Looking Back (Before it's Over)

You always know when someone is inside a building, because they leave their shoes outside

Moment in Grade 3 before class starts

The back of the Adam's truck, full of kids. You know how many kids can fit in a pickup truck, between the inside and the bed? I counted 26, and that was before it was full...

Fifth Grade artwork

Fifth Grade students. Their classroom is right underneath the chapel.

Jaw La Clay, from Grade 3. He's super cute, but gets picked on a lot.

Grade 3, squinting in the sunlight

Telling 4th Grade students that when they finish their classwork, we'll go and take our class picture. My face is yellow because I'm wearing Karen makeup. It looks good on them, but since I'm so much lighter it doesn't work the same way.

Dah Dah, Law Ray Htoo, Ma Keh Keh and I

Hibiscus

Grade 5 students. Saw Ta Pet is carefully placing a paper crane on Naw Tha Lay Lar Ku Htoo's head.

Grade 4, missing four students

Grade 5

I love these students!

Ma Su Su, She Di Paw, Haley, Say Nay Paw, and K'Mwee Paw

Naw Paw Pleth Wah and I

My littlest fifth grader (with the biggest name) Naw Tha Lay Lar Ku Htoo and I. She's 10 years old, and the youngest student in the class.

Months ago:

"Be careful; you're not going to want to come back!" - people at school while I'm leaving

"Why don't you stay here longer?"- Hannah

"I can't. I have to go back to finish my degree." - my reply


Now:


I don't want to go! How can I leave this place? This is my home, my family, my world. There's so much I can do here...there are so many people back in the States that can do what I was doing there. I'm more needed here. God, if it's Your will, can I please come back here again? Soon? 

 A month or so ago, I was hitting the rough part of adjustment. Everything was getting on my nerves. I didn't want to talk to anyone, or do any more interacting than I had to do in class. I was constantly thinking about my life back in the U.S. and missing it. I missed Friday night vespers, going to class, exploring the woods without worrying about meeting a snake I don't recognize, sleeping in my bed, having my own room with peace and quiet, and choosing when and where I would talk to people.

Somehow, that stage passed. I prayed a lot for patience and love for those around me. I also learned that God doesn't usually just cause love to spring up instantly; it's usually a growing process that involves your effort and cooperation along the way.
Also, the very things that I perceived as being the "thorns in my side" were those things God was using to develop in me the character traits I desired. I'm so thankful I can look back and see His work so clearly.

Eventually, the roughness smoothed out, and then I realized that my time is almost up.
Just when I started to really enjoy life here! Just when I started wanting to talk to the students and spend time with them!
I did a worship talk the other night about sadness, and brought out the truth that feelings are your choice. When difficult times come, we can choose between depression (which seems like the natural, logical response), or thankfulness (which seems crazy and irrational). A thankful heart is really the only thing that can possibly change the difficulty of whatever struggle you are dealing with, though, so it is the best choice, even if it doesn't make sense.

Every day for the past while I've had multiple moments when I can help but sigh, "I don't want to leave Sunshine Orchards!"

Hannah finally looked over at me while washing dishes and said, "You know, I don't think there's anything you can do about it. You might as well stop thinking about it."

True. This is a good time for me to practice being thankful.

It's probably that this is the very best time for me to leave, because it's right when I really want to be here. That way, I'll be ready to come back as soon as possible.

It's also causing me to treasure every moment. I know it sounds cliche, but it's amazing how rich life can be when you gather up all the little joys together.

