Greetings!
Time is quickly coming the an end here on the island. It is less than 8 weeks before I am on my way back to Georgia. That means there is less than 7 weeks left of school. Wow! Time is flying for sure!
Still working on packing and shipping things. 
ALL PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, TEACHERS, ANYONE AROUND STUDENTS:
Here is a new teen "challenge" going on here...which they have gotten from the internet. So, I'm sure it is going on the in the states as well. It is called the salt and ice challenge and beware. Apparently, students~usually teenagers, but could be younger if they are watching older siblings, friends, relatives do this and want to be like them~put salt on their arms...or skin to be technical...then they place an ice cube on the salt. Salt lowers the temperature of the ice, making it colder. So, doing this on the skin can result in 1st, 2nd, AND 3rd degree burns, which if not treated carefully can lead to infection...like gangrene, and can cause death. The salt and ice when placed together on your skin can lead to something like frostbite. Another consequence of the challenge will be scars where ever they have tried this. This is a very serious game...and at face value, if you aren't familiar with how salt can affect the temperature of ice, then you might not have thought how severe the consequences could be for this game. There are tell tale signs...just look at their arms, hands, etc (skin) and you will see what appears to be burn marks in the shapes of ice cubes. Share with them the possible outcomes of playing this "game". It's been said it is to show who has a higher pain tolerance, by who can hold the ice on there the longest. Please share this information with anyone that has children, grandchildren, relatives, friends, neighbors, teachers...anyone, even your enemies... that deals with children to be on the lookout for this new activity. I guess it's all over YouTube by teens that want to put these videos on there. However, they only show the milder cases, so kids don't really see the harm in it. There are cases of kids that are in ICU with 3rd degree burns, which are not shown on YouTube. Please be conscientious of this new thing going on with young people. We have been alerted of some students here at the school participating in this...2 that I know of from 6th grade alone. I had a girl faint in class this week, and from what I understand it was because of her doing this. Salt will also dry out your skin. So, maybe it caused her to become dehydrated? Any guesses on how it caused her to faint? So, I wanted to get the word out to those that may deal with kids of all ages. And to let parents know how dangerous the consequences can be for anyone participating. 

Okay, now on to something else. After church last night, the pastor's son, Jonathan, was playing down by the office last night. There were 2 baby kittens that he found. He found them in a trash can. We think they were placed there for safe keeping...they obviously could not get in them themselves. So, I held one that was the calmer of the two for a bit. She was so little and cute. I kept thinking, maybe I should keep it. The other one was way to hyper...wanting to keep moving. I mean, it would definitely help with the mouse problem in the apartment. Yet, I had to think about house training it. And if I did keep it, it would be used to people. Then what would I do with it when I left. You think people are cruel to animals in the states...people here torment and hurt cats and dogs and do not even think twice about it. So, if I took care of the cat and allowed it to be used to people, I could in fact be leading it to a certain death after I leave and have to let it go. So, in the end, I think it is best for the cat for me not to take it in...though it was really cute. I was able to hear the kitten crying this morning outside of my window. But when I went down, there was only one kitten, not two. Plus, over by the office door was the back leg, yes a severed leg, of what was left of either a mom or dad cat. So, I'm guessing the parent came back to find them and was faced with danger...and possibly saved one of the babies. Marshallese people do not see cats and dogs as pets as we do. There are a good bit of stray cats and dogs. The cats usually stay away from people. People, in general, do not like cats and dogs. A lot of my students say they have cats and dogs for pets. But they are not treated the same way Americans treat pets. For the most part, people are ok with puppies/kittens. It's when they get bigger and grow up, people stop caring for them, or torment them. Well, I will just have to wait for Miss Kitty and Maxine. Oh, the Taiwanese people have actually put an ad out in the newspaper...they will pay $8 per cat...wonder what they do the ones people sell to them. And some people here raise dogs to eat. If you think about it, God did create animals for meat...and dogs are animals. Not saying I plan on doing that, but who are we to judge what kind of meat they eat? 

