The Gallery After School Program

During 2014, I had the wonderful chance to start an after school program.  We have been going since January of this year.  We started off with 11 students.  However this program is pretty strict and I ask a lot of the students, finish homework, to read at least 10 mins, etc, and it didn't work for some students.  I started with two schools, in two different school districts.  (If I had to start again, this would have been something to avoid).  The schools had different schedules and different guidelines on how to act.  For instance the school in Oklahoma City Public School District always gave homework, their teachers talked to me regularly and the students were better behaved.  Obviously they all like to have fun, but sometimes it isn't the right time.  The other school did not give homework all the time, they didn't like to read and it was really tough for me to get them to read.  Since then however, the students can read 20 mins (mostly) silently.  Two students have a hard time reading to themselves, so I have them partner read and read aloud.  This helps them work together and they can develop a better ear to hear words that do not sound quite right.  So far I have seen a slight difference in their ability to read, it is getting smoother and they read.  Some overall successes that have happened in the last few weeks is that we received a box of books from my home church near Seattle, Wa.  They all got to open it together, and you would have thought it was full of sweets and fun things not just books, by the way they got sooooooo excited!! =D  The students worked together to create a play and perform it for their families.  It was adorable and they all were really excited about the outcome.  We talked about holy week, shared in a love feast, made a canvas cross together, that was displayed in church on Easter.  The students have also helped me start a vegetable garden outside of the church, and plants are actually growing.  We talked about Mexican Independence Day (Cinco de Mayo) by creating little pinatas.  My supervisor came in a talked about what the meaning of a pinata is and how we can use the meaning in our lives.  On of the students when asked why they come to The Gallery said because it makes us brave.  Since January we have had 5 students become student of the month at school, many of them have had 100% homework turned in, 100% attendance, honor roll, and the best part is that most of them who had to take the third grade reading test passed! That was such a joy to see.  Looking to the future many people are excited that this is turning into a literacy program.  Our summer program is based off of literacy.  As we continue to plan for the future prayers are encouraged, for the students to continue to succeed and for volunteers to feel called to work with the students.

Below are some pictures from the past two sessions of The Gallery.

                                          Painting Class! (first session)

                                           Dance Class (first session)

                                              Art Project with Volunteer Shirley (second session)

                                                Finished art project with Shirley (Second Session)

                                                After smashing the pinatas, the destroyed pinatas!

Lessons Learned from Starting a Program

These past few months I have been starting an after school program for third grade students in this area.  Now that our first session is over, I can now look back and realize the small things that I have learned. 

1. Plan, Plan, Plan.  Much of this program is having to plan.  It was hard to plan before we ever started the program because I didn't know what to expect.  Now that we have a clear view and idea of what we need to be doing and what kinds of things the kids like to do.  It is also easy to plan for a single idea that covers the whole program.  For example, this past session we had an artist that came in and worked with the students for seven weeks.  We had a painter and a dancer and they worked with the students everyday for and hour, Monday through Thursday.  It ended up that most of the students got bored of doing the same thing day after day.  This brings us to the next point.

2. Make sure everyone knows what needs to be done.  During our program some lines of communication got crossed and somethings that needed to be said were not said until it was too late.  For instance if your idea of having an activity led by someone else start at a certain, don't say that the leader should arrive at that time, they should be ready to teach at that time.  This was a huge problem with our last session.  The start times were not respected by our artists and sometimes we would start late, the kids would not know what to do, and when the teacher got into the class, many things went unnoticed and techniques were not taught like we wanted or had envisioned them to be taught and went unnoticed for a while. 

3. The little details are sometimes the most important.  When things are being planned or addressed try not to overlook the little details.  For instance, what kinds of books the kids had access to, or what happens when the students do not have homework, is there a camera that can be accessible, which students can have their picture taken, which ones cannot, if an event is happening and someone is bringing a refreshment make sure it is well known that it will be dropped off in time to get it set up.  Those kinds of things are important to remember and lessons I have learned from the first session of The Gallery.

4. And lastly, if volunteers are needed make sure they know what they need to do.  Sometimes lines of communication break down, when all parties don't know what is expected of them.  Sometimes when saying we are an arts program, volunteers may think they are teaching instead of volunteering.  I have learned that when you think you have enough volunteers, always get more or have more on board to have more available when needed. 


These are just some things that I have learned over the past few weeks as our program gets started.  I am very hopeful for the future, much to look forward to and I am excited at how the planning is coming along.  Hopefully more posts will be coming soon! Enjoy!!

