Another Week

A lot has happened the last couple weeks. A lot of good things!

The school is about to go through a huge transformation. A couple weeks ago, two men arrived to volunteer in doing repairs and building projects on the school and apartments. Someone has donated supplies for the projects and had it shipped over. They just got the container unloaded, so the projects will be starting soon! (Inside the container was a couch, new refrigerator, and new stove for our apartment!!!)

Before

After

Jiko

Eota and Justin

Fun kiddos

That same Friday I woke up feeling really sick so I stayed home. I missed my kids though! Even though they drive me crazy, I missed them so much. They’re great. On Fridays school gets out at noon, so after school a bunch of them came to visit me in the apartment. How sweet! I gave them all pencils my parents sent me. :)

The girls! The boys were too shy to take pictures, haha!

Sunday, the missionaries all headed out to Bikedge (sp?) Island. It’s about an hour boat ride. We were there most of the day. It was pretty perfect: desolate, sandy beaches, coconut trees, beautiful water and snorkeling. Snorkeling was fun, but apparently there’s a shark that lives by the buoy that sometimes comes in so it was a little stressful. Of course I got sunburned, but now I’m tan. We had a good time. Ate a lot of coconuts and swam.

There were a lot of pigs. For our entertainment, the dogs chased them the whole time.

Baby pigs are cute

Philipp, one of the SMs left on Monday. His mom is very sick with cancer and they aren’t sure how much longer she has. I can’t imagine leaving Ebeye and coping with his mom’s sickness all at once. Please keep Philipp and his mom in your prayers!

Wednesday started out a normal day. At lunch, Ryan told us school was cancelled for the afternoon. They were digging near the school and found a bomb from WWII! And the bomb was still alive. They said this bomb could have blown up the island! The people from Kwaj came and picked it up, and that was the end of the bomb. I really wanted to see it, but they weren’t letting people go around it. What a silly rule! :)

Thursday we got to go to Kwaj again. I love that place. So lush and American!

Look who we saw on the way to the dock on Ebeye

The field

Those Kwaj people love the bikes

Nathasha and me walking to the field

Jason and Emily. At the game last week, Emily and I talked to one of the dads from the other team. He offered to bring some extra soccer jerseys he had for the kids. So this week he brought them! They had fun trying them on on the boat ride home. So nice of him!  

Emily and me on the way back from Kwaj last week. I'm so glad she's here. :)

Next week is “Education Week” on Ebeye. All the schools participate in the activities. Monday is the Science Fair. It’s pretty much a Science Fair by the teachers. Since I’ve been here I’ve been growing alfalfa sprouts because the vegetables are so expensive. It’s kind of fun and really easy. I’ve tried a few different kinds sprouts. So my “science experiment” is growing alfalfa sprouts.

It’s not that science-y, but it’s applicable. And we’re supposed to make a presentation board with all of the information on it. I don’t get to do crafty stuff much these days, so it’s possible I’m going a little bit overboard with the presentation. I just get so into it! And we don’t have normal supplies like tape and glue so I have to get creative and I love it. Haha! I’ll take a picture when it’s done.

Please continue praying for me, the other missionaries and students here. God is answering prayers and blessing the school and our work here. I am so thankful to be apart of this team. Please keep Philipp and his mom in your prayers as well.

Love and miss you all!

Pretty rainbow in the morning. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Our pups: Lucy, Puppy, Mangy

Kwajalein Liberation Day

First day teaching with some of the 6th grade girls. I'm still a pretty jetlagged as you can see in my eyes.

By the basketball court on the way home.

Our apartment

Our room. Bunkbeds on the left. This is the whole room.

It was a nice short week. Because of Kwajalein Liberation Day, our weekend started at noon on Thursday. We were supposed to have the parade in the afternoon, but around one it started pouring rain, so that got postponed until Friday. The water was warm, so a few of us went to Beach Park to snorkel. Underwater I saw some interesting stuff: a football, a ladder, a pair of jean shorts, and three fish—even underwater you can tell it’s Ebeye. Friday, we headed to Beach Park for the parade, activities, and the race. We were told to be there at 10:00, so we were. The parade didn’t start until 12:30. I wasn’t too excited about it in the first place, so waiting two and a half hours for the ten-minute parade was a little frustrating.