Well, I will just leave it at that. We have Ladies' Bible Study tonight, so I guess I will start getting ready for that. 
Blessings. 
Sarah

Greetings!
I can't believe in 9 short weeks from this day and hour, I will be on a plane heading towards Hawaii, which I will have a layover, then I basically change planes in Houston, Texas which will take me on to Atlanta. Wow! It seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by! Tomorrow evening I will be handing out report cards...third time of that. Then, the next time I will do that is the day that I leave. I will hand out final report cards Monday, June 3, 9-4 then head to the airport for an 8 pm flight! This will be different for me. I've never flown at night, and both flights will be at night. From Majuro, I will get into Hawaii around 2ish in the morning. Then I fly out of Hawaii at 7pm, just to arrive in Houston in the morning. Then, the flight into Atlanta will be during the day. 

I can't believe Easter has come and gone already. Yes, here it is the evening of April first. We had today off from school. I already had my report cards finished, so I just had a lazy day. I like those kinds of days. :) I did some reading. I will have to get it out of my system, as in a few weeks I will get my course sheets for Pensacola Christian College, summer classes. I  will then start reading things for summer.Now, it just feels like it is crunch time. I need to make sure I get everything that I want from the island, so I can be sending it back...but also make sure I have money when I return. I will have to get my car insurance up and running, get a new cell phone. I've been looking at StraightTalk. I know one friend, Kelley, has it. I wanted to see if anyone else has it too...just to get feedback on the service and reception that you all get. I think that is the best for the money...if it has good reception area like it looks like it does. Just any help would be very beneficial. I do think I need a cell phone to travel all the way to Pensacola by myself, so before I go, I want to find a good one that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg. Those are just a few things I am going to be getting again when I return. I do need to get my hair cut too! But the lady I've been using moved to Hartwell. I am not sure what I am going to do for that, but I'm sure I will find someone I like when I get back. 

I was invited to Easter dinner with the Bucks. The other girls were invited but weren't able to make it. Pastor Lang, Belinda, and their son Jonathan came too. We enjoyed ham, pork...from a freshly killed pig, mashed potatoes, gravy, rice, deviled eggs, and corn. Banana pudding was the dessert. It was a nice time of fellowship. The church gave out sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, and a drink to those in attendance. Someone also brought coconuts. Many people here poke a hole in the coconut to drink the milk out of it. Then you can scrape out the insides and let them dry for the coconut flesh. The coconut milk is okay. I like coconut, but not fresh coconut, as it is still wet from the liquid being inside. Once it dries, I like it. Even though the church voted on it, it is an expensive thing to offer the community...sandwiches/eggs/drinks. Each person would get one of each. One large loaf of bread costs 2.99, which I found out is more than minimum wage here...$2.25 an hour. Wow! That is a sacrifice for some families...families were asked to bring 3 loaves of sandwiches, and 3 dozen eggs. Eggs are about $2.50 a dozen! Singles were to bring 2 of each. They later decided we girls in the apartment could bring one of each...which would be total of 3 of each from one household. So, I was good with that. I had already purchased 2 dozen eggs, so I gave them to Mrs. Buck for the deviled eggs. 

I guess that is all for now. I hope all had a blessed Easter, and remember that He is alive. He is not in the grave anymore! He is risen indeed! 

Blessings!
Sarah

Greetings!!!
Already the middle of March! Time is flying for sure. Mrs. Joseph took me to their version of a department store called DAR for some fabric. I got some pretty red fabric for an Island style dress. Mrs. Joseph is the secretary. Her mother-in-law is making my dress. She has made me several dresses already. Then, we stopped at my first handicraft shop. It was really neat. I found a hair flower and matching earrings that will go perfect with the new red Island dress I'm getting! I enjoyed looking at everything and getting ideas for another visit. I bought many souvenirs to ship back. 

