Education Connection 2012

January 7, 2011 will, Lord-willing, be my first day of about one year in Arandis, Namibia, a small mining town located in Southwest Africa. Alongside several other Namibian educators, I will be teaching English to 4th-6th grade students at Talitha Kumi Christian Academy, an outreach arm of Children of Promise Ministries which is dedicated to providing quality education for deserving kids in the community of Arandis. Thanks to a recent accreditation expansion by the Namibian Government, the school is now able to bring in two additional teachers, one to teach Math/Science and the other, English.

I will have at least 19 children in all of my classes and will be teaching a 55 minute writing class each day to each grade along with another subject. We may have the opportunity to learn to type and research on the computer. I have set up a writing cultural exchange program with most of them (I am still looking for participants). These children have all overcome many hardships in their lives; they have been rejected by many people who were supposed to love them. God provides them with all the love that they need. They are so willing to love those whom they are in contact with - especially when they realize that you care about them.

Namibian children are often not valued by family or community because the finances are not always there to provide for them; therefore education is not seen as imperative in public schools. Teachers often will not show up for work and when they do, students are left to copy information into their notebooks from the chalk board - they do not have textbooks. I have the privilege of working under Nan Parker, the administrator, principal, and one of the teachers at TKCA. Nan is the heart and hands of this mission, she cares deeply for the children and advocates for their best education. Being from Florida, having attained degrees and certifications from many institutions and having overwhelming experience bringing children out of a harmful lifestyle to becoming excellent students and successful individuals - she is very much qualified for the job. All the teachers at TKCA are dedicated to their students' learning. You have the amazing opportunity to support these amazing children by thoughts, caring notes, and potentially funding their education. Children of Promise allows you to partner with individual children by helping with tuition costs at this private school, allowing the children to have a better future and to help many of their own people. It costs about 100 USD per child for an education at TKCA and our enrollment for this year has doubled to 51. Although this is amazing - there are many more children in Namibia that can be served.

My mission for this year is to teach and care for these children. If you have an opportunity to write or share with others, please do. Contact me with any questions that you might have as the days, weeks and months progress. I am confident that each day is going to be an adventure. I know that I will be forever changed as I seek to immerse myself into this incredible culture. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

God Will Always Provide You With All You Need To Fulfill What He Wants. Merry Christmas!

There are plenty of negative things to say about people in our daily interactions that always want to be first and to take care of their own needs before others. I want to take a few minutes to praise a few individuals who have totally, unnecessarily, blessed me in preparation for my trip.

I came in contact with a very friendly lady from the Vision Center at the Amherst Wal-mart when ordering my new glasses for the trip. Not only was she interested in hearing what I was about to do and wanted to see pictures when I came home, she expedited the process so I was sure to get my glasses all set before I leave. When I came to pick them up after half the time it usually takes, she proceeded with giving me everything that she thought I could possibly need for the year. Some of which included: 20 travel-size bottles of glasses cleaner and cloths, two cases, mini screw drivers, extra nose pads and screws. When I came back to give her a brochure she asked if there was anything I need, hugged me and said "God Bless you!" People Love to help when you say you're going to Africa. I am happy to have had the classes this semester which will prepare me to teach this year; however, being a new teacher, I was concerned about setting up my classroom in Namibia. A classmate from one of my Graduate courses at Rivier reached out and graciously gave me about four boxes full of years worth of her writing/reading curriculum for the younger grades. These included books, posters, activities, teaching strategies, resources books, work for special learners and more. Not to mention that they are for the exact grades I will be teaching in Arandis! It is so much that I was wondering how I would get it all to Namibia. Some teen friends of mine took care of that problem. They raised about $500 for the children through a series of bake sales. I don't know why I even bother worrying in the first place, it always works out! A particular one also created a beautiful board displaying all the children and telling their story which helped me find some writing buddies for my kids for the year.

Some folks at my church want to sponsor me at the school monthly to help cover expenses. Several people have offered to send packages for any needs the kids may have. My friend is director of Art and Design Department at a college and she wants my kids to have what they need to be creative and use their talents through the expression of art. She will be sending us a care package with the art supplies we need later in the year. My own brother, for Christmas, promised to give a monthly donation for the entire trip - wow! I have had people come to me and hand me generous gifts saying "Here, for your plane ticket" or "here, you must have a lot to pay for!" I am so undeserving of all this generosity. 

