Zany Kids

My kids are a mystery...they surprise me EVERY day with how fun, silly, and zany they can be.  Don't worry, we do have serious moments, but some of the times I like best happen during "free time."

Yea for International Family Fun Night

International Family Fun Night is always a favorite at ICSV.  Seeing all the different cultures come together and educate each other about who they are is fantastic!  The ending Culture/Talent Show provide an opportunity for each student to share with their peers where they come from.  This year the elementary school ROCKED!!!!  We had the most participants in the entire show.  Check out the video below to see some of the highlights.

One of my favorite Korean dishes!

Two ICSV teachers enjoying the show

One Former and Two Current Students

Xtra Time Please!

Have you ever wished for several additional hours in the day?  For the past few months I've DESPERATELY needed a few extra hours each day.  I can't seem to find enough time with all the different things I want/need to do: teach full time, prepare to take over as Elementary Principal next year, try to have some type of a social life, find time to dwell in God's Word, clean my apartment, etc.

The human part of me wishes that God chose to create a 30 hour day, but knowing myself, 30 hours still wouldn't be enough time to complete all I needed/wanted to do.  I need to be content with the time He has provided.  God knew what He was doing when He created the world.  He provided just the right amount of time to accomplish everything in His plans.

The missions pastor at my US church has been studying the concept of the Sabbath (click here to read the blog).  Through his studies, he has come to a better understand of what the Lord commands in regards to keeping the Sabbath day holy.  His thoughts on the topic have really got me thinking about the need to rest and relax in the Lord.  Life will always be busy, but there are also times when God will speak to you in the still, quiet moments.  It's important to remember to take time to have those moments and listen carefully to the Lord.

Way to Go Girls!

At the 11th Grade Talent Show five of my girls decided to perform a dance routine.  They did a FABULOUS job!  Enjoy a short video of each dance.  :)

Two of the Judges (HS Teachers)

Various SEW Memories

~5th Grade Favorite Memories~

1. My favorite Jerry Jacoby saying is, “I have a bald spot because when I was a little boy I was such a good boy that my dad would pat me a lot on my head.”

2. My favorite thing is that Elmer was in love with Miss Howard and the songs and your jokes.

3. My favorite part is when you sang the songs in slow-motion.

4. I love Michaella’s violin with Jerry Jacoby’s guitar.  +Elmer & Popcorn’s cute Chicken Dance!

5. My favorite part about Jerry Jacoby is when he does other languages and when he tells jokes.

6. When Elmer kissed Miss Howard.

7. I love how Elmer danced with Popcorn the CHICKEN DANCE!

8. I like the time Michaella played her violin fast.

9. I like Jerryl because he is a Christian and he is very very funny.  PS-by the way your jokes are very funny.

10. I like the part when Jerry Jacoby do the slow motion and when Elmer tells jokes and Elmer and Popcorn chicken dance.

11. I love Elmer because he is in love with Miss Howard and is a chicken!

12. I like the part that you said about your bible verse the most.  Thank you for singing for us.

13. My favorite time was when Elmer kiss Miss Howard.

14. My favorite part was when Elmer kept on looking up when Jerry said “Jesus.”

15. I like the jokes and stories Elmer say about Ms. Howard.  I like Elmer and popcorn doing the chicken dance.  Jerry Jacoby is the funniest person of all.

16. I loved watching my students enjoy singing, doing motions, and hearing about God!    ~Miss Howard

Unlikely Crush

Last month I suddenly found myself with a boyfriend?!?  I know you're probably thinking...Who is he?...What are the details?...Why didn't I hear about this earlier?  Well...He's a chicken (puppet), we met at the ICSV Elementary Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW), and blurting out that I have a chicken puppet boyfriend is...well...strange.  :)  Elmer is the "son" of Jerry (SEW speaker) and Michaella Jacoby.  He fell in love with me and loves telling all the students about it.  He even kissed me a few times on the cheek!  Sadly I wasn't able to get pictures of any of those kisses. :)  Below are a few "family" photos for you to enjoy!

The Jacoby Family: Jerry, Michaela, Elmer, & Popcorn

Jerry & Elmer

Take it Away Mr. Janett

Part of our Spiritual Emphasis Week is a Thursday night concert where the kids and parents are able to come for a special concert by Jerry Jacoby (our speaker).  It's a fun night of singing, dancing, and for me...getting kissed by my "boyfriend" (check out tomorrow's post for details!).  Not only are the kids able to continue to enjoy Jerry's talents, the parents are also able to hear and see what we have been doing/learning about all week long.  One of the evenings highlights this year was a performance by several ICSV administrators.  Check out the video below to see all the action!

