This is why I teach

Good morning!

Now that it's Wednesday morning, I can finally send all of you an up-date!

This is why I teach:
There have been so many amazing stories in the past few weeks, but this one sticks out the most (probably because it happened yesterday and is still fresh in my mind!):
For those of you who have been sitting on the edge of your seats every Wednesday morning waiting for my weekly up-date (and I'm SURE that's all of you!) you may remember me describing Felix - the boy who wrote me a card and gave me a daffodil because he was 'crabby' (as the card said). Well, Felix comes from an incredibly loving family and yesterday his mom came in to say "Hello!" because we hadn't seen each other for a few weeks. I invited her to sit down so I could show her how well Felix was doing. I explained to her that when Felix first came to Springboard in September, he was sounding out every word in every sentence on every page, he would take a whole page to write one sentence because his handwriting was so big, and he needed a lot of support sounding out words to spell them and his mom completely agreed. NOW, as I explained to his mom, he's able to read books with 15-16 pages FLUENTLY (that means NO sounding out!!), he's able to write at least five sentences on one page and he can write those sentences without me having to sound out ANY words. His mom also completely agreed but she also commented on how much more confident he is with his reading, handwriting, and spelling than he was at the beginning of the school year, both in class and at home. This is exactly why Springboard exists and why I teach: to increase confidence in the children we teach which will then in turn allow them to feel they can learn to read, write, and spell. I love what I do :)

Picture of the week:
On Friday, the Springboard Centre at Kingswood Primary School (one of the schools I teach in) had an end of year party. We enjoyed amazing food, great drinks, and wonderful company. The picture below is of the coordinators (from left to right - Caroline, Beata, and Rebecca) and me. There are 43 children that Springboard teaches at Kingswood, which is why there is a need for three cooridnators and all of their brainy knowledge. Rebecca (and her husband - not pictured) is the lady I'll be moving in with at the end of July. The coordinators and the other part-time volunteers so loveingly put together scrapbooks for two of the other volunteers and me as a thank you for our time at Kingswood. I'll bring it to the U.S. this summer, so PLEASE ask to see it, as it's an amazing collection of letters and pictures from the kids I teach and other volunteers.



THANK YA JESUS!
I've got a few of these:
Praise God and THANK you for praying hard for direction concerning my role at Springboard for next school year. Three of my school days have been confirmed as a transition coordinator at local secondary school. This is really exciting not only for me, but also for Springboard, as working in secondary schools is something that will be brand new next school year. Because it's new, next school year will be our pilot year to measure how successful Springboard can/will be in a secondary school setting. We're not sure what our teaching will look like yet, but I'll be working closely with Springboard's Strategic Educational Director and we'll be working out what teaching model we think would work work best. I can't wait to use my knowledge to help kids in secondary school!
Praise God for sorting out my living situation for next school year. As I mentioned above and in past up-dates, I'll be living with Rebecca and Nat. They have a beautiful three story home - which I'll pretty much be taking over the third floor with the bedroom I'll be living in and attached bathroom. It's a perfect match - they're Americans and have four cats!
Send 'em up to the Big Man:
Amazingly enough, God has laid out my path for next school year concerning my living situation and my role within Springboard. It's now my turn to put my faith in action - on Sunday I'll be running a 10K to raise money for my flights to the UK in September and back to the US in August 2012 - so I can continue teaching children. If I'm honest about running, I'm a bit nervous, there's going to be THOUSANDS of people (not that all of them are going to be there watching me...) and I'm not that confident in my endurance for this run. If you could pray for God's strength and endurance to reign in me on Sunday, that would be incredibly helpful.

Hope to hear from all you soon!
Dana

--
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.

- Proverbs 3:5 -

Dana's running again, check it out:
http://www.justgiving.com/Danasrunningagain

Hot chocolate, football, and the sea

Now that I’m back to my normal everyday routine, I’m able to sit down with a cup of tea and type out my weekly up-date (that I’m way past due on). Enjoy!

This is why I teach:
I was refreshed during the conference I attended in Doncaster last week and I survived the amazing but rainy camping weekend with some of the year 5 and 6 kids we teach at Springboard. There were only 12 of us volunteers at the conference but it was incredibly soul satisfying with lots of talking about saying good-bye, transitioning into a new part of life, discerning God’s calling in our lives, and (of course, it’s me) LOTS of laughter.
Following these few days of rest was an activity packed weekend with 16 ten and eleven year old children. For the past five school years, Springboard has partnered with a boarding school, called Milton Abbey, and they have hosted around kids and the chaperones from Springboard to camp in tents on their grounds. Believe it or not, a lot of the kids that went camping with Springboard have never been outside of the area they grew up in London, let alone leaving London. All of the students at Milton Abbey live at the school in dorm-like halls, and most come from very wealthy backgrounds. After the camping weekend, I thought about the fact that the teenage leaders who have access to anything in the world led children who come from practically nothing. The interaction between the two groups was incredible to observe. A few of the kids from the Springboard group had never seen the sea, live animals, or the countryside, yet for the teenagers at Milton Abbey these, and so many more experiences, are part of their every day lives. None of these external experiences hindered the relationships they built. Yes, these two groups were polar opposites (based on their background), but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that throughout the weekend: they both missed their parents, they both loved hot chocolate before bedtime, and they both wanted to stay up later enjoying the fresh country air. There were so many more similarities, as these were just a few, but these observations have reminded me that all humans have basic needs no matter what we’ve been through or where we come from. Sure, there was a bit more rain than I was expecting but to see the children from Springboard forget their past for just a few days and enjoy missing their parents, the wonderful hot chocolate before bed, and drinking in the fresh air was priceless ☺

Picture of the week:
Below is a picture of all the Springboard full time volunteers at the 'sea' (as the British call it) during the camping weekend. Tobi, Edwin, me, and Caroline are on the bottom row. Jeralee, Klara, and Erin are on the top row. Tobi, Caroline, and Jeralee have been my housemates for the past school year, and Edwin, Klara and Erin live together in another Springboard house 5 blocks away. It's been great getting to know them this past year, and I know they will be missed next school year.


THANK YA JESUS!
Thank you JESUS that camping with the Springboard children was a blast! All the kids had a wonderful and memorable time and the adults had enough energy to endure the constant energy that follows any child.