Other than financial, it takes a lot of thinking, preparing, planning logistics for a year-long trip to Africa. It's nice to be able to lean on others who have been successful in similar situations. A very good friend of mine, who has had a great deal of experience in Namibia, and introduced me to this beautiful country - has, without a single complaint, answered every question and attempted to solve many barriers that I had run into. Everything from what do I need to bring for the year to how am I going to mail my important documents in a timely and safe manner and much more.


I am amazed, impressed, overwhelmed and fortunate! It's clearly not about my needs but about expanding the value of my time serving the Children at Talitha Kumi. It's about staying connected and getting as many people involved throughout this year. It takes just as many people for a trip like this to be successful.

Knowing the amount of work that it will take to teach, I did not want to overburden myself with classes throughout the year. After finding out what I was doing in Namibia, my professor agreed to help me get credit for the work abroad. Not only did she help me to come up with projects to do with the kids which will enhance their learning, count for credit and get me in a graduate program; she promised to work with me throughout the year; she handed me my text books for both semesters in a gift bag for Christmas. She said I didn't need that added expense. Because of my time serving with Ameri-Corps, I don't have to worry about the cost of the courses over 2012. 

My parents and sisters have been supporting me all my life but more so within the past few months that I'd decided to go. I'll just say that $ really does grow on trees :) There are these and countless more stories - I am astounded by what people are willing to give. They want to be a special part of what I am doing. Evey dinner, every coffee, every book, every dollar, every thought, every prayer - is extremely beneficial to me getting on the plane in 10 days.

"Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours." Isaiah 61:7

What's the point?

People often see traveling to other countries and serving as a waste of time. You know, you have to fund raise a lot, or use hard-earned money that could be easily used on other, much more useful venues. Some suggestions: pay off your loans, rent, and higher education; take a scuba class, save up for who knows what - the list goes on. The point is, why would you waste $2600 on a plane ticket to Africa or pay money to serve in another country for two-four weeks?

It's not only money that you are wasting, you spend months preparing! You gather supplies, you collect a team, you reach out to your friends, family members and acquaintances for donations, you familiarize yourself with the culture and prepare for what you will be doing there (ie: teaching, building, training). When you are finished, you leave! You serve, you report what you did, people stop asking about it and then it's over - never to be talked about again.

Right? What's the point?

Reflection

This year at MCC - between starting the MCC Community Service Department, Service Saturdays heading up the ASB trips, coordinating the Namibia Mission 2011, among other things - has been a year of tremendous growth both professionally and spiritually. I have hopefully gained respect among students, colleagues, supervisors, and family members. Many have said they are proud of the things that have been accomplished through my life. For some reason there is always a sense of feeling lost and needing direction. Whenever one person finishes a big milestone, there is always another journey waiting ahead, the transition time between is always the toughest part when you feel that you are absolutely nothing.

I am hoping that very soon, I will come to find firm ground for my feet. If this foundation only focuses on my situations, what my life looks like at this moment in time, what I have accomplished for myself; than it's an extremely rocky one which is very uncomfortable to build on. I am realizing more and more as I live my life that the firm foundation will not come from:
1. finances which are always unstable 2. jobs 3. family health 4. relationships
It will only come from Christ, that higher power that controls the universe and holds my life in the palm of His hand. He is my rock and my redeemer, whom shall I be afraid of?

Namibia, SW Africa - My New Home for part of the summers of 2010 and 2011

Last year I joined a team of thirteen to travel to Namibia, SW Africa and volunteer in the community of Arandis, not far from the coast. I taught one of the five pre-school classes at a small school Talitha Kumi Christian Academy for the two weeks that I was there. I was captivated by this experience. If you would like to see our pictures and read more visit NAM2010

As I was saying goodbye to my friends, I thought for some reason that it was only "for now" and that I would return. One of our fearless leaders said to me, "Anna you have been on so many trips, now it's your time to lead one." I thought he was crazy but when I returned, my supervisor at Manchester Community College was so impressed with my experience. After telling her story after story of the life, the work, the food, the people, the atmosphere; she turned to me and said,
"Why don't we offer an Alternative Break trip to Namibia for MCC?"

This was the question that changed my life. I then became the creator of the MCC Namibia Mission. In October I began promoting; in January the team was decided; in February Senate approved the trip, gave us 50% funding and the deposits were in; in March the tickets were bought; in April and June we had our big fundraisers to diminish the cost per student; in July (we are still paying the last of the trip costs!)and August 1, 2011 we get on a plane to travel there. What a journey it has been for us, and it's only just beginning! I can not believe we leave in less than three weeks for the students first ever trip to Africa. Their experience will determine weather or not we can go again in the years to come.