Waiting for the parade to start. Kwaj is in the distant background. So close, yet so far away!

The parade

Ebeye SDA "float"

The float

Around 4:30 we got on the bus and headed out to Gugeegue, one of the islands connected to Ebeye. It’s about a six mile run back to Beach Park. This wasn’t a normal six-mile run, though. Some of it was sand, some had rocks the size of softballs; there was trash to run through and around, huge puddles covering the whole width of the road, and lots of wind. I haven’t run in a while, so it was rough. When I finally got to Ebeye, there were crowds of people all along the road cheering and clapping for the runners. It helped so much! I really just wanted to lie down on the road and never move again, but they were so encouraging.

There were fourteen women runners: Lonnie got first place, Emily got fifth, and I got sixth. There were bigger cash prizes for the first, second, and third, but the first ten all got $20! It was pretty unorganized though. No numbers, no timer, just running. When I went to get my money, they had given it away to someone else. He said he would give it to me that night at the game, but I told him we wouldn’t be there and asked if he could just give it to the SDA principal. He said he would, but I really don’t see that happening. Oh well, would have been nice. I’m not sure who, but a wonderful person bought Subway for all of us from Kwaj, so we were pretty happy after the race. Even though I kind of wanted to die while I was running, I was glad I did afterwards.

The barge arrived Friday afternoon. The barge goes around and supplies all the islands with food. The other SMs talked about how great it is to see the barge. So after dinner, we went to see. It was pretty magical. The boat is enormous with two giant cranes lifting the shipping boxes. It was nighttime too, so all the lights reflected off the ocean. It looked so peaceful.

I realized the other day that I have already had lots of firsts being here:

• I opened a coconut with a machete
• I’ve lived almost a month without a phone
• I ran a six-mile race
• I ran a six-mile race with no makeup on
• I’ve taught 5 classes to junior high students—this is quite a first

God has definitely been taking care of me since I’ve been here. I’ve had to trust Him more than I ever have. Every day is hard; teaching is stressful, frustrating, exhausting, and I’m really glad I’m not an education major. But getting through the day trusting in God is better than having the easiest day without Him. I’m learning every day how much more I need Him.

I rediscovered a verse a couple days ago that I really needed to hear. In English class, we are taught to stay away from the absolutes: never, always, every… But this verse lays out the absolutes in a promise.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.” –2 Corinthians 9:8

Such an extreme promise! I am so thankful that God has brought me here to Ebeye. There really is nowhere else I would rather be. I haven’t even been here a full month and I’ve learned so much. I still miss my home and my family, but since I’ve been here, the SMs and other missionaries have welcomed me into their Ebeye family. I feel very at home here.

Emily and I after a silly serenade from James, Phillip, and Lennin

P.S. I went to Kwaj again on Tuesday, so I posted pictures from both trips onto my Kwaj post!

Strange-Encounter Sunday

Last Sunday, I had to get a couple things from the store, so I started walking over. Not even halfway, a Marshallese lady met me on the sidewalk. She was walking the same direction. I was going to pass her (Marshallese people walk very slow) She said hi, then she goes, “Where are you going?” I said, “To Triple J, you?” She smiled really big and said, “Triple J.” She was very awkward about all of this. She talked with a smirk and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. We told each other our names, and she asked me where I worked. She told me about her kids and where they went to school. Then we got to Triple J, she casually asked me with her little smirk half glance what I was there to buy. Strange question. I told her what I was getting and asked her the same. She just laughed. How weird! She followed me all around the store watching me pick up the stuff I was buying. I felt so nervous and weird! She followed me for about 5 minutes, and then got distracted. I knew that was my cue to check out. I’m not sure what was going on, maybe she was just being friendly, maybe she wanted me to buy her something, who knows. Nice lady, awkward encounter.