Send ‘em up to the Big Man:
Realizing I've been away for a whole week from teaching, there have been class trips and more days off that have yet interrupted my teaching of children. Please pray that the kids come back to Springboard this week with a fresh mind ready to absorb all the targets I have yet to introduce to each child.

I know some of you have been asking how you can help support me during my third year at Springboard, so here's your chance :) I'm running another 10K this July and have a hefty goal: run it under 50 minutes. I'm praying I'll be able to achieve this, but nonetheless I'm running on behalf of Springboard for Children. All the funds will get me back to the UK in September and to the US next August (this means all the money raised goes towards my flights). I've set up a JustGiving website, which is UK based and really easy to use: http://www.justgiving.com/Danasrunningagain . I know it uses the £, but if you go to this website: http://www.xe.com/ucc/ it will convert $ to £ so you can see how much you're donating. Every $ and £ helps me continue to teach the children at Springboard.

Thanks so much for all your support and prayers. Look forward to hearing from you :)

Dana

The language of laughter

This post is from June 5th. Sorry it's taken me so long to get it posted to the blog. I hope you enjoy the story :)


Picture of the week AND This is why I teach:
These 2 are combined again for this up-date. A few up-dates ago I explained that one of the boys I teach graduated from Springboard. Well, I got a new child, Micah, to teach. He's also in Year 2, which makes him about 6 or 7. Micah moved to Immanuel and St. Andrew's Primary School in January so the teachers and staff are still getting to know him and his background, which we still don't know very much. Although Micah is a sweet boy who will do anything asked of him, he has a very blank stare and seldom smiles let alone laughs (I had never seen either).
As I explained in earlier up-dates, Springboard uses a multi-sensory approach to teaching - which includes learning by visual learning (pictures), auditory learning (listening), and kinesthetic learning (movement). I like to incorporate as much kinesthetic learning (movement) into my lessons as often as possible, as I've found kids LOVE to move (WHAT A CONCEPT!!). Springboard has lots of materials to incorporate movement into lessons, one of them is using the Smart Chute (the picture is below). As you can see in the picture, you put a card with a picture in the top and then the answer (which is on the opposite side) comes out the bottom.
I had used the Smart Chute with Micah a few times - he needed to be able to hear the difference between his short vowels and we were practicing this - and he had no idea how the picture turned into the answer after the card had been placed in the Smart Chute. When we were finished using the Smart Chute, Micah was collecting all the cards and handed them to me and as I was putting them away, I dropped all of them thus revealing that the cards had the pictures on one side and the answer on the other side. The biggest smile I have EVER seen stretched across his face as he realized how the Smart Chute cards worked. This, in fact, made me smile, but what came to follow melted my heart even more. Micah was then given two sentences to write - he was working on capital letters at the beginning of sentences, periods at the end, and spelling all of his words correctly. In the past lessons, Micah needed lots of support with this task, but during this lesson he didn't need ANY of my help and succeeded in placing capital letters at the beginning of both sentences, placing periods at the end, and spelt all of his words in BOTH sentences correct ALL ON HIS OWN!!! After numerous expressionless lessons and thinking the big grin on his face earlier in the lesson was long past and forgotten, when he corrected his own work and realized he had no mistakes, I could feel his whole being beaming with pride at his perfect work. Although I absolutely LOVE teaching children and helping children realize their full potential, I'm blown away at the moment when a child can understand that they are brilliant and they can succeed when they put forth the effort that's needed to reach they truly are capable of. Micah blew me away.


THANK YA JESUS!
Praise God that I've found a place to live for next school year. I've decided to live in a house that I've house-sat a few times. I'm living with an American married couple, named Rebecca and Nat, who have three older children (the youngest just graduated college in New York). I've got a beautiful bedroom with my own bathroom attached, and they have four black cats to keep me company! This is truly something to praise God about because this location is close to four of the schools Springboard teaches in (two of which I'm teaching in now) and is really close to my life group members (Bible study members), who have become like family since I've been here.

Send 'em up to Jesus: I'm away on my last conference this school year, through my recieving organization in England called Time for God (http://www.timeforgod.org/). I'm heading to a place called Bawtry Hall (http://bawtryhall.bawtryhall.com/) in Doncaster (http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Doncaster,+England&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x48790d0c8d8903d7:0x50fd137713eefd0,Doncaster,+UK&ei=S9LrTdafGoXB8QOUsZm0AQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ8gEwAA ), which is an hour and 35 minute train ride to the north of England. Please pray for the direction God is wanting to lead me in next school year as I serve Springboard for a third year. Please, also, keep the children I teach in your prayers as I won't have seen them for two weeks - for God to open their minds when learning in class and to keep them safe. And last, on Friday Springboard is taking 16 children camping to the countryside. I would appreciate your continued prayers for finalizing the last of the plans, energy and safety for the weekend and enjoyment for the adults as well as the kids attending.

Thanks so much for your continued support and prayers. Please keep sending me up-dates about your lives as well, I enjoy reading about you too :)

Dana

Fun with Phonics!!

Good evening/afternoon,


After a busy week at school and various activities planned during the last few evenings, I'm actually getting a chance to sit down, take a breath, and write my weekly up-date (I know it's a day late but better late than never, right!?).


Picture of the week AND This is why I teach:
At Springboard for Children, we have 2 phonics programs we use with the children. The first program most of the children start on when they begin coming to Springboard is called Soundworks. The Soundworks program has already been mass produced and Springboard bought the program when the charity started. Soundworks comes with a kit and a manual (which explains in explicit detail on how to use the kit). The kit has various bits and pieces we use for teaching, including all the letters of the alphabet to build words (such as c-a-t), beginning and end blends (cards such as "cl" like at at the beginning of the word clown and "amp" like at the end of camp), and reading cards (which have 10-12 words for the children to read). Usually, each part of the kits are in a specific order (such as the photo on the left) but not on Tuesday. Felix's (one of the boys I mentioned in an earlier up-date) mom has had her baby over spring break and she brought baby Madison in to show me. While mom and I were cooing over Madison, Felix and his three-year old little brother had gone over to where I was setting up to teach and taken every bit and piece of the Soundworks kit, which is at least 200 pieces!! Mom and I realized all too late that the two boys were much to quiet to not get into mischief, but I could do nothing but laugh (and get a picture) at the situation.


