Thankful (Agradecida)

I know that it has been WAY too long since I posted here, and I apologize for being non-communicative!  The school year charges on, filled with both challenges and God's grace.  Soon I hope to share some photos of my students and other events from this year, but since it's Thanksgiving weekend, I wanted to make a Thanksgiving post.  This was my first Turkey Day away from my family, and I certainly missed home, but I was able to spend the day with some fellow missionary friends and enjoy a delicious meal. (Complete with cranberry sauce, the main ingredient of which cost me somewhat of a wild goose chase and way too much money...but oh well. :P ) 

This season of life has been full of many changes, but no matter where I celebrate Thanksgiving, I know I have much to be thankful for.  Without further ado, here is my list.  I am thankful for...

*Jesus Christ.  "Sunday school answer," some may say, but without Him and His amazing grace, I truly would be lost.

*God's guidance in my life.  I continue to believe that He led me here.  No matter the challenges I face in adjusting to a new culture and my first year of teaching, I believe that He has me here to bring Himself glory.  My task is to draw close to Him and follow how He leads.

*My roommates.  We are goofy together, but they are also amazing sources of encouragement and inspiration to love the Lord more fully.

*My students.  They are insightful, make me laugh, and challenge me daily to grow.

*My principal, who shows me so much grace, prays for me, and offers truly biblical wisdom and guidance.

*The community at ECA.  I truly feel that I am part of a family, both Colombian and North American.

*The opportunity to see God at work here in Bogotá.  There is much darkness in this city, but also many glimmers of His light as He uses the believers here in amazing ways.

*Friends and family back in the States.  You are beyond generous in your prayers, words of encouragement, time spent on Skype with me, and financial giving.  Thank you, thank you.

I could go on for a long time, but I will leave it here for now.  God is good.

 Photo from Monserrate, one of the best places to see the city.  I really can't say "thank you" enough.  :)

One Month in Colombia

Hola, friends.

I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to post any updates from Bogotá.  I definitely feel like I hit the ground running (with staff training at ECA and then the start of school) and then I started to feel like if I blogged or wrote an email update it would have to be a mile long to fit everything in...and I don't think everyone has the time to read that.  Of course I still want to share what's happening here, though, so I'm going to try to make this manageable.  This post will consist of some pictures with short blurbs, hopefully giving a few glimpses of what life is like for me here.


School

I often can't believe it, but I actually have a classroom!  You should have seen me when I saw the sign outside the door that says "2nd Grade, Miss Sickles."  And more importantly, there are 22 second graders who started school on August 7th, and I am blessed to be their teacher.  I have to be honest that I am feeling a lot of challenges in my role as a first year teacher, especially in a culture different than my own, but I love the group of kids and El Camino Academy, and am praying that God will grow me this year through the joys and challenges.

(P.S. These pictures were taken before school started, so the room looks different now, but these at least give an idea!)


Living Situation

I get to live in an apartment in the northern part of the city with the lovely ladies pictured above...from left to right they are Lauren, Megan, and Allie.  Lauren and Megan have served at ECA for a year already, and Allie and I are newbies.  There is plenty of silliness and frequent jam sessions at our apartment, but these girls are also already a huge spiritual encouragement and I'm really blessed to have them.  (And thanks Allie for the photo snatched from Facebook!)


Impressions of Bogotá

 

This picture was taken from a moving bus, but it at least gives some idea of how sprawling Bogotá is, and the fact that mountains are visible from most areas in the city (I LOVE that).  There is still so much of the city that I haven't seen, and I have much to learn...I have seen very wealthy parts of the city and also played with kids who live in a very poor neighborhood where prostitution is tolerated and common.  I am meeting wonderful and loving people and also learning how to be street-smart on public buses.  I have learned more of the history of this country with deep wounds but have also seen how God is at work here.  More on all of this later, but please pray with me that that work will continue and that the Lord will use me in it however He sees fit.


Prado

Last weekend was a long weekend due to a Catholic holiday on Monday, so a number of ECA teachers traveled to another departamento (equivalent of state...Bogotá is in Cundinamarca, for your geographical knowledge) called Tolima to stay in a place called Prado.  It's officially about a six-hour drive, but it took us closer to ten due to traffic on Friday night.  It was worth it, though, because the place was breathtaking.  The weekend involved rustic accommodations, one bat scare, lots of sunscreen and bugspray, time spent with new friends, our own church service with a few local believers, lots of swimming, boat rides, and some cliff-jumping (I only did the last thing once, and not from very high, but still).  After a whirlwind start at school with training and teaching, I was thankful for the chance to marvel at God's creation.  He is so, so good.


