updation

on thursday we went to an orphanage that they go to every thursday night. there's a man here who gets children, some he may find, and some he may buy from parents that are struggling, and he turns them into an acrobatic team. he goes around and does shows with them to make money for himself. so, i don't completely understand why it's called an orphanage. it doesn't seem to meet the requirements of an orphanage. they are fed, but they are not well taken care of. my friends said last winter they bought them all coats, and the next week when they came back, the coats were no where to be found. he had sold them. so, it was weird and heartbreaking and uplifting to be there, and not be able to communicate with the kids through language at all, but still be able to communicate. sweet kylie gave me her craft when we left. she wanted me to have it. oddly enough, that same night, there was a news crew there doing a story on our group of foreigners that come to this orphanage. that was strange and my friends that go and lead weren't very happy. they had to change their bible story to the story of johnny appleseed and things like that. but it went fine, and the kids had fun and didn't say that we teach them about Jesus when the news reporter interviewed them :)

after the orphanage, those of us that are involved in the worship team go practice. i'm going to be singing with the worship team, and i'm pretty excited about it. it's been a while since i've led in that capacity, so i'm pretty stoked. we're doing this song this week that you guys should look up on itunes. it's called "your great name" and it's performed by "people's church". so good, seriously.

i also forgot to mention that i am teaching music at our school this year as an elective. there is a very talented female teacher here who has been teaching it for the past few years, but she said she is ready to pass it on to me, so i am really pumped about that too. kinda nervous, but excited. i will have all the kids from pre-school to 8th grade, split in 2 classes. i will be in charge of the music for everything, any sort of programs or graduations or concerts we have. yikes! i'll let you know how it goes. there is a guitar here i get to use, like keep at my house use, because someone left it. that is a huge blessing, and maybe my guitar skills will improve.

tomorrow (sunday) is orientation, where the parents and kids come to meet us and see the school. there aren't a ton of new students, and they think the returning ones probably won't come, so i have no idea how it will go down, but my room is all ready and decorated in first grade fashion. i have laughed to myself quite a bit while preparing my classroom this past week, because i remember my high school kids at hhca telling me that i should have been an elementary teacher rather than high school because of the way i decorated. we'll see if the first graders agree.

and last but not least, still no decision on a place to live for me. i'm not sure why this is turning out to be as hard as it is, but it's stressing me out. i was told i would live with a chinese girl, but we are having a hard time finding a reasonably priced apartment in the complex that we need to be in for her. so, i have an offer to stay where i am now, which is a really really nice apartment for cheaper than probably anything else i'll find, but i'm scared to leave the girl i was going to room with in the cold, and i don't want her to be let down or anything. and i don't know which is best. i feel like if i live here with all the foreigners, i might miss out on some culture and some of the things i was wanting to experience. but it's also very convenient living here, because these are all of my friends and i can just bop across the complex to hang out and do stuff. so i don't know, i don't know, i don't know. when i think through everything i feel so selfish. but i ultimately have to make the decision....

that paragraph could probably have been left out, you're thinking. sorry.

love you all. thanks for k.i.t'ing! (keeping in touch)

we'll talk soon.