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!

Fun in Ebeye

Things have been getting better! I’m starting to get used to teaching. I still have a lot to learn and improve on, but it’s not as overwhelming. Lots of prayer and deep breaths are getting me through!

The kids are pretty crazy. The culture just doesn’t encourage academics at all. Some of the kids couldn’t care less about their grades. I teach Bible, Reading, English, Social Studies, and PE for 6th grade, English for 7th, and English for 8th. Yesterday I assigned the 7th graders an English worksheet. There are twenty-two kids in the class, and one kid had it done. One kid! So frustrating. But it made me very thankful for that one kid. Ha! There are kids that want to learn and I love teaching them. Teaching those few kids is so hard though because it’s a constant battle just to keep all the others quiet. There aren’t enough books for all of the kids, so just assigning a simple book assignment is difficult. Most of the sixth graders really do want to learn. I really like teaching them. They are smart, sweet, funny, and energetic. With crazy names. The names here are ridiculous. Ngedikes. Lajutok. Littil. Kibin Kibin, Twylaine. There is a preschooler named Careless. A second grader named Bed. I’m thankful for my name. :)

Some of the sixth grade cuties! Ariana in the back. Left to Right: Ngedikes, Kenye, Oronia, Marialla

We had another creative writing assignment. Here are some more wise words from Malvin.
Prompt: “Write about a time that you were brave.”
Malvin: (He was attacked by a dog) “…And when I was going to the hospital and take care of my teeth, I was scared because one girl went out and she was crying and I was afraid. I went to the bathroom and pray to the Lord our God in heaven. After I have done praying, the doctor called my name and I go and the doctor pull my teeth off and I was not crying because God helped me and that is what brave is all about.”
I love this kid!

Today, the cutest little puppy found it’s way into Lonnie’s classroom. She’s malnourished, very weak, huge belly, and has little wounds on her back. But she has the cutest face! We (mostly Lonnie) are taking care of her until she gets better. I’m already falling in love with her… Lonnie is taking her dog, Lucy, back with her, so she’s trying to give the new puppy to one of us to take. I would love to take her, but we will have to see.

I love her!

She has a big ol' belly!

Such a chill little puppy. (Desaturated...I'm sunburned.) :)

I really like this island. Life is so simple and nice. Even though teaching can be stressful, all I have to do is look out the window and I see the ocean reminding me that God is so much bigger than all of this. I know this is where I am meant to be and I feel more at home every day. I am so happy that God has brought me here. There is so much love and beauty even through all the mess.

Panorama view outside my classroom

“These things I have spoken to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

Creative Writing

Today, I gave my sixth grade class a creative writing assignment just to see where they are at in their writing. They did better than I was expecting so that was a nice surprise! I haven't read them all, but as they were handing them in, I read a couple and I thought this one was so sweet.

Prompt: Imagine you were 20 feet tall. Describe what life would be like.

Malvin: (At the end of the paper) "...I'm tall and there is one thing I can do if I'm 20 feet is to pray to the God in heaven that is the nice thing to do if I'm 20 feet tall. When ever I'm 20 feet tall or not I will still pray cause praying is my favorite thing to do every day and every night. Cause God always helps us even if we are 20 feet tall or not. God still will help. He is always there for us."

These kids are so precious!

Week One

I finally got to talk to my family! I got to talk to Ali yesterday on skype! I seriously needed to see my sweet sister's face smiling back at me. Then today I got to talk to parents via choppy skype, so it was more like talking on the phone with major echoes. But just hearing their voices made me so happy!

I've been a badblogger. I just got internet on my computer friday, then we went camping this weekend on Carlos Island, so I didn't have any internet. This week will be better.

Things have been pretty hard lately. I've been really overwhelmed with classes, but I'm thinking that that will get better soon. I think I just need to get the hang of it and I'll be good. I really don't even know how to describe the kids. They are good for me sometimes, and other times not at all. The classrooms have open windows, but there is always something going on outside, and it's always loud. So even if I can get their attention for a second, it's hard to keep my voice over whatever is going on outside. There aren't enough textbooks for every kid, so they have to share, and then they cheat. My seventh grade english class alllllll cheated off of each other, and they were all wrong. So that's going to be kind of tricky. Some kids really want to learn, and others are doing the very least to get by. I guess that's a struggle for every teacher. Teaching is rough times. I have a whole new respect for all of my teachers.