I am working on some emails to parents now. I have a couple of students that will not be promoted to 7th grade completely due to absences. After 25 absences in a year...excused or unexcused...a student will be repeating and not be promoted.  Not only that, but every 5th tardy results in a day absent. This is where many of the limits have been reached, in being tardy. I have one student that will not be promoted, that has one of the highest GPA's in the class. Believe it or not, I have some students that have over 90 tardies for the year!!! So, that is 18 days absent just from being tardy. The crazy thing is, her mom works at Marshall Island High School as a teacher! So, that means she is also late to work. The stardard in public education here is low. Even in our school one of the hardest things to deal with is the child is in charge. Whatever the child wants, the parents do. If they "don't feel good" or just don't feel like coming to school, the parents will let them stay home. And it can be ALL the time. The most current Minister of Education is trying to bring the standard up in education in the Marshall Islands, so many people are going to be shocked that things are not what they expect. I have another student that has missed over 30 days in actual absences, plus tardies. This girl was on facebook and playing volleyball and in the ocean most of the days she was out of school. One time, she missed over a week at one time. No contact from parents...no request for make-up work. We started calling at day 3 of being absent. No response. Apparently, grandma is part of the royal family, and mom and dad were thinking that we wouldn't hold their child back. For one thing, though, the principal~Mr. Buck~is not Marshallese. Another thing, we do not play favorites or give certain people special treatment based on who they are. I think some people do not think we are serious. But it will take one or two not being promoted for everyone else to see that we mean business! Plus, when they are out, if there is no note, or a legitimate reason for being out, the student is not allowed to make up work and receives a zero for any tests/quizzes that were missed. I have really started enforcing that one since I do not usually get notes of any sort...so, if they miss and have no excuse from dr or parents, they receive a zero for missed tests/quizzes. It only takes one or two to totally mess up their grades. But they have been warned. I do see more notes, though. 

Please pray for safety and traveling mercies, as Pastor Lang and his wife, Belinda, return from a trip to Guam...for a missions conference and Chuuk, visiting Mrs. Lang's family. They will be returning tomorrow evening. Talking about traveling. I will be Georgia bound June 3, and I will make it to Atlanta June 4. Then, at the end of June, I will return to Pensacola Christian College to work on some courses towards my Master's Degree. I should finish next summer. 

Well, that has been my day. Hope all is doing well. And thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! 
Until next time, 
Sarah
 

Greetings Everyone!
It's already March! Hard to believe there are only a few more months. I am going to be slowly packing and sending things back...at least stuff that is not needed as the time arrives for me to head home. The two boxes today were mostly books and cards...but in one box it has one of the handicraft hand fans and some coconut candy...for my family to try. It's pretty yummy. Soon, I may begin to send some of the clothing items I haven't worn for a while...just to start getting things out of the way. 

Back at the beginning of February, the school had their first health fair. It went well for the first one. They had booths set up from dental people to CPR. The classes that were scheduled to visit the booths after lunch did not have a lot to look at, as some of the places left. Even after Mrs. Buck asked them if they realized it was an all day event...which they replied they did know that, they were just ready to leave. And yes, that is how it is here on the island. If someone doesn't want to show up to work one day, that is OK. I mean, it isn't like that here at the school but other places seem to allow it. Anyway, they had the medical students from the college here to do weight, glucose testing, and blood pressure. They had invited parents, church members, and neighborhood people in addition to the students to enjoy this new activity. The Bucks felt it was needed to help raise awareness for diabetes and high blood pressure, among other things, that is very prevalent here on the island.  The teachers were encouraged to have glucose and blood pressure checked. Mine was normal. No worries there. They also had a couple of healthy cooking demonstrations. Considering that most meals here are accompanied with a large serving of rice, poor diets are here. They were even able to get some of the businesses to donate bottled water/juice and either cans of fruit or fresh fruit for the students to enjoy as a snack that day. The Buck's son has returned to the states, but he continues to have fund raisers to help the school. One being that he as able to get several bottles of children's chewable vitamins donated. They knew that just giving the students one or two vitamins would not do any good. So, they figured it out and decided to allow 3 different grades--3rd, 4th, and 6th grade--to give each student a daily vitamin...and they had enough that we will give them the vitamins for about 3 months. I thought that was a good idea.  It was a good experience, and I'm sure they will do it again. 

