Revitalized and Ready!

After today's hair appointment (which always leads to a deluxe pedicure at the nail salon next door:) I am revitalized, refreshed and ready for the many new things ahead in my life! Yesterday I met with the principal of my new school and was asked to design my room which is going from being a computer lab to my fifth grade classroom...a grade I said I'd NEVER teach :0 I stayed for almost two hours alone and in this computer lab of a dungeon (no windows :( and left overwhelmed and unsure of where or how I wanted to set it up! A great problem that I'm sure many teachers wish they had but this country girl is just use to working with what I've got. I had to measure how far apart I wanted book bag hooks and how far up from the wall I wanted boards (a girl who just last year measure a window for curtains with a piece of paper), post the walls with sticky notes and make a hard copy for the office, and was left with the daunting task of going to a scratch and dent store and picking out the furniture that I want for my classroom but the most frustrating part was without anything in there, I couldn't decide which area of the room would be used for what nor could I envision it! Then I thought of the Bible verse "..where there is no vision the people perish" and became over whelmed at the thought of a class full of 5th graders with a teacher who has no vision!  I even went to bed dreaming about the corners of my new classroom that is windowless and woke up with that anxious feeling of I've got so much to do and don't know where to start...a feeling I shouldn't be having this summer! Unfortunately ALL I can think about is my new class and my new school and all the changes that I will be making with this move in just under a month...where has my summer gone?! I was so thankful to be going to get my hair did today because I always feel lighter, happier, and full of vain superpowers when I leave there :) I wanted to go short but long enough to keep it pulled back next week during youth camp.

This is my long, stringy, untamed hair this morning...

This is my new and improved style! I plan to get it stacked in the back and a little shorter after camp!

My hair appointments are usually once every 3 months and I NEVER use to be a regular until I taught this one adorable, smart, hyper, and Vietnamese student whose Mom owned a hair salon! She convinced me to let her color my hair...I started getting grays at 24... and ever since it has become a very important and necessary part of my life not to mention she only charges me half price! and it took me persuading her to do that...she used to do it for free...gratis people! Her family is so sweet and they also own a delicious Vietnamese restaurant, they are hard workers, came to America legally and fully support a fair taxed America but the gem in their family is their son, Jason, whom I was privileged to teach in first and looped to end up having him in second grade also.

I will never forget the one very special day that his life changed forever in my second grade classroom. It was a Wednesday morning right after Chapel during math class. During Chapel for about a month I had been reading a story about a missionary family who visited Communist China and how they witnessed to the Chinese people and this one little boy named Yung-an and his family chose to worship the one true God and became followers of Jesus Christ even though it threatened their lives. The book was interesting full of adventure and kept his attention very well but never once did I even think about the way it would change his life. I remember it just like it was yesterday we had been back in class for almost 15 minutes, had done some whole class math fact review and I was turned around to pick up the speed drills for passing out. I was startled when I turned around because Jason was standing behind me, he never got out of his seat without permission, and he had a real serious look on his face and motioned with his finger for me to let him tell me something. I thought maybe he had an accident in his pants or something but when I leaned over he whispered in my ear "Mrs. Jennifer...I believe in Jesus." I then asked "that's great Jason...what made you decide that today?!" You see in a Christian school everyone says they believe in Jesus whether or not they have recognized their need for a Saviour and accepted Him. But Jason's statement was more powerful than just I believe in God, there was a passion in his voice and a look in his eyes and a sudden realization and then he said "I don't believe in idols. I believe in Jesus." Clearly the story from Chapel that I had forgotten about but he couldn't keep it out of his mind, meant something to him and I asked if he wanted to talk outside. You see in his families culture they worship Buddah. I took my Bible showed him some very important verses all of which he understood because the Lord had already worked in his heart. We prayed together and he asked God to save him because he no longer believed in idols.One of the absolute BEST teacher memories I have!

After leaving the salon today, I was even more refreshed than usual because his mom told me that they are enrolling him at the school I'll be teaching at this upcoming year :)

Here is the little cutie at our Open House night when he was in second grade!

The Barn was an actual part of my class but sure made an outstanding prop for this Readers Theater performance!

Great kid! Great memories and an overall Great Day :)