THANK YA JESUS!!:
Every Wednesday, I help with the administration of events fundraising in the office. Last Wednesday, Springboard got a call from Egmont Publishing (the publishing company that publishes the Mr. Men books: http://www.egmont.co.uk/) and they chose Springboard for Children as their charity to support for their sponsored bike ride at the end of July!!! They're hoping to raise lots of ££ for Springboard to help continue teaching children to read. This was amazing news as the recession is starting to feed down to charities and Springboard is starting to feel the pinch, but God provides!!!


Send 'em Up (to Jesus):
Every year Springboard brings 15 select Year 5 and 6's that are enrolled in the Springboard program camping. Milton Abbey (http://www.miltonabbey.co.uk/school/) is a boarding/day school in the county of Dorset (if you google the post code: DT11 0BZ, you can see where it is in comparison to London) which hosts the Sprongboard children for a weekend in the countryside; exploring the sea, farm animals and masses of green playing space. This is exciting for children as most of them have never been outside of London before and incredibly exhausting for the adults as it's a full weekend of camping in sleeping bags in tents and going from sun up till sun down. If you could start to pray for (1) the logistics of the weekend, such as wisdom for the adults planning activities - keeping safety in mind, (2) the children who are signed up to attend - for them to start preparing for the weekend, and (3) the volunteers helping on the weekend - for us to get enough rest before the weekend to be energized during the weekend.



Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

Dana

The Springboard Impact

Good evening everyone!

I hope this post finds you all well this Wednesday evening. I hope you have a moment to read through my weekly happenings. Thanks for your wonderful support :) Enjoy!!

Picture of the week:
Christi, a full-time volunteer for Springboard last school year, came to visit for about a week to see the kids she used to teach and to hang out with me. Her and I became good friends last school year as we both taught at Kingswood and Elm Wood Primary Schools (http://www.kingswood-elmwood.org.uk/) and actually shared teaching a child. Below is a picture of us at a famous market under London Bridge train station called Borough Market. Check out the website: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/ If any of you end up coming to visit, I'll take you as it's a beautiful market full of the British market experience :)



This is why I teach:
As you've been reading, I've requested prayers for Cacey, the Year 6 boy I teach, and the SATs exams he has to take. Being Wednesday, he's already finished two days of his exams and has two days left. He was able to have me sit with him during his reading, spelling, short writing, and long writing exams to read the questions to him and to read back what he had written, which (I'm hoping) was an incredible boost to his confidence. As I tried to explain a few up-dates ago, the SATs are similar to Minnesota's standard tests. For the reading exam, the children were given a brochure about a place in the UK to check out caves and they have to answer multiple choice questions, as well as short answer questions. For the spelling exam, instead of just giving 20 words to spell, the kids were given a passage about boomeranges as the teacher read it and the children had to fill in the words that were missing. (Off the record, I'm pretty sure Cacey got more than half correct, which is REALLY good!!!) The long writing exam, they were given a sporting competition to explain in as a newspaper article. Cacey chose to describe himself breaking the world record in trampolining. He used so many of the strategies he had been working on in class and I've been reinforcing with him. And I can't forget the short writing exam, which the children were given a few charities (or they could choose their own) they wanted to write a speech about to persuade their class to raise money to. Since Casey comes to Springboard, he knows it's a charity and he decided to choose Springboard to write about. This was incredible to me because every time I explain to people what Springboard is and what it does, I actually wonder if the kids I teach know what Springboard is trying to help them with. When Casey was describing Springboard using his persuasive techniques he's learned, he explained the exact same thing I tell those who ask what I do. Knowing he's a ridiculously bright kid but also knowing he was really nervous for the SATs (and wanting loads of extra time to complete his work) I was (and still am) an extremely proud Springboard tutor of all of Casey's hard work :)

THANK YA JESUS:
Since the SATs are the governments way to "check up" on the schools and source the schools funding - I am SO thankful to God that He has provided the children such amazing classroom teachers and teachers assistants!! Casey's teacher has been so supportive of him trying and working so hard. I am also so thankful that the schools recognize that some children come to school having just gotten out of bed (for all sorts of reasons) and probably haven't eaten breakfast, so for this week, Kingswood has provided the Year 6 children with breakfast to help with their focus for the day.

Send 'em up to Jesus:
Being three weeks into Summer Term, there are lots of things I've been thinking and praying about for next school year. I've decided to stay at Springboard for a third year in hopes of sending the Year 5's I teach this year to secondary school after next school with a loving send off, but there are many details that need to be sorted out that I would appreciate your prayers for. The first being where I'll be teaching next year - although I know where I want to teach, I want to make sure my teaching degree is used the best way Springboard can use it. Being I'm volunteering for another year, I need to fundraise to stay. I know teaching at Springboard is where God wants me, so please pray that I'm able to raise the amount of money I need in order to stay for a 3rd year.

Thanks so much for reading and praying. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Dana

Graduating Springboard

Good evening/afternoon!

I hope you're all well :) I was going to add a photo of the Royal Wedding After Party I threw on Friday, but I seem to have misplaced my camera with my memory card and all the photos on it so you'll get a photo next week (hopefully!). I did however add a photo of the Cathedral in Canterbury that I visited last weekend. I didn't get a chance to go in and look around (I'll be going back again), but the outside is beautiful and the town is lovely! Enjoy!


When children first start Springboard, they're uncertain about what they'll be doing two times every week for 45 minutes each session. Little do the children know that they'll not only be improving their reading, writing, and spelling but they'll also gain confidence by starting to learn at their level (not at the level school tells them they need to start learning at). When the coordinator at a Springboard center decides a child has learned enough to be able to cope in the classroom, we graduate the children. This doesn't necessarily mean they've completed the program but the child has made enough progress and is confident enough to stay in class without Springboard's help. Graduating a child means they stop coming to Springboard and get a "Congratulations" certificate. Yesterday, I graduated two of my children I teach at Immanuel. Romain, one of the boys that graduated, is in Year 2 (6 years old) and it seemed that he didn't want to come to Springboard lessons as almost every time I would pick him up from his classroom he would cry and would want to stay in class. Although he cried at the beginning of the lessons, he was able to stop and get through the lesson I had planned for him. Romain had made so much progress in his reading, writing, spelling and his behavior that Springboard support was no longer needed for him. During his last lesson, yesterday, I presented him with his certificate and told him that he's made so much progress and I was incredibly proud of him. He then turned to me and said, "Dana, I don't want to leave Springboard, I still want to come!" He was assured he would still be able to see me at playtime and was told to continue to say "Hello!" to me. I love what I do!!

