Choosing Joy: and Blogging about Majo and Bobby. (Finally)

This is a long overdue blog.
A blog I mentioned doing since probably last October or November.
This blog is about two very special people in my life- two people that have been special to me since the start of my journey in Ecuador.
These two people made my year worthwhile and to be honest it would not have been the same without them.
These two middle schoolers- now freshman in High School  have been by my side since the very beginning of school last year and through the year grown into my some of my  two favorite people at Alliance Academy.
These two people have made me laugh, seen me cry (haha) and helped me grow (whether they know it or not)
There are alot of students sooo special to me at school. I wish I could blog about each one of them: who knows maybe one day I will, but like I said these two people have been the most special to me since the very beginning and my love for them only grew throughout the school year.
This blog post was promised to them almost a year ago and it wouldn't be right to not follow through with it. Yes a little late, but better late than never and now seems like a very appropriate time.

They both of birthdays this coming week so why not have a blog in their honor! :) 


Majo and Bobby: both 8th graders last year first caught my eye in the coffee shop during their lunch hour when Majo was putting Aji (a spicy sauce) on top of her chocolate chip cookies! She proceeded to try and convince me it was normal but NOTHING about that is normal...NOTHING about Majo or Bobby is normal and thats why I love them and thats why we got along so well...because lets face it...Im not so NORMAL myself. ;)

So the basis of our friendship became chocolate chip cookies and Aji and that is why on their birthdays I made them a big chocolate chip cookie in memory of what started it all.

After that first impression the memories continued and continued.
From times at Guardians, Market trips with Majo, Godspell practices with Bobby, lunch time in the coffee shop, hanging out in Kats room after school, memories in the MAP lab with visits from my "daughter", etc.
The triangle of trust had been formed! :)

This year has been very different--Majo is in the States, I no longer work at the coffee shop and Bobby well, he is still Bobby.
But to avoid being sad I want to dwell on all the good memories and good times with these two.
I dwell on the sure fact that the triangle of trust is going nowhere no matter the changes, no matter the distances! These two people will always have a special place in my heart! :)

So Here is a blog to recognize them as two of my favorite students, a blog to reminisce on the good times last year, and a blog to share these awesome people and memories with you as readers.

I could write sentence after sentence after sentence with inside jokes and memories that still make the three of us laugh but...I won't.

I do however want to share some pictures of these two people I speak so highly of:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT!

I HOPE YOU BOTH HAVE A GREAT WEEK! :) 

Until Next Time, 

Saved by grace, 

Kb

Choosing Joy: and organizing Spiritual Emphasis Week.

Hi Yall,
Its been a while but I do have an update of recent event here at Alliance Academy.
Its called Spiritual Emphasis Week or SEW and specifically Elementary SEW because as the Elementary Chaplain this is a part of my job description.

At first, my attitude towards this past week was pretty negative for many reasons.
1. I was super anxious
2. very nervous that I was going to do something wrong or forget something, nervous the kids wouldn't enjoy it...just plain out nervous.
3. My schedule was changing, we had chapel all week, which meant no PE classes for Miss. K which mean't preparing lesson plans in advance and coming back this week to some disoriented Preschool kids.
So, you see my attitude was not good because of some pretty natural human reasons.

But, you will be happy to know the week turned out pretty fantastic.
And there are many reasons why.

1. We had an awesome speaker from the states by the name of Randy Christensen. (www.randysinfo.com) Randy was indeed a clown and Miss K was super nervous. If you were a part of my childhood then you will understand and know that I do NOT do clowns so this could have been another reason for my anxiousness. HOWEVER, Randy was an awesome clown, a great magician, talented speaker, cool minister for children, and a brother in Christ and I am so very thankful the Lord provided such a wonderful speaker to have for my first SEW.

2. The kids loved it! and that brought me great joy...to look out in the audience of students and it be filled with laughter and excitement is a pretty big deal to me! so thank God for their acceptance and response.

3. I had a hard working committee that helped support me both before the week of and during the week of SEW. They helped me to do this:

Yes, we did turn the chapel into a circus tent. :) 

And what a circus it was but...in a good way!

It was a week full of entertainment but also a week full of Jesus and I needed that just as much as the kiddos. 

It has been very evident in my life (to atleast me- and many of those around me) that I haven't been happy, joyful Kirsten (or Miss. K). I will admit to all of you that I still have days where I struggle to find joy in the Lord because of my workload, students' behaviors, or just life (and the fact that it is hard) in general. 