Prayer Requests

I could go on sharing for awhile, but like I said, I want to keep this manageable.  Those of you who pray, please pray for me in the following ways:

*For my teaching and my students.  Please pray that God will grow me in the ways needed for these precious kids to be taught well...I need patience, discipline, wisdom, and love from Him in my heart to do this.  Pray that our group will be closely knit together with love.
*For ECA.  Pray that God's work will be done here, and please specifically pray that God will bring a high school Social Studies teacher to the school to fill a position that is still open.  (If any of you reading are interested...let me know!!!!!!)
*Please pray that God will strengthen my relationships here, both with fellow missionaries and new Colombian acquaintances.
*Please pray that I will find a church to get connected with.
*Finally, please pray that I will be more faithful than I have been in keeping in touch with my network back home!

I really am so thankful for all of you.  As always, please email or comment with any questions for me or updates from your end of things.

Bendiciones,
Kelli 

Goodbyes

I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow is the BIG day!!!  I’m definitely in the flurry of packing, making sure I have the right documents, etc. but I wanted to take the time to write a post before my departure.

Before I write a lot about Colombia stuff, I do want to share that today my family said goodbye to my dear grandpa, Gerald Potter.  He passed away on July 13^th, and his memorial service was today.  I have many great memories of him (my favorites are of him at the cottage on Eight Point Lake, his favorite place in the world), and if you think of my family, please pray for us as we continue to acknowledge this loss.  I’ve felt selfish at times thinking about my own departure when this has happened, but I believe God was aware of the timing of this and so it’s been a mixture of reflecting but also looking ahead to what’s in store.

A huge THANK YOU is in order for the financial support, friendship, and prayers that have been offered during these last days, weeks, and months.  This past weekend my parents and friend Joy threw me a goodbye party and it was lovely to see all the faces of the family members and friends who could make it.  Yesterday morning, I was commissioned by South Church (my home church) and feel very “sent” and encouraged by the love and prayers of my spiritual family there.  It’s amazing to see the connections that God has built in my last five years there, and I pray that I will be faithful in keeping in touch and praying for the ministry there.

Pastor Doug’s sermon yesterday was from Luke 14, and had to do with counting the cost of truly following Jesus.  As I embark on this endeavor in Colombia and do give up a lot of what’s known and comfortable to me, I feel convicted to truly give ALL I have and am to Jesus, not clinging to any of my own interests.  I am no “perfect Christian” (there aren’t any, for the record), but I am amazed at God’s love and grace in my life and truly do pray that He is glorified through all of this, and that I will grow to know Him more and be used to help others do the same.

In my first post on this blog, I gave some goals for the summer…I had about a zillion books to read to prepare for my teaching and also said I was going to read the whole Old Testament.  WELL, I have to be honest that all of that did not happen.  I will plug away at the O.T. and hopefully read some more of those books as time allows…Perhaps this is a lesson for me in setting reasonable goals… Although I didn’t read ALL of my teaching books, I’m praying that staff training at El Camino will help further prepare me for the task of educating my students and helping them know God and the Bible more.  (One update on Kyle the ukulele though…I can play a few songs!  Now let’s see if he fits in my suitcase!  :P)

I really have been blessed by so much that has happened this summer, including quality time with friends and family, my internship with the children’s ministry at South, and a chance to meet some ECA people at a picnic in Chicago in early July.  I also never posted about this, but I did successfully get my Colombian work visa!  Woohoo!

I’m learning that I’m a person who never really feels totally ready for anything, and that is how I feel about this departure. I think in a way, that’s good, because I am reminded to rely on God’s strength and not my own (2 Corinthians 12:9-11). I do pray that I have said goodbye well to the people and places I won’t see until Christmas.

I’ll close now and go work on finishing up a few last things…But please pray for travel and transitions to life in Bogotá, pray for my fellow staff members, and for my second graders in their last couple of weeks of break.  I’m definitely feeling a mix of emotions right now…sad about my grandpa and leaving, but also excited for this next step.  May God get glory in all of this, and I’ll post again from Bogotá (Lord willing).  Adios for now, and here we go!

Bendiciones,

Kelli

Update...Approximately 5 Weeks Until Departure!

Since my last post, a lot of things have happened.  Here are a few tidbits…

I turned 23!  It doesn’t feel much different than 22, but I still feel blessed by family and friends who showed me their love on or after my birthday.

I bought a ukulele, and named it Kyle!  Kyle is not very fancy, but thanks to the help of a generous colleague and the internet, I am learning to play!  I’m no virtuoso, but I’m hoping that I’ll at least get the point where I am able to play and sing praise songs with my students at ECA.

Quite a bit of progress has been made in my financial support raising and logistics-planning for Colombia.  As I see funds coming in, I am blown away by God’s faithfulness and feel so blessed by the generosity of my friends and family.  I’m getting VERY close to purchasing a plane ticket to Bogotá…More logistical details in the prayer requests below.