Praise: Thank God for the support children get through Springboard. For some children, this is the only positive one-to-one adult attention children get throughout their week. This is amazing because it only takes one person to influence a child forever :)

Prayer: Please continue to pray for the SAT's assessments the Year 6 children will be taking next week. I haven't seen Cacey since before break (due to all the bank holidays we've had) but will see him on Friday, please pray that he's confident and ready to take the SAT's assessments.

Thank you so much for your prayers and stories! Please pass on any prayer requests and stories you have throughout your week.

Dana

"I finished it all on my own!!!"

Good evening/afternoon everyone!


I've decided to jump right in and start with the picture. It was taken at the beach near Canterbury (which is Southeast England) and reminds me of the poem called Footprints.

If you're not familiar with the story, it's below:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

This poem reminds me of the Easter story and God great love for us as His children. He sent His only perfect, holy and self-sacrificing Son to dwell among the imperfection, jealousy, and selfishness of humans. This is AMAZING because Christ not only set an example for me to live by, but He also took the weight of the world off of my shoulders through the cross, which is what the Easter story is all about. When Christ carried the cross, He carried me through all my suffering - He's already been through every difficult situation I could ever imagine. But Christ's truth doesn't end at His death on the cross, in fact His truth doesn't end at all.... He lives!!! The reason Christ can carry me through those times of suffering is because I know that I'm imperfect compared to Him (and I openly admit that), and I know He rose from death and is living. Who wouldn't want a living God to carry you through your times of suffering and then rejoice with you in the victory that follows after!?

Tuesday (which was yesterday, for those who are as confused as me about what day it actually is) was my first day back at school. I was at a school called Immanuel and St. Andrew's Church of England Primary School (which is quite a long name if you ask me!!) and as I was meandering ever so slowly to school that morning, I was able to take in all the sights and sounds that come along with the first day back from a 17 day break from school - kids zooming past on their scooters while their parents were rushing behind their children, the chatter of parents who haven't seen each other over break, and the freshly pressed uniforms. As I was strolling, two streets away from Immanuel, one the kids that attends Springboard, Matthew, whizzed past me on his scooter and nodded at me, and halfway down the street he stopped abruptly and quickly pushed his way back to me yelling, "Dana! I've got something for you!" and pulled out an optional homework pack I sent home with him 18 days prior. Matthew said in a proud and confident voice, "I finished it all on my own!" This boy comes from a family who doesn't speak English at home and I really wasn't expecting him to even open the pack, but I was pleasantly surprised and now I've got a permanent smile on my heart from Matthew :)


Praise: Knowing that Matthew was engaged with a bit of reading, writing, and spelling over his 17 day break from school and he finished his whole homework pack and I feel rejuvenated and restored to continue teaching.


Prayer: The Year 6's (5th grade) will be taking their SAT's (Standard Assessment Tests - kind of like the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments the students have to take for reading and math) and I believe these scores goes on their school record. Although one of the Year 6 boys, Cacey, I teach is a confident, bright, and wonderful child to teach, he is struggling with his reading, writing and spelling and he will be tested on all of these. Pray that he's able to use and apply what he's been taught by his teacher from his classroom and me to his SAT's material.


Thanks so much for reading, and I look forward to hearing from you :)



Dana

What's an idiom?!

This was e-mailed on Wednesday 20 April 2011:


I hope the start of your week has been wonderful! I've soaked in lots of sunshine in London-town the past few days as school is on break between Spring Term and Summer Term, which means I've been able to be outside and enjoy the rays :)

To start off, the photo is from my time visiting my housemate in a village called Little Eaton ( http://maps.google.com/maps?q=little+eaton,+England&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl ). This photo is what I think all English countryside looks like, and it's the truth!! Have a look.

About two months ago I was teaching Brian and asked him if he knew what an idiom was, as I was going to be explaining what it was and wanted to see how much he already knew (this is one of the BEST things when teaching one-to-one, most kids have no fear of answering questions wrong). His response was, "Isn't that a person who isn't very smart?". Brian obviously confused the word "idiom" with the word "idiot". After a few lessons reviewing the definition of an idiom and me placing modeling how to place idioms in sentenced, he not only could tell me what an idiom was but he also knew how to properly use a few (you're on the ball, you're playing with fire, etc.) correctly in his OWN sentences!!! One of which is, "Dana, you're playing with fire when you walk into the street without looking both ways." How wonderful!! Talk about success :) He felt quite proud of himself and I was equally as proud of him for achieving such a difficult concept.

Praise: Although I miss the children I teach dearly, it's been amazing to be able to rejuvenate my heart and mind, reflect on the past term, and restore my passion for teaching over the term break. This is something to praise God for as I've been able to spend time reading Bible passages leading up to Easter, which is something that often gets tossed to the side during teaching terms.


Prayer: The two week break is almost over, which means the children will be back to school next Tuesday. Please pray the children have been rejuvenated and are ready to learn for Summer Term.


Thanks so much for your prayers and support! I look forward to hearing from you :)




Dana

Felix made my day!

So since it's been a few months (more like a year..... so sorry about my lack of communication) since I've sent out an up-date on the missions work I've felt called to in London, I've decided to send out a mid-week e-mail every Wednesday. These will be a quick read with a photo (none of the actual children, since I'm not allowed to do that, sorry...), a quick story of one of the children I'm teaching, something to praise God for, and a prayer request. Hopefully this will be a blessing in your inbox, as I know Wednesday's are usually the day of the week we might need a little extra push to get through the rest of the week. I would love to see your photos, read your stories, send Up praises on your behalf, and pray for any situations you would like prayer on, so feel free to send me an e-mail back :) Also, feel free to pester to me to send out my "mid-week up-date" if it gets to be Wednesday afternoon, and you haven't received anything from me yet. Also, if you don't want to receive these e-mail's let me know and I'll take your name off the list.



