3 months

I definitely do not get the prize for most oftenly updated blog! Possibly if I chose to write something every night I would come up with more than trying to look back on the month in which I wrote nothing, however, that has not been the case and I am now forced to sit down and figure out something exciting/inspiring to write for all the people who I know avidly read this blog!
As the title of this blog shows, today marks the three month anniversary of our arrival in St. Laurent. It definitely does not feel like it has been that long. I guess time flies when you keep busy.
Our classes have been going long enough that we have established strong friendships with the youth, are feeling comfortable with the adults in our French classes, and are beginning to see changes in the children. There are still times when I feel like our work here is for nothing, days when it feels like chaos is reigning in all classes and the women have placed a special mental block to prevent them from remembering any French, but it is in those times that saying a little prayer goes a long way. It inevitably leads to a little moment in which I realize why I am here: a woman spills out an entire well-constructed sentence in French, a child recognizes a moment of service or willingly shares a marker...these are the moments I live for. That is not to say that the rest of the time I'm depressed, but those special moments are the ones I will keep in my heart forever.
The most comforting thought that has kept me company over the past three months is that God never tests us beyond our capacities. There are certainly moments when I feel like I will never make it through the year, but to close my eyes and realize that God is testing me and He knows I can get through it gives the strength needed to do just that...get through it. And it is by overcoming tests that we grow spiritually, and grow closer to God.
An event that needs mentioning in this update is the arrival of a fourth youth, a young lady named Dulcie Cardinal from BC, who will be joining the "St.Laurent team" until June. It was quite complicated to actually get her here: Jackie went to Suriname (it's just across the river) to pick her up but called saying Dulcie was nowhere to be found. A few minutes later the phone rang again and it was Dulcie saying she was in St.Laurent. Unfortunately we didn't have Jackie's cell number to be able to inform her that she was in the wrong country. After phoning every person in our address book we finally found the number, by which time I had already returned with Dulcie. We called Jackie and she made it back to St.Laurent, only to be stranded at the port because a young lady (yours truly) went to the wrong port to pick her up. A very long and complicated afternoon, but totally worth it since Dulcie is an absolute gem and we are all getting along marvelously!


(Dulcie, Anthony, and me)

Another event worth mentioning is last night's fireside. We had 19 youth crammed into the living room, and after a very rowdy name game, we had a very enlightening discussion about heroes. We talked about the different types of heroes, why people are admired, and everyone got a chance to share who their hero was. I gave a brief presentation on Wangari Maathai, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. I admire her incredibly for being the first woman in central and eastern Africa to earn a doctorate, as well as her dedication to the establishment of peace and to the empowering of women. However what I admire her most for is that despite going to the US for her Bachelors and Masters, she returned to Kenya. Unfortunately many African youth who go oversees for an education never return, and they could be contributing a tremendous amount to Africa's spiritual and material development. Although my true heroes are my parents, whom I admire for all their work, love and dedication, by presenting Prof. Maathai, I hoped to show the youth the potential for greatness that exists within them, and show the girls the possibilities that lie in front of them.


Lesson Learned: Prayer and song exert such a powerful influence on the soul! I recommend for anyone the best remedy in moments of sadness or hopelessness, sit down and say a little prayer or sing a song. It really helps.