June Newsletter

My June newsletter is up and available! You can click here to read it or head over to the Newsletters tab if you want to catch up on any letters you've missed. 

Mexican Blessings

 I was blessed to be able to go back to Mexico at the beginning of January. It's been four years since I last went down to Monterrey, so I was really excited to jump in the van (okay, maybe not that excited about the van ride, but you know what I mean!) and head south. We left on 5 January, which I think was about the coldest day of the year! Several people on the team had a lot to deal with just before we left, with things like the starter on one of the vans going out, a broken furnace, frozen pipes, and a backed up sewer. We were so thankful for your prayers!

Skinny Sweatshirts and Toads

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a blog post, and even longer since I’ve written one about my kids, so, for your reading pleasure, here are some of the things my kids have said recently!

One cold morning before ESL (English as a Second Language) started; a grade 5 student: “Miss Nutt, these seats are cold. I think we should buy new furniture that is warm and fuzzy!”

Like a Rubbermaid

I love all my kids, but the ones in Grade 6 are really something! There are only three—one is very quiet and doesn’t really say anything unless she needs help with something, but the other two make up for her and about ten other kids! Most of these quotes are conversations between the other two kids, a boy and a girl, who are masters at squabbling; shortly after the majority of these statements, arguments broke out…especially about Thor…ain’t nobody gonna mess with my superhero! J

-“Miss Nutt, I forgot how to spell my last name!”

Ukarumpa from A to Z

Airplanes: the main mode of transportation for many people going to and from the village, and also from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Bible translation: the reason all of us ex-pats live in PNG—to support the work of Bible translation and end Bible poverty

The kids' backpacks and shoes outside a classroom

Children: need I say more?! J

Little Rascals

My Grade 1 English as a Second Language (ESL) class is definitely one of my most interesting classes. I’m not sure if it’s this particular age group or the combination of these four personalities, but WOW! Half the time I’m pulling my hair out because they’re so energetic and talkative and the other half I’m trying not to laugh when they come up with things like the following:

The Birthday of a King

My Grade 6 English as a Second Language (ESL) class works on one big writing project each term; in Term 1 we wrote a book report, and this term we worked on a newspaper article about the birth of Jesus. When I told them what we would be working on this term, their reaction—as usual—was a collective groan and a chorus of, “But we already know how to write a newspaper article!” (They say this every term, but by the time we’re two or three weeks into the project, they’re enjoying it!) This class is one of my favourites because we have some pretty good discussions, as well as some completely random and ridiculous ones!

To Laugh, Cry, or Howl?

“Having a two year old is like having a blender that you don’t have the top for.” –Jerry Seinfeld

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” –Franklin P. Jones

*****

I love my kids. I really do. There are days, however, when I’m not sure if I’m going to lose my marbles or if they’re already gone; days when I’m not sure if I should laugh at their antics, hide in a corner and cry, or howl at the moon, because, well, they’re not listening anyways, so I may as well just be ridiculous and maybe that will get their attention!

All My Children

I work with kids all day, from Kinder all the way up to Grade 12—and no matter how old they are, they keep me on my toes! Here is another installment of the things my kids say.

-We were talking about cold-blooded vs. warm-blooded animals in my Grade 4/5 ESL class and I asked the kids to list some cold-blooded animals. They rattled off fish, snakes, and so on. When someone mentioned lizards, one kid said nonchalantly, “I like to smash their heads with a rock.” That kind of killed the mood…literally! J

You Know You're a Missionary Teacher When...

·         You thought you knew the alphabet, then your kids informed you differently—H is not H, it’s pronounced hay-ch, and Z is zed

·         The power goes on and off randomly throughout the day; you (and your students) hardly even notice anymore

·         Telling a child that they have to wear shoes at recess induces ridiculous amounts of whining and complaining

What Did You Say?!

For your reading enjoyment: the second installment of Kids Say the Darndest Things.

1.       My first graders during Sunday School:

Kid 1: “Why are all the teachers girls?”

Kid 2: “Because girls like little kids more than boys do!”

Kids Say the Darndest Things

I’m always amazed at the things kids say—the things that pop out of their mouths when they aren’t even trying to be funny. Since I’m at school all day, and therefore around kids all day, I decided to compile a list of things that some of the kids say.

1. One of my second graders started a sentence by saying, “When I was a kid…” (Um, when was that, last week?!)
2. Two older boys walked passed my room, one was talking and the other, presumably, had been listening until he said, “I’m tuned out…” (I almost fell off my chair from laughing so hard when I heard this one—the non-listener was totally deadpan when he said that!)
   

Down to the River

Today was another typical day in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG): cool in the morning, warm and sunny in the afternoon, and cool again in the evening after the sun went down. During the hot part of the day, I ended up going down to the river that flows near Ukarumpa with my good friends, the Romito’s. We packed up a picnic lunch and headed off (on foot, of course!) to the river.

Where we crossed the river.

When you arrive at the river, you have to wade across (very carefully—the current is surprisingly strong!) in order to get to the better swimming area. After we crossed, we got our blankets spread out and ate our lunches—I brought a peanut butter tortilla sandwich (just so you know, making tortillas with self-rising flour is a bad idea…they start out fluffy, but end up like a lead balloon; I had one for supper—bleh), carrots, and cookies—fantastic picnic food! J

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Any community has a certain set of noises or sounds that are “normal” and expected. At some point after you've lived in one place for a number of months or years, you may not really hear or notice those sounds anymore. Maybe it’s the sound of birds chirping outside the kitchen window, traffic going passed the window in your office, or even the sounds that your house makes. Ukarumpa is no different; there are several sounds that, to me, emphasize where I am and why I’m here.

Calling All Teachers!

Remember when you were a kid and school was called off for a day, or maybe even two? Why was school called off—snow, ice, -30F temperatures? Now imagine that you are a missionary on the field with school-aged children; there is a school on your mission center, but it isn’t fully staffed, and can’t offer classes until they find qualified teachers. This scenario is exactly where Ukarumpa International School (UIS) Primary Campus found itself last week.

My Favorite Things

During the last week of school we talked about the Christmas story; I read the story out of the Bible to the younger kids and had the older ones tell me the story (which they did in great detail!). After we finished reading, I had the kids write out what their favorite part of the story was and why they liked it. When they finished writing, they illustrated what they wrote.