Some of you might have read this story on facebook already, but I thought I'd expand it for you anyways (I've also changed the boys name):

A few weeks ago I had to take one of my year 2 boys (about 6 years old), Felix, I teach out of P.E. to come to a Springboard lesson, which he came very willingly. Felix comes from an incredibly loving and supportive family (which is very rare amongst the children who come to Springboard) and his mom works in the school and is 8 months pregnant. Felix's mom had to pick him up early for one of her doctor's appointments, as his dad was at work and wouldn't be able to pick Felix up after school. Because his mom works at the school, I've come to get to know this family quite well and she's always been welcome to come and watch Felix's lessons. Se came to pick Felix up during his Springboard lesson to head to the doctor's appointment and he started crying because he didn't want to miss his lesson at Springboard. The next week, Felix's mom came in before school and handed me a card and daffodil from him. On the inside it reads, "Sorry i was so grumpy on Thursday. Love Felix" with some wonderful drawings of flowers and hearts and such. It was so wonderful to see how much Springboard makes an impact on the children in schools we teach in. I love what I do :)

Praise: Praise God that some children who are struggling with reading, writing, and spelling are given a chance to learn these skills through Springboard for Children.

Prayer: I'm now on term break, which means it's between Spring term and Summer term, and the schools get 2 weeks off. Please pray that all the children we teach at Springboard (well really all the children that attend school) have activities to attend or do that are safe and fun. This is really hard for families living in London, but incredibly crucial for children to have engaging activities that are safe in such a massive city.

March and April Happenings

Dear all,

Thank you for being so patient for my up-dates. Hopefully you'll enjoy!

Dana




Never underestimate the art of drawing:
I went to get a student from his classroom the other day and as we were walking back to the Springboard room I asked how his evening was. He then proceeded to tell me about the dream he had the night before. His dream included his classmates, his teacher, himself, and myself in the main hall dodging yellow nerf-like pellets. I then asked him to draw a picture of his dream, so I could capture the event. At the end of the lesson, I made sure there was enough time for this child’s imagination to run wild. He had a marker in his left hand and paper in his right hand and instead of drawing his dream; he drew a picture of himself and me in the Springboard room. This made me realize how important Springboard is to him, and maybe how important I am to him as his tutor. I love my job ☺


Above: the picture my student drew me.



A Few Snapshots Along the Way:

Oliver:
For months leading up to the break for Easter, the students in years 3 and 4 at St. Mark’s, my school in North London, put on the play “Oliver”. Three of the five students I teach there are in year 3 so to say the least, I was incredibly proud of my students after the show. One of my students even had a narrating part!! I haven’t seen the film, but I’m not sure it will be able to compare with the St. Mark’s play!

Above: Oliver at St. Mark's.

Spring Cleaning:
A week before the end of term (there are three terms in the British school system), you will find all the Springboard units cleaning, making resources, planning lessons, and laughing with one another. During our last week at Elm Wood before break, Christi, Elizabeth, and I went to the Bazaar (school fair) and tried to win chocolate as a treat during our tasks set ahead. £4 later, we won a High School Musical Chocolate Egg and enjoyed our winnings, all money supporting the school of course.

Above: Christi, Elizabeth and I and our chocolate winnings!

Easter:
As the Easter season approached, Christi invited me to join her to see Handel’s Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall. I have to admit I thought this was only played during Christmas season, and I didn’t realize there were three pieces to the performance, Christ’s birth, Christ’s death and resurrection. To be able to experience Christ’s story on Good Friday in a different way than I’m used to was incredible. The orchestra and the opera singers were amazing!
Above: Christi and I at Handel's Messiah.

Scotland:
Because we get two weeks off in between terms, which is quite a generous amount of time off, I am able to travel. This is perfect, as I have a lovely friend, Amna, whom lives in Scotland and has willingly opened her home to me to come visit. This trip to Scotland was actually my second, and we visited beautiful highlands, Mull and Iona (two islands between Ireland and Scotland), and enjoyed a lovely tour of the Sterling castle. But I have to say the best part of my visit with Amna and her family, was feeling as if I was apart of her family during my time there. It’s always the people that leave an imprint on my heart.
Above: Amna and I at the Isle of Iona.




You said what!?
Although people in the UK and people in the U.S. speak English, there is a huge difference in the British English and American English. I’ve compiled a short list of words that have different meanings on this side of the pond.
American English...British English
Movie theater ..........Cinema
Bathroom................Lou (loo) or toilet

Trash can................Bin

Trash......................Rubbish
T.P..........................Lou roll
Sidewalk.................Pavement
Line........................Queue
Shopping cart...........Trolley
Friend.....................Mate
Pants......................Trousers
Underwear...............Knickers or pants
Shirt.......................Top
Sweater...................Jumper or cardigan
Soccer.....................Football
Tennis Shoes............Trainers
Hair binder...............Hair bobble
Cell phone...............Mobile phone
Bobby pin................Kirby grip
Candy......................Sweets
Diapers....................Nappies
Vacuum...................Hoover
Mail........................Post
French fries ............Chips
Chips .....................Crisps
Ketchup .................Tomato sauce
Tank top ................Vest
Wallet ...................Purse
Purse ....................Bag
Highway ................Motor way
Phone booth ..........Phone box


Walk A Mile, or Run 26, In Their Shoes
Every spring, the London Marathon takes place. Thousands of people run through the streets of London to raise support and awareness for a cause close to their heart. I was invited to cheer the runners on, as my friend, Susanna, works for a charity that had volunteers running. I decided to go along to see what it was like to be in the marathon atmosphere. As I got there, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sense of people running for a purpose. Each person running was running for a cause that has personally affected them, affected someone they love, or wanted to support a cause they wanted to help. Upon realizing this I was struck with a deep sense of purpose for running. Then and there I decided I was going to enter the 2011 London Marathon for Springboard for Children.
Since that day, I’ve been thinking about how running a marathon could relate to my walk with Christ. Of course there’s the verse from Hebrews telling us to run the race with great faith, but God has shown me this goes much deeper. God sent his Son, Christ, to come to Earth to walk a mile (or a lifetime) in His creations shoes to be reconciled to Himself. Christ has been through everything we have been through; birthdays, hunger, friendships, struggles, rejection, laughter, and He’s already been through death. Christ came to Earth to put himself through what He knew I would go through. He didn’t have to do this, but He did so out of love and for me to join Him in Heaven one day. So often I look at the end result of Christ’s love, my salvation. I so often forget about what He did day to day. I don’t want to take away from the significance of Christ’s sacrifice, but during His life He taught me how to live; full of love for everyone, giving till I can’t give anymore, and trying to put myself in others’ shoes.
Even though not all the runners in the marathon were running for this exact motive, but this is essentially why they were running. I didn’t just picture those running, but I pictured those they were running for: the mother with cancer, the sister with diabetes, the child that has cerebral palsy, the list goes on. Those they were running for live with these struggles day in and day out without a choice, but those running had the choice to “walk a mile, or run 26, in their shoes”. Getting up at odd hours in the morning, going to bed exhausted, sacrificing nights out and time with friends to train for the marathon. The runners now know what it is like to live every day with something they didn’t have a choice to have.
After this realization, God challenged me to put myself in my students’ position. My students struggle every day to read, write, spell, and express themselves. This is something they don’t have a choice in, but God called me choose what it’s like to do something that’s a struggle day in and day out. Although the marathon isn’t till April 2011 and I haven’t been guaranteed a position, I will be running in a few shorter races. The training will help me place myself in the struggle my students have every day, just as Christ has already done for all of us.