I have become immersed in preparations for Sky VBS, which is happening THIS WEEK at my home church, South.  It has been a blessing to work as an intern alongside our wonderful children’s ministry directors and see the details come together.  Now we finally get to have the kids come and see them having fun and learning that everything is possible with God!

I found out who my roommates in Colombia will be!  The plan is to have 2 returning teachers live with 2 newbies (myself included, obviously) in an apartment.  I’m super excited!

As my departure draws closer, please pray:

*for Sky VBS!  Pray for many children to come, for them to have fun, and that God’s truth from the Bible will touch their hearts.

*that I will use time wisely, not freaking out about details, but preparing my heart and getting important tasks done before leaving.

*that logistical details would come together…especially concerning some healthcare concerns, travel plans, and my Colombian visa.  (We travel to Chicago for an appointment at the Colombian Consulate in early July.)

*for ECA staff and students on their break from school.

Thank you all for your friendship and support!  As I said in my first post, please contact me at any time with questions or updates about your life!  (kelli.b.sickles@gmail.com) 

I’ll leave you with a lovely photo collage my friend Joy made from a beautiful day at Holland State Park at the end of May, along with a couple of pictures from a Lansing Lugnuts game I went to with my parents.  I’m thankful for these times spent with family and friends, and hope they continue in the next few weeks!

 I will miss the Great Lakes!  (And Joy, of course.)

 Lugnuts games are a family tradition.  Wearing complementary colors, not so much, but we'll take it.  :)

 Fireworks are one of my favorite parts of summer!

Bendiciones,

Kelli

Introducción

Welcome to my new blog!  I’m hoping this will be a way to keep my friends and family posted as I prepare for and enter my next season of life…as a 2nd grade teacher at El Camino Academy in Bogotá, Colombia!

I believe that God has opened this door, and that ECA will be a place where I can serve Him with all that I am.  At the school I will get to work in a multicultural environment and try to instill Biblical truths in my students as I help them grow academically.  I am really on board with the heart of this school, and also can’t wait to immerse myself in Colombian culture and practice my Spanish!  (If you’d like to read more about the school’s vision and mission, you can do so here.)

I know that this step to move to Colombia may seem drastic, but I believe that this is a step of faith as God has worked in my life.  I believe that He graciously saved me from sin by bringing me to faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that He continues to be gracious as He guides this journey.  Jesus is both my Savior and Lord and I have prayed about this opportunity and believe that this is a step of obedience to Him.  I realize that all of you reading this blog may not believe what I do, but I want to be clear on my reasons for doing this and the faith behind it, and I do hope that you’ll keep reading my blog.

I can’t believe it, but if all goes as planned, I will be boarding a plane for Colombia in TWO MONTHS!  In the meantime, I am working part-time with the children’s ministry at my church (which is awesome experience!) and doing a lot of paperwork, logistics, and reading.  There are a number of books I want to read before I go (on working with Third Culture Kids, on Christian philosophy of education, on language learning, the list goes on…) and I have also set a goal of reading the whole Old Testament.  We’ll see how my summer reading goes, but maybe having put my goal on here will bring some accountability.  I’m also trying to learn how to play ukulele so that I can play and sing praise songs with my students.  Maybe I can be sorta like Zooey Deschanel or this girl.  Again, we’ll see.  ;)

I’ll go ahead and wrap up this first post now…but I’d like to make a habit of sharing a few prayer requests of mine for those of you who believe in the power of prayer and would like to pray for me.  Please pray…

*For the teachers and students at ECA as they wrap up this school year.

*That God would be preparing my heart for service at ECA.

*That I would be effective in my ministry at church and with family/friends before leaving.

*That I would be faithful with logistics/paperwork/preparations and that those details would come together smoothly.

*That I would get to spend quality time with loved ones before departing.

*(Here’s a big one!)  That God would bring in the $13,000 (approximately) that I have set a goal of raising for the next school year.  This will cover my living expenses, insurance, etc. for the school year, since El Camino can only pay its teachers a small stipend each month.

On the note of fundraising…If any of you would be willing to offer a donation to support my teaching in Colombia, you can do so online through my sending agency, Resourcing Christian Education (RCE).  Here’s the link: http://www.rce-international.org/, and if you click on the “donate” tab and then "give online" you’ll get to a form where you can select my name on a dropdown list (my account number is 11945).  I would SO appreciate any help financially, but prayers and friendship are just as important so please keep them coming too!!! 

Thanks for reading my first post!

Bendiciones (Blessings),

Kelli

P.S. If you ever have questions for me about how and why this came about (or about WHATEVER!) please email me!  kelli.b.sickles@gmail.com.  Plus, I want to hear about your life, too!!!