Spiritual Emphasis Week Theme

The theme for this year's Spiritual Emphasis Week (SEW) was simple, yet SO important...it was The Gospel.  Check out our speaker's, Jerry Jacoby, thoughts about this year's theme.

THE GOSPEL

(How’s that for a theme?)

          Religion is a lot more comfortable than The Gospel. Religion can tell us what we have to believe and what we have to achieve to win God’s approval. It gives us a list of standards so we can know when we’ve arrived and can be satisfied with our growth and achievement.
         The Gospel, on the other hand, is shocking: Perfect God creates autonomous beings with the right to choose. Longing for our love, He had to give us the choice to refuse His love so that if any of us chose to return to Him and love Him, it would be our own free choice - real love, like His.
          His pursuit of our love led Him to become one of us, identify with us in every way, but without sin. And in the face of total rejection by all mankind, He reveals His plan - He takes the punishment due us on Himself and dies. He defeats sin, death and satan and rises from the dead. Then he offers us the way back - not a self improvement plan or a set of rules, but forgiveness for all our sins. This Gospel is shocking because it is a unilateral offer - He did it all and we can only receive. He holds all the cards. If we try to have His offer under any other conditions we end up with …religion.
          Jesus did not come to make us nice. He came to make us alive. Without Him, we are dead and eternally lost. With Him, we are redeemed, secure and whole new creatures.
          Heavy stuff for kids? I don’t think so. Jesus said that with the faith of a child the miracle of salvation takes place.
          This week we’ll laugh, sing and hear wonderful stories but the theme is not religion - it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Daily Chapel Themes

MONDAY: Who is God?
Exodus 2-3
Moses, as a shepherd in Midian, looks back over the design of his early life and wonders: “Why?” And then, in a burning bush, he meets the Great I AM!

TUESDAY: Sin
Genesis 3-4:16
God freely gave all things for Adam and Eve to enjoy except for one tree – and that tree became their consuming desire. Sin had entered the universe – but God has a plan!

WEDNESDAY: It is finished.
Matthew 4: 18-20; John 19: 28-30; John 20: 19-20
Peter sees God’s plan unfold – but what a roller-coaster ride of emotions: from embracing the Messiah-Leader with joy, only to lose Him on a cross, only to receive Him again, risen & victorious. The plan is accomplished!

THURSDAY: The Gospel
Genesis 1:1-Revelation 22:21
Today Jerry explains the Gospel in context of how he came to know his own sin, and trust Jesus as his Savior.

FRIDAY: More Good News: Jesus hasn’t left us alone.
John 20: 19-29; Luke 24: 35-53
Thomas relates how he came to grips with the Risen Jesus and then describes his Savior’s Ascension and promise that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter was coming. Good News!

The Crew with Jerry

One of our Worship Times

Really Didn't Enjoy this Day...by the End of It

Our last day of ice skating was very memorable this year.  For a few days we were blessed with "nice" weather...sun was shining, green things were growing, we didn't have to wear long-johns with everything. :)  Unfortunately that also meant that the ice at the Rathaus had also begun to melt.  When we arrived at the ice skating rink we discovered that instead of nice smooth ice for us to skate on, we were given an opportunity to "swim and skate."  The ice was INCREDIBLY slippery...kind of an oxymoron about ice, but it was.  Every time a kid fell down, which was often, they became soaked!  By the end of our time we had many wet (and cold) kids and two students off to the hospital, with their teachers, to be checked for possible head injuries (whenever a kid falls and hits their head, the ice skating people are required to send them to the hospital just in case).  Sadly one of the students happened to be a 5th grader.  Thankfully my student ended up being JUST FINE (although he had a big bump on his head).  I personally didn't enjoy spending more than three hours at an Austrian hospital, but I was thankful my student was okay and our amazing German teacher was there to help with all the translating.

Questions about Probability

In class we recently finished a math chapter about probability.  During the course of the unit we also spent time talking about God and probability.  Within a fifth grade understanding of probability, there are five different levels.  Things can be...
1. impossible
2. unlikely
3. equally likely
4. likely
5. certain
Thankfully, with God, nothing is impossible, unlikely, equally likely, or likely.  God can do ANYTHING...He is certain!  It doesn't mean that He will do everything we want Him to do...He does what is best for us.  He saved the Israelites by giving Moses the power to part the Red Sea.  He created all of creation...us included.  He came down to earth as a baby and died for our sins.  God doesn't flip a coin to decide what happens.  He is certain about what to do because our Lord is omnipotent.  I don't know about you, but if I were to bet on something, I would bet on Him!