Another activity that has taken place recently was the Friendship Banquet. It is only for 9-12 grade students. The students are put into "couples" in which that is who they will attend the banquet with. It is a night of friendship, fellowship, and fancy dressing up. This year's colors were purple and silver. So, every couple would dress in fancy matching clothes...yes, the couples are guy/girl pairs. They were all very fancy. Most students' outfits were sewn by family and friends. They have a devotion time, songs, testimonies, and of course...FOOD, which is served by the staff. At the end of the night, we did have an uninvited guest show up...a mouse! Yikes! Girls and guys alike were screaming and sitting on tables. The banquet lasted until about midnight. Then, there was cleaning up. After that, we waited for parents to get the kids...and it was sprinkling somewhat that evening. I even had a dress made for the occasion. In fact, two were made. We went to one fabric store and nothing jumped out at me. So, we went to another place...and I found one that would do the job...and I liked it well enough. So, I got it. Then we went to one other place...and the fabric jumped out at me! So, I got it too. It's the school secretary's mother-in-law that makes the dresses. All that I needed was another dress for the size and stuff. So, she made dresses out of both materials! Luckily, purple is my favorite color, so no worries in me not wearing them!

Anyway, I guess I will be calling it a night. Hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe weekend...as tomorrow is my Sunday here. My weekend is just about over! That is OK...it's been a good and restful weekend!

Thanks for reading!
Sarah

Greetings!
I know...don't faint or anything because I'm writing again so soon! I can't believe it is Wednesday evening here already...at tomorrow is not only Valentine's Day here, but it will mark the halfway point in February. Wow, where did the first part of the month go? It really is flying by!
Things were a little crazy today, at least near the end of the day. I found 2 students cheating on a test. One was my new student...the other was a friend that has been helping her to adjust. Apparently, the student that has been here actually wrote down all the answers from the test and then gave the paper to the new student. When I noticed it, I went over to her. She claimed she was writing it down...to help her remember. I said there was no reason at all to be copying down the answers...could be cheating or how would I know she wasn't going to be giving it to someone. I decided to compare the two tests without them realizing it. And between the quizzes that they took this morning, the written paper, and the tests it was pretty obvious that they did this. We only had about 30 minutes or so until the end of the day. After school I asked her some of the questions from the test, but her answer, "I forgot...that is why I was writing it down." After she left the room, I talked to one other student sitting  behind them. He confirmed that they had passed a paper between them. Talked to Mrs. Buck...went to get them to talk to her. They pretty much admitted to her right off that they did it. Parents were called. This culture is very non-confrontational. Which pretty much means they don't want to cause any trouble...if someone asks something of them--answers to a test--or anything--they will say yes because they don't want to say and cause strife. Well, the new student did stay for tutoring, but she was required to retake the test during that time. Then we did some tutoring. 
Well, it is time for me to run...church time. 
Have a great night!
Sarah