One Fine Day in Kwajalein

I realized I kind of skipped over the whole description of Ebeye. I was expecting worse conditions when I came, but it’s still no America. It’s one completely flat mile, with 15,000 people living on it. With all these people, there are houses everywhere. Most of the houses are touching the one next to it. And I’m using the word house loosely. They’re more like scraps of plywood as walls, sheets of metal as a roof with rocks holding it down, and gravel as the floor. There is hardly any grass. Sand, roads, and sidewalks cover the whole ground. Kids everywhere—I tried counting kids on my .4 mile walk home from school, too many to count, I’m thinking over two hundred. Trash everywhere. Dogs everywhere. It’s called the armpit of the Pacific, but I think that’s harsh. The people are wonderful and they really do make this place beautiful. I’ve heard Ebeye is nothing like the other islands. Our apartment is nice though. It’s very simple; we have A/C, working appliances, a couple cushioned chairs. We have salty cold showers. I kind of like them, though. They’re refreshing and it reminds me that cold still exists.

Outside our window

Outside the 6th grade classroom

I got to go to Kwajalein Thursday after school! It kind of felt like Disneyland after being here for two weeks (that’s not long at all—it feels so much longer than that!). Emily and I were pretty excited about going, so we put on a little make-up before we left. Ha! Kwaj is a US military base, so it’s very American. Emily, Blake, Ryan (the principal) and I went as the “softball coaches.” We got on the boat and thirty minutes later we were in what looked like Florida. Wide-open spaces, lots of palm trees, and grass! There were American people everywhere, smiling and riding their basket-ed bikes all around. It was kind of cute. We corralled the kids, walked to the field, and watched them play softball. They don’t have fields in Ebeye so some of them had never played. They did really well though. The “team” was 5th and 6th grade, so most of them were my kids. It was nice seeing them outside of the classroom, in a non-frustrating setting. They really are cool kids. And they won! We had a lot of fun. It kind of felt like a dream seeing the kids in what looked like America. A good dream, but it still feels like a dream thinking about it. I forgot my camera when we went, but Blake had his so I took a bunch of pictures with his camera. I'll get them from him soon and post them! I'm going to start taking more pictures, or I'll be really mad at myself when I leave.

Kenye in Kwaj!

My ever-so-official pass into Kwaj. Seriously, this is it.

Me and Oronia

Ngedikes and Oronia

Some of the 6th grade cool kids

The beautiful Kwajalein

 There are restaurants on Kwaj—so we got Subway after the game! And let me tell you, I’ve never enjoyed a Subway sandwich more. It tasted so healthy and fresh. Healthy and fresh is very very expensive on Ebeye. We also got Burger King fries: not healthy and fresh, but so great!

Emily and I waiting for our Subway!

Ngedikes and I

Kristy, Flora, Ngedikes, Oronia, and Almi

I'm not sure the one on the left, Rufos with the helmet, Ashiro, and the wiseman Malvin

So pretty!

The kids playing softball

Rufos running to first

Flora on the base

After a thirty minute boat ride, we were back on Ebeye. Coming back, we felt a little guilty. Out of the four SMs that were here before us, only one has been to Kwaj and they all want to go. And now the three new SMs were asked to go first month of being here. We all felt kind of bad coming back to the apartment, but they didn’t make us feel bad and we had a fun evening. We all get along pretty well. With the tiny living area, different personalities, and all the time spent together, I think we’re doing great.

While we were on Kwaj, I took one of my students’ necklaces before the game. I said, “I’ll give it back when we get home. No necklaces.” She gave it to me and I had it with my stuff. When I went to get my stuff, it was gone. I feel so bad! It wasn’t like a family heirloom, just a normal kid necklace, but I took it and lost it! She asked me for it Friday in class and I said, “No talking! We’re taking a test.” How rude! I feel really bad I lost it. I dreamt about it that night. I guess I should just tell her and give her a few dollars to get another one. Bad teacher…

Friday I gave a vocab test to 6th grade. One of the boys, Junior, (who is usually pretty loud and distracting) has really started trying harder the last few days. I’ve been making a point to encourage him so he’ll keep up his effort. When he turned in his vocab test, I looked it over and I told him they were all correct. He was SO excited! His face just lit up and he had this huge smile on his face. I put up my hand to high five him and he stepped into it and hit my hand so excitedly! Then he strutted back to his desk. Haha! Kids are hilarious. Teaching is really hard for me, but little things like that are so encouraging.

