Sunday, June 22, 2008
Memphis
We are here in Memphis now. Pre-Field Orientation will be starting tomorrow and we are excited. Please pray that we stay in good health and allow the Lord to use us this week with wisdom and discernment. We will be advising new teachers who within the next month will move overseas to a new place to start a new adventure, just as we did three years ago. We have a phone number here in the United States. If you would like to call us, our number is 360-606-5825. If you have AT&T we can talk for free, if you have some other phone service it will cost us 10 cents a minute. Love You All
Sunday, June 15, 2008
In Alaska
Friends and Family,
We are in Alaska now. We arrived in the late morning on the 12th of June and have been staying with Andrea (Noelle's sister), Matt (Andrea's husband) and Kyla (Matt and Andrea's daughter) We drive out today after church for Seward, Alaska where Matt's parents have a sailboat. We will meet Mom and Dad West (Noelle's parents) in Seward and spend a few days with them on the Peninsula. We fly out to Seattle on Thursday night Friday morning. I will attach a couple pictures of Noelle and her niece because she loves her so much. Look forward to seeing you all at some point this summer.
We are in Alaska now. We arrived in the late morning on the 12th of June and have been staying with Andrea (Noelle's sister), Matt (Andrea's husband) and Kyla (Matt and Andrea's daughter) We drive out today after church for Seward, Alaska where Matt's parents have a sailboat. We will meet Mom and Dad West (Noelle's parents) in Seward and spend a few days with them on the Peninsula. We fly out to Seattle on Thursday night Friday morning. I will attach a couple pictures of Noelle and her niece because she loves her so much. Look forward to seeing you all at some point this summer.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Great two nights
The last two nights have been truly fantastic. Thursday night we celebrated as 15 of our students walked across the platform to receive their diploma. That makes our schools graduates reach a grand total of 118 in our 15 years of existence. Tonight Noelle and I, along with our director and his wife were given tickets to the symphony by one of the parents at our school. We had some of the best seats in the whole concert hall. We were 16 rows from the conductor, dead center. Awesome!! We watched and listened to a Slovanian Composer and choral group join together with local youth (one of our students, thus why we received the tickets) and the orchestra was I believe mostly Singaporean. The performance was Lord of the Rings and although I was probably the only individual in the theater who had never seen Lord of the Rings, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Pray for us as we are super busy with packing up one house, checking out of school and moving in all in the next few days.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Prayer for the week
Friends and Family,
One of our students flew out on Friday night, back to his home country of Bangledesh.
He was a tremendous young man with loads of analytical abilities and a heart to do what is right. He is of a different religious faith than the majority of our student body and this was a struggle. I think it was good for our Christian students to talk with someone who questioned them on their faith. This young man and I grew very close and it is sad to see that he is no longer with us. Please pray for him as he is back in his home country; that we in some way have shown him the love for Christ, and that in time he accepts God's Grace.
Pray also for Noelle and this week as we enter the final week of school before Finals. Noelle, being a middle school teacher actually doesn't give final exams, but this is still the last week of instruction as next week is party time and class bonding trips.
We look forward to coming back to the States on June 12th. We hope to see many of you.
In Him,
Sam for us
One of our students flew out on Friday night, back to his home country of Bangledesh.
He was a tremendous young man with loads of analytical abilities and a heart to do what is right. He is of a different religious faith than the majority of our student body and this was a struggle. I think it was good for our Christian students to talk with someone who questioned them on their faith. This young man and I grew very close and it is sad to see that he is no longer with us. Please pray for him as he is back in his home country; that we in some way have shown him the love for Christ, and that in time he accepts God's Grace.
Pray also for Noelle and this week as we enter the final week of school before Finals. Noelle, being a middle school teacher actually doesn't give final exams, but this is still the last week of instruction as next week is party time and class bonding trips.
We look forward to coming back to the States on June 12th. We hope to see many of you.
In Him,
Sam for us
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Father/Son, Anniversary, Jr/Sr Banquet, Graduation
May 9-11
The Father/Son retreat in Port Dickson was fantastic. It was great to see 18 fathers and their son(s) play together, talk together, eat together, burp together and pray together. It was great for me to see wise men give advice and insight to their young sons.
May 15th
Noelle and I have now been married for three years. We had a very unique anniversary dinner in which we joined the rest of our staff at the Yaucht Club on Thursday May 15th. Our annual faculty dinner is where our departing staff are acknowledged for their year(s) of service in Singapore. It was also a great way for Noelle and I to spend our anniversary at a fantastic restaurant and with some of our closest friends.
May 17th
The Juniors and Seniors at our school have an annual banquet (like Prom). As the Student Council adviser I am in charge of making sure that the banquet goes according to plan. It was a little weak in attendance this year, but still enjoyable .
may 18th
In April of 2006 I started my Masters Degree program and in November I took the final exam. The program waited until yesterday to hold the commencement ceremony.
After last nights dinner and ceremony I have officially graduated from the SUNY Buffalo with a Masters in Educational Counseling.
Thanks for the prayer and support!!
The Father/Son retreat in Port Dickson was fantastic. It was great to see 18 fathers and their son(s) play together, talk together, eat together, burp together and pray together. It was great for me to see wise men give advice and insight to their young sons.
May 15th
Noelle and I have now been married for three years. We had a very unique anniversary dinner in which we joined the rest of our staff at the Yaucht Club on Thursday May 15th. Our annual faculty dinner is where our departing staff are acknowledged for their year(s) of service in Singapore. It was also a great way for Noelle and I to spend our anniversary at a fantastic restaurant and with some of our closest friends.