Greetings!
Just a quick update to let you know how things are going. 
This Friday we are having something called the Friendship Banquet. It is for 9-12 grade students. It is a time for them to get all dressed up, and we rent a place for them to go. The faculty and staff of the school serve the students. Plus we come up with the order of events. I'm on the committee for it. The committee met today at a restaurant after school. Crazy, but I guess a ship hasn't come in for a bit...I first ordered a chicken breast, well they were out of chicken breasts. So, I went for the bacon cheeseburger. Guess what? They were out of ground beef for the burger. So, I went with a chicken sandwich with cheese. Third time was a charm, like they say. :) So, we finalized the order of program. I volunteered to work on games. So, here is what I was thinking...a Bible trivia game. They will be set up at different tables...about 6 students at each table. I think I'm gonna have each table pick a "runner". After I give a question, the runners will wait for their table to decide on an answer and then come tell me. The first runner to tell me the correct answer gets a point. After 8-11 questions, we will get a winner. Another funny game will be to get one person from each table to come up front and form a circle. I will pick a person to start. The first person will have to "snort" to the person next to them...then that person has to try and snort without laughing to the person next to them. If they laugh before they get the snort out, they are out. Tell me what you guys think about those 2 games. After we planned the order of events, Bertha--one of the staff on the committee--took me to look at fabric.Bertha's mother-in-law offered to make me an island dress for the banquet. She is the one that made me the first one--blues/greens/yellows.  They call it  yards here because you measure it in yards. Anyway, we went to one place, and I didn't find anything. Looking for purple/silver which is the colors of the banquet this year. So, we went to another place that sold material. I found something I liked, so I got it. I was like, ok, I will take it. Well, then we went to one other place...and I found THE MATERIAL! It practically jumped off the shelf at me! Love it! So, I got it. Her mother-in-law is going to make another dress out of the first material I got. Also, at this last place, I saw some other material I would love to have a dress made out of, but it wasn't purple, so I will wait on that one. Well, that was my afternoon. 
A few weeks ago, I lost a student. She decided she wanted to go to a different school, so her mom didn't make her go to any school...no idea if she even tried to register somewhere else or not. So, in her place, I got a new student last Monday. Please pray for her and me. She is way behind for our curriculum in 6th grade. Anyone familiar with the A Beka curriculum can understand how it is advanced compared to the public school curriculum even in the states. However, she was going to a public school. But the standard in a public school here are much lower than the academic standards in place at the school I'm at..and much lower than even public schools in the states. So, even though her grades are really good coming from the other school, she is behind, and her grades will not be where they were at the other school. Our academic standards are high...and there are waiting lists for just about every grade. Parents want the academics and know that we teach in English. There are many students that are Marshallese, but they do not speak Marshallese but speak English instead. So, please just keep the new student and myself in your prayers as I begin to try to help her get caught up with the class.  
I can't believe in a few days February will be half over! Wow! It is flying by! 
Blessings!
Sarah