But, its weeks like SEW and the reminders that Randy preached on like: 

-God has a plan for you 

-A plan special for you as an individual created by God. 

- Prayer-don't hesitate to communicate with God

-and making sure to lean on the Lord to be the controller of our thoughts and minds. 

All of this hit home with me and are still sinking in as I sit and write this blog update. 

I am trying to remember I am here in Ecuador for a second year for a reason---for more reasons that I can ever think up. I am trying to remember that I am made in a special way with special talents and the Lord wants me to use those for His glory and in this time of my life, He wants me to use them in Ecuador. I am trying to remember that the Lord cares about me and what I have to say...He also knows what I have to say without saying it so it would be wise for me to bring it to His feet. I am trying to remember that my thoughts are big battle for me: thoughts of self-pity, overwhelming thoughts of my job, thoughts of being alone, thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts. but I do realize that the battle of the mind is just another opportunity that Satan wants to take a hold of. 

I say these are all reminders. The Lord used Randy and SEW to remind me of these things. 

but...at this moment, they are solely reminders and are still struggles that are going on with me here in Ecuador and if you want to be honest with yourself probably you too in some way. 

Whether in Ecuador, the States, or some land far far away...struggles like these always exist and what I am also trying to remind myself of is... "how am I going to respond to this?" 

And  I leave you with that because it is a thought I want to ponder as well. Mainly because I know I haven't responded in the best of ways and hope to do better in the future. 

I also want to leave you with some fun pictures of SEW that I think you will enjoy. 

My photographers. 

Choosing Joy: and STAYING busy.

Soooo,
If you read the title of this blog then you can guess what this might be about.
Also, if you are one of the few people that keep up with my blog then you will notice its been almost a month since my lost post and I said I was going to be better at this.
So far, not soo good but it has crossed my mind to blog so that counts for something.

Staying busy can sound like a complaint and I will be honest in the past month, when talking about being busy, I have said it with a negative attitude and it has usually been followed with a complaint:

-Why don't they get it? I have no patience!!!
- I have noo free time/ I have no life
- Not another meeting
-I don't have time for this.
-I don't want to be an adult...this responsibility thing is overrated. (Yup, if you know me well enough you will probably get a laugh on this one and you probably completely understand when I say it's been my favorite one to say over the past month)
                -If you don't know me, I apologize, but I can assume this also makes sense to you because I
                 can guess at some point you might have said these same words and if you haven't stay tuned
                 because more than likely you will at some point (if not more than once) in your life.

However, not wanting to grow up and be responsible is NOT the point of this blog. Thats too easy.
The point of this blog is to come to terms with the fact that the complaining you and I do in our lives gets us next to nowhere.

I am a glass half full kind of person so looking back on the past month and realizing negativity has been coming off my tongue so quickly makes me cringe and has made me desire to get back to the person the Lord made me, the person many people know me as, the person so many of my students have told me that I am: a positive, joyful, glass half full kind of girl. It is who the Lord made me to be so therefore I pray it be what my heart desires.


**Side Note: NO, I am not saying you can't be mad, you can't be sad, you can't complain, and you can't get angry, you can't get impatient, you can't lose you're cool....thats NOT it. Please, do these things. It is because of these things that I have this blog post. Its because of the tears, the negative comments, the times when I raised my voice from impatience, its the venting and the miles and miles I have ran from a bad day that brought me to blog about my new realization.

Will this blog post fix all my problems? Will I be back to same ole me after I hit PUBLISH? Probably not but being aware is a huge step in spirtual growth.

So some of you dedicated readers/family/friends/brothers and sisters in Christ may be wondering (I hope youre wondering) how you can pray for me and my life here in Ecuador.

So I am putting away the complaining, forgetting about the checklist, and sitting down to write to you: for the one thing I hate asking for: HELP!

Help me in praying for:
-Patience
-Supernatural Energy (each day and each week)
-Wisdom (as someone in a position such as chaplain I don't feel equipped for decisions I am faced weekly and those to come)
-My relationships ( I feed off of social interaction)- so my relationships here with faculty, students (HIGH school and ELEMENTARY), people of Ecuador, and people/friends back home.
-Anxiousness
-Thursday Chapels
-Upcoming Spiritual Emphasis Week (October)
-CHOOSING JOY

My turn:
Encouragement for yall at home.
I decided to write this blog right after I finished my presentation for chapel this week so I wanna leave you with the verse I will sharing with the kids this week:
JOSHUA 1:5
" ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Thanks, 
Choose Joy, 
Saved by grace, 
Kb

Choosing Joy: and Starting a new school year.