May 17th
The Juniors and Seniors at our school have an annual banquet (like Prom). As the Student Council adviser I am in charge of making sure that the banquet goes according to plan. It was a little weak in attendance this year, but still enjoyable .
may 18th
In April of 2006 I started my Masters Degree program and in November I took the final exam. The program waited until yesterday to hold the commencement ceremony.
After last nights dinner and ceremony I have officially graduated from the SUNY Buffalo with a Masters in Educational Counseling.
Thanks for the prayer and support!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Last Weekend and This Weekend
Last weekend we had a four day weekend because of Singapore Labor day. It came at a great time, Noelle and I are extremely busy and the break, in which we went to Tioman, a Malaysian Island, was wonderful. We went with a great group of friends and co-workers and stayed at a small little beach resort. We were able to snorkel and enjoy the tropics while trying to not worry about the crazy schedule we have for the next month.
Through the craziness of this next month we are trusting that the Lord will continue to give us peace and wisdom to handle major issues that are bound to arise. There have been some big changes at the workplace where Noelle is beginning to take over some of the Middle School Principal responsibilities in addition to teaching full time. I too am busy with different programs and activities. This weekend my hope is that Noelle will get done everything she needs too. I will be leaving on Friday with 39 fathers and sons in order to present at our first ever ICS father son retreat. This is a major issue on my heart. Here in Singapore many of our students rarely see their fathers. Thus this weekend will bring fathers and sons together.
The next weekend (May 16-18) is also a major weekend. Friday will be a senior talk (for those students transitioning away from Singapore), Saturday is the Young Life Garage Sale and the Junior Senior Banquet and Sunday I graduate from University of Buffalo with my Masters in Educational Counseling. This masters degree took 18 months to obtain and although it was a very strenuous process in which Noelle and I had to juggle work, social relationships and
other ministry opportunities.
Please pray that we will continue to make strong relationships with our neighbors, friends and students.
Through the craziness of this next month we are trusting that the Lord will continue to give us peace and wisdom to handle major issues that are bound to arise. There have been some big changes at the workplace where Noelle is beginning to take over some of the Middle School Principal responsibilities in addition to teaching full time. I too am busy with different programs and activities. This weekend my hope is that Noelle will get done everything she needs too. I will be leaving on Friday with 39 fathers and sons in order to present at our first ever ICS father son retreat. This is a major issue on my heart. Here in Singapore many of our students rarely see their fathers. Thus this weekend will bring fathers and sons together.
The next weekend (May 16-18) is also a major weekend. Friday will be a senior talk (for those students transitioning away from Singapore), Saturday is the Young Life Garage Sale and the Junior Senior Banquet and Sunday I graduate from University of Buffalo with my Masters in Educational Counseling. This masters degree took 18 months to obtain and although it was a very strenuous process in which Noelle and I had to juggle work, social relationships and
other ministry opportunities.
Please pray that we will continue to make strong relationships with our neighbors, friends and students.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Sunday Morning
Sometimes I think people just want a breakdown of what we are doing on a daily basis. So here is a brief breakdown on what we did this last weekend.
Friday
School from 7:30-4:30, I spoke in HS chapel about decision making and tied that into transition (our students deal with teachers leaving and friends leaving them every year, not like one or two but 5-10 people who are important in their life leave them every year). Noelle spent the day teaching and after school ran her tumbling program for 4th and 5th grade students. I took three students to the hollandaise club where our Jr. and Sr. class will be having their banquet (like prom but with less dancing and inclusive of dinner). Noelle and i met at the Phangs for dinner and discussion with some of our good friends who will be leaving for the states in June.
Saturday
Noelle and I watched some ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) videos with some fellow teachers. afterwards we spent a wonderful lunch with Sarah Stevens. Sarah is a fellow Nazarene. This is her first year in Singapore and has been a tremendous help to our high school program. Noelle and i then went to the Butrons house for dinner. Joyce and George are a wonderful couple who are influential in our lives. They have lived in Singapore and Papua New Guinea and give us great wisdom and insight.
Today
we will have church with 3-5 other families. this is a wonderful time for us to connect with fellow believers (some directors of Mission organizations). Noelle will go to Bhangra practice and I have a soccer game at 5PM with Agustin and one of my students, Jeddy.
Right now I am about to brew some coffee for my beautiful bride. (I am also watching some great Italian football (soccer).
In Him,
Friday
School from 7:30-4:30, I spoke in HS chapel about decision making and tied that into transition (our students deal with teachers leaving and friends leaving them every year, not like one or two but 5-10 people who are important in their life leave them every year). Noelle spent the day teaching and after school ran her tumbling program for 4th and 5th grade students. I took three students to the hollandaise club where our Jr. and Sr. class will be having their banquet (like prom but with less dancing and inclusive of dinner). Noelle and i met at the Phangs for dinner and discussion with some of our good friends who will be leaving for the states in June.
Saturday
Noelle and I watched some ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) videos with some fellow teachers. afterwards we spent a wonderful lunch with Sarah Stevens. Sarah is a fellow Nazarene. This is her first year in Singapore and has been a tremendous help to our high school program. Noelle and i then went to the Butrons house for dinner. Joyce and George are a wonderful couple who are influential in our lives. They have lived in Singapore and Papua New Guinea and give us great wisdom and insight.
Today
we will have church with 3-5 other families. this is a wonderful time for us to connect with fellow believers (some directors of Mission organizations). Noelle will go to Bhangra practice and I have a soccer game at 5PM with Agustin and one of my students, Jeddy.
Right now I am about to brew some coffee for my beautiful bride. (I am also watching some great Italian football (soccer).
In Him,
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