goulash) and palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) with friends one evening after school. I got to go wedding dress shopping with another teacher who is also engaged. I went to a coffee house and met many new people while listening to good guitar music.

Praise the Lord! My students are doing so well with their assignments! The 8th graders self-portraits look EXCELLENT. You can tell which kid is which because they actually look like themselves! My 7th graders are drawing shoes with great attention to detail. My high schools have finished their first projects and are ready to move on to bigger and better things!

Life goes on and God is good.

A Student's Life

So, here I have been, blogging about everything I have been doing in Hungary. But, you may be wondering, "What is a student's life like in Diosd?"

Of course, all students go to school. A regular school day is 8:30-3:20. Many students' days are extended, however. For starters, those in band start their days earlier. ICSB has a "Zero Hour" which occurs before school starts, from 7:40-8:30. This is when the band practices.

During the day, some students are involved in more than just school classes. For example, many teachers lead Bible studies during lunch hour. These teachers invite their students to their classrooms for times of devotions and lessons. They are living on more than just bread for lunch.

As I said, many students days are extended. This happens after school just as it does in the mornings. This week two events took place: Staff vs. Student volleyball and soccer games. These were scrimages intended to challenge the student teams for practice. Although the 8th grade boys tried desperately to get me to play soccer, I explained that my body just could not move to get my head in the right place to get the ball in the goal like theirs do. I'm not that coordinated. I was a great fan for the teachers' team instead. Later in the week, I decided to brave the volleyball game. Kristin and I went to the gym very nervous. I was sure that the coach would ask me not to play as I would not give enough of a challenge for the team. I must have spiked and bumped just right, because the game turned out to be fun! In fact, we all stayed and played some extra games for enjoyment.

Some students just can't get enough of their teachers at school. Susanna, my 6th grade independent study study, has been eager to come see where Miss Kahre and I live. So, yesterday she came over. She LOVED playing with Shabella, and Shabella loved playing with her. We also made cookies. Susanna was kind enough to bring some eggs as we were out and our van would not start to let us go to the store. She also brought me some flowers. It was a fun afternoon with yummy cookies.

I think that the students have just as much fun as the teachers at ICSB!

Staff Retreat

And retreat we did. The ICSB staff retreated to Lake Balaton, which is about 2 hours away from Diosd, the home of our school. We left right after school on Thursday and stayed through Saturday afternoon. (The students had no school Friday!!)

Last year, the staff spent much of the retreat working...working to get accreditation from Association of Christian Schools International. From what I heard, it wasn't much of a retreat last year. This year, in retaliation, relaxation was the theme. Due to some confusion, our retreat got moved from the annual location of dorms at a college to a spa/resort type place. This last minute change was a blessing!

Kehida Thermal Baths has many different indoor and outdoor pools, some heated, some not. The staff all took advantage of the naturally heated pools and the fun slide! When we weren't swimming, we enjoyed worshipping together. My heart was so blessed and refreshed to be sharing in the Lord's presence with my fellow co-workers. It is so nice to not just be "working" with these people, but to be living in faith with them. They are my family. We sung in English, and Hungarian to include all members of ICSB staff.

Also, we got to hear messages from a local church pastor. He spoke about Redemptive Ministry. Specifically, we looked at Joseph's story in Genesis 27-45. He packed a lot in! One of the main things I took away was in regards to those times when we are struggling. He suggested that where we are struggling and feeling down spiritually, that is the most opportune time to be sharing God's love with others. I am challenging myself to really reach out to my students even when I might not feel like it. I don't want their faiths to hurt just because mine might be. The pastor also focused on the fact that it took 13 years for Joseph's identity to be revealed to his father. He asked us, "How long will you give God?"

The retreat was a great time of fellowship with each other and God. Now, it is back to school!!

School has started to settle into a routine. I have my regular classes which are fun, but bring challenges. I have been specifically challenged with two middle school boys who speak practically no English. I am searching for ways to communicate with them without either of us getting too frustrated. Luckily, there is a great ELL program to help me. I have enjoyed spending time with an independent study studeent. This 6th grader is very special to me. Also, I have started giving private art lessons to a high school girl after school who could not fit art into her schedule. This opportunity is very important to me, as I hope to use this time not just to learn how to draw, but to learn to draw on God. Outside of my art room, I am going to be helping in the library, subbing for classes, and helping paint sets for the middle school musical. I am also looking into getting Hungarian tutoring lessons.