The teachers at the school are very nice. They have all been really helpful to me and welcoming. There are probably 8 or 9 missionary teachers that work at the school. They're young and fun. The people on the island are soo kind. Wherever you walk, there are people, but they all treat you like they know you. Everyone says hi and random kids run up and smile, hold my hand, giggle, and run away. They are so precious. Two of the missionary teachers were telling me how there is very little crime on Ebeye. For so many people, and so little to do, I thought it'd be more. They said the only real "crime" is drunk people fighting. So as long as I don't join in on one of those fights, I should be pretty safe. :)

The other SMs have been really nice too. There are six others: Lonnie, Daniel, Phillip, Lance, Emily and Blake. Emily and Blake came from Andrews two weeks ago, and the other four have been here pretty much since the beginning. They're all nice and normal and have been really helpful and welcoming so I have much to be thankful for. :)

The island is pretty close to what I expected. Very poor, houses everywhere, trash everywhere, and lots of people. It is prettier than I expected though. Almost cute. There's bright colors and smiling faces all over. It's kind of a small town feel. I like it. Even though I've only been here a couple days, coming back from Carlos Island it felt like I was coming home. Emily and I were walking back from Triple J (the grocery store) today and we saw these two little boys in the street playing baseball with a ukulele and a bag of chips. Too cute!

Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to me. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to be with. Of course it will take time to get used to everything and love it here, but I can tell that I will and I know it will be good.

It's been hard getting used to things here, but I am comforted to know that I didn't come here alone. God has been with me the whole time and no matter what comes my way, He is in control and will take care of me.

The Trip to Ebeye

Traveling couldn't have gone better! I was a little nervous on the front end about traveling by myself the whole way, but it went really well. The 14 hour flight from Houston to Tokyo was surprisingly good. I sat by a really nice Japanese lady, who I felt like I knew for a week by the time we landed. Then in Tokyo they made everyone go through security again, I still don't understand why. But I was in line with two hilarious Filipino ladies, so the hour long wait wasn't so bad. Once I got to Guam I was greeted by the nicest couple! The lady worked at the mission office in Guam, so she and her husband were there to pick me up and take me the the little apartment at the church. They were so sweet and passionate about their love for God. On the drive to the church, they told me all about how they met (so cute!) and how they became Christians.

I woke up probably four times during the night, paranoid my alarm wouldn't go off and I would miss my flight. I'm stressy about that stuff! But of course my alarm did go off. I enjoyed my last hot shower, and the drive through Guam--that place is beautiful! I wish I could have stayed longer. It is so pretty and the people are really friendly. While I was in the airport, five different people talked to me and asked me how I was, where I was going, why, where I'm from...probably because I was one of about six white people in the airport, but I thought they were nice. :) One man I talked to at my gate asked me where I was headed. I told him I was going to Ebeye to teach at the SDA school there. As soon as I said Ebeye I could tell he was biting his tongue. He said, "Well, you will be in the real world there..." Haha! He said he went to Ebeye once for work and spent two days there. He said it was terrible and the rats were big enough to eat. He said, "But you'll enjoy it. The people there are very nice." I'd rather have bad living conditions and good people than the other way around. I have no doubt this is where God wants me for these few months and I can't wait to see what He has in store.

Monday It Is!

Got my ticket! I leave bright and early Monday morning! I am so glad it is all official and done. My trip is going to be pretty crazy. Tulsa to Houston to Tokyo (!!!) to Guam to Truk to Pohnpei to Kwajalein then finally to the teeny island of Ebeye. If you're like me and don't know where any of these places are, here's the plan:

I'll be leaving 6:20am Monday morning, and I arrive 6:05pm Wednesday evening. I'm not sure how long I'll actually be traveling. Time zones are too confusing for that stuff. Right now in Ebeye it is:

Ticket Please!

Well, still waiting at home. Because of a little hold up at the GC, my application didn't get approved before Christmas break, so Southern wasn't been able to buy my ticket for the 31st. I was pretty bummed at first, but this "bummer" meant I got another week at home and that is nothing to be sad about! Now that the GC people are back, I'm waiting for the very last approval for Southern to buy my ticket. Hopefully, I'll be heading out next week! With all my extra time at home, I got to do a little more research, lesson planning, and, of course, movie watching :) so I do feel more prepared than if I had left 10 days ago. But I am so ready to be there already! Thank you all for your prayers!

I am now above and beyond my $3000 fundraising goal! Thank you all so much for your help--God is so good!

My address in Ebeye is:

Karissa Knight

Ebeye SDA School

P.O. Box 5070

Ebeye MH, 96970

I hear it takes about 2 weeks for mail to get there.

I would love to hear from you!

"God's best gifts are not in things but in opportunities." -Unknown