I want to take pictures of all my 6th graders and put them up here. I’ll work on that! I hope you all are having a great weekend. Love to you all.

Looking for the Best and Striving for my Best

This week has been good so far. I’m starting to like my classes more. There are some days I can’t wait to get out of there, but as I get to know the kids, it becomes more and more fun. Blake offered to start teaching my 6th Bible class, so starting next week I will only have 5 classes! Yay! I’m still trying to learn the 7th and 8th graders names. I only have one class with them so it’s harder to learn them. And the 7th graders make it hard for me to even want to learn their names, ha! They drive me nuts. But overall things have been very good!

A few things about Ebeye:

• Time isn’t that serious. Of course this gets old, but it’s nice when I’m the one running late. :) 
• No one smells nice and it's okay. 
• Kids like to play outside. They’re social and silly. I think kids in the States are losing this art. 
• They know how to clean. No matter how crazy the kids are during the day, when it’s time to clean they buckle down and really clean. I don't even have to tell them what to do. 
• People are nice. Walking in the morning, everyone says “Good Morning.” In the afternoon, “Yokwe” (Hi). After sundown, “Good Night.” Very friendly people! 
• The island is one mile long, so everything is walking distance. 
• The SDA people are great. So welcoming, kind, and fun! I’m so glad I’m here. 

Last night a few of us were talking about the kids and how to instill a desire to learn in them. None of us have the answer, so if you do, let me know. :) These kids don’t really care about anything. Their parents don’t care about anything, so why should they? America funds this island. When they did nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, they shipped thousands of people to Ebeye. That’s why there are now 15,000 people on this 1 mile x .25 mile strip. Their solution: they promised they would not let this island fail. Money is literally handed to these people for sitting on their porches all day long. So to them, why learn? Why try? Why excel? It’s so sad.

Kwajalein, the main island, is only a 25 minute boat ride away, but they are so different. Kwaj is practically America. They have movie theaters, bowling alleys, Subway, Burger King...it's American. The schools are Americanized, and they pick (I think) 6 students from each grade on Ebeye to go to school on Kwaj. Huge opportunity for these kids! If they go there, they have a better chance of going to college and going places. And because they’re Marshallese, they get huge scholarships. Sadly, a lot of them don’t care.

The first couple days I was here, I had a hard time getting over this. I was thinking, “Why am I teaching them? They don’t care. They don’t want to learn. I can’t help them if they don’t give me their best. They don’t give me anything to work with.” Then it hit me. God does the exact same thing with us. He gives us challenges all the time. But He can’t teach us if we aren’t giving Him our best. We have so much to learn. We have so many opportunities in front of us. The only way I can learn anything from God is if I give Him my very best. I know He has something great in store. God deserves my very best because He is the very best. After this little parallel, I felt so much more patience and love for the kids. God has been so good to me.

And I’ve realized that I can’t make them listen. But they do watch me. The 6th grade girls copy little things I do, they want affirmation that they’re good students, and that they’re my favorite class. They watch how I treat them and the other kids, and that is really why I’m here. They need someone to look up to. I adored my teachers when I was their age. I know I can have an impact on their lives. I am far from perfect, but God wants to save them. If I can be a little light to shine Jesus to them, all the stress and frustration will be worth it.

School days are exhausting, but you know what’s fun to come home to? A letter! Or better yet, a package! I’d love to hear from you, and any little piece of home is wonderful.

Karissa Knight
Ebeye SDA School
P.O. Box 5070
Ebeye, MH 96970

Update on the cutie puppy -- Not so cute after spending the night. It was so annoying. Whining, whimpering, ugh! Someone took it home from school, so it found a home, but not ours.

Please continue to keep me and the other SMs in your prayers. Love and miss you all!