a new obsession

I consider myself a pretty well-traveled person, considering my age and station in life. There are always more places I want to go, though--with a life goal of joining an elite club of travelers, new locations and experiences are a must!

Within the continental U.S., I only have 4 states left to reach my goal of visiting all 50 states before age 30! And now, thanks to my roommate and a few others, I feel like I'm ready to hit that most intimidating of states: North Dakota. 

Apparently this game called Farkle is quite popular there...and we've discovered that I'm surprisingly talented at this game of chance and risk. 

North Dakota Farkle champions, watch out!

as much as i love spiderman...

...I really am not a fan of his relatives. 

I found this guy in my bathroom the other day:

I really didn't see many bugs during my first few months here. I'm beginning to think that might have been God's special grace for a new tropical resident...

i live in a zoo...

Some of the animals that I interact with daily...

This cat is surprisingly aloof for how friendly she appears...

Baby goat. On a tire swing. I've officially seen it all.

how to bath a dog...Ugandan style

A few weeks ago, I came home from school to discover my neighbor in the yard giving the dog a bath. So obviously, I ran for my camera, because it's not every day that you see a dog bathing in Uganda.

The question is, will the double basins work?

Jerrycans & washbasins : good for anything! 

This was a truly international dog-washing crew: a Brit, several Ugandans, and an American dog.

In case you're wondering, dog-bathing is pretty similar the world over.

And dogs seem to feel the same way about bathing around the world:

wise guy

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, 

and it will be given to him. -James 1.5

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As I've been praying and consulting and thinking and pondering about life choices for the past few weeks, I found this little excerpt from one of our assigned school books quite insightful for this period of life. Enjoy! 

from Knowing God, by J.I. Packer
"We ask again: what does it mean for God to give us wisdom? What kind of a gift is it?  

...It is like being taught to drive. What matters in driving is the speed and appropriateness of your reactions to things, and the soundness of your judgment as to what scope a situation gives you. You do not ask yourself why the road should narrow or screw itself into a dog-leg wiggle, just where it does, nor why that van should be parked where it is, nor why the lady (or gentleman) in front should hug the crown of the road so lovingly; you simply try to see and do the right thing in the actual situation that presents itself. The effect of divine wisdom is to enable you and me to do just that in the actual situations of everyday life.
To drive well, you have to keep your eyes skinned to notice exactly what is in front of you. To live wisely, you have to be clear-sighted and realistic--ruthlessly so--in looking at life as it is. Wisdom will not go with comforting illusions, false sentiment, or the use of rose-coloured spectacles.
....
The kind of wisdom that God waits to give to those who ask Him, is a wisdom that will bind us to Himself, a wisdom that will find expression in a spirit of faith and a life of faithfulness." 

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The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; 

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

-Proverbs 1.7

swimming in the gray area

I used to believe that as long as one studied long and hard, any student could pass any class. Academic failure was a result of laziness, lack of discipline, and wrong priorities. 

Reality has a much grayer scale than that. 

I’m learning that there are some kids who try hard, who study for hours, who have the right priorities, and who still fail. Would you be surprised to hear that it’s not my obviously special-needs student who is teaching me this? 

I don’t want to discount laziness. For me (and for many people), academic failure DOES mean laziness and should receive discipline...for laziness, not for “bad” grades. But for some kids, who look and act and seem completely normal, academic failure is not at all an indicator of laziness. It could signify poor teaching method, lack of enough practice, a badly chosen curriculum, a completely unique learning style, a learning disability, or a combination of multiple of these things! 

This year is stretching me in so many ways. Some days I feel like I’ve been tossed into the very middle of the really deep part of a large and rather murky pool that might possibly have sharks...and told to teach the two people there with me how to swim! 

Teachers make teaching look so easy. 

Back to the gray scale of reality: What is the balance of teaching so a person actually learns the subject versus teaching so a person is forced to learn how to cope in the ‘real’ world? Academics after 6^th grade increase exponentially in their left-brain requirements. What does that mean for those students who process ‘differently’? 

My heart breaks for one struggling student, whom at least I can try to help (because Someone first reached out to help me). What about the hundreds of other kids who slip through the academic cracks, labeled with disorders and given medications, who really just need someone to explain things a little differently? 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

-Proverbs 9.10

When kids are consistently frustrated with school, how will they learn to desire wisdom and insight? If traditional learning involves feeling like a failure, what are we teaching kids about the life-long process of learning to become like Jesus?