This past Friday was a holiday in Poland. I was able to rearrange my schedule so that I could have Thursday free as well. With this extra time I decided to take a trip to Berlin. Though I had been there previously, it had been for less than 24 hours and I wanted to be able to experience more things. That I did! My friend and I were able to stay with a lovely family who took great care of us (and fed us very well). We were able to explore the city and see many great sites. Something that is crazy to believe is that my next big trip of the year will be heading back to the States, which I am very excited for. However, I will come back to Europe one day. There is so much more to see, explore and experience.
Now, on to this week. It is always interesting getting back into things after some time away. Even if it was only for a few days. Monday went as usual, with the exception of a lesson outside and students who decided ON THEIR OWN that they would do presentations for class next week. It was Monday night when I started to feel as though I have quite the week on my hands. I thought that it could quite possibly be one of the most stressful weeks I have had in Poland all year.
The reasons are as follows: 1. My roommate and I will be presenting about the U.S. in a local high school on Friday, and thus something needs to be put together. 2. I am going to be preaching on Sabbath, and though I do have some things figured out I need to spend some time putting everything together and also adding some more content. 3. When I teach two lessons on Tuesday's with young learners who have a low level of English speaking and understanding. All year I have had a Polish speaker to assist in these classes. My friend who has been helping me for the last few months was going to be out of town and no one else was available to help. 4. I would be teaching an extra one and a half hour lesson on Tuesday with my own students, but ones I usually only teach for 45 minutes on Thursdays.
So now you can see why I may have felt slightly stressed. During that time however I forgot one very important thing. God NEVER fails. He has shown me this time and again, and somehow I end up being swallowed by stress even though I know this. He is amazing for being so patient with us and teaching us the same lessons many times but in different ways.
Tuesday morning I found myself feeling quite overwhelmed and not knowing how I would get through the day. I said a quick prayer asking God to help fill my students hearts with patience and peacefulness hoping it would help the day go smoothly! I had no idea how God would work. My first lesson of the day went as usual, as I am working with an older student who is quite advanced. The second lesson is the one I was mostly worried about, a group of small preschoolers who fill my life with happiness but who are also quite crazy. This is one of the two groups in which I work with a native Polish speaker. Keeping this group occupied and calm by myself seemed like an impossible task, but I had an idea. I was able to keep them calm and seated with a memory game that lasted, to my surprise, the whole lesson. Though they were loud, they were able to stay in their seat and learn a few sea animal words as well. Next I had my second group that the native Polish speaker usually helps me with. They are a little bit older (7-10) and their understanding has improved over the year. I wasn't quite as nervous about this class as I thought one alone would go alright. Another surprise awaited me in this group. Usually there are 7-8 students, and today only 3 showed up. We had a very peaceful and easy going lesson. Had they all shown up it would have been alright, but this way ended up to be quite lovely. Next was the extra lesson of the day. It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that I have a hard time keeping this group happy and occupied for only 45 minutes. I was nervous about how the lesson would turn out. Well, a huge smile came to my face when I was greeted by students who were so happy and excited to see me a different day of the week and to see what our extra time together had in store. Honestly, I felt so appreciated. Sometimes it is easy to forget the impact that I am having here, but this lesson showed me that I am indeed making a difference. We ended up using our textbook for an certain amount of time and then switching to a game then back to the book and so on. The children were pleased, as was I. Because I only have a few weeks left here in Poland, I have started to think a lot about going home. This being said I have lost a little focus in enjoying the remaining time here. My extra lesson reminded me that these students and I have really bonded over the year and that although I feel ready to go home, it is going to be difficult to say goodbye. Finally I had two more of my private lesson students. They are always a joy, but today our lesson was later than usual.
By the end of the day I thought I would feel exhausted, but I left the school with much happiness. God is seriously so good. He hears our prayers and answers them in ways we can never imagine. The day that I thought would be most stressful was honestly so much fun. It was just the thing I needed to get me through the next few weeks before I return back home. God is our friend and He wants what is best for us. When we dedicate our days and our work to Him we can see incredible results.
Thanking God for today.
Now, on to this week. It is always interesting getting back into things after some time away. Even if it was only for a few days. Monday went as usual, with the exception of a lesson outside and students who decided ON THEIR OWN that they would do presentations for class next week. It was Monday night when I started to feel as though I have quite the week on my hands. I thought that it could quite possibly be one of the most stressful weeks I have had in Poland all year.
The reasons are as follows: 1. My roommate and I will be presenting about the U.S. in a local high school on Friday, and thus something needs to be put together. 2. I am going to be preaching on Sabbath, and though I do have some things figured out I need to spend some time putting everything together and also adding some more content. 3. When I teach two lessons on Tuesday's with young learners who have a low level of English speaking and understanding. All year I have had a Polish speaker to assist in these classes. My friend who has been helping me for the last few months was going to be out of town and no one else was available to help. 4. I would be teaching an extra one and a half hour lesson on Tuesday with my own students, but ones I usually only teach for 45 minutes on Thursdays.
So now you can see why I may have felt slightly stressed. During that time however I forgot one very important thing. God NEVER fails. He has shown me this time and again, and somehow I end up being swallowed by stress even though I know this. He is amazing for being so patient with us and teaching us the same lessons many times but in different ways.
Tuesday morning I found myself feeling quite overwhelmed and not knowing how I would get through the day. I said a quick prayer asking God to help fill my students hearts with patience and peacefulness hoping it would help the day go smoothly! I had no idea how God would work. My first lesson of the day went as usual, as I am working with an older student who is quite advanced. The second lesson is the one I was mostly worried about, a group of small preschoolers who fill my life with happiness but who are also quite crazy. This is one of the two groups in which I work with a native Polish speaker. Keeping this group occupied and calm by myself seemed like an impossible task, but I had an idea. I was able to keep them calm and seated with a memory game that lasted, to my surprise, the whole lesson. Though they were loud, they were able to stay in their seat and learn a few sea animal words as well. Next I had my second group that the native Polish speaker usually helps me with. They are a little bit older (7-10) and their understanding has improved over the year. I wasn't quite as nervous about this class as I thought one alone would go alright. Another surprise awaited me in this group. Usually there are 7-8 students, and today only 3 showed up. We had a very peaceful and easy going lesson. Had they all shown up it would have been alright, but this way ended up to be quite lovely. Next was the extra lesson of the day. It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that I have a hard time keeping this group happy and occupied for only 45 minutes. I was nervous about how the lesson would turn out. Well, a huge smile came to my face when I was greeted by students who were so happy and excited to see me a different day of the week and to see what our extra time together had in store. Honestly, I felt so appreciated. Sometimes it is easy to forget the impact that I am having here, but this lesson showed me that I am indeed making a difference. We ended up using our textbook for an certain amount of time and then switching to a game then back to the book and so on. The children were pleased, as was I. Because I only have a few weeks left here in Poland, I have started to think a lot about going home. This being said I have lost a little focus in enjoying the remaining time here. My extra lesson reminded me that these students and I have really bonded over the year and that although I feel ready to go home, it is going to be difficult to say goodbye. Finally I had two more of my private lesson students. They are always a joy, but today our lesson was later than usual.
By the end of the day I thought I would feel exhausted, but I left the school with much happiness. God is seriously so good. He hears our prayers and answers them in ways we can never imagine. The day that I thought would be most stressful was honestly so much fun. It was just the thing I needed to get me through the next few weeks before I return back home. God is our friend and He wants what is best for us. When we dedicate our days and our work to Him we can see incredible results.
Thanking God for today.