The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad...: Summer 2015

Today was the first day of the new school year. How that came upon us so fast, I don't even know. It seems like we were just trying to survive the end of the year activities, and now we're back to new beginnings all over again. This summer was a back-to-back busy one! The month of March was one thing after another as we tried to wrap up. I went to the Grade 10 and Grade 6 retreats (two separate weekends). I also survived prom for the first time. I attended 3 graduations and therefore spent ten and a half hours sitting in the AVR. :)

Rebap Camp was at the beginning of April (Thurs-Sat) and then we had a Faculty/Staff retreat the following Monday-Tuesday. I left on Wednesday for Davao where I got to share with some kids there who were struggling with being adopted. That was an interesting opportunity. I also got to spend some time with Jenn and rest and relax a bit. I got home Saturday, and then Sunday night I left for CRBC because I went to spend the majority of my summer living at the CCM Girls' Home. That whole next week was crazy because it was also their DVBS at church. I spent the week there and then left because the following week I had to fly to Bacolod for the ACSI leadership conference. Once I got back, I spent the remaining 3 weeks of my break at CCM, tutoring the girls with reading difficulties. It was nice timing because my last day there was April 16 which was also the 20th Anniversary celebration of CCM. I got to go to that and then had one Sunday before heading back to school! What a whirlwind! :) That's my summer in a nutshell.

Once I got back to school, we were immediately swamped with meetings, seminars, and more meetings! It's a challenging year for us since we are working on getting re-accredited with ACSI. I also have a bigger role this year as I am the subject coordinator for English. That means I have to check lesson plans and make observations for Grades 1-9, as well as teach Gr. 10. I am also apparently on the "steering team" for the ACSI accreditation. I don't even know what that means other than sleepless nights. :) Thankfully I am only teaching one grade level, and since they're 2 sections, I really only teach one and a half hours a day. It's also good because I'm spending my Saturdays doing follow-up tutoring at CCM.

Another new thing this year is that I've been joined by my dad! Since the Department of Education opened up "senior high" (which is not even close to what it is in the States), the school brought in outside "professors" to teach certain subjects. My dad was assigned to Intro to the Philosophy of the Human Person. In other words, anthropology, or "The Doctrine of Man." DepEd increased the number of class hours per semester from 40 to 80, so now he teaches 4 hours on a Monday afternoon. Whew! At least they survived their first day today. I'm glad that the batch he has was the one I had last year. They are full of spiritual questions and I hope this profits them beyond merely fulfilling DepEd's course requirements.

In church news, we celebrated our 28th Anniversary yesterday. It was also a building thanksgiving because we just finished the 4th extension. If you look at the building, you can count God's faithfulness in the number of beams marking each extension. I turn 28 this year, and it's an encouragement to see how God has grown the church within the same years of my life. When I came back from the States, I became a member (again) of MCBC simply because it was the most obvious thing to do. There was a time when I really wondered why I hadn't even thought of going to a different church, even if it's still Rebap. Was I a part of the church because I really believed that it is Biblically sound? Was I committed out of habit or from my heart? As I've grown, I've realized how blessed I have been to stay in this church because, by God's grace, the elders remain faithful to God's word and have not given into the "worship trends." We are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but we are seeking to be more like Christ. Even the fact that we still practice a whole day Sabbath is something to thank God for, as many churches have eliminated their evening service and spend the rest of the day as a family day.

Our school theme this year is "Commit to CEO." That stands for take Courage, give Excellence, and grab Opportunities. This year is challenging for students as well as for me, and it's a good reminder of my dependence upon the Lord of the universe. Soli Deo Gloria.