It sounds like I am busy, and I am, but really each day at the school seems like a retreat to me. I have been challenged yet refreshed by my new friends at ICSB.

Training for a 10K

Oh the wonderful cross

Bids me come and die and find

that I may truly live

Oh the wonderful cross

All who gather here by grace

draw near and bless your name

I am planning on running a 10k in Budapest on October 18. I have started running in the mornings. This Sunday morning I decided to go a bit further in my run. The new sights of Hungary are fun, but the roads are different and sometimes confusing.

As I was running this morning, I got a little bit lost. I was on the sidewalk of a busy street and came to confusing intersection. It was a round-about and I wasn't sure with road to take. How would I know how to get home? I started to get a little worried until I saw...the wonderful cross.

Peaking out above the trees was the wonderful cross criss-crossed between the glass window panes of ICSB. This is an added architectural feature of the new addition to the school. This cross is a large statement on the side of the school.

This cross guided me home from my run.

May it guide the citizens of Diosd.

The cross of Jesus guides me in my relationship with God.

May everyone find the love of this cross.

Bacon, Udders, Mayonaise, and Ninjas

What kind of feelings do you get from the title of this post??? Creeped out? Acutally, these things all make for one fun night!! Let me introduce you to ICSB High School party, 2009.

I was asked to be a chaperone for the high school party. All I knew was that this was held for all high schoolers on Friday from 7-9 pm. I could show up and make sure no one gets hurt, right??? Little did I know what was in store:

First, each class (freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) were all having a costume contest. Each class chose what they wanted to dress as. Freshman: Atheletes. Sophomores: Ninjas. Juniors: Famous Duos/Trios. Seniors: Rockstars. I was informed that I could choose to dress as any of these or none. Fortunately, I have past experience of being a ninja from halloween, so I knew exactly how to tie a black shirt around my face and fabricate nun-chucks out of two toilet paper roles and a string of paper clips. I was the only teacher who dressed up, but I earned the sophomores enough points to win the contest!!

The night was filled with games aimed to create community and unity among the students. We played some get-to-know you type games and name games to start. Then, some rather physical games were played, including a horse and wagon race. One student was a horse, with the rider on his back piggy-back style. Two people were the "wagon" by holding two other students in a blanket. All of these people had to run around the gym and TOGETHER cross the finish line. It was hilarious to see two girl students trying to carry senior boys in a blanket! They might not have been the best wagon...but they were good entertainment!

The students also played "steal the bacon" which required them to practically drag each other across the floor.

We also had tons of snacks at the party. After the snacks, the students played a "milk-the-cow" game. Rubber gloves were filled with water. Tiny holes were poked in the fingers to allow the "milk" to escape. Then, students had to SLOWLY milk the water in a spoon and race the spoon full of water back to a cup. Whoever filled their cup first won!

The final event of the night was an ice cream eating contest. Two representatives from each class had to eat a plate of ice cream without using their hands. They students ate it all up!! It wasn't until the middle of the race that it was announced, "The freshman are eating frozen mayonaise!!!" But they didn't care about the hazing!! They just kept snarfing the food down.

The night was full of fun and ended with stormy weather in Diosd. There was lots of wind and rain, but it made for a cool Saturday. The weather was perfect for a "Back to Budapest" outing for Crusade people. We spent the morning worshipping together. The afternoon was spent in the wonderful outdoors of the Word of Life Bible college playing volleyball. What a fun way to meet missionaries and enjoy God's creation.

A walk through the hallways of ICSB

I was walking back to my classroom from the workroom Monday morning when I heard the most beautiful lesson coming from another classroom.

All students at ICSB take Christian studies classes. I was walking by one of the classes as the teacher was talking about fellowship. I heard the teacher describe fellowship as "just hanging out" and "just being with each other." I thought to myself, "That is a good way to describe fellowship to a high schooler--just hanging out." In response to the teacher, the student replied, "Relationship." I was so amazed at the understanding this student had. He took fellowship to a whole new level, a personal level. Amen.

The rest of my day was just as good. My class of all 8th grade boys was very enjoyable!! They were a little antsy at first, and I was worried that it would be a struggle to get through the art vocab notes I wanted to cover. However, they settled down and were very attentive. They would add thoughtful comments, answer my questions, and nod with understanding every now and then. I know it wasn't my teaching that did this!!

This is just one Monday at ICSB. May God bless the rest of my week and yours.