- Pah Neh Wah walking into class while we are singing the opening song, his standing absentmindedly in front of his desk, slowly eating a Hibiscus flower. I could not keep from laughing at him.
 - Demonstrating in 9th Grade the process of how I can shrink the students down to size, and put them in my pocket to take back to America with me. Teaching them to sing the Scripture song from Revelation 21.
- Saw Eh Mwee's look of pure adoration after realizing that I just thanked God in my prayer that he's feeling better and is back in class. He's the most effective crowd control that third grade has; if he's not there, class is crazy. If he is there, they are manageable. It helps to have an 18 year old in third grade.
  - Sitting on the floor, watching Maung Sur Bar figure out "Simple Gifts" on the violin. Turning around to find out that Saw Plu has taught himself how to play "Abide with Me" after two days of violin lessons.
-Watching Hannah and her mom take stitches out of the back of Naw Blet's leg. The girl was on no medication, and only gave slight indication of the pain. These people are tough.
- Wondering what to reply when a student in Grade 4 says, "Teacha, Naw Da Bu is sexy!" during class.
- Driving up to Beota (a really distant mountain village), on the roughest road imaginable. Riding in the truck was like being in an earthquake simulator that had gone crazy. It would have been easier to just walk on that road. Also went on the tightest switchback curve ever. The inside of the curve was like a fifteen degree angle; we had to go partway around, then back up and get straightened out before we could continue up the hill.  Coming back half an hour before having to give a worship talk that I'm not finished writing. (Actually, the last worship talk I gave I was writing right up until the time I stood up to talk.)
- Playing with puppies!
- Walking back in the dark with Hannah from a birthday party in Mae Salid, seeing a car full of students drive by, stop, and then three students jump out and run back to us screaming in excitement, "Teacha!! We will walk with you!!!"
Holding Mu Nu Nu's hand all the way back and talking about angels, America, and teddy bears. 
- Coming back from teaching violin lessons in the afternoon to discover that Chit Chit Way had washed all my laundry....again.
- laying out on the porch at night, tilting my head back to look through the bamboo railing at Orion climbing over the horizon. Looking back down to the little fire the children's home boys have lit and are sleeping around.
 - seeing some boys swagger down to the creek with their shirts wrapped around their heads. Hearing their masculine yelps when they jump into the cold water.

- Finally getting to experience Hannah Powell's silly side. (it's taken how many years?)
After teaching her tenth graders their Biology class yesterday, I commented to Hannah, "You know, Saw Di Di looks Hispanic to me..."
Then I rethought that statement and tried again, "I mean, I think he looks Hispanic, not that he looks Hispanic to me."
She stared at me, uncomprehendingly, "Whaaa?"
 "Saw Di Di doesn't look Hispanic to me, but I think he looks Hispanic!" I realized that she wasn't getting my grammar joke and sighed. This one was going to be difficult. A silent moment passed.
"Oh..." understanding began to dawn in her face, "You mean, he doesn't look at you....hispanically?"

We both collapsed on the floor in laughter. I was so proud of her.

Now we have to define what it means to look at someone hispanically.
 -Tickle fights with Moo Koh Paw
- Cuddling up to Tharamu Zinmaroo at 5:30 am worships. It's gotten down to a freezing 68 degrees sometimes! Sleeping with two wool blankets does not even keep me warm anymore.
-Seeing little Dwee Mae Saw in the chapel and him reaching out to me, ecstatically, "Ta Ghee Koh!" (which means "curly hair")
-Getting grabbed around the waist by the older girls, who declare that they "Want to thin." like me. They are tinier than me, and barely come up to my shoulder sometimes, but are convinced that they are fat and ugly and I am thin and pretty. Who told them that? It really bothers me that they would believe such things about themselves. Obviously, we all have misconceptions about ourselves. I was thinking that I'm kind of giant-like, pale, and funny-looking compared to them.
 Who knew?


There's so much more to life here. I can't possibly put all of the memories together...I forget so much. But I am learning to live in the moment, and relish what is set before me.


You would just have to come experience life with Karen people. They are amazing.
Many of the kids speak at least two languages, as a result of being people without a country. They grow up in Burma, learn Burmese, then learn Karen (at least one dialect), then move to Thailand and learn Thai, then go to school and learn English. I am impressed. Just think of how effective they could be in sharing the Gospel!

By the way, if you have been reading my blog and have become remotely interested in mission work or Sunshine Orchards, I'll let you in on a secret. They actually could use more help over here!
If you are interested in teaching English, music, medical training, or being willing to do anything, while living a simple, non-complicated lifestyle, go to Sunshine Orchard's website to learn about what you can do to make a difference here.
God is working here; every school year a bigger group of students commits to baptism, despite the opposition of their Buddhist parents. Some of them are disowned and abused, but they stand their ground.

I will end this post now because I'm going to sleep with one of the tenth grade girls in the dorm.

More pictures later.