God's Funny Bone

This morning I had the realization that in two weeks Christmas will be upon us once again.  The craziest thing about this time of year is thinking back a year.  Last year at this time I was waiting, quite impatiently, for Global Ministries to open their application for the Young Adult Missionary program.  I was a senior in College and working a pretty awesome job with some great people.  Some of these people, at that time, I didn't realize how much they would truly change my life and how I would miss them all a year later.  During this year I applied for this program, wanting to go to another county and to be exposed to many new experiences, that I thought would not be offered to me in the United States.  I can only imagine that God was laughing at this.  I learned so much about myself and what I wanted to do with my life and where I might want to go.  The biggest life lesson I learned was that God will lead you to the weirdest places, the places where you think you will never go again.  For me that place was Oklahoma City.  In the application process there were two interview locations, Oklahoma City and New York City.  I really wanted to go to New York and experience something new, a big bustling city, many people, very different from Seattle.  Instead he brought me to Oklahoma City. The interview was exciting! Seeing what people my age are passionate about and what people around the metro are doing in the community.  I left Oklahoma City back in March with a new outlook.  This time it was a little prayer.  "God, send me where you need me!"  This time I was open to anyplace.

I truly believe that God has a sense of humor.  When we brush something off by saying, this is not important for my life, I won't need to remember this,  I believe that God is laughing and trying to tell us that these are the most important times in our lives to remember.  Again for me this place was Oklahoma City.  I brushed off the experience of being in OKC.  I didn't think I would need to remember the city or the places where we went, because I probably would not be back.  When the tornadoes went through Moore this past spring, I was saddened because I had been to Oklahoma, but not too sad because I thought there was no way that I was going to be back.  Again God laughed.

Yesterday in a Sunday class I attend at church we talked about the story or Zechariah, who didn't believe what the angel Gabriel was saying to him and he lost his voice.  This to me is a story of trust.  Every day there are different things we need to trust.  We trust that the sun will come up each day, we trust that the people driving behind us on the highway are paying attention to their driving and we trust that God is with us always.  Reading this story (Luke 1:8-20) I kept thinking about the last year of my life.  Trusting that God will send me to the right places and through his "Angels" I will get the information that I need to do his good works.

This last year has been a whirlwind of fun, excitement, and hellos but also sadness, homesickness and goodbyes! It is hard to think that this year is almost over, and I pray that 2014 is fruitful and amazing for you as I hope it will be for my ministry and the students our program will help!

God Bless!!

Advent: A Time for Firsts

As many of us know today is the first day of Advent, one of my favorite seasons in the church and in my own life.  Today as I reflect upon my first Thanksgiving away from my family I am thankful for being able to connect with people here who are supportive of me and what I am doing with my life.  The holiday this year was spend with my supervisor and his family as well as a Bolivian family.  I am so blessed to work around such diverse people who celebrate each others culture.  After dinner, I got the chance to Skype with my family, it was interesting to see how my grandparents would respond to this technology.  It was hard to see my family but not be able to see them or reconnect, but to chat with my family over the internet made it much better.
I have noticed that in Seattle the weather changes and gets colder around the beginning of November almost marking the beginning of the holiday season. In Oklahoma the weather changes so often that in November or even today, December 1, the weather can get up to 60 degrees but a week ago it was snowing and ice was all over the road ways.  Houses are beginning to light up with the decorations of this holiday season.  It brings me joy and sadness to be so far away from home yet so close at the same time.  I love being home with my family watching silly Holiday movies, making cookies and sitting near the fire.  It is so exciting to be here in Oklahoma, making a difference in the lives of those I am working with as well as growing in myself and in my confidence in my faith as well as in general. I have loved meeting new people and being able to sit by myself in church.  This is something I would have never been confident in doing a few years ago.  I thank God that I am here and I am growing in who I am, while figuring out what God wants me to do with my life!

God Bless on this first Advent Sunday!

Small Things

The small things in life can make the most impact.  Receiving and email from someone who you have been waiting to hear from, learning your blog is reaching people internationally or simply playing and laughing with a three year old while decorating for Christmas.  In my short time in mission I have learned to embrace the small things in life and overlook the overwhelming things that need to get accomplished.  For instance, this past Saturday we decorated the church for Christmas.  If anyone knows me really well, I LOVE THIS SEASON!! From November 1 until January 1.  My most favorite time of the year! So being asked to help decorate the church for the Holiday season, was a must do activity.  The weather is beginning to get colder, and being warm in church with my new found Oklahoma Family was a great feeling.  Playing hide and seek with my three year old friend and laughing while we decorate the tree.  These little things in life make the difference between missing home and friends, and fully embracing myself in this new life.

I have to admit the weather out here is a bit weird.  On Thursday we could see the cold front coming in form the north, and being able to feel the temperature drop was quite the experience.  I keep hearing that when it snows, everything shuts down, and that can't be more true.  There was sleet and a bit of snow falling on Sunday morning and there were many churches who closed down because of the weather.  I even got an excuse from attending church because I live far away.  I never left my apartment except to take the trash out.
At the same time that I am grateful for being in a great place with a great roommate and wonderful people to work with, I am humbled by how lucky I am.  I don't have to live outside, or even have to be outside when it is cold.  I live in a great apartment that has running water, heat and electricity.  I have food in my pantry and clothes in my closet.  The more time I spend working with this church and the congregation here, I am reminded that I am very fortunate and very lucky.  Even saying that I love the cold weather and wish it would get cold more often is something that is rarely heard from me anymore because there are some people in our church who live outside.  It breaks my heart that there isn't anything I can do for people who are not as fortunate as I am.  I do not have the funds to give away food constantly or even provide a safe place to sleep.