Some of you know and some of you don't know that my role here in Ecuador at Alliance Academy looks a bit different than last year.
Last year= volunteer.
This year= Elem. PE teacher for Pre-k, Kinder, and 1st grade. and Elementary Chaplain.

Im excited to be in these positions this coming year but also nervous.

Spidey said it best right?!! (if you wanna be technical, it was Voltaire. Yes, I will admit I owe Google Search the credit on that one) 

And I wouldn't technically say POWER when referring to my new role/positions but whatever you wanna call them; they do come with GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. 

These new positions started this week. Yes, school started this week, on Monday Sept. 2nd. The monday I knew as Labor Day for 22 years of my life might I add. 

However the start of the school year was a staggered start in which our 7-12 graders came on Monday and on Tuesday they were joined by K-6 graders and on Wednesday came our Preschoolers. Don't ask me way because the only answer I can give you is "The Ecuadorian government" would that suffice? 

So the week started off on Wednesday for me with PE classes for Kindergarten and Preschool. 

As someone who loves exercise and being physically active I was very motivated to be able to be a part of enforcing this with such a young age however the only focus we had this week for our preschool classes was learning how to get in a line and then stay there. 

Yes, that is where we will start on Monday. Sooo I learned its gonna be a slow process...slower than normal with the language barrier but i'm sure most people will tell me...."its worth it in the end" 

I ran my first chapels on thursday as the new Elem. Chaplain. 

EC chapel at 8:45

Upper Elem Chapel at 10:30 

Lower Elem. Chapel at 1:00. 

Talk about NERVOUS. wow. I was so anxious I arrived at school at 7:15 that day...and good thing I did because my MAC powerpoints didnt transfer to the PC world so I had to do them all over again. 

Stressful situation number 1 of the day. 

There were many more of those to follow being my first time and all but...when they were all finished I couldn't help but look back at the day on thursday and smile because I realized I had just got to spend the day doing something I really do love...singing...dancing...laughing...hanging out with kids...and talking about JESUS. 

Encouragement of that day: 

Jose Ignacio (4th grader) "Ms. K, you did good...for your first time."

Yep folks, I am taking THAT as a compliment. 

Friday FINALLY came after a full week of not only Elem. stuff but high school events and I was so ready to do NOTHING. 

Yep, it was Friday night and ALL i wanted to do was nothing and its EXACTLY what I did. 

So, now its the Sunday before week 2 and I sit back and ask myself am I ready??

Am I ready for another Preschooler to run off during my class--- Yep, it happened. 

(This same preschooler also saw me at church today and said... "Ms. K!!! Do you remember me?!!"

And all I could think was....you really think I could forget you?!! Crazy Kid!)

Am I ready to put on another puppet show?

Am I ready to go here, Am i ready to go there?

The answer is probably NO to all these questions but good thing the Lord is ready. 

Yep, I threw that Jesus card out there because its true. Theres no way I could have gotten through this week without Him and theres no way I will get through the next one without Him either. 

I do have to add it is such a joy to be where I am doing what I am doing and being able to write about my 2nd year in Ecuador. Its still crazy that I write to you as a PE teacher and ELEM. Chaplain but thats okay! I know there are more adventures coming soon so stay tuned! 

Until Next Time, 

Saved by grace, 

Kb

Choosing Joy: and Painting my room!

My latest adventure in Ecuador has consisted of decorating my room.
I wanted to make it more homey, more me.
So it was off to the craft store(s) on the hunt for canvases, paintbrushes, and paint of course.
With this came decisions. I had to make a decision on what to paint on my canvases, what to paint my walls...etc. NOT an easy task for indecisive me BUT decisions were finally made (the decision was maroon by the way--once a bulldog, always a bulldog-its just in my blood i guess #TrueMaroon)...room was finally painted and its as close to finished as its gonna get for now.
If anything changes I will be sure to let yall know but for now I wanted to share the results of my latest project/adventure. I have a sense of accomplishment and don't want it to go to waste! haha :)

Picture proof:

The Tools. 

#HailState

Step 1. 

Step 2. 

Step 3. Live and Love Today. 

#TrueMaroon

:) 

Until Next Time, 

Choose Joy, 

Saved by grace, 

Kb. 

Choosing Joy: and HANGING out at La Playa.

If you wanna know one thing about me its my LOVE for the beach. 

Being at the beach is the vacation I NEVER want to leave. 

If I could move to one place tomorrow: it would be the beach. 