Thank you!
All of your e-mails, prayers, phone calls, letters, post-cards, and everything else means so much to me! I have truly been blessed by all of your support throughout my time in London.
As with any artist, there needs to be many notes for a tune, there needs to be many brush strokes for painting, and there needs to be many movements for a dance. Although it seems to most that I am the one who has followed God’s calling for my life, but when I step back to take a look at the whole picture we all play an intricate part of God’s beautiful masterpieces of songs, paintings, and dances. Without you in my life, or me in your life, God’s masterpieces wouldn’t be complete. I am truly appreciative of your role in my life and I ask that you would continue to play a role in the masterpiece God has in motion as I prepare to spend another year in London.
As my students have touched my life and, I pray, as I have touched my students’ lives, I feel as if God has called me to continue to make an impact in their lives. With this calling, I plan to stay at Springboard for another year teaching most of the students I now teach, learning the behind-the-scenes development in a charity, and assisting with supporting part-time volunteers, all the while giving the glory to God. I do plan on running in the British 10K held in London on July 12th, 2010 to raise support for my second year at Springboard. I will send out more information when the date comes closer, but please be in prayer if you or you know of others who would like to donate monetary support. This also means that I still appreciate e-mails, prayers, phone calls, letters, post-cards, and everything else as a note, brushstroke, and movement in God’s masterpieces.


April Supporters:
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 1st in celebration of Marian’s birthday.
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 17th in celebration of Chuck’s birthday. 21st-27th in honor of Dana’s last week student teaching in Chuck’s classroom in April 2008.

May Supporters:
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 13th in celebration of Chuck’s birthday.
Stacey and Kent Cunningham: 19th in celebration of Kent’s birthday.


Prayer Requests:
- Praise for God being constant and never changing.
- Praise that God sent Christ to teach us how to live.
- Thanks for students coming back from break safe and healthy.
- Thanks for students feeling secure enough to share what their thinking.
- For all of us to step out of our comfort zones and put ourselves in others shoes.
- For God to reveal Himself to each of us.


Keep in Contact:

Address:
Dana Olson
7 Banfield Road
Nunhead
London, England, UK
SE15 3TX

E-mail: DanaEPO@gmail.com

Website: http://danaepo.blogspot.com/

You say tomato, I say tomahhhhto....

Hello to all my wonderful supporters!

Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog and keep up with my experience in London. I've appreciated all the e-mails and letters from everyone!

Since I've been a bit behind on my blogging below are my entries from January and February. I'm heading off to Scotland to visit a friend in the morning, so when I get back to London, I will be sending out my March up-date.

In the meantime, here are my wonderful supporters and some prayer requests:
April Supporters:
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 1st in celebration of Marian's birthday.
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 17th in celebration of Chuck's birthday
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 21st through 27th in honor of Dana Olson's last week student teaching in Chuck's classroom in April of 2008.

Prayer Requests:
- Praise to God for King of King's Lutheran Church (my home/sending church) and their continued support to me through out my year in London. They had their budget meeting in March and passed to continue to support me financially through the end of my time in London :)
- Direction as to where God wants to lead me next year.
- Love, care, and well-being for my students, as they now have a two week break from school (Spring Break).
- Safety as many of my coordinators travel for their "holiday". Some are flying as far as California and some drove back home to Scotland.
- Thanks for all of my lovely supporters (THAT'S YOU!!!)

January and February "Across the Pond" Newsletter:

You say tomato, I say tomahhhto
At Springboard, we focus a lot on the pronunciation of the sound(s) each letter makes, as this helps all students read faster. As I was teaching one morning, I went to get my youngest student out of his year 1 class, which is equivalent to Kindergarten. This particular student loves my American accent and always wants me to say words such as sweetie, as I pronounce it “sweedee” and he pronounces it “sweetee”. On this particular day the first thing he says to me is, “Dana, I can tomato! I don’t say tomahhto anymore!” As it’s pronounced “tomahhto" in British English, and I pronounce it “tomato”. How cute is he!?


January: Time For God Conference in Wales
During my year of service in the UK, I get to attend three different conferences throughout the year through my receiving organization in the UK, Time for God (TFG). Because all of us have graduated from university that were sent through the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Missions (YAGM) program, TFG wanted to give us a more in depth experience at the conferences we attend, so they have placed us on the TFG+ program. The TFG+ program focuses on vocation, community, faith, personal spirituality, and growth and development. Each of these topics let us look back into our past, focus on the present, and glace at our future.
During the conference, I got the chance to meet volunteers that are serving in the UK and come from all around the world! This was exciting, as some of my new German friends tried to teach me a few words and phrases in German, but I continued to forget the pronunciations and most of the actual words. Good thing I’m starting to become REALLY good at English. There was also worship every evening of the conference, which included all the volunteers, and an optional early morning worship service, where only a few volunteers attended. It was incredible to see and hear different languages praise God! We all speak a different tongue but have the same heart. Simply amazing!
Our days were filled with breakout sessions discussing the topics: vocation, community, faith and personal spirituality, and growth and development. We also had some free time to explore the Welsh countryside hiking and checking out our beautiful surrounding of the rolling hills.
It was wonderful to have a change of pace and a chance to think about and journal all that I’m experiencing on this side of the “pond.”


