Teaching English

A fellow missionary teaches English to Macedonia through an outreach called Exodus. Her family is going to be gone for the month of May, so she asked me to substitute for her. I will be teaching two classes a week for about an hour and a half each time. I attended one class today to see how she runs the classes and to meet the students. I had a good time and I am looking foward to teaching English.

Standardized Testing

Oh, the joys of teaching and testing. We are almost finished with the school year. Only about a month left. Daniella and Caleb just finished taking their standardized tests this week. I also tested three other American children, Nate, Danica, and Caleb Voris. They attend our church, live three blocks away, and are good friends of the Whites. It was quite a challenge to administer four different tests at the same time. Caleb White took his test right away in the morning, since that is when he concetrates the best. The other 5 took their tests after Caleb finished. They all seemed to do well, but I'll have to wait until their scores come back to know for sure how they did.

Jumping through Hoops

Do you ever feel like you're a dog jumping through all these hoops, and the only thing you get is to be put back in your kennel?

Easter

I went to the Orthodox church last night for the Easter celebration. Having not been able to attend an Orthodox service for Christmas, Forgiveness Day, or any other holiday I made sure that I went for Easter. The streets that led up to the large Orthodox are blocked off so that no vehicles can enter. People are then able to fill the streets outside the church for the Easter service that takes place after midnight in the courtyard of the church. The priest came out of the church and walked around it two times and then read from the Bible from the stage. After the reading people crack eggs and then eat the eggs. The rest of the night people stay and have a party.

I arrived at the Orthodox church early so that I would not miss anything, and so that I could look around. There were many people selling candles and flowers. I walked into the church and watched what people were doing. All round the walls of the church were other icons set on table. People would cross themselves, kiss the icon, and leave money for the saint. One man has a priest with him. The man kissed the icon in front of him, the priest then lifted a sash like cloth that he was wearing and placed it over the man's head. The priest then read a prayer from a book and blessed the man.

In the center of the church was a table with one or two icons representing Jesus. The table it's self represented the "grave of Jesus". People would cross themselves, pray, touch or kiss the icon of Jesus, leave money, and then crawl under the table. Crawling under the table represents becoming one with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. On the other side of the table, two priest would sprinkle them with holy water.

While watching the rituals being performed I could not help but feel as though I had walked into the enemies camp. These people were going through the rituals the receive "salvation" but they were receiving nothing from this. A feeling of emptiness grew in me as I watched These people are close to the reality of Jesus and yet so far from it. The truth is there for them to see, but they are blinded by tradition and rituals.