High Gear

The month of June also brought Lindsey and Brandon to us.  Oh how great it was to see them again!  With their arrival we moved into high gear as we prepared for their wedding.

June!

The month of June brought my brother and his wife for a visit.  It was so much fun to see them and give them a glimpse into our every day life.  Mostly they were a huge help as we were in full gear for the wedding, but we did also manage to find a few opportunities to do some fun things.

JSB

The month of May starts the winding down of the school year at Black Forest Academy.  One of the highlights is the Junior-Senior Banquet.  The 11th grade class hosts this banquet in honour of the graduates. 

Hard at work!

Danny is leading two worship concerts in our home church this weekend. 

 He called for a choir and people came out to practice.  Hard work but great fun!

The Market

What great fun it was to wander through the markets and see the variety of things being offered.  At first, I wondered if I would enjoy shopping at the market, but it didn't take long for the sights and sounds to draw me in.  It was so full of life.  There was everything  from fresh oranges to chicken feet and a thousand things in between.

Teaching English

I began my TESOL studies while we were in Canada last year.  I have been diligently working at completing the assignments but the last requirement required a greater effort.  I needed to teach for 20 hours in a ESL school. I chose the Cornerstone School in Uzhgorod, Ukraine and what a great experience!

 I stayed with  Dima and Nina (top left and bottom right).  What a privilege it was to get to know them and be in their home.  Their daughter Irina (bottom left) was my special friend for the whole time - she made my breakfast, and helped me with my Ukranian, and stayed up to wait for me at the end of a day with a cup of hot tea. 

 I ate great food - all very tasty.

 I made new friends in the fellow teachers and was thankful for their encouragement and help as I stepped into this new role of teacher. But the real reason I was there was for the students.  I had 45 in total  - divided into three classes.  It was great fun to get to them know and to see them learn and better their English skills.

Uzhgorod

In order to complete my TESOL certification I needed to teach 20 hours worth of English classes.  For a numbre of reasons, I ended up doing this practicum in Uzhgorod, Ukraine.  Danny has a cousin that works in a school there and I asked him if it would be possible.  Before I knew it, I was on the plane heading off on a big adventure.