February: Celebrations
Ecclesiastes 3 says for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven, and trust me February was a time of excitement and celebration. Four of us six Springboard volunteers celebrated their birthday’s, Chinese New Year was celebrated with new friends from church, weekends with friends that visited from other placements, and one of the most exciting days I’ve ever been apart of, my older brother, Ryan’s, wedding.
Although I only got to participate in celebrating three of the four birthday’s (due to being in Minnesota), each had a little twist of it’s own to make it special. Blesilda had a gathering at our house where she made delicious Filipino chicken, noodles, and vegetables. For Christi, we took her out to Pizza Express, which is a classier version of Pizza Hut. And for Amanda’s birthday, a bunch of friends from church and a few volunteers went out to dinner at Nando’s, a Portuguese chicken restaurant.
I got the privilege to ring in the Chinese New Year with some students from China that I met through my church. There were many different dishes, such as: squid, Chinese steak, popchoy, duck, sweet and sour pork, and of course, green tea.
At the beginning of February, Traci, who’s placed at a church in Brighton, and Elayna, who’s placed at retreat center on a boat in Tollesbury, came to visit. I showed them two of the school’s I teach in, Camden Market, and around Peckham. Beckah, who’s placed at Bath Abbey, also visited for an evening and Edwin and I showed her Camden Market as well.
And last, but certainly not least, a celebration to go down in the books: my brother’s wedding. I flew back to Minnesota, in the middle of February, to be a bridesmaid in Ryan and Stephanie’s wedding. It was hosted the night of February 26th at the International Market Square in Minneapolis. Not only did I get to watch my older brother marry the girl of his dreams, but they also asked me to do a reading to make their ceremony more personal to their lives. It was a special honor to be given this task, as a wedding day is something to be remembered always.


Listen: To the Individual
During my time in China, Jamaica, and England, I have had more time to observe how humans interact, and one of my observations is that people just want to be heard. This is also true of the U.S., and I’m assuming elsewhere in the world, and nothing new to society, as there have been various social action movements in the history of the world, in which large groups of people want to be heard. But as I’ve continued to tutor children and have come across new friends during my time in England there’s been a resounding cry to be heard as an individual person. To be completely honest, I thought these children and people were too needy for me to help them. But as I got to know and continue to get to these individuals, all they really need is for someone to take a few minutes and listen to what they have to say.
As I’ve searched the Bible for inspirational verses regarding listening to others, I couldn’t find any (who knows maybe there are), but I did realize something really quickly: God listens to us, no matter what the issue. In the Bible many people cry out to God asking for various things: winning a battle, healing a broken heart, and even blaming God for their problems. God doesn’t put His fingers in His ears and pretend to be doing something else, no, He listens to every word and can hear every tear anyone has ever spoken or cried. So instead of finding a verse to give me a reason to listen to others, I’ve decided try and imitate God. I know there’s no way to listen to each person and what they have to say, but to apply this idea and listen to the children and the friends I already know.
Think about it, sometimes I just need to talk about something out loud, kind of like thinking out loud, to come to the best conclusion for a situation. I don’t like doing this by myself, but rather with a friend, and how amazing to have friends who already understand this concept! Think of those individuals in your life that need to be heard and you can be the one to listen. Although God is the only One with the power to help with most situations, we don’t have to have any answers to listen. Give listening a try the next time you find yourself in a situation in which you’re not sure how to respond. Sometimes people just need to be heard.



February Supporters:
Sandy and Chuck Schollmeier: 6th in celebration of Sandy’s birthday.
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 13th in remembrance on Marian’s 1st trip to Jamaica.
Laura and Andy Chapeau: 17th in celebration of Andy’s birthday.

March Supporters:
Laura and Nate Leckband: 10th in celebration of Laura’s birthday.
Michelle and Dan Taipale: 13th in remembrance of Don Johnson.
Kathy and Mike Obeidzinski: 19th in celebration of Kathy’s birthday.

CHRISTmas

The month of December accompanies the hustle and bustle of getting ready to celebrate Christ's birth. I enjoy the atmosphere of people shopping and trying to find the perfect gift for those they love, decorating the irreplaceable Christmas tree, and making the perfect cookies. Often the message of “Christ”mas gets lost in the gift buying, the decorating, and the making.... But when we stand back and look at the real meaning of Christmas (and forgive me because, yes, this will be cliché) it truly is CHRIST (imagine that?)! God has already provided for those He loves: the perfect Gift of Christ, the decoration of His children's lives with the joy and love of the Holy Spirit, and the making of a flawless sacrifice for all people to be brought back into relationship with Him. I have to admit that I forgot this message for a few moments this season. But even amongst the failure to remember the “reason for the season” God pulled my heart back to His many times this month. He's reminded me of the many things He's promised throughout generation after generation.



One of God's promises is that He reminded me of was that He will provide all that I need:

While reading 2 Samuel (and the story is also in 1 Chronicles), David was chosen by God and is appointed King over Israel. God speaks to David, through his servant Nathan, saying He will establish David's throne's forever. After reading the cruelty and disobedience David's heirs were to their enemies and to God, I was astounded that God still upheld His end of the “bargain”. When I went back and read in more detail this story in 2 Samuel 7, verse 14 and 15 say, “...When he commits iniquity, I will punish him... But I will not take my steadfast love from him...” (speaking about Solomon). All David had to do is to be obedient to God (yes, he was human and he did commit sins, but David did repent and still had to face the consequences of his sin) and God promised to establish his throne forever (which eventually Jesus was born through David's “throne”). And no matter what David's heirs did, God still kept his promise to David. In a way I kind of feel like David (except the whole “king, throne, and Jesus being my heir” thing). Being chosen and having God's promises of his provision. As some of you know fundraising wasn't an easy task for me coming out of a year of serving in Jamaica and not having enough funds to provide for the next year of service God called me. Before even leaving my home church, King of Kings Lutheran Church in Woodbury, MN, and many family and friends graciously sent monetary gifts to provide for the journey that lie ahead. Although I had half the amount I was supposed to have, I persevered into this year, trusting and knowing God would and will provide. While serving these past four months in London, God has provided what He has promised through unexpected avenues! First, Lutheran Church of Ascension's youth group near Chicago wanted to support a missionary in the YAGM program and I was chosen to accept their incredible gift not only financially but as a member of their close-knit community. After receiving a beautiful care package in the mail, I felt as if I was accepted into their community without ever meeting any of their members. Second, Christ Lutheran Church in Palatine, IL also wanted to support a young adult in the YAGM program and I was, again, chosen to accept their generous gift. I am still in shock of God's provisions and still trying to work out His faithfulness towards me. As in David's story, I have done nothing to receive God's favor, but am trying to live in complete obedience to His will for my life.