In this season of Thanksgiving and being thankful for all that we have, family, friends, and a warm place to call home, remember those who are less fortunate around us and spread holiday cheer with everyone no matter the circumstances.  Another life lesson that was firmed the other day, while shopping in the grocery store was that if you extend graciousness it will be extended back.

Those are some thoughts on this Monday before Thanksgiving! Also, I don't know if my brother reads this but tomorrow is his birthday, my little brother.  He is turning 21 (WHERE DID THE TIME GO!!) and I just ask prayers for him tomorrow as he celebrates turning into a well rounded adult! Love ya bro!!

Thanks for reading!!

Forgiveness

On Tuesdays, I usually go to a chapel service at the local Seminary School.  Yesterday, I went again to hang out with new people, get out of the office and ultimately find God in the middle of my day.  Who would have thought that I would find much more then all of that.  The service was a contemplative, much like our Taize services we led in College.  It brought me back to good friends, good memories and a closeness with God.  The scripture that was read was 

       One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive those who sin against us.  And lead us not into temptation.

    ~Luke 11:1-4

It was read three times, and each time forgiveness was a theme that stuck out in my mind.  At first, I was a bit stuck up about it, kept thinking, I have no one to forgive! But when other thoughts popped into my mind, the thought that pushed it out was forgive those who sins against us.  Its powerful how meditating on a simple few verses can make a huge impact.  I found that deep inside there was a small part of me that needed to forgive others, as well as myself.  Sometimes, there is a small voice inside my head that says, you aren't making the most of this opportunity that is in front of you.  This opportunity is amazing and you can do great things with this program if you can focus for a bit longer to embrace the new possibilities.  Once I forgive myself for thinking that this opportunity is being wasted or even not embraced, I can find joy in the unknown.  I have no idea what will happen in the next four weeks, besides getting the program started and off the ground.  I keep praying for our students and volunteers, and sometimes I wish that I could have done some of this sooner in my time here, but God works for a reason and he does things for a reason.  If I can remember that, and think that the order of how things are going, I will know that he will never leave me stranded in a place I can't handle or do something I cannot handle.  

I am so grateful for the people I am working with and the people I have in my life now.  There is so many opportunities I would never had if I had not moved to Oklahoma City.  Some of these new experiences include: meeting the greatest three year old ever; having a wonderful supervisor who can laugh with me and joke around to lighten up the situation; two wonderful and brilliant pastors in my life who are always there when I need support or encouragement; new friends who help me adjust to life in Oklahoma; a roommate who was in my place a few years ago, away from home and trying to adjust to a new life who can help encourage me; learning what FLAT truly means; being able to call myself a Director of a program at 23 years old; and finally truly learning that God works in amazing ways, we are all connected, especially the young adult missionaries!  

I really hope that if anyone who needs encouragement can read this and gleam something from it, hopefully some people will read this and relate to my situation, and being able to find joy in the small things!

(Small things.. title of the next blog!! Look forward to it)

GOD BLESS!!!! 

Uninspired

Many people have been asking me about why the blog hasn't been updated recently, and the honest answer is I am uninspired.  So the answer back is 'you should write a blog about that'.  This is it.  My uninspired, probably going to jump around blog post.  Oklahoma in November is my favorite month so far. The weather has cooled down and the sun sets earlier and its a reminder that winter is coming and that my program is going to start soon! That is always a terrifying thought.  The sooner Christmas comes the sooner I learn that I need to get this program started and off the ground asap! Well not asap, but by January.  That is if we can get contact with the Principle again.  We have called and emailed for weeks and I haven't heard anything back.  And there is an important question that needs to be addressed but it can't happen until we get in contact with each other.  So frustrating. Overall, things down here for me are going well, small stresses, and some interesting people, but overall it is going well! Reminder for those who are reading this and want to help out with my project, Global Ministries uses a program called The Advance to collect funds towards each project.  Each Missionary has an advance number, mine is 3021852, by using this number to donate money towards our project as well as donating towards future missionaries that are doing the same kinds of work all around the world.  On December 3, 2013 the advance is matching every amount that is donated on that day.  I encourage all of you to help out my project as well as the future of Young Adult Missionaries around the United States as well as the World by donating on December 3.
http://www.umcmission.org/Explore-Our-Work/Missionaries-in-Service/Missionary-Profiles/Thorson--Kristina

Here is a link to my profile and more information about how to donate online!
Thanks for reading!