Greetings Family and Friends.
First, I want to tell you how much I love you. Yes, I love each and every one of you so much that I want to spend eternity in Heaven with all of you, someday. With that being said, I pray you will have an open mind and will continue to read this edition of the blog until the end and really think about your future and where you will spend eternity. I am certainly not writing this to judge you in any way, but I am to spread the Good News to those I am in contact with. I cannot in good conscious not say anything to each of you about this issue. I care way too much about each of you to sit back and say nothing at all. Many of you do not understand why I came to Majuro, Marshall Island for a year as a missionary. I get that. And I don't expect you to understand it completely. Let me tell you what a missionary is, for those of you that may not understand or know. Simply put, a missionary is someone who proclaims Jesus as Lord and Savior. I never thought I would be a missionary on foreign soil, even for a year and especially not in some third world country half way around the world on an itty bitty island in the Pacific Ocean! Well, God had other plans for me. That is how He works, His ways are not my ways. Boy, am I glad about that! His ways are perfect, and sometimes we don't always see and understand the reasoning for things until after the fact, but the Lord does...He knew what was going to happen even before we are born! This was one of those times. I would never have been able to do this if I was not single. After finding this position last year and praying about it, the Lord led me to the decision of this is what I needed to do this year and where He wanted me to be. As a Christian, I have learned that when the Lord tells you something, you just might as well do it, or He has His ways of getting you on the path He has planned for your life. I am learning so much! This is the only place I could have learned these lessons too. Which, again, God knew and that is why I am here. I have been asked if I get homesick, and yes of course I do. Why? Because I totally love my family and miss them so very much! I guess if I didn't love them very much, I wouldn't be too homesick, but I do! I didn't know how homesick I would be until I arrived. I keep busy and that helps. But most importantly, I am hear teaching students about God's love everyday, even if I am a little homesick every once and again. I'm doing the Lord's Work and that is what matters.
Let me change gears a little bit here. I could say...Ask Jesus to come live in your heart and your life will be better. You might say, "Better than what? My life is already good." So, that is not what I am going to ask. I want to tell you a little story. If I came up to you and said someone has just paid your $500,000 ticket, isn't that great!" You would probably look at me like I'm crazy and wonder what I am talking about. However, if I said you had a $500,000 ticket for driving past a stopped school bus, and you could not pay the ticket. Now, I come up to you and say that someone has just paid your traffic ticket that you couldn't pay; you would understand and be completely grateful because you know the debt that someone has taken upon themselves for you, knowing that they will never be repaid. Well, Jesus Christ has done just that for you! He has paid yours and my debt of sin, which separates us from God for eternity. There is absolutely nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that you or I can do to make ourselves good enough to get into Heaven. The only way into Heaven and to seal our eternity to live with God forever when we die, is to accept His gift of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. But first, you have to know and understand what He did and why He did it for you. Think about these questions: Have you ever stolen anything, big or small? What do you call someone who steals? A thief. OK, have you ever lied? What do you call someone who lies? A liar. Now, have you ever used God's name in vain, meaning using it in a way that is disrespectful, have you spoken disrespectfully of God and sacred things?  If so, you are a blasphemer. If you answered yes to all of these questions in your head, then by your own admittance, you are a blasphemous, lying thief. Guess what, I wish I can say that my answer to these three questions I just asked you was no, but I can't. If I did, then I would be lying. My answer is a resounding Yes! That was before I accepted Christ into my heart and He changed me. Am I perfect, no way! But, I am on my way to Heaven when I die. Is it because I am good? Nope. In Mark 10:18 it states that, "...none are good but one, that is God." Is it because I'm doing good works? Um, wrong again. Ephesians 2:8-9 says,"For by grace are we saved through faith; and not that of yourselves:It is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any mand should boast." There is nothing you or I can do to "earn" Heaven. We get to Heaven by A-Admit what you are--a sinner who sins. B-Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin and rose again 3 days later conquering death, the grave, sin, and Satan. C--Confess your sins to the Lord Who loves you and is waiting to welcome you into His family and ask Him to forgive you your sins! You must repent, which pretty much means, do a 180 turn and completely turn away from the sin and do the opposite...never to return to that sin again. Will you mess up? Talking for me, yep, I still do. But when I realize it, I ask for forgiveness and repent...turn away from it completely. See, Jesus came from Heaven as a baby. He took on human flesh, to be able to understand what we, as humans, would go through. There is nothing the Lord Christ has not experienced or dealt with that we encounter. He came, so that eventually He could conquer death, the grave, and Satan; and so He could take the punishment of our sins~big and small~and allow us to accept His free gift of salvation. Until we accept the truly free gift He is offering, we are sinners, separated from God, and deserve eternal death in the lake of fire~Hell, forever separated from our Creator. Please, I ask that you at least consider this...those that are reading that have not done this before...and before it is too late. If something here gets your mind thinking and wondering with questions, please ask away! If you don't want to ask me, please find someone from a Bible believing church to ask. If it still doesn't make complete sense, ask them to show you in God's Word what it says. If I don't know the answer, I will find out! Your life, and eternity, is too important to not find out the answers! Again, I am writing this out of love for all that are reading this~family, friends, and maybe others I don't even know! I pray that this message today has spoken to your heart about where you will spend eternity. Don't take this post lightly, and whether or not you agree, please continue to read my blog. I love you and will be praying for each of you.
Sarah