As I recall how God has provided for me before sending me and while living in London, I've realized the importance of Christ's birth is to everyone. Without Christ, God's promises would been broken. But with Christ, every promise God has given His children (there are many, just read the Bible) have come true!!

Remember the reason for the season: Christ!!




Supporters for January:
Chuck and Sandy Schollmeier: 10th in celebration of their wedding anniversary.
Violet Wilson: 23rd in celebration of her birthday.
Marian and Chuck Edelen: 24th in celebration of their wedding anniversary.


Prayer requests:
- Praise to a faithful God in providing all that humans cannot. Thanks that He is much bigger than any situation or worry.
- Prayers for the children we teach at Springboard. For them to be rested and ready to learn and start 2010 with the energy to soak in all that is taught to them. For God to provide each of the children with the material things they need and for the relational aspect they need and want from those around them.
- Prayers for the volunteers at Springboard, Time for God, and those serving around the world through the ELCA-YAGM program. For all the be rested and be energized to head back to their placements full of energy and zest for what God has in store for them.
- Prayers for YOU!! For those I've known since I was a baby to those I haven't met yet, but have started a relationship through Christ with. To use the knowledge of the nations with their families, friends, and co-workers to bring Heaven to Earth.





Don't forget that I love e-mail's and snail mail of prayers, encouragement, personal stories, and Bible verses. My information is:

E-mail: DanaEPO@gmail.com

Address: Dana Olson
7 Banfield Road
Nunhead
London, United Kingdom
SE15 3TX

November in Pictures

Hello everyone!!

Sorry about the long wait for a new post, but there has been so many exciting events I've been part of for the month of November. If you know me at all, you know I have a camera attached me so this month I've decided to make my blog, "November in Pictures".

Enjoy!

Mondays, Tuesday mornings and Thursday
afternoons I teach at Kingswood Primary School:

Looking at Kingswood from the street.


Looking at Kingswood from inside the gate in the playground
(this is the building where all the classrooms are).


Looking at the 2 other buildings on the Kingswood grounds from the other side of the playground - the building to the right is used for music therapy and the building on the left is the "Art Studio" and the classroom I tutor in.


Looking to the left of the classroom from the door.


Looking to the right of the classroom from the door.


Looking at the door from the far corner.

Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings
I teach at Elm Wood Primary School:

Looking at Elm Wood from the street.


Looking in the classroom from the door - we only have
15 students at Elm Wood so it's a much smaller room.


Looking at the rest of the room from the bulletin board
(notice the girl working so hard!!! That's Elizabeth,
she's one of my AWESOME coordinators).


Looking at the classroom from the computer - the desk I teach at!

Wednesdays and Fridays I teach at
St. Mark's Church of England Primary School:

Looking at St. Mark's from the street.
Sorry I haven't taken pictures inside this school yet!
I will and they will posted soon enough :)





Oxford Street at Night:
Christi and I decided to check out Oxford Street at night after hearing they put the Christmas lights up (YES!! This was the BEGINNING of November!!!):

Busy Oxford Street, EVEN at night!



Christi showing off the beautiful lights on Regent Street
(which links Oxford Street and Piccadilly Street -
2 of the busiest streets in the world).



Christi had never had Starbucks....
so being the good friend that I am,
I introduced her to Starbucks hot chocolate.
Success, she LOVED it!!



We ended our night at Trafalgar Square to
see the beautiful lighted fountains at night.





Outside Evaluation Presentation Event:
Springboard had a research team come to do an outside evaluation (http://www.springboard.org.uk/20090930.aspx )
and then they asked the team to present the information
to our supporters. Here on some pictures from the event:

Blesilda, Amanda, and Janet working hard
figuring out the name-tag situation.


While waiting for the guests...
this guy looked like he needed a friend.


All the full-time volunteers for Springboard -
back row: Ben, me and Eddie;
front row: Christi, Blesilda, and Amanda.





Thanksgiving in London!!!

Setting the table has always been my job,
so I decided to have that be the first thing
on the list to tackle for the Thanksgiving feast.


Teaching Christi to make real mashed potatoes
(thanks to watching all the wonderful women from
my family cooking in the kitchen at all those
Thanksgivings and Christmas gatherings... it was quite helpful!)


Cleaning up some of the mess so we can make
the stuffing and the green bean casserole.


Potatoes are boiling,
the stuffing is about to go in the oven,
mixing the green bean casserole...
all the smells were delicious!!


The turkey's out the oven... almost time to feast!!!


Stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy,
green bean casserole and dinner rolls for the feast;
then pumpkin pie and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert...
what a great feast!!


We watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"
after we stuffed our faces.


I'm so thankful for these girls!!
Me, Blesilda, Amanda, and Christi
(all of us are full-time Springboard volunteers).

I hope you enjoyed the lovely pictures and
there will more up soon enough
(as it's almost time for me to start my December blog).

Have a GREAT Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Supporters for December:
Alice Erb: 19th in honor of her daughter's birthday.
Lynn and Craig Pykkonen: 25th in honor of Jesus' birth.
Laura and Andy Chapeau: 30th in honor of Laura's birthday.


Prayer requests:
- Please continue to pray for all the children that all the volunteers and I teach. Please pray for them to have a beautiful Christmas and for them to retain the information they've learnt over the past term during their 2 week break.
- Prayers for all the volunteers around the world, as for most of them this is their first Christmas away from home. Please pray for them to feel at home where they celebrate Christmas and for all to remeber the "reason for the season" and in Christ they are "home".
- Robin's Nest Children's Home - the children's home I taught at last year - for all the children to feel how loved they are through Christ and all the people loving and praying for them around the world and for the new directors to cherish their time spent with the beautiful children.
- Prayers for all my supporters (YOU!!). Please pray for their Christmas' to be filled with joy and happiness this season.




Don't forget that I love e-mail's and snail mail of prayers, encouragement, personal stories, and Bible verses. My information is:

E-mail: DanaEPO@gmail.com

Address: Dana Olson
7 Banfield Road
Nunhead
London, United Kingdom
SE15 3TX