The Beach is my HAPPY place. :) 

There are so many reasons why I just LOVE the beach! I love the sound of waves, the feeling of sunshine triggering my Vitamin D, long morning runs in the sand, quiet times with the Lord and a good cup of coffee on a balcony as the sun peaks through the clouds to make its appearance for the day, kids laughter on the beach, waves, reading books while laying out, being tan, seafood, the unending coastline and unending ocean view, wavy beach hair, beach volleyball, not wearing a watch because time doesn't exist....Have I sold you on it yet? 

So now you'll understand that this girl was soo happy last week when I was able to spend the week at the beach here in Ecuador. It was the week after camp and the beach was just where I "needed" to be. 

Mandi and I left on our adventure early Monday morning to start our what we didn't know to be a 7 hour bus ride. 

But seeing that this was our "home away from home" for the week: it made the ride worth it. 

Yes, this is a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, full kitchen, living room and terrace overlooking a private pool and yes this is where we stayed!! wow. right? 

Don't worry, we are missionaries and no, we can't afford this place so thank the Lord and for a family connection for this FREE place to stay at one of the nicest beaches here in Ecuador-- Casablanca. 

I can speak for both of us when I say we truly felt soooo blessed to be given a free escape to the beach to relax this summer; after camp and before school starts up again. 

(Orientation for teachers starts August 20th--School starts Sept. 2nd) 

Here are some pictures to help back up all that I have said so far: 

Hope you enjoyed a little sneak peak of Casablanca and my time there! 

Its hard for words to describe how thankful I am for the trip. 

I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to go on a vacation; a relaxing vacation. 

I am thankful that I got to see that portion of the Lord's beautiful creation. 

And I am always thankful for my time at the beach; my HAPPY place. :) 

Choose Joy! 

Until next time, 

Saved by grace, 

Kb. 

Choosing Joy: and PRAYING for a teachable spirit.

Choosing Joy: and Praying for a teachable spirit. 

I promised an update: so here it is. 

Disclaimer: This is a post that will be a guest post on my best friend RACHEL's blog so if the word choice is a bit confusing that is why!  

Enjoy! and check out ohsimplethoughts.blogspot.com sometime SOON. You'll enjoy it! 

A month back in Ecuador has come and gone. Looking at the date June 25th makes me feel like it was just yesterday but realizing it is July 31st makes me see its been a whole month and looking at all the things the Lord has taught me in this month reminds me it is definitely July 31st. 

So you may be wondering, “What has the Lord taught you, Kirsten?” (well, actually you may not cause you don’t even know me but if some of you are then good because....) 

Thats exactly what I want to share---not only for you but selfishly for me to be able to take this moment, look back and see just what all the Lord has graciously taught me. 

Since most of you readers may not know my journey thus far and my journey to Ecuador I am sorry I won’t be sharing that full detail at this time but I will tell you it hasn’t been a smooth one, its been full of bumps in the road (literally, i live in a third world country--there are bumps everywhere) and it has not been an easy ride--but lets all admit it--the best roller coaster rides are the highest, scariest, longest, and craziest. Well, those of us that like roller coaster rides can admit that, sorry to those of you who fear roller coasters and heights--this is probably a bad analogy for you all. 

Soooo, on a lighter note I am happy to tell you all, those of you who have known the journey since the beginning, and those just being exposed to this crazy life of mine that I am sooo thankful to be back in Ecuador. The Lord has shown me/ taught me...however you want to word it that this is EXACTLY where He wants me to be. 

And I am sure of this because of how gracious He has been to teach me so much over the past month. 

For starters: 

--He has taught me that my position for next year is just where I need to be. Not only that but He has given me an excitement for my teaching position next year and a passion to do it well. (We all know, that this girl, NEVER wanted to be a teacher)--check out my previous blog on my site to learn more about that one. 

--He has taught me to appreciate friendships- I am reminded that we aren’t necessarily promised to have friends or even best friends in this life we live but the Lord has really out done himself in the friendships I have: back home, here, old and new. I am learning to appreciate friendships for what they are- to embrace them and not take them for granted.  

And now: Here comes the big one. 

--He has taught me contentment. Oh wait, He has taught me that I lack contentment---thats a better way to word it. 

Let’s rewind just a bit- I am a single, 23 year old, christian girl. I am very outgoing. super laid back. hate a plan. and all in all really enjoy life. (and no thats not the beginnings of a sales pitch boys---sorry for the confusion) Thats me sounding like a pretty content girl right? I thought so. I have always considered myself content in who I am and the singleness season I am in. Well, guess what? The Lord loves to prove me wrong and as a prideful person thats not always fun. 

With all that being said I have officially been made aware of my discontentment. (That was a tough sentence to write or should I say type) 

But :) I have made the FIRST STEP- I am aware and I admit it. 

So now what? Well, I don’t know. I was hoping you “content” people could tell me. 

I kid, I kid. Im only using this moment to encourage you all to be content in the Lord--to be vulnerable in telling yall this and to share with you what the Lord has taught me thus far through this: ( not to make it all about me or anything just saying, I can only speak for myself :) ) 

• The Lord has me, in this moment, in Quito, Ecuador, single for a reason.
• I need/want to take advantage of this time and the experiences that come with it; to learn and become wiser. 
• I NEED to use this time to glorify the Lord. I am CALLED to use this time to glorify the Lord. (Luke 2:14) 
• I should use this time to not only grow as an individual but also grow closer to God. (1 Corinthians 3:7. “....What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”)

• Just a few to remind myself and you of. 

Enough of that right? haha

• I have also been taught to be THANKFUL. 

Thankfulness and contentment seem to go hand and hand and its about time I realized that. Its about time I realized I have lots to be thankful for. I live in a beautiful country (Ecuador), I have AWESOME parents and friends, I have gotten to experience some pretty cool things..I am blessed and I need to remember that daily. 

Entry from Jesus Calling: July 24th

“Thankfulness opens the door to My presence.” (the door to the presence of Jesus)

1 Thess. 5:18- “...giving thanks in ALL circumstances.”

Just a reminder folks...don’t shoot the messenger. Its a reminder to me too! 

So I am starting to realize that I have learned alot...alot more than I can type in this one blog...alot more than you want to read in one sitting Im sure. 

But I do want to leave you with one more thing (bare with me) 

-I have learned to have a teachable spirit---or to have the yearning for a teachable spirit. 

The Lord loves you and I and cares for you and I so much that He chooses to teach us. He purposefully puts us into situations/challenges to allow us to grow. He sees a better us, knows our potential and graciously gives us opportunities to reach that potential. :) 

-Story: (know me long enough and you will find out i’m full of them) but anyways--the story: At camp one day, one of the last days I had a class of 1st and 2nd graders--one of my favorite groups--and there was one little girl who I became very stern with (in a loving way of course) but I wanted to get my point across and I had to be stern and it just so happened that my best friend Mandi was in the room and began to laugh (RUDE right?) yeah I did not appreciate that until later I realized it was because she liked that I did that, she was proud I did that and she explained to me that when a teacher is stern with a student it means they love that student, they see the best that that student can be and that teacher wants to guide them to their best! Whether its through stern statements or consequences the heart behind the teacher is to teach that student a lesson that will lead to them become a better person, a wiser person. 

What a small glimpse this is of how the Lord feels about us--His children. The Lord puts us in challenging situations, allows heartbreak, puts obstacles in the way, allows tears, all because He loves us, cares about us and wants these “lessons” to make us the better person that He created us to be. (2 Timothy 4:5, Romans 8:17) 

This is actually TOO BIG for me to fathom so therefore to type this out on paper and try to make it make sense is a bit of a challenge in and of itself so I hope somehow it made sense to you readers. 

**With this realization, I vowed to pray for a teachable spirit on a daily basis. I want to be open to whatever the Lord has to teach me. Yes, I have been able to share with you some of the specific things the Lord has taught me but I know with all I am facing this summer: good and bad that the Lord has sooo much more to teach me. Yes, the unknown is a bit scary...okay, a lot scary but if I am not willing to learn then I am not willing to grow and I am only 23: which is definitely not the cut off for growth in the Lord. 

---I do want to leave you with encouragement (it has been shown to me that it is my spiritual gift, so I should probably use it huh? :)) 

** I want to encourage you to genuinely pray for a teachable spirit. I want to encourage you to be willing to learn. I want to encourage you to seek growth. 

*The Lord wants to make you wiser, better...take advantage of it! :) 

NOW.... a BIG thanks to Rachel for allowing me to be a part of her blog and a part of her life as her best friend. 

And thank YALL readers for letting me take up your time: PROPS to those of you who made it to the end of this post! :) (Perseverance --Hebrews 12:1) 

Thanks to the Lord for giving me the words to say on what BIG and MIGHTY things HE has done/is doing! :) 

Choose Joy! 

Feel free to continue to follow my life in Ecuador/life in general via my blog at kirsteninquito.blogspot.com. 

Until next time, 